At the link below, you will find the latest UOC UPDATE newsletter. This edition includes a post-IAW wrap-up

LINK TO NEWSLETTER

University Campuses Across the Country Launch the “Size Doesn’t Matter” Campaign

TORONTO – February 18, 2010 – Students from 23 universities across the country have joined together to launch a nationally branded and coordinated campaign called Size Doesn’t Matter.  Aimed at highlighting the multitude of Israeli accomplishments and contributions, this campaign is the result of the combined efforts by the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS), local Hillels, Jewish Student Associations, and Israel on Campus organizations across Canada.

The Size Doesn’t Matter campaign is a cutting-edge social media experience that will include viral videos, an interactive website, feature films and promotional items.  In addition, this campaign will host some of the world’s most respected speakers on issues related to the Middle East, including: Khaled Abu Toameh, Dr. Joel Kotek, Dr. Mohammed Wattad, and Ismael Khaldi.

“We are very excited about this campaign,” said Rebecca Cherniak, Israel Affairs Chair for the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students.  “On many Canadian campuses, Israel is often vilified by anti-Israel proponents.  The Size Doesn’t Matter campaign will showcase an Israel that many students have never seen before.” strong

For more information, please visit www.sizedoesntmatter.ca

On Tuesday, February 9^th, CJPAC Fellows Ben Singer, Leore Zimner and Beth Cole hosted “An Evening with Ed Holder” at Barney’s Lounge. The event was sponsored by CJPAC and the UWO Tories. Mr. Holder, Conservative MP for the London West Riding, spoke about his experiences as a member of the London community, volunteerism, international trade, the Canada-Israel relationship and the Iranian nuclear threat. Students and community members enjoyed chatting with Mr. Holder and learning more about how they could get involved in the Canadian political scene.

It was a weekend to remember. The four-day CJPAC Fellowship Conference in Ottawa went by in a flash. From January 28-31, CJPAC Fellows from universities across Canada gathered in Ottawa for an exciting and stimulating weekend. The schedule was packed, and we were privileged to hear from many well-respected figures on the political stage.

On Thursday, January 28, after all of the Fellows arrived at the Minto Suites Hotel, we had dinner with Hon. Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas). We were also briefed by Canada-Israel Committee’s CEO Shimon Fogel and Government Relations Research Associate Noah Shack. Dinner was followed by a relaxing night at the Sir John A Pub.

Friday’s schedule was extremely busy. We spent the morning on Parliament Hill, where we heard from politicians of all political stripes. Former Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Marceau spoke to us about working with the Bloc. We also heard from Montreal Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, Minister of Transport John Baird, and NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar.

Furthermore, we were lucky to hear from Conservative MP Randy Hoback in the House of Commons, where he spoke to us about the most important local issues in his riding of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

The morning was capped off with a surprise meeting with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff in the office of the Official Opposition Leader.

Our meetings with all of the politicians culminated with a Question and Answer session and gave us a great opportunity to engage with them in a productive and enlightening dialogue.

Friday afternoon was very busy as well. We heard from staffers who work for Minister Peter Kent and Liberal MP Ken Dryden, and we also had a session about political fundraising. The afternoon concluded with a visit to the Department of Foreign Affairs, where we heard about Canada’s policies regarding Iran and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

On Friday night, the Fellows were treated to a wonderful Shabbat dinner at the Minto Suites.

Saturday’s schedule featured a variety of exciting speakers. We heard from a former representative of the Liberal Party Mark Resnick; Brad Lavigne, the National Director of the federal NDP; and Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre. Each speaker focused on their respective party’s relationship with the Canadian Jewish community.

The day also included a stimulating session with Chad Rogers from Navigator, where we were able to learn about political communication and the ingredients of successful election campaigns. The Fellows also participated in a media training session with Jordan Kerbel of Canadian Jewish Congress and a campus politics workshop  to conclude the afternoon.  Saturday night was spent at Fat Tuesday’s restaurant, where we had dinner and enjoyed drinks.

Sunday morning featured several workshops on election campaigns, where we got to put our skills to use and took part in several election campaign role-plays. We were also joined by CIC’s Director of Government Relations David Cooper who gave us an interesting brief.

While the conference flew by in four days, it is safe to say that all of the CJPAC Fellows had a very stimulating experience in Ottawa. Politically active university students from coast to coast were brought together and had the opportunity to forge new working relationships and friendships. For the CJPAC Fellows of 2009-2010, the Ottawa Conference represents an important step towards active lifelong involvement in the Canadian political arena. For Canada’s Jewish community, the CJPAC Fellows represent many of the community’s future leaders.

- Jonathan Mackenzie
CJPAC Fellow and Law student (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University)

Paige MacPherson

The Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS) is launching the Campus Campaigns Project 2009. This exciting new initiative aids Jewish and pro-Israel student campaign teams in their efforts to launch self-planned grassroots campaigns on their respective campuses, through financial and organizational support. After applying for funding and being accepted into the program, CFJS has multiple ways in which assist the campus’ endeavor, such as the Campus Campaigns Project 2009 manual, full of resources for creating successful campaigns. Additionally, CFJS executive and board members will travel to the selected campuses across Canada and train the campaign teams on how to make their campaigns effective.

The purpose of this project is to provide students with the training and support they need to make their campaigns successful. The result, CFJS believes, will be an amazing year of Canadian Jewish students’ ideas coming to life, by way of meaningful grassroots student campaigns.

For More information contact : Paige@cfjs.ca

Currently in its fourth year, the CJPAC Fellowship allows politically interested and active students to engage in Canadian politics at an intense level. Throughout the year, the Fellows will be given opportunities to enhance their understanding of the political system (at all levels), election campaigns and Israel advocacy in Canada. They will have unique opportunities to meet with Members of Parliament and senior political strategists.

In the winter, the Fellows will travel to Ottawa to attend a national political conference, including a day of advanced campaign training.

Click here for the UOC Campus Update Newsletter

Students from across the country participated in this year’s CIC Democracy in Action Conference. Out of the 200 participants present at the conference, 60 were students. After hearing from such speakers as Iranian activist, Nazanin Fatehi, Social Media expert, Noam Katz and CEO of CIC, Shimon Fogel, students then met with members of parliament.

“I had an amazing experience and hope CIC continues to facilitate our advocacy goals as students, and work with us in the future.” – Rebecca Cherniak, Israel Affairs Chairs, CFJS

Left to Right: CIJA Executive VP Susan Davis,  Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj, CFJS Israel Affairs Chair Rebecca Cherniak and YorkU Hasbara co-president Tyler Golden

From October 16-18, 75 Jewish student leaders from across Canada met in Guelph, Ontario for the Camp Guelph 2009 – Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS) Leadership Retreat. The goal of the weekend was to formulate a plan for the year’s upcoming national strategy for Jewish programs on university campuses. Focusing on both Israel advocacy and Jewish identity initiatives, the retreat was a time for generating new ideas, learning useful skills and sharing valuable resources for creating a national design for programs targeted to specific campuses. Israel sessions ranged from advocacy training to understanding the Arab-Israel conflict to media sessions. The sessions presented numerous approaches for tackling advocacy issues, such as the session on Social Media and Branding Israel, led by Hillel Toronto and UOC staff, which provided insight into effective social media techniques for promoting causes on campus. Students established new friendships and strengthening the CFJS-Hillel relationship. The weekend was a great success and the beginning of what promises to be a wonderful year for Jewish students involved in the CFJS.

CJNEWS Article: http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17907&Itemid=101