This past Friday evening, Queen’s Hillel was privileged to have M.P.

Gordon Brown for a Shabbat dinner. Over 100 students congregated at

the Hillel House to hear Gordon Brown thoughts and feelings from his

recent CJPAC mission to Israel. Mr. Brown shared his perspective as a

non-Jewish Canadian about the State of Israel and the challenges it

currently faces. After a brief presentation students then had the chance to meet

the M.P. and ask him questions regarding his experiences in Israel and

as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.

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

Jewish student groups in Manitoba are busy! On November 3rd and 4th JSA, will hold “Israel Days” at the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. The events will include informational booths about several different types of travel, study, and volunteer programs in Israel. Falafel will be served while students dance to the rhythm of the drums. Students will also have the chance to learn to play the darbuka (drum).

Following the event on campus, there’s going to be a Krav Maga program at the Jewish Community Centre, where people will learn “Israeli self-defense”

On Sept. 25-26, Dr. Alan Dowty of Notre Dame University spoke at both St. Francis Xavier University and the Memorial University of Newfoundland.  Both events saw rooms packed to capacity for Dr. Dowty’s talk, entitled: “The Fourth Stage of the Arab-Israel Conflict.”  The events were sponsored by Canadian Academics for Peace in the Middle East and the Atlantic Jewish Council.