With his appointment as new executive director of Mizrachi Canada, an international religious Zionist non-profit group, Rabbi Elan Mazer said he’s committed to helping the organization change its focus to engage a new generation of young Jews.
Speaking to The CJN in the weeks following the announcement that Rabbi Mazer would be taking over from Rabbi Meir Rosenberg, who retired following a 10-year stint as Mizrachi Canada’s executive director, the 28-year-old Montreal native said he grew up “very much in a Mizrachi system.”
“I grew up with both the ideology as well as the education from the Mizrachi world. That very much defined where I was headed and what I’m doing right now,” Rabbi Mazer said.
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He attended Montreal’s religious Zionist school, the Hebrew Academy, and was involved with Bnei Akiva, a North American religious Zionist organization. He said it was at the Bnei Akiva camp, Moshava, where he met his wife, Nomi.
He was 17 when he decided to make aliyah. He joined the hesder program at Yeshivat Hakotel, a five-year joint army and yeshiva program. He served in the combat engineering corps of the Israel Defence Forces.
“I was living in the Old City of Jerusalem for five years, which was very special. To be actually living the dream, to look around and know that you’re living, not only your own personal dream, but what the Jewish people have been dreaming about for 2,000 years, was very empowering,” Rabbi Mazer said.
Although he was living his personal dream in the Old City, he said coming back to Canada as a shaliach was always part of the plan.
“I always say it was a way of fully giving back, something that my shlichim inspired me [to do]…”
Three years ago, Rabbi Mazer came to Toronto with his wife and children to serve as a spiritual adviser, at the Bnei Akiva schools; Yeshivat Or Chaim and Ulpanot Orot Girls’ School.
Rabbi Mazer said he is now committed to helping Mizrachi Canada join the international effort to change the organization’s focus.
“Mizrachi Canada is now in the midst of a rejuvenation, not only in Toronto, but across the world. This is something that is happening in the Israeli headquarters of World Mizrachi in Jerusalem, as well as all across North America, England, Australia and South Africa,” he said.
“The relationship between Israel and the Diaspora is going through a transition. In the past, the goal was building the state. In that sense, the role of Diaspora Jewry was to help Israel come to life, help them grow, physically and spiritually.”
He said that the goal of World Mizrachi is no longer about galvanizing Diaspora Jews to lend a helping hand to a fledgling state.
“I think there is much more of a partnership, much more of a feeling that we are in this together. Both the Diaspora and Israel are working together in order to grow on both ends,” he said.
About two years ago, a new director general of World Mizrachi came in, a man by the name of Rabbi Doron Perez, and he has been leading the revolution across the world… [We’re] creating a sense of activism and partnership within young adults and the next generation of the Jewish communities here.”
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National president of Mizrachi Canada, Jerry Rosenfield, said in a statement, “We’re confident Rabbi Mazer will attract a younger demographic and deepen our community’s connections to the Torah, the people and the land of Israel.”
Rabbi Mazer, who took this role on for the short term, as he has plans to return to Israel, said his goal is for Mizrachi to become an organization that facilitates an active role for Diaspora Jews in Israel’s continued growth.
“The reason I took this job is because I strongly believe that no matter where you are in the world, the more you are a part of the building of the state of Israel, both in a spiritual and physical way, the greater your sense of identifying as part of the Jewish people will be.”