December 9, 2024
 
As you may have already heard, our national partner, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) announced earlier today that Shimon Koffler Fogel will conclude his role as CIJA President & CEO, after decades of serving our community with extraordinary distinction and dedication. We want to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to Shimon.
 
Shimon has been a cornerstone of Canadian Jewish advocacy for over 40 years, bringing unparalleled expertise, vision, and commitment to his role as CIJA’s President and CEO. From his early work with the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Atlantic Jewish Council to his pivotal contributions at the Canada-Israel Committee and, ultimately, CIJA, Shimon’s efforts have left an indelible mark on our community and our country.
 
Under his leadership, CIJA has built strong relationships across the political spectrum, advanced critical policies, and ensured that the voice of Canada’s Jewish community was heard at the highest levels. Most recently, his steady and thoughtful leadership has been invaluable in addressing the challenges posed by rising antisemitism and the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
 
Beyond his professional achievements, Shimon’s unwavering dedication to fostering community unity, mentoring future leaders, and championing Jewish and Canadian values has inspired us all. His legacy of service is one we will continue to build upon with gratitude and admiration.
 
CIJA’s mandate to advocate for Canada’s Jewish community is as critical today as it has ever been. In order to move forward and effectively at this critical time, CIJA has assembled an experienced team offering a diversity of executive-level skills in the areas of government relations, public policy, business, and human resources. Noah Shack has agreed to take on the role of Interim President, building on his career in Jewish advocacy that began at the Canada-Israel Committee 17 years ago. Noah will oversee CIJA’s day-to-day operations, closely supported by a strong lay leadership group composed of Elan Pratzer, current Board Chair, Montreal Vice Chair of CIJA, Michael Aronovici, Steven Kroft, Martha Durdin, and Mark Spiro. This transition team has the full confidence of Federation CJA and its board of directors.
 
Over the coming months, CIJA’s Board will be conducting a thoughtful search process to select a permanent successor to Shimon. We are committed to transparency and will keep our community informed of key updates as this moves forward.
 
Here in Montreal, we are proud of the work and partnership with CIJA Quebec under the leadership of Eta Yudin, Vice-President of CIJA. We will continue to work with Eta and the National team to further the mission of advocating for and protecting the interests of the Jewish Community in Montreal and Canada, especially during these trying times.
 
Once again, we thank Shimon for his years of leadership and dedication and are fully committed to supporting the Board of CIJA and the interim transition team lead by Noah Shack.
 
Steve Sebag
Board Chair,
Federation CJA
 
Yair Szlak, LL.B
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Federation CJA
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