Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will be the guest speaker at a gala fundraising dinner held by the Jewish Community Council of Montreal (JCCM), in collaboration with Federation CJA, on April 10 at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim.

Haley, who served as ambassador from January 2017 until last December, will be bestowed with the JCCM’s King David Award for her defence of human rights and solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people.

The JCCM, which certifies kashrut and administers a beit din, last presented the award to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2015 at a dinner attended by over 1,000 guests.

Proceeds from the event will go toward Jewish education, said JCCM executive director Rabbi Saul Emanuel. Specifically, the funds will go to Migdal Ohr, an Israeli charitable organization that provides education and support to underprivileged children, as well as to the Federation’s Generations Fund and other local beneficiaries.

Rabbi Emanuel said he approached Haley as soon as she announced her resignation in October.

A Republican, she previously served as the governor of South Carolina, where she signed an anti-BDS bill into law. At the UN, she consistently defended the Jewish state and spoke out against anti-Israel bias.

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Rabbi Emanuel hailed the Federation’s collaboration as “a great show of community unity.”

Among the participants in the program will be Irwin Cotler, the founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, and Hillel Neuer, the director of UN Watch.

“We expect many dignitaries, business people and public officials, but are also making this an inclusive event, so that everyone can be part of it,” Rabbi Emanuel said.

The price of a basic ticket to hear Haley speak in the sanctuary is $136. Tickets to the private cocktail and dinner beforehand start at $10,000 per table.