[1] Their mission is to "preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life and engagement in Montreal, Israel, and the world".
[4] It has been involved in major issues facing the community, such as government restrictions on immigration beginning in the 1920s, extreme poverty during the Great Depression, the rise of fascism in Europe and Quebec during the thirties,[5] the Second World War and assisting the remnants of European Jewry, the birth of the State of Israel, waves of immigration including especially Holocaust survivors,[6] Sephardic Jews[7] and Hungarians after the 1956[8] uprising, the rise of the separatist movements and outward immigration, particularly of young Jews that followed in the late '70s and '80s, as well as fighting antisemitism and assisting in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable in Montreal, Israel, and in other communities under threat around the world.
[citation needed] As a community organization, it mobilizes thousands of volunteers who devote their time and energy to raising funds, allocating the proceeds, and assisting in the delivery of services.
This can sometimes be in conflict with groups supporting other causes and most recently with the Anti-zionist movement gaining momentum from the Israel- Gaza war and the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
[12] Past-President of Federation CJA, Marc Gold, said "the federation recognizes that it must be open to change to be relevant to Montreal Jews, especially the younger generation and those not involved with the organized community, and recognize that all Jews in a diverse Jewish population of Montreal.