MK Cotler-Wunsh to head Israel-Diaspora relations subcommittee

Cotler-Wunsh intends to use the post to ensure a channel of communication between the Knesset and the Diaspora on the COVID crisis, her spokeswoman said.

By GIL HOFFMAN
MICHAL COTLER-WUNSH: Being statesmanlike meant we had to hold ourselves accountable to the word that defines us. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
MICHAL COTLER-WUNSH: Being statesmanlike meant we had to hold ourselves accountable to the word that defines us.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
MK Michal Cotler-Wunsh (Blue and White) was appointed on Monday to head the Knesset Aliyah and Integration Committee’s subcommittee on Israel-Diaspora relations.
Likud MK David Bitan appointed Cotler-Wunsh, who was raised and educated in Montreal and has dealt with Israel-Diaspora relations for decades.
She intends to use the post to ensure a channel of communication between the Knesset and the Diaspora on the COVID-19 crisis, her spokeswoman said.
The first hearing of the subcommittee on Tuesday will focus on antisemitism and other challenges facing Jewish students on campus in the context of COVID-19.
Student representatives from the US, Canada, Australia, Latin America, South Africa and Europe will join the discussion, as well as officials from the Canadian Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, StandWithUs and the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). Representatives from the Diaspora Affairs Ministry will also attend.
“It was important to hold this first discussion as we usher in a new year, as part of the mission of the subcommittee to engage in imperative discussion between the Knesset and communities around the world – always and in particular at this challenging time of a global pandemic,” Cotler-Wunsh said.
WUJS executive director Naomi Mittelmann Cohen said she was excited about the appointment of Cotler-Wunsh.
“The fact that her first session is focused specifically on challenges facing Jewish students globally showcases her commitment to the future of Israel-Diaspora relations,” she said. “As representatives of Jewish students from around the world, we are proud to have initiated this session together with MK Cotler-Wunsh in order to present the voice of our unions. We look forward to future joint initiatives towards enhancing Israel-Diaspora relations.”