EDITORIAL: Our leaders have failed Canada’s Jews
· Toronto Sun
The problem with appealing to our governments, and indeed to civil society, to combat the unprecedented rise of hatred against Canada’s Jewish citizens is that they were the ones who enabled it.
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It’s no accident that while Jews make up 1% of Canada’s population, 70% of religious-based hate crimes today are aimed at Jews.
By failing to punish countless examples of Jew hatred ever since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, they have normalized antisemitism in Canada .
When our government condemns Israel at the UN, but remains silent when Iran – the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism dedicated to the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state – is nominated to a UN oversight committee on combatting terrorism, it enables Jew hatred.
Jew hatred enabled
When gunfire is routinely aimed at Jewish synagogues and in the latest example in Toronto, aimed at three people standing outside a synagogue– and the collective response from our leaders is a shrug – they enable Jew hatred.
When judges give slaps on the wrist even to those convicted of vandalism aimed at Jews, they enable it.
When university presidents cower before antisemites infesting their campuses and threatening Jewish students, they enable it.
When the Canada Revenue Agency targets Jewish charities because of a weaponized campaign against them by those also seeking to decertify Jewish summer camps and schools, it enables Jew hatred.
Because Canada has enabled Jew hatred, it has created the impression for already sick and hate-filled minds predisposed to violence that they are justified in attacking Jews in Canada because of the actions of the Israeli government and military in Gaza and Lebanon.
Meaningless declarations won’t stop antisemitism
Meaningless declarations by politicians describing antisemitism as “not who we are” won’t stop it, because that is exactly what Canada has become.
Canada’s political class has failed Canada’s Jewish citizens, with only a handful of honourable exceptions such as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and municipal leaders such as Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca in Ontario who call out Jew hatred for what it is.
If our governments actually cared about what has happened they would be using the laws and maximum prison sentences we already have for those convicted of trespassing, vandalism, public mischief, uttering threats, assault and promoting hatred.
They don’t and they won’t, which says everything.