In 1949, shortly after the founding of the State of Israel, Montreal-born Dov Yosef, a graduate of McGill University law school, became Israel's first Canadian Knesset member and minister.

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Seventy-three years later, Montreal-born Dan Illouz has secured the "immigrant" slot on the Likud Party list and hopes to follow in Yosef's footsteps.

With Likud currently polling at 32-35 seats and Illouz placed 33rd on the list, his chances of entering parliament are high following Israel's Nov. 1 elections.

Even more so if the Likud sits in the next governing coalition, as the so-called Norwegian Law allows for those who are appointed ministers to transfer their Knesset seats to other party members placed lower down on the electoral list.

If the 36-year-old Jerusalemite makes it in, he will become the first Likud party member born and raised in Canada and the fourth Canadian to enter parliament.

In addition to Yosef, there have been two other Canadian parliamentarians: Michal Cotler-Wunsh, who was born in Jerusalem and moved to Canada at the age of eight and is the daughter of Canadian politician Irwin Cotler; and Sharren Haskel, who was born in Canada and moved to Israel as a one-year-old.

For his part, Illouz, born to Moroccan parents, spent his early years in Montreal involved in the local Jewish community until, following his graduation from McGill, he decided to make aliyah at the age of 23. He then joined the IDF, completed his master's degree in public policy at Hebrew University, and worked in a number of jobs in support of the Jewish state. This included stints at the Foreign Ministry, as an adviser to former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, as vice president of partnerships at jgive.com, and holding a seat on the Jerusalem City Council.

"I think it is important that there's an open door [for immigrants] to someone who can understand them," Illouz told JNS two days after winning the reserved "immigrant" slot over several former parliamentarians, including Russian and Ethiopian candidates with larger bases in Israel.

"This is the first time we have had an Anglo winning this spot," Illouz continued, "and I think it's important."

The primary was held on Aug. 10; nearly 80,000 people cast a ballot, or 58 percent of eligible voters.

Illouz said he has already been in touch with a number of Anglo and French organizations – Illouz is also fluent in French – such as Nefesh B'Nefesh and Yad L'Olim, and is hopeful he is now better positioned to help them achieve their goals.

Anglo ideology

Illouz believes that the Anglo community supported him not only because he speaks English, but because he speaks to their core values and ideology.

"The principles that brought me to make aliyah are the same principles that brought them to make aliyah, and they are the same principles that push me to stay in public service," Illouz told JNS.

These principles include a love of the Land of Israel and a belief that all of it, including the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, belongs to the Jewish people.

Illouz also advocates for a free-market economy and aims to reduce bureaucracy in Israel.

He said that if someone like him had been in the Knesset during the COVID-19 pandemic, they could have fought for immigrant rights by ensuring that the skies stayed open to new olim and to the family members of those already living in Israel.

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"There was not enough response from the government because there weren't enough people who understood that it was even a problem," Illouz said. "Israelis did not understand it because they were not in close touch with the people for whom it was a problem."

More than 25% of the Israeli population is composed of immigrants, according to a recent report by the OECD. However, only around 2% of Israelis speak English as their native language.

Likud proud

While Likud is the only party in Israel since 1992 to regularly elect its chair and Knesset candidates in primaries, it is often portrayed in Israeli media as a corrupt amalgamation of dealmakers.

Illouz said that the picture painted was just an illusion and that "these primaries show how strong ideology is in the Likud at the end of the day. The Likud is its members, and when we see who the members decide to reward, we see that they reward people with a very strong ideology," he added.

In this respect, Illouz noted that MK Yariv Levin won the first available spot on the list – that is, the second position as the top spot is reserved for the party leader – someone whom "no one would ever consider corrupt.

"If the media try to portray Likud as having people who scream a lot, [Levin] is the exact opposite. He's very clear on his views, very ideological … but very moderate in the way he communicates those views," Illouz said.

