Photos: Canadian Foreign Minister Visits Kfar Chabad

On a visit to Israel, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird told an audience of 350 at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum that “Israel has no greater friend in the world than Canada.” He then surprised them by saying “Canada does not stand behind Israel… .” After a slight pause he continued: “Canada stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel” in any threats and challenges it may face. He was met with warm applause.

Mr. Baird then said he had “a confession” to make. “I am not Jewish,” he said. “But I have a rabbi.” He then proceeded to introduce Chaim Mendelsohn, director of public affairs of the Canadian Federation of Chabad Lubavitch, whom, he said, was accompanying the Minister on his visit to Israel.

Indeed, Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Baird visited Kfar Chabad, headquarters of the Chabad movement in Israel and home to 8000 people. While there, he heard from Israeli victims of terror attacks supported by the Chabad Terror Victims Project.

9 Comments

  • Proud Canadian

    May Hashem bless the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and his esteemed ministers. In a world filled with darkness, they have kindled the flame of truth and courage.
    May G-d bless them and repay them!

  • beshalach

    “Canada does not stand behind Israel”
    But in today’s chumash the malach went “behind” isreal

  • Montrealer

    While we wait for Moshiach, Canada is the greatest country in the world to live in! Hashem should bless our Prime Minister The Right Honourable Stephen Harper and his wonderful government and staff. Prime Minister Harper is a principled, moral and upstanding man and a true and sincere friend of Israel and of all Jews world-wide.

  • To #7 Montrealer

    You are so right about Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government! It’s also about time you Montrealers elected a Conservative Member of Parliament. Don’t just talk the talk…it’s time for Jewish Montreal to walk the walk. Get out there and start working now to build support for these Ohavei Yisroel!

  • Jeff

    I am so proud to be Canadian. Perhaps the Obama administration should take note that this is how you treat your friends.

    I don’t know if this was reported by your site but Minister Baird previously did this… “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty journeyed to the West Bank… Over lunch with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, then later with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Foreign Minister Riad Maliki, the Ottawa tag-team went out of its way to impress upon the Palestinian leadership that it should abandon its efforts to obtain United Nations recognition and return to the negotiating table with Israel “without preconditions.”

    ”It was chutzpah of the highest order. Adopting a harder line than any of Canada’s allies, Mr. Baird told Mr. Maliki, then repeated it in front of reporters, that it was “profoundly wrong” to take the case for Palestinian statehood to the United Nations…” http://www.theglobeandmail….