On the evening of Tuesday, May 27, on the occasion of Winnipeg’s annual “Negev Gala,” organized by the Canadian chapter of the Jewish National Fund, a couple of dozen local activists (quite a few of them Jewish) gathered in front of the JNF’s Centennial Concert Hall venue, on the prairie metropolis’ busy Main Street.
The purpose of the gathering was two-fold: firstly, to call for the termination of the JNF’s charitable status here in Canada, because the JNF discriminates between people on the basis of their ethnicity; secondly, to announce the formation of a brand new JNF chapter — the “New JNF,” these activists call it — dedicated to the return of lands the JNF has stolen or simply laundered, in the latter case by planting trees or establishing parks over demolished Palestinian villages (e.g. “Canada Park,” where a handful of Palestinian villages once flourished, before they were demolished back in 1948).
A good time was had by all. Even the hall’s elderly security guard lightened up when told that the gathering just involved a bit of theatre (perfectly fitting for the location, really).
Listen to some of the proceedings here:
Another great Jewish group. The fraudulent story of Canada Village that was built on the ruins of 3 Palestinian villages in the Latrun with Canadian money has to be repeated over and over to Canadians..
Good work, folks!
(Walid– certainly the history of Canada Park is not “fraudulent”)
Brilliant! The concept of an “New [Open] JNF” in the same vein as Open Hillel is really interesting. Green (or something) donation boxes, side by side, and let donors vote with their quarters.
Keep up the great work!