However, Likud critics have noted Levin's threats to reshape what he considers an unaccountable legal establishment, and say he placed so well because he is viewed as Likud head Benjamin Netanyahu's closest ally.

Indeed, Illouz defended the choice to keep Netanyahu as party chief despite the former longstanding prime minister's ongoing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Illouz said Israelis should be proud to live in a country where a person is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Moreover, he believes that the cases against Netanyahu "are very weak."

"I don't know what will happen in court because I am not a prophet, but the expectation in the public is that the cases are slowly falling apart. And the world can see it also," Illouz said, adding: "I think Netanyahu is one of the most respected leaders internationally and his being prime minister will only help us to accomplish more."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Argentina agreed to share archival records about Jews who fled the Holocaust to the country this week in a new agreement signed between the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center and the Archivo General de la Nación (General Archive of the Nation) in Buenos Aires.

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In addition, the countries agreed to increase Holocaust-education programs in the Latin American country.

"Holocaust remembrance, education and research are the keys to fighting intolerance, hatred and anti-Semitism," said Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan, who signed the agreements on behalf of Israel. "Argentina took an additional step in the right direction to bringing meaningful and historically accurate knowledge about the Holocaust to its youth and future generations, as well as to allow for the expansion of our repositories of documentation of the events of this dark chapter of our not-so-distant past."

He added that "with the opening of Argentinian National Archives, Yad Vashem will be able to delve deeper into the multifaceted elements – and meanings – of the Holocaust."

The agreement was signed in the presence of Argentinian Interior Minister Eduardo de Pedro.

Yad Vashem was established in 1953, less than a decade after the conclusion of World War II and the Holocaust. Since then, it has been gathering relevant archival documentation from around the world and bringing it to the Mount of Remembrance as the bases for all of its commemorative and educational efforts.

Today, the museum houses more than 222 million pages of Holocaust-related documentation, which over the years has been made available to researchers and the public at its Jerusalem campus and online.

'Holocaust is a puzzle'

According to the cooperation agreement, which JNS reviewed, the Argentinian General Archive will provide access for Yad Vashem representatives to the research tools and archival materials, as well as allow full-text copying of related documents. Yad Vashem may place digital copies of the reproduced documents in its own archive and can also open them up to the public for personal, educational or research purposes.

"It is our unwavering mission at Yad Vashem to gather all possible information relating to the Holocaust," Dayan said after signing the agreement. "The archival documentation we collect is the basis for our multidisciplinary activities and enhances Yad Vashem's mission to connect the pieces of the puzzle of the Holocaust in order to transmit its messages for all humanity."

Yad Vashem Archives director Masha Pollack Rosenberg told JNS that the keys to uncovering the history of the Holocaust are hidden within archives scattered around the world.

"The Holocaust is one giant puzzle consisting of pieces of various sizes and significance," she said. "Each individual, community and society have their own stories to tell and pictures to paint.

"Yad Vashem is here to not only put the pieces of the puzzle back together, but also to see how each of the stories and pictures interact within the larger framework of European and North African Jewry and the Holocaust," she continued. "We never know what piece of the puzzle might interlink with another seemingly unrelated element in the history of the Shoah, deepening our greater understanding of the events of 80 years ago. These are the endless possibilities that exist when we begin to investigate new archives."

The Argentinian National Archive is particularly interesting despite the Holocaust having taken place in Europe – thousands of miles away from Argentina, according to Rosenberg. She said there were ties connecting the country to the Holocaust both on the sides of the victims and the perpetrators.

"While during the war Argentina remained neutral with ties on both sides of the hostilities, after the war, many Nazis escaped Europe and sought refuge [there]," she explained. "Similarly, on the victims' side, the Jewish community in Argentina – many of whom were ex-pats from Europe – had families directly affected by the events of the Holocaust. In addition, a sizable group of Holocaust survivors immigrated to South America, and specifically Argentina, after the war seeking to rebuild their lives."

