What do you call an organization that teaches children an exclusive, religious/ethnic nationalism and promotes war and other forms of violence to get its way?
Most people would say an extremist group or a right wing cult. Many would think of groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
But, while the KKK had a Youth Corps where children were taught “patriotism” and “Christian values” but weren’t “brainwashed”, in the words of a spokesperson, we are talking about a group the Canada Revenue Agency considers worthy of awarding tax deductions for “charitable” donations.
The Jewish National Fund would also deny “brainwashing” children, but it has long tried to convince young minds of its colonial worldview.
A recent ad in the Canadian Jewish News promoting JNF Montréal’s Tu Bi’Shevat Tree A Thon pictured a smart phone with the headline “VERSION 2.0 BYOC” (Bring Your Own Cellphone, for those who remember the pager). According to the ad, “students earn community service hours” for participating in the JNF fundraiser.
For its part, JNF Toronto hosts Step Up for Tu Bi’Shevat dance parties. According to a summary of the 2014 event, “over a 150 children between grades 1-8 came out to vibe, groove, dance and move for Israel.”
The registered Canadian “charity” offers various other youth outreach initiatives to help build the “bond between the Jewish people and their land.” The JNF has produced puzzles and board games as well as…