Canadian authorities have reportedly revoked the charity status of a major Jewish organization, charging that its activities support the Israel Defense Forces and West Bank settlements.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) earlier this month stripped the Beth Oloth Charitable Organization of its status, after 39 years of operation, Global News reports. With more than CAD 60 million (USD 45 million), it was one of the country’s richest charities.
The CRA explained its decision by saying Beth Oloth donates to Israeli pre-army seminaries, called mechinot, and that it considers those donations to be aiding the operations of Israel’s military.
“It is our position that these pre-army mechinot exist to provide support to the Israel Defense Forces, and that funds forwarded to these mechinot are therefore in support of foreign armed forces,” it reportedly said.
The CRA also said Beth Oloth donated CAD 1.2 million (USD 900,000) to recipients in West Bank settlements, adding that it goes against Ottawa’s policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to the report.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 28, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