'Holocaust education is key to fight against intolerance'

In addition to the agreement about the archives, in a meeting with Argentine Education Minister Jaime Perczyk, Dayan signed the first-ever agreement between Yad Vashem and the Argentinian Ministry of Education pledging to strengthen efforts to promote education and commemoration of the Holocaust in Argentina.

"Holocaust education is key to our fight against intolerance and the baseless hatred of anti-Semitism," said Dayan. "Argentina took an additional step in the right direction to bringing meaningful and historically accurate knowledge regarding this dark chapter of our not-so-distant past to the youth of today and generations to come."

The agreement, which was also viewed by JNS, is specifically between Yad Vashem and Argentina's Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology.

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It includes four initiatives: the coordination of professional and accredited educational activities for instructors both in formal and informal educational settings in Israel and Argentina; optimization of the use of Yad Vashem's various resources, including the archives, museums, exhibitions and pedagogical framework for educational activities; facilitation of discussions between Argentine and Israeli teachers over pedagogical practices; and the planning and carrying out of preparatory annual and multi-annual follow-up programming.

"I am pleased that … relations between Israel and Argentina have reached a very high level," said Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Galit Ronen.

The agreements were signed as part of a week-long visit made by Dayan and other leaders working to fight anti-Semitism, including US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt.

AMIA bombing: 'Justice has not been served'

Dayan also met with Argentinian President Alberto Fernández and other high-ranking Argentinian officials, and participated in the Latin American Forum to Combat Antisemitism.

"In my discussion with the president, I expressed our deep appreciation for his support that has led to the signing of two important agreements," said Dayan.

He noted that he and Fernández talked about the rise of hate speech and anti-Semitism around the world.

"I also took this opportunity to raise the issue of the terror attack on the headquarters of the AMIA [Argentine Jewish Mutual Association] in Buenos Aires 28 years ago, and the fact that despite the deaths of 85 victims, justice has not yet been served, with no one prosecuted to date," said Dayan. "President Fernández expressed great frustration at this issue."

Dayan was born in Argentina and immigrated to Israel as a young boy. He spent Shabbat with the Argentinian community before holding official meetings.

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The majority of Israelis are opposed to providing Ukraine with military aid, such as the Iron Dome missile defense system, a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute has found.

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The survey, released on Friday, only a few days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for military assistance from the Jewish state, found that 67% of Israelis were opposed to the move, 22% would support the transfer of weapons and 10 percent were unsure.

On the other hand, Israelis said "it would be better if Western countries intervened militarily against Russia" rather than solely implementing economic and other sanctions. Forty-four percent said the West should take military action in the area.

The survey was taken by IDI's Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research with the aim of understanding the stances of Israelis on the conflict. The survey included both native-born Israelis and immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU).

Some 73% of Israelis said they were following the conflict at least to a "fairly large extent," with 25% reporting that events between Russia and Ukraine are affecting their lives on a personal level.

Nearly 32% of FSU immigrants said they still have close relatives in Russia, and 22% said they had close relatives living in Ukraine.

When asked how Israel is doing in its response to the conflict, and where the country should aim its support efforts, 76% of Jewish respondents said that Israel should prioritize humanitarian aid for Jews in the conflict zone; only 27% of Arabs said they felt the same way.

There are vast differences between political camps, the survey found: While less than half (48%) of the left said Israel should prioritize the Jews, 72% in the center and 83% on the right said Jews should be prioritized.

Almost half (48%) of Israelis think the scale of the humanitarian aid being provided by Israel to Ukraine is appropriate, nearly a quarter (23%) think it is too little and just over a tenth (12%) say it is too much. The rest do not know.

Moreover, 24% of Israelis said that they personally contributed assistance to Ukrainian citizens, either through financial or equipment donations or by other means.

When it comes to taking in Ukrainian refugees, there are once again big differences between political camps.

Collectively, 44% of Israelis support absorbing refugees regardless of religion. However, less than 31% of people on the right want to take in non-Jews, compared to just over 60% in the center and 74% on the left.

