Canadian Federation of Jewish Students - History

History

The Canadian Federation of Jewish Students was founded by the leaders of Jewish student groups across the country in January 2004 and exists to empower the Canadian Jewish student community. Since its founding, the CFJS has gained national recognition, most notably holding major national conferences from across Canada.

CFJS has been noted for hosting an annual conference of Canadian Jewish leadership (Hillel and Jewish Students Association (JSA) presidents, Israel advocates, Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity leaders, et cetera). In the early years of CFJS, this conference was held at a camp in Parry Sound, Ontario. However, more recently, its annual conference has been moved to Guelph, Ontario.

In September 2008, CFJS partnered with several other Jewish organization to send approximately 300 students to New York to protest "incitement to genocide" by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was speaking that week at the United Nations.

In the spring of 2009, CFJS assembled its congress - representatives of the major Jewish organizations from each Canadian campus - in Toronto, for leadership development, and elections of the CFJS executive. Speakers at the Congress included Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

In early 2010, CFJS launched Milim, a publication devoted Canadian Jewish student art and literature.