Les Scheininger

Lester Scheininger is a Jewish community leader, politician and lawyer in Ontario, Canada. He is best known for serving as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1989 to 1992. Scheininger campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1995 provincial election as a candidate of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Community leader

Scheininger chaired the Canadian Jewish Congress's Ontario region during the 1980s, and argued in favour of public funding of denominational education. [Robert Matas, "NDP would consider grants with conditions", "Globe and Mail", 8 November 1985, A20.]

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. [John Allemang, "New CJC head seeks better relations with Israel", "Globe and Mail", 7 April 1989, A13.]

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. ["PLO vote disappoints Jewish congress", "Toronto Star", 16 June 1989, A13.] 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. [Paul Koring, "Canadian Jews urge Ottawa to downgrade relations with PLO", "Globe and Mail", 5 August 1989, A1; John Allemang, "Jewish congress praises kidnapping of sheik ", "Globe and Mail", 10 August 1989, A9.]

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". [Nicola Pulling, "Mulroney's role in gulf war draws praise", "Globe and Mail", 21 January 1991, A10; "Israel's restraint applauded by Jewish groups in Toronto", "Kitchener-Waterloo Record", 21 January 1989, A9.] After the war, he criticized External Affairs Minister Joe Clark for advocating further dialogue with the PLO. [Ross Howard, David Roberts and Paul Koring, "Mulroney, Clark differ on PLO role", "Globe and Mail", 8 March 1991, A1.]

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. [Miro Cernetig, "Alberta orders Keegstra retried on hate charges", "Globe and Mail", 26 April 1991, A1.]

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. ["Canada tells Gypsies that moving is risky", "Toronto Star", 26 August 1997, A11.] He was awarded the Samuel Bronfman Medal in 1998. [ [http://www.cjc.ca/template.php?action=news&story=347 Awards at National Plenary Assembly in Winnipeg] , Canadian Jewish Congress, 5 May 1998, accessed 8 December 2006.]

Politician

Scheininger nominated Joe Volpe 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. [John Allemang, "New CJC head seeks better relations with Israel", "Globe and Mail", 7 April 1989, A13.]

Scheininger later defeated David MacNaughton, the president of Hill-Knowlton Canada, to win the provincial Liberal nomination for York Mills in the 1995 provincial election. [James Rusk, "Liberals seek Ontario nominations", "Globe and Mail", 9 December 1994, A6.] A report in the "Toronto Star" newspaper indicates that he would have been considered for Attorney-General if the Liberals had won the election. [William Walker, "Lyn McLeod's pool of candidates", "Toronto Star", 31 May 1995, A12.] Instead, he was defeated by Progressive Conservative incumbent Charles Harnick as the PCs won a majority government. Scheininger was 47 years old during the campaign. ["Willowdale riding", "Toronto Star", 1 June 1995, NY2.]

Lawyer

In late 1991, Scheininger represented suspected Yugoslavian 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. [Nicola Pulling, "Associate disputes arms allegation", "Globe and Mail", 5 September 1991, A19.]

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.

Footnotes