The more religious people are, the less likely they are to want to open the borders, the survey found. Only 6% of ultra-Orthodox support an open border policy, compared to 20% of National Religious Jews, 35% of traditional-religious and 60% of secular Israelis.

Finally, although the majority of Israelis believe the war has nothing to do with Israel but was instigated by and is the responsibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israelis are concerned the escalation will negatively impact them and their country.

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More than 34% said the war would harm Israel's regional-strategic security situation, and 61% said it would negatively affect Israel's economy.

The message Israelis are almost unanimously taking from the Russia-Ukraine war, the survey found: Israel can only rely on itself.

Eighty-nine percent of Jewish Israelis agree that the events in Ukraine should teach Israel that it cannot rely on international bodies to maintain its security and that the country can only rely on itself for defense, according to the survey.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Two dozen Christian parliamentarians wrapped up a visit to Israel on Tuesday with discussions on how to embrace and defend Israel in modern times. The discussions were the culmination of a three-day journey that took them to the Western Wall, key holy sites in Judea and Samaria, and face-to-face meetings with the country's top political leaders.

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The MPs were in Israel through the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), the umbrella organization of more than 50 pro-Israel parliamentary caucuses from around the world. Lawmakers came from as far as Malawi, Guatemala, and the United States to show their support for Israel and talk about issues surrounding the Jewish state that might need addressing in their governments back home.

"Faith-based diplomacy is Israel's strongest weapon in our diplomatic arsenal," said IAF President Josh Reinstein.

On Sunday, the MPs signed a declaration in Atarot, a suburb of Jerusalem, supporting the "sovereign right of the State of Israel to build in its indivisible capital of Jerusalem," which they presented to Knesset Christian Allies Caucus co-chair MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud).

Standing with an undivided Jerusalem is one of the key issues for members of the caucuses, said Reinstein.

'Jerusalem is a biblical issue'

"Much of the world is pressuring Israel to sacrifice her territorial integrity for the prospect of a false peace," said MK Gila Gamliel (Likud) at an IAF celebratory dinner on Monday. "To add insult to injury, they are campaigning to split the Holy City – Jerusalem – in two. As believers in the bible, the issue of Jerusalem should resonate in your hearts," she said.

"God instructs us to 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.' The question of Jerusalem is not a political matter. It is a biblical issue. Allowing … Jerusalem to be divided would lead to the end of freedom of religion in a city of worship for billions of people around the world," she continued.

Gamliel helped start the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus in 2004. Since then, the international network of caucuses has grown to represent some 1,200 legislators.

"I have seen first-hand how important it is to strengthen the lines of communication between the Christian international community and the Knesset," said Gamliel. "You are all people of faith and, as such, you have a deep connection to the Land of Israel and especially the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. You understand that Israel is the living proof of fulfilled biblical promises."

'Iran is a threat to Israel and the West'

Attendees also held discussions about the Ukraine crisis and the Iranian nuclear threat, as well as the battle against antisemitism.

At Atarot, Edelstein called on the group to lobby their governments against the impending Iran nuclear deal.

"We cannot afford a situation where the regime in Tehran has weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons," said Edelstein. "This is a message that I would love very much for you to take to your countries."

Gamliel, similarly, told attendees that "now, more than ever, our long-standing relationship with our friends around the world, especially those active in political work, has become even more important. Iran's pursuit of nuclear arms is a frightening example of the radical Islamic agenda… A nuclear Iran is not only a threat to Israel's very existence, but a threat to the Western world at large."

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In a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry on Monday afternoon, the Christian leaders signed a resolution to push for the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism in their countries and around the world. The resolution was presented to Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in a closed-door talk.

"We urge parliaments worldwide to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and its 11 examples of specific prejudiced behaviors targeting the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and call on lawmakers to vigorously apply the definition and its examples in the performance of their legislative, oversight and advocacy duties," the resolution said.

This was the first IAF mission since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which kept Israel's skies closed for the better part of the last two years.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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