TORONTO, Canada (Press Release) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the Canadian Friends of Jerusalem College of Technology (CFJCT) 50th anniversary gala dinner that antisemitism needs to be called out whenever it happens during a keynote address Sunday night.
“We have to call out antisemitism everytime we see it,” the Israel advocate and former South Carolina governor said. “It’s not okay. It will never be okay. We have to speak up everytime we see it. We have to humiliate those that do it every time they do it. And we have to remind leaders to speak up.”
Her comments to the 500 attendees at the festive dinner hosted by the Canadian Friends of the Jerusalem College of Technology come amidst a national conversation in the United States around a rise in antisemitism.
“We have to remind our leaders that they have to speak up because I don’t want kids going to college wondering if they will be targeted,” she said at the Toronto gala where she also commended the Trump administration for taking the matter seriously when they enacted legislation that would pull federal funding from universities if they didn’t rebuke antisemitism on their campus.
Haley, a well-known friend of the Jewish state, headlined the event that was held in support of JCT’s new Tal Campus for Women. JCT broke ground on the campus in May 2022, marking a notable academic and socioeconomic milestone not just for the College but for the entire city of Jerusalem, as the $100 million project highlights JCT’s decades-long role in bolstering the Israeli capital’s economic and cultural footprint.
The campus is poised to provide increased opportunities for religious women to pursue higher education and attain quality employment in scientific and high-tech industries. It will enable the opening of new academic offerings as well as a new nursing program for Haredi women and the college’s new English language business administration program for women.
The Tal Campus also offers a sensitive environment for religious women, and helps women from underserved communities break the cycle of poverty through greater access to higher education, while connecting them with gainful employment and ambitious career paths upon graduation.
During Haley’s remarks, where she praised Israeli ingenuity and resilience, she also applauded the college for embodying the values that make Israel the global power it is today.
“What I love about The Jerusalem College of Technology is that they grow the whole person. They don’t just think about a career, they think about the person, they think about the family and they think about the country. They understand it’s about God first, then country, then family,” she said. “When you look at a college like The Jerusalem College of Technology you see it’s exactly what you need to do to advance women, the country, and family, but to never forget that faith and traditional values matter.”
It is precisely the combination of start-up nation and family values that led to the historical signing of the Abraham Accords, she asserted. “I think back to what we saw happen with the Abraham Accords. When we saw those Arab countries come together, they didn’t come because they were doing Israel a favor. It wasn’t that Israel needed the Arab countries. It’s that the Arab countries needed Israel. And the reason they needed Israel is because Israel continues to focus on her people. Israel continues to focus on being independent. Israel continues to focus on being valuable.”
After her address, Haley sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Israel’s former Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon. Together, they commiserated over their shared experience serving there and the unfair bias toward Israel they both witnessed.
In one harrowing account, Haley shared the day that the U.N. voted on Resolution 2334 in 2016 during the Obama administration, where the body demanded an immediate halt to all Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. In a stark departure from typical voting patterns, the United States abstained, which allowed the vote to pass.
“When America abstained they all stood up and applauded,” she said, recounting that day. “It haunts me. The U.S. can never let Israel down like that again, ever.”
As for any future political ambitions, Haley didn’t go into specifics and said she was focusing on campaigning for several local races as midterm elections near. Although she did add that she has yet to lose a political race, “and has no plans to start now.”
Haley also discussed her new book, If You Want Something Done, where she wrote about her own views of leadership and other strong extraordinary women who inspired her, like former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
“As one of the strongest and most prominent pro-Israel voices in the world today, we are honored that Nikki Haley spoke at our gala event,” said Simmy Zieleniec, CEO of CFJCT. “Ms. Haley’s commitment to Israel, her strong and forthright leadership and long record of moral fortitude is something we all admire. We had the privilege of hearing from her on the most pressing issues of the day and her belief in faith, community and helping others dovetails with the college’s overall mission. We were delighted to have her speak to us.”
Haley is the latest high-profile advocate for Israel to address CFJCT’s annual gala in recent years, as Canada’s former Prime Minister Stephen Harper received an honorary degree at the event in 2018.
The event was sponsored by Rockfield Financial and The Terracap Group.