If Not Now, When? 
Canadian Jews for an Open Dialogue about Israel

About Us

We are a group of religiously affiliated and unaffiliated Jews in Victoria, BC, who joined together in July, 2014, at the beginning of a renewed spasm of violence in and around Gaza, to express our anguish at the enormous death and destruction the conflict was inflicting on Palestinian civilians as well as the deaths and fear it was causing among Israeli civilians taking daily refuge in bomb shelters. The statement on our home page, for which we gathered signatories in the Victoria Jewish community, explains our group's views and aims.

(We are not affiliated with the US group of the same name, although we acknowledge the cosmic coincidence that both groups launched simultaneously yet independently!)

Our general focus, as a group, is to resist any contracting of the Jewish community's space for political dialogue and reasoned discourse. By promoting more vibrant discussion and nuanced thinking in our own community, and beyond it, we hope that we will be able to influence the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the better. 

We cherish, and seek to protect, pluralism and democracy in Canada, Israel, and the world. These values are implicit in the central strands of the Jewish tradition we celebrate. Such openness to debate and dialogue is also vital, we believe, to resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians ethically.

We hope you will join us in promoting these ideals among Jews and the general public in Canada.

Please join our events and announcements list. 

Or, fill in the form below if you wish to be more involved, and one of our members will be in touch with you.