|
May 29, 2009
Jewish students meet
Congress was "a monumental event": Segal.
JEANIE KEOGH
Reflecting on the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS) first national congress, Rachael Segal, the first Western Canadian president, said it was the greatest event the CFJS has seen in her four-year experience with the organization and it marks the beginning of a new national Jewish student unity for stronger leadership and addressing advocacy issues.
Held in Toronto from May 1 to 3, Segal said the event was possibly the first national congress of students that Canada has ever seen, what she described as "a huge pioneering move for the Jewish student community in Canada."
"I have yet to talk to one of the participants that didn't think that this was really a monumental event for Canadian Jewish students," she said.
Fifty students attended, representing 30 campuses across the country. The goal, Segal said, was not to attract huge numbers but to ensure a wide representation of different Jewish student groups.
According to Segal, when the CFJS formed in 2004, the founding members' vision was to hold an annual national congress. This allowed the CFJS to hold in-person elections, create a constitutional committee to address major issues brought forward and adapt the constitution to suit today's needs; a task Segal said hadn't been undertaken since the organization's conception.
As well, in a further effort to strengthen national ties between campuses, those who attended the congress will sit on a board that will participate in monthly conference calls with incoming president Samantha Banks from Concordia University.
"The focus was to really live out the vision to reopen our constitution, which we haven't looked at in five years, create more system and structure, listen to campuses and see what their issues are and how CFJS can really impact Jewish identity, Israel advocacy and Jewish advocacy on campuses," said Segal.
Israel advocacy and developing leadership curriculum were the central themes for Segal's presidential term this year.
"Campuses are the battleground for Israel and we've seen a rise in the number of campuses affected by Israel Apartheid Week this year ... everything that happened in Gaza in January was really a test of our advocacy abilities and I'm ecstatic to say that Jewish students worked at a very high calibre this year and were ultimately successful in promoting Israel's positive image on campus," she said.
In recognition of this, the CFJS awards panel honored University of Victoria student Matan Levanon and CFJS director of advocacy Noah Kochman for their involvement in Israel advocacy on campus, one of six awards categories handed out.
Levanon co-chaired the CFJS Israel advocacy conference hosted in Vancouver in February this year, along with Roxy Lewin, CFJS member-at-large for Western Canada.
Originally from Israel, Levanon said that when he came to Canada to study, "I realized people sometimes have a distorted image of Israel or the situation or events that are going on and I thought it was very important to show them there is way more to Israel than the conflict. Also, throwing blame on both sides will not get us anywhere."
He said he has been working to raise awareness about Israel through education programs and hosting events to counter rallies on campus and around Victoria since the beginning of the year.
Levanon said that when talking to people about Israel he makes allowances for his biases, having been raised in the Israeli education system. "I try to tell my personal story. I try not to comment as the person who knows everything," he said, "I'm not trying to let people think that the information I give people is the truth and the only truth, I'm trying to let them know that there are some other opinions."
Segal agreed with Levanon that there is a need for both sides to "ensure that we're using academic dialogue as opposed to rhetoric" to avoid "having a screaming fit with someone we're talking to."
"I think the reason Matan got it [the award] is because of his commitment to dialogue, his cool temperament when having convers- ations with people, his dedication to promoting Israel positively on campus, his commitment to educating students from Western Canada and ensuring they are prepared to advocate on campus as well," said Segal.
Levanon's plan for the coming year will be to remain active with the Jewish student association at UVic. Upon graduating, his aim is to work with Hillel, Stand With Us or one of the many other advocacy organizations around Canada before returning to Israel.
Segal, who will continue to remain active with the CFJS, sitting on the executive board as immediate past president, said her hope for next year is that, "the CFJS will grow nationally and people will engage with the organization and find relevance for the organization within their own university experiences."
Jeanie Keogh is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.
^TOP
|
