Federation CJA is a Montreal based Jewish community organization. Their mission is to "preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life and engagement in Montreal, Israel, and the world". Federation CJA is a part of the

Jewish Federations of North America The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization for the Jewish Federations system, representing over 350 independent Jewish communities across North Ameri ...

History

Federation CJA is one of the oldest

Canadian Jewish The history of the Jews in Canada goes back to the 1700s. Canadian Jews, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion, form the fourth largest Jewish community in the world, exceeded only by those in Israel, the United States and France. In the ...

organizations. CJA was founded in 1916 with the hope of uniting Montreal's Jewish community and providing a central fundraising organization to serve the 14 founding organizations. It has been involved in major issues facing the community, such as government restrictions on immigration beginning in the 1920s, extreme poverty during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, the rise of

fascism in Europe Fascist movements in Europe were the set of various fascist ideologies which were practiced by governments and political organizations in Europe during the 20th century. Fascism was born in Italy following World War I, and other fascist move ...

and Quebec during the thirties, the Second World War and assisting the remnants of European Jewry, the birth of the State of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, waves of immigration including especially Holocaust survivors,

Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

and Hungarians after the

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

, the rise of the separatist movements and outward immigration, particularly of young Jews that followed in the late '70s and '80s, as well as fighting

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

and assisting in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable in Montreal, Israel, and in other communities under threat around the world.

Fundraising

Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) is the fundraising arm of Federation CJA, with over 18,000 donors to the annual campaign supporting various local, national, and overseas programs and activities.

Community

As a

community organization Community organization or community based organization refers to organization aimed at making desired improvements to a community's social health, well-being, and overall functioning. Community organization occurs in geographically, psychosocially ...

, it mobilizes thousands of volunteers who devote their time and energy to raising funds, allocating the proceeds, and assisting in the delivery of services. It is one of 156 North

American Jewish American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% ide ...

federations, a member of the United Israel Appeal Federations Canada, the

, and a contributor to the

Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...

. Federation CJA is also affiliated with the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy.

Agencies

Constituent agencies of Federation CJA include Agence Ometz,

Bronfman Jewish Education Centre The Bronfman Jewish Education Centre (BJEC) is the planning and coordinating agency for Jewish community educational needs in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Description A constituent agency of the Federation CJA, BJEC strives to respond to the educati ...

, Camp B'nai B'rith, Communauté sépharade unifiée du Québec (''United Sefardic Community of Quebec''),

Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors The Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors (CJCS) is a constituent agency of Federation CJA in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It offers a fully integrated service system that assists Jewish seniors in Montreal, promoting positive attitudes towards aging, ...

, Hillel Montreal, JEM Workshop Inc., Jewish Public Library,

Montreal Holocaust Museum The Montreal Holocaust Museum () is a museum located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is dedicated to educating people of all ages and backgrounds about the Holocaust, while sensitizing the public to the universal perils of antisemitism, racism, ...

, the

Segal Centre for Performing Arts The Segal Centre for Performing Arts, formerly the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, is a theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 5170 Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, in the borough of Côte-des ...

, as well as the YM-YWHA Montreal Jewish Community Centres.

Controversies

CJA is connected with other groups such as Hillel International. Hillel International has a presence on college campuses to support Jewish students in their college life and to support their connection to Israel as part of their identity. This can sometimes be in conflict with groups supporting other causes and most recently with the Anti-zionist movement gaining momentum from the Israel- Gaza war and the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

New leadership

In its vision of the future, the director of CJA believes that the Federation CJA must be more inclusive and recognize all Jews in a diverse Jewish population of Montreal. Past-President of Federation CJA, Marc Gold, said "the federation recognizes that it must be open to change to be relevant to Montreal Jews, especially the younger generation and those not involved with the organized community, and recognize that all Jews in a diverse Jewish population of Montreal."Arnold, Janice (16 December 2009
Federation reviewing its role in the community
Canadian Jewish News.

Notable people

* Charles Shahar, Federation chief researcherShefa, Sheri. "Intermarriage Data from U.S. Poll Cause Stir Here". ''Canadian Jewish News''. October 14, 2013.
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References

External links

Website of Federation CJA

Web Magazine Tikum Olam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Cja Jewish community organizations Non-profit organizations based in Montreal Organizations established in 1917 Jewish organizations based in Canada Jews and Judaism in Montreal 1917 establishments in Quebec