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What is the Jewish National Fund (JNF)?
Created to purchase land for a Jewish State in Palestine, the JNF is today the largest single landowner in Israel. Most commonly known for its century-old campaign to “make the desert bloom,” the JNF is not a public body in Israel but a private corporation whose lands were obtained through exploitative land sales and often-violent, forced removals of Palestinians from their lands. While the JNF has planted millions of trees — a remarkable environmental achievement — it has also used its forests to keep Palestinians off the lands taken from them. In Israel, the JNF has been charged with corruption by the State Comptroller and faced High Court challenges due to its explicitly discriminatory practices. In Canada, the JNF's fundraising branch, JNF Canada, raises millions of dollars for its projects in Israel/Palestine each year which are tax deductible due to JNF Canada's charitable status. #StopJNFCanada is a campaign to revoke JNF Canada's charitable status and expose, challenge and stop the JNF's discriminatory and harmful activities. For more information, see our FAQ page. |
Campaign Updates
Campaign update: No more tax breaks for apartheid!
JNF Canada’s charity status has been officially revoked. On August 10th the revocation notice for JNF Canada was published in the Canada Gazette, the official newspaper of the Canadian Government. This act finalizes the historic decision, and at this moment Canadian tax money will no longer subsidize the JNF’s illegal support of Israeli apartheid.
In the wake of this important victory, we think about all of the Palestinians, IJV members, and our allies that worked tirelessly to make this happen. This decision comes as a direct result of decades of grassroots campaigning such as IJV’s Stop the JNF Campaign, and activism from individuals including Ismail Zayid, Uri Davis, and Walter Lehn.
As the former charity pursues an appeal to this decision, it is important to remember JNF Canada’s long history of breaking Canadian tax law and refusing to comply with government regulations.
In the wake of this important victory, we think about all of the Palestinians, IJV members, and our allies that worked tirelessly to make this happen. This decision comes as a direct result of decades of grassroots campaigning such as IJV’s Stop the JNF Campaign, and activism from individuals including Ismail Zayid, Uri Davis, and Walter Lehn.
As the former charity pursues an appeal to this decision, it is important to remember JNF Canada’s long history of breaking Canadian tax law and refusing to comply with government regulations.
JNF Canda's Charitable status ended
In August 2024, the notice of revocation officially ending JNF’s charitable status was published in the Canada Gazette. At this time our taxes are not funding JNF’s complicity in colonization, occupation and apartheid. In the wake of this historic victory, we think about all of the Palestinians, IJV members and our allies that worked tirelessly to make this happen. JNF will appeal the decision and we will again fight every step of the way to make sure they never use this loophole to finance Israeli crimes again.
Amidst widespread public outcry against JNF-KKL’s recent announcement that it may start officially buying land in the occupied West Bank (it has long done so quietly), JNF Canada has been working to distance itself from its parent organization in Israel. To this end, JNF Canada announced some major organizational changes, detailed in a letter buried on its website here.
In its letter, JNF Canada reveals that it has rebranded by changing its logo to differentiate it from the JNF-KKL logo, removed “KKL” from its corporate name and signed a memorandum of understanding with KKL defining their relationship. According to that MOU, JNF Canada funds will ostensibly not be “co-mingled with KKL’s general accounts”.
In its letter, JNF Canada reveals that it has rebranded by changing its logo to differentiate it from the JNF-KKL logo, removed “KKL” from its corporate name and signed a memorandum of understanding with KKL defining their relationship. According to that MOU, JNF Canada funds will ostensibly not be “co-mingled with KKL’s general accounts”.
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Talk to your friends and family, contact your MP and the CRA directly and let them know you support the #StopJNFCanada campaign!
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Support our sister campaign, exposing and challenging the City of Ottawa's support for JNF Canada's flagship project "Canada Park", located in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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Help us by supporting our campaign financially and making our activism even more effective.
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Want to know what this campaign is all about but don't have a lot of time?
Simply skip straight to our Frequently Asked Questions page!
Simply skip straight to our Frequently Asked Questions page!
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Check out our list of recommended books, articles, and videos on the Further Info page, our Policy Recommendations for the Canadian government, and our comprehensive complaint, filed to the Canada Revenue Agency and the Minister of National Revenue against the Jewish National Fund of Canada.
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Check out our comprehensive complaint to the Canada Revenue Agency, calling on the Canadian government to revoke the charitable status of JNF Canada for its egregious violations of Canadian law.
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Canada has developed an official policy in regards to Israel/Palestine. Currently, the government's practice does not match its policy.
The #StopJNFCanada campaign is urging the government to act on the basis of its official policy. |
Through a variety of provincial, municipal, and other public funds the JNF has received official support for its projects. By divesting public funds from the JNF, we will no longer be complicit in its racism.
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JNF Canada raises millions of dollars thanks to its lavish galas in which it honours a plethora of Canadian public officials. We call on Canadian officials to stop endorsing and assisting the JNF in its fundraising activities.
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A number of Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups are campaigning through grassroots and legal battles against the JNF. By supporting their work, we support their struggle.
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