CIJA’s Israel Young Leaders Program (IYLP) is a highly competitive experiential learning initiative that provides Canadian student leaders with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about Israel through first-hand experience in a holistic and intellectually honest fashion. Participants spend seven days on the ground learning about Israeli history, society, politics, culture, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
CIJA advocates that Jewish students should have a rich campus experience at Canadian colleges and universities. Several organizations support Jewish campus life and contribute to advocacy efforts that ensure Jewish students feel safe on campus.
We work closely with the Network of Engaged Canadian Academics (NECA) as part of our holistic approach to addressing Jewish community concerns on campus. NECA is a non-partisan group of Jewish and non-Jewish academics who share concerns about rising antisemitism on campus. They advocate for strengthening academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and inclusion on Canadian campuses. They work to protect and teach about Jewish identity as well as combat antisemitism.
The Jewish campus community is experiencing unprecedented levels of antisemitism and serious concerns for personal safety. The following resources are for community members looking to do more to address the situation on our Canadian universities and college campuses.
In an inclusive environment, it’s crucial to keep in mind the unique needs of the Jewish campus community and to demonstrate that they are “seen” by the institution. This not only includes appropriate academic accommodations related to Jewish holidays but also culturally sensitive messaging by the institution to the campus community.
As Jewish students, faculty, and staff prepare to return to campus in the fall, CIJA shared a unified framework for Canadian campus administrators to consider as they plan for the upcoming academic year.
Although recent events on Canadian campuses have shaken the Jewish community’s confidence in post-secondary institutions to secure everyone’s safety and well-being, we work closely with our partners to ensure our campuses are safe for all.
Initiatives to boycott Israel (including Israeli universities), divest from Israeli companies, and otherwise sanction Israelis and supporters of Israel are based on libels against Israel. Such initiatives aim to debilitate Israel and intimidate Jewish staff, faculty, and students at Canadian institutions of higher learning.