Justin Trudeau’s Canada to Revoke Jewish National Fund’s Charitable Status

The Canadian government of Justin Trudeau has notified the Jewish National Fund (JNF) that it will be losing its charitable status because the group raises money for projects in Israel that also happen to help the Israeli military.

The JNF, founded in 1901, aimed to raise money from Jews worldwide to purchase land in Palestine (later Israel) for a future Jewish state. (Unlike “colonial” states, Israel was founded on purchased land, not land stolen or conquered.)

Later, the JNF planted forests, built water infrastructure, and funded other projects. Pro-Palestinian activists have targeted it for decades, claiming that the JNF operates inside so-called “occupied” territories taken in the 1967 war.

The National Post reported:

The Canada Revenue Agency has notified the century-old Jewish National Fund that it plans to revoke the group’s charitable status in Canada over support for military infrastructure in Israel, a decision the JNF says it will challenge in the courts.

The JNF claims the CRA changed the rules for charitable donations, long after the organization’s work had been approved.

…

JNF had an earlier run-in with the CRA following a financial audit showing that donations from the organization were used to build military infrastructure for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The CRA said the move ran afoul of Canada’s Tax Code concerning supporting foreign militaries.

The so-called “military infrastructure” included outdoor and recreational projects at IDF bases throughout Israel.

The JNF responded by suggesting that the Canadian government had been affected by “antisemitic detractors,” according to the Jerusalem Post. The JNF intends to pursue legal action to rectify the government’s decision.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.