In 1967, Jews across the globe celebrated a united Jerusalem for the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel. As worldwide support poured in, one of Israel’s most generous supporters – the Canadian Jewish community – made its already deep communal and financial ties with Israel official, leading to the creation of United Israel Appeal Federations of Canada (UIAFC) and its Israel office, UIA Canada (UIAC), better known in Israel as Magbit Canada.
Magbit Canada plays an integral role in the ever-deepening bond between Canadian Jews and Israelis. Serving as the Israeli arm of the UIAFC, which represents Canada’s 15 Jewish Federations and communities, Magbit Canada was initially established to ensure that all funds donated by Canadian Jewry reached their correct destinations. But during over 40 years of its existence, Magbit Canada has gone well beyond this official role, and now touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis and Canadians each and every day.
Magbit Canada strategically invests in and oversees the implementation of programs in education, social welfare and leadership programs in areas of the social periphery in order to guarantee equal opportunities to all Israelis. These programs impact each stage of the lifecycle, from nursery schools to nursing homes. To date, Canadian Jews have raised more than one billion dollars for the State of Israel, which Magbit Canada has strategically invested.
Canadian Jewry’s unwavering support for Israel has enabled:
- Over 240 absorption centers, libraries, auditoriums, community centers, student dormitories and sports facilities to be built in 85 locations.
- 3 million immigrants from 72 countries to come home.
- Over 80 annual missions and thousands of Canadians to visit Israel every year: more than 15,000 on Taglit-Birthright Israel and over 6,000 on March of the Living.
- Raising over 45 million dollars in the Israel Emergency Campaign for Northern Israel and Sderot, first announced during the Second Lebanon War, and continued past Operation Cast Lead.
- Providing scholarships for thousands of Israeli students at universities and colleges throughout Israel.
- Pioneering the movement to create Young Communities throughout Israel, comprised of idealists who believe in Zionism today.
Magbit Canada works relentlessly with Israeli business leaders, organizations and philanthropists to create projects that will build a strong, bright future for the State of Israel.
Canadian Federations have developed revolutionary programs and established physical projects with personal ties to Israeli communities through the following Partnership 2000 regions:
- Toronto with Eilat and the Eilot Regional Council, in addition to programs to assist new immigrants from Ethiopia in Kiryat Moshe and Bat-Yam.
- Montreal with Beer Sheva and the Bnei Shimon Regional Council.
- Coast-to-Coast Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Atlantic Canada) with the Galilee Panhandle (Metulla, Yesod HaMa’ala, Mevo’ot Hermon Regional Council, Kiryat Shmona and the Upper Galilee Regional Council).
- IEC investments in Acco, Hatzor, Sderot and in the Galilee Panhandle.
Today, Magbit Canada is shaping the direction of the Canada-Israel connection in the 21st century. Its goal is to ensure a meaningful, vibrant relationship between the Canadian Diaspora and the People of Israel through sharing, dialogue and interaction, in order to build a better future for the Jewish People.