In late July, the Israeli government won a major victory in its mission to shift power from the Supreme Court to the legislature, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presides over the governing coalition. The so-called “reasonableness bill” stripped the High Court’s ability to use the legal standard of reasonableness to outlaw actions of the government. The action has resulted in massive endless protests, clashes with police in the street and a serious reckoning about the future of Israel as a liberal democratic state.

In Canada, Jewish community leaders reacted strongly to the historic legislation. Today, we’re bringing you four of those voices from across the country, recorded in the aftermath of that vote. You’ll hear from Rabbi Elan Mazer, director of of Mizrachi Canada; Steve McDonald, VP of communications for UJA of Greater Toronto; Ben Murane, executive director of the New Israel Fund; and Joe Roberts, chair of the board at JSpace.

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.