Les Scheininger
Encyclopedia
Lester Scheininger is a politician and lawyer in Ontario
, Canada
. He is best known for serving as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress
from 1989 to 1992. Scheininger ran for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in the 1995 provincial election
as a candidate of the Ontario Liberal Party
.
He was chosen as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress in April 1989, succeeding Dorothy Reitman
. During his acceptance speech, Scheininger said that his primary goal was to improve Canada's relationship with Israel
. He argued that Canada's recent upgrade in relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization
had "[put] into jeopardy the possibility of Canada providing a useful role in the Middle East process", and said that Israel would have difficulty accepting Canada as an "honest broker" in the future. He also said that he would promote anti-hate crime laws, and work to mediate disputes between Orthodox, Conservative and Reform communities within Canada.
In June 1989, Scheininger criticized the Canadian government for supporting a United Nations
motions that condemned Israel's military actions in the West Bank
and Gaza
. He supported the Israeli government's decision to kidnap Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid later in the same year, and called for Canada to downgrade its relations with the PLO. Unlike some prominent American Jewish groups, the CJC did not openly criticize Israel's response to the First Intifada
in this period.
Scheininger praised Canadian Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
for his support of the 1991 Gulf War
, and described Saddam Hussein
's military attacks on Israeli targets as "diabolical". After the war, he criticized External Affairs Minister Joe Clark
for advocating further dialogue with the PLO.
Scheininger also called for governments in Canada to prosecute Nazi war criminals and persons who promote hatred toward Jews. He encouraged the Alberta
government to initiate a second prosecution against Jim Keegstra in 1991, after Keegstra's first conviction for promoting hatred was quashed.
Scheininger stood down as CJC president in 1992, and was replaced by Irving Abella
. In the late 1990s, he chaired the CJC's international affairs committee. He was awarded the Samuel Bronfman
Medal in 1998.
for the Liberal Party of Canada
nomination in Eglinton—Lawrence
in the 1988 federal election
. Volpe defeated incumbent Member of Parliament
Roland de Corneille for the nomination, and was elected in the general election.
Scheininger later defeated former MPP Gino Matrundola, to win the provincial Liberal
nomination for Willowdale
in the 1995 provincial election
. A 1995 report in the Toronto Star
newspaper indicates that he would have been considered for Attorney-General if the Liberals had won the election. He was defeated by Progressive Conservative
incumbent Charles Harnick, as the PCs won a majority government across the province. Scheininger was 47 years old during the campaign.
n arms dealer Anton Kikas in a high-profile case. Kikas was a Canadian citizen, but the Yugoslavian government considered him to be a Yugoslavian national.
Scheininger now works for the firm of Bresver, Grossman, Scheininger & Davis. In 2006, he provided legal counsel to Liberal leadership candidate Joe Volpe, whom he had nominated eighteen years earlier.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is best known for serving as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
from 1989 to 1992. Scheininger ran for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
in the 1995 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
as a candidate of the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
.
Leadership
Scheininger chaired the Canadian Jewish Congress's Ontario region during the 1980s, and argued in favour of public funding of denominational education.He was chosen as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress in April 1989, succeeding Dorothy Reitman
Dorothy Reitman
Dorothy Reitman served as first female president of the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1986 to 1989.Reitman's parents emigrated from Odessa in her infancy...
. During his acceptance speech, Scheininger said that his primary goal was to improve Canada's relationship with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He argued that Canada's recent upgrade in relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
had "[put] into jeopardy the possibility of Canada providing a useful role in the Middle East process", and said that Israel would have difficulty accepting Canada as an "honest broker" in the future. He also said that he would promote anti-hate crime laws, and work to mediate disputes between Orthodox, Conservative and Reform communities within Canada.
In June 1989, Scheininger criticized the Canadian government for supporting a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
motions that condemned Israel's military actions in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. He supported the Israeli government's decision to kidnap Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid later in the same year, and called for Canada to downgrade its relations with the PLO. Unlike some prominent American Jewish groups, the CJC did not openly criticize Israel's response to the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
in this period.
Scheininger praised Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
for his support of the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, and described Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's military attacks on Israeli targets as "diabolical". After the war, he criticized External Affairs Minister Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
for advocating further dialogue with the PLO.
Scheininger also called for governments in Canada to prosecute Nazi war criminals and persons who promote hatred toward Jews. He encouraged the Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
government to initiate a second prosecution against Jim Keegstra in 1991, after Keegstra's first conviction for promoting hatred was quashed.
Scheininger stood down as CJC president in 1992, and was replaced by Irving Abella
Irving Abella
Irving Martin Abella, is a Canadian writer, historian and academic. He specializes in the History of the Jews in Canada and the Canadian labour movement...
. In the late 1990s, he chaired the CJC's international affairs committee. He was awarded the Samuel Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman, was a Canadian business magnate and philanthropist. He founded Distillers Corporation Limited, and is a member of the Canadian Jewish family dynasty, the Bronfman family.-Early life:...
Medal in 1998.
Politician
Scheininger nominated Joe VolpeJoe Volpe
Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...
for the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
nomination in Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999....
in the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
. Volpe defeated incumbent Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Roland de Corneille for the nomination, and was elected in the general election.
Scheininger later defeated former MPP Gino Matrundola, to win the provincial Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
nomination for Willowdale
Willowdale (provincial electoral district)
Willowdale is a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It was created in 1987.-History:...
in the 1995 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
. A 1995 report in the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
newspaper indicates that he would have been considered for Attorney-General if the Liberals had won the election. He was defeated by Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
incumbent Charles Harnick, as the PCs won a majority government across the province. Scheininger was 47 years old during the campaign.
Lawyer
In late 1991, Scheininger represented suspected YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n arms dealer Anton Kikas in a high-profile case. Kikas was a Canadian citizen, but the Yugoslavian government considered him to be a Yugoslavian national.
Scheininger now works for the firm of Bresver, Grossman, Scheininger & Davis. In 2006, he provided legal counsel to Liberal leadership candidate Joe Volpe, whom he had nominated eighteen years earlier.