Anthony Housefather and Marco Mendicino: Antisemitism is running rampant in Canada. We must do more for our Jewish neighbours

What we have heard from witnesses In the face of this crisis, we have been leading a parliamentary study to combat antisemitism as members of the justice committee. The committee has heard from Jewish Canadians, experts, law enforcement, and community organizations. The consensus from these hearings has been overwhelming. Antisemitism is rife within Canadian institutions, perhaps most visibly within Canadian universities. Dr. Ted Rosenberg, who testified at the committee, resigned as an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) because, in his own words, “UBC, like most medical schools and universities across the country, allowed naked Jew-hatred to creep in, which has now become systemic.” Nicole Nashen, a student at McGill who also testified at the justice committee, said that Jews in Canada are forced to pass a litmus test, in which they must denounce their “affiliation to our ancestral homeland to be accepted.” Meanwhile, Michael Eshayek, a student from Concordia University, testified that 300 pro-Hamas protestors threatened and physically accosted 30 Jewish students while yelling, “Go back to Poland,” “Kike,” and “You’d better get off campus or you will not get to see tomorrow.” Wanting to witness firsthand what we heard at committee, we travelled to UBC. We saw the unlawful encampment adorned with banners calling for the destruction of the state of Israel and glorifying terrorist organizations such as the Al-Quds Brigade. We also visited Vancouver’s Emily Carr University with two Jewish students. While touring the campus, we heard about the intimidation tactics of the student governing council, observed terrorist propaganda, and saw for ourselves student artwork defaced with antisemitic graffiti. Such is the degrading state of Jewish life on Canadian university campuses. Unlawful encampments at the University of Toronto and McGill University were entrenched for weeks as administrators tried in vain to negotiate with criminal trespassers rather than impose discipline, courts rejected injunctions, and police have been reluctant to enforce the law. Earlier this week, an Ontario judge, at last, issued an order requiring the clearing of the encampment at the University of Toronto. That encampment is no more. Better late than never, but there is still far too much prevaricating, and the standoff at McGill remains unresolved. Is it any wonder that Jewish professors, administrators, faculty and students across the country feel utterly abandoned? The situation is abysmal. The experiences of Jews on Canadian campuses are a microcosm of what is occurring across the country. Antisemitism: On the far-Right and far-Left The experiences of Jews on Canadian campuses are a microcosm of what is occurring across the country. When we were first elected in 2015, the most dangerous antisemitism came from extreme groups on the far-Right. Those who marched in Charlottesville screaming “Jews will not replace us!” The killer who murdered 11 Jews and injured six at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. These individuals proudly proclaimed their hatred of Jews. On the far-Right, Jews are viewed as a lesser race or as conniving agents seeking to degrade our society. But today, the bulk of the antisemitism Jews fear is actually deployed by the far-Left. These groups and individuals proclaim they actually harbour no hatred for Jews, only for Zionists. The far-Left conveniently ignores that the vast majority of Jews are Zionists, rejecting them unless they repudiate Israel’s right to defend itself. Quite a price to pay for membership. After all, Zionism is an expression of the inherent right of the Jewish people to self-determination and the fundamental belief that Israel, the indigenous home of the Jewish people, has a right to exist. Being a Zionist does not mean you need to agree with every action of the current Israeli government. And it certainly does not mean you do not care about the fate of innocent civilians in Gaza. Many on the far-Left do not see it that way, instead distorting Zionism, and using it as a racial slur against Jews and anyone who supports Israel. They invoke epithets like “All the Zionists are racists” or “All the Zionists or terrorists” to paint everyone who identifies as such with the same “oppressor” brush. Anti-Zionism is also pervasive within the ranks of Canadian academia, some of whom use the term in a derogatory way to describe Israel as an “apartheid” or “colonizer” state. This explains why many Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives do not only fail to enumerate Jews as a group that suffers discrimination, and instead consciously omit them on the grounds that their inclusion would itself be discriminatory. We now see how “Zionists” and “Jews” are used as interchangeable synonyms for “colonizers,” “settlers,” and “oppressors” by the far-Left, thereby making hate speech permissible. This is a perversion of justice. Case in point: in the aftermath of October 7th, Canadian imam Adil Charkaoui went into the streets of Montreal, denounced Zionists, and called for the enemies of Gaza to be killed. Three prosecutors looked over his statements, but all decided not to pursue criminal charges. This is incomprehensible and deeply troubling. We would argue the fatal error in their reasoning is in failing to recognize that Zionists are an identifiable group on racial, religious, national and ethnic grounds according to sections 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code. The absence of criminal charges against Charkaoui reflects the need for greater training for police, prosecutors, and judges to help them understand what antisemitic hate speech is and to ensure that existing laws are being applied to keep our Jewish community safe. When they see unlawful protests, signage and chants calling for the murder of Jews, police must act to arrest the perpetrators who have become a risk to public safety and are engaging in unlawful activity. “Bubble” legislation to protect schools, places of worship, and community centres from being blocked by protestors must be enacted. It is entirely unacceptable for one group to use its right of free speech to stop another group from exercising their constitutional rights. This is equally true when it comes to online hate. Antisemitism is pervasive on social media. Many egregious posts emanate from hostile states, including Russia and Iran, who spread disinformation and ferment division in Canada, the United States, and other Western countries. The federal government has introduced a bill to combat online hate. This legislation will create new enforcement tools to hold social media platforms accountable and prosecute cybercrime. We will also continue to advocate that hate crime laws must be amended to remove roadblocks to pressing criminal charges, such as the need for the attorney general’s consent to prosecute for the wilful promotion of hatred and advocating genocide. So, here we are. We live in a country where antisemitism is running rampant. Where it incites violence and hatred without consequence. Where it festers deep within our institutions. Where it is ubiquitous online and in our communities and ridings. Where it is propagated by both the far-Right and the far-Left. We began by saying that the world has become dark again in ways that resemble the era that led to the Holocaust. Today, in Canada, Jewish families remove their mezuzahs from their homes. They hide their Star of David pendants in public. Some have begun to consider withdrawing their children from public schools. Still, others have had enough and are ready to leave Canada entirely. Our country, which has always prided itself on its multiculturalism, has forsaken them. The country their families have lived in for hundreds of years, or moved to more recently for peace and safety, has suddenly turned into a place that fosters hatred and violence against them. This is fundamentally unacceptable. We must reaffirm the values of inclusion, dignity and respect for the rule of law. All levels of government must act to implement concrete measures to combat antisemitism, for it represents a serious threat to our democracy. Beyond government, friends and allies of the Jewish community must also now step up, show support, and condemn antisemitism. Canada, and the world, must not turn their back on the Jewish community.