They are fundamentally Zionist organizations that support Israel, and many Canadians, including Palestine solidarity activists, view them as part of the broader pro-Israel lobby in Canada, and generally aligned with CIJA, even if they have specific policy disagreements.
Dear Mark Ramzy and Editors of The Toronto Star,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding the article “NDP's Avi Lewis helps author report accusing pro-Israel Jewish group of promoting anti-Palestinian racism” by Mark Ramzy published by The Toronto Star on October 21, 2025.
I want to thank you for giving column space to the important and usually ignored perspectives in this article. Not only is the Jewish community divided over it’s views on Israel there is a common notion that the majority ofJjews support Israel regardless of it’s behaviour, even when that means committing genocide.
Secondly, framing right wing organizations like CIJA as a supremacist group is both accurate and necessary. This is something we never hear in mainstream media who regularly portray pro-Palestinian protesters as “extremists” or worse yet “terrorists”. The truth of the matter is, it’s the people supporting Israel’s genocide who are “extreme” and their views are founded in disturbing anti-Palestinian racism.
Finally, I do want to point out that it is somewhat unfair and editorializing to write that the poll CIJA referenced in their comment to the Star was “commissioned by organizations not aligned with CIJA.” The poll was organized by explicitly pro-Israel, Zionist organizations: J Space, New Israel Fund, and Canadian Friends of Peace Now. They are fundamentally Zionist organizations that support Israel, and many Canadians, including Palestine solidarity activists, view them as part of the broader pro-Israel lobby in Canada, and generally aligned with CIJA, even if they have specific policy disagreements.
I urge the Star to correct this erroneous editorial remark and clarify that the groups the Star referenced are all explicitly Zionist pro-Israel groups that many view as generally aligned with CIJA’s core mission.
Again, I want to thank The Star and Mark Ramzy for this article and I hope there are more like it in the future. This is a small and important step to addressing the tragic anti-Palestinian racism that permeates so much of our mainstream media.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to your response.
Jeff Winch