A List Of Journalists Who’ve Taken Sponsored Israel Trips

 

These Canadian media figures went on trips sponsored by the Exigent Foundation, a pro-Israel organization

The Exigent Foundation (EF) is a pro-Israel organization that has taken dozens of Canadian journalists and others on sponsored trips since 2024.

EF was co-founded in March 2024 by Larry Maher, Georganne Burke and Vivian Bercovici.

Maher describes himself as “an entrepreneur in the construction and real estate industries.” He is listed as the president of Maher Construction.

Burke is a senior vice-president at the Pathway Group consulting firm, where she is described as “a seasoned veteran of political activities in the United States and Canada” who “spent the past ten years in a variety of roles with the Conservative Party of Canada, and in the offices of ministers and MPs” and is “the Chapter Lead for Republicans Overseas in Canada.”

Bercovici is a former Canadian ambassador to Israel who went on to work for Black Cube, a private Israeli intelligence firm described by the CBC as “a controversial private sector company composed of ex-members of the Mossad and other Israeli intelligence agencies.” Bercovici stepped down as an EF director in November 2024.

The purpose of EF, according to its incorporation document as a non-profit, is, “To promote good race relations in Canada by public education campaigns fighting racial discrimination.”

EF has taken at least eight delegations of Canadians to Israel. These trips have also included time in the West Bank, referred to by Maher as “Judea and Sameria,” the “borders of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan” and the illegally occupied Golan Heights. Participants have also met with Israeli government officials, including the deputy minister of foreign affairs. 

The majority of the media figures who attended these trips have published content on their experience, including articles, videos and podcasts. Examples include articles titled, “Israel must get on with it and finish the job by flattening Gaza,” “What I, a Muslim, did not know about Israel,” and, “My fellow progressives — you’ve been lied to about Israel.”

The Maple reached out to EF through the contact form on their website to ask how many people they’ve taken on these trips, if they cover the costs of the trips in their entirety, how much they’ve spent on them and where they get their money from. We did not receive a response.

Here’s a list of 27 media figures who have gone on the trip, with details about who they are, where they work and what they published about the trip. This list should not be considered comprehensive. It will be updated going forward.  (more...)

A List Of Journalists Who’ve Taken Sponsored Israel Trips