While many spent the days leading up to Pessah cooking and cleaning their houses, MK Einat Wilf (Independence) went on a mission to improve Israel’s image abroad, publishing articles in major American news sources and starting with a four-day trip to Canada and, returning to Israel hours before her Seder.

One article, in The Huffington Post, is a response to a New York Times op-ed by Peter Beinart calling for a “Zionist BDS,” boycotting only products of settlements. Wilf calls Beinart’s idea “a dangerous proposal” despite good intentions, explaining that “no Palestinian is a partner to the idea that Zionism is legitimate as long as it stays west of the Green Line.”

Wilf has also agreed to be a regular contributor to “Open Zion,” the Israel-themed section of the Newsweek-affiliated news site, The Daily Beast, which Beinart edits. So far, the MK has written about the reason behind the Independence Party’s formation and a defense of Zionism from an atheist point of view.

In Canada, Wilf visited Halifax, Montreal and Ottowa, on a trip sponsored by the Centre for Jewish and Israel Affairs. According to Wilf, the CIJA has played an instrumental role in bringing Canada and Israel closer in recent years.

Wilf’s final stop before returning to Israel was in Ottowa, where she met with Foreign Minister John Baird. Wilf and Baird met previously during his trip to Israel in January, during which he invited her to visit him in Canada.

The Independence MK briefed MPs and top foreign ministry officials in the Middle East and North Africa department and gave interviews to the Canadian press.

In Halifax, Wilf met with Nova Scotia Education Minister Ramona Jennex and learned about the Canadian education system, examining the possibility in bringing reforms to Israel. Wilf also gave lectures in the local Jewish communities on women and education in Israel.

Wilf then traveled to Montreal, where she hosted a workshop at McGill University on Israeli diplomacy and Zionism.

From there, she continued on to Quebec City to discuss Israel with Quebecois MPs. Wilf is fluent in French, and said she was able to hold a conversation that strengthened the connection between the Knesset and Quebec’s parliament.

After her meetings in Ottowa, Wilf flew back to Israel, arriving only a few hours before her family’s Seder in Tel Aviv. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 04/06/12)