A nation’s moral character is defined by how it treats its minorities. By this measure, Canada’s treatment of its Jewish population today raises grave concerns. Over the past decade, our national identity and the values we once upheld have eroded. Who are we as Canadians? This loss of identity has created a void, exploited by Canada’s detractors to instill values that clash with the country we once knew.
Across government, schools, unions, and the media, a toxic environment has emerged, fuelling hostility against Jewish Canadians. When political leaders fail to stand with Israel, it gives permission for hatred to fester at home. Actions like Mélanie Joly’s visit to Ramallah, legitimizing the Palestinian Authority despite its ties to terrorism, betray Jewish Canadians and their homeland.
Even more alarming, elected officials fail to show solidarity with Jewish communities. When mayors refuse to attend flag-raising ceremonies or a Walk for Israel, or equate terrorists with freedom fighters, they erode trust in our institutions. Leadership matters, and these failures leave a vacuum where hate thrives.
This permissiveness has emboldened hate. Pro-Hamas demonstrators now march openly in Canadian streets, blocking traffic, torching cars, and smashing windows. In Montreal, mobs vandalized neighbourhoods and terrorized residents, while Holocaust survivors face pro-Hamas rallies mere steps from their homes. Demonstrators, emboldened by political inaction, openly venerate Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis. It’s not that politicians are unaware — they’re giving tacit approval. One mayor recently excused terrorism, saying, “Your terrorist and somebody else’s terrorist may be two different things.”
Our universities are breeding grounds for this toxicity. Events like Israeli Apartheid Week normalize antisemitism under the guise of activism, leaving Jewish students feeling unsafe. In Ottawa, a public school chose a “Palestinian resistance” song for Remembrance Day, showcasing how propaganda infiltrates education and distorts Canadian values.
Unions are complicit, too. By condemning Israel while ignoring Hamas’s atrocities, they deepen divides and isolate Jewish workers. Their silence in the face of antisemitism is an abdication of their responsibility to promote equality and safety for all.
The media amplifies biased narratives, portraying Israel’s self-defence as aggression while downplaying Hamas’s brutality. This one-sided discourse fuels hostility against Jewish Canadians. When soneone feels emboldened to give a Nazi salute during a pro-Palestinian rally, it reflects how deeply this hate has permeated.
Canada’s archaic hate crime laws exacerbate the problem. Despite rising antisemitic violence, arrests are rare, and accountability is almost nonexistent. Synagogues are firebombed, schools are shot at, and businesses are vandalized simply for being Jewish-owned. This growing wave of attacks stems from a movement seeking to intimidate and isolate the Jewish community — and it has flourished due to government inaction.
The International Criminal Court’s use as a tool to delegitimize Israel further undermines justice and fairness — values Canada once upheld. When Montreal’s streets erupt in flames, protesters chant hate-fuelled slogans, and efforts strip Israel of its right to self-defence, the government not only abandons a democratic country, but emboldens its foes.
Canada’s treatment of its Jewish population highlights a disturbing reality: we are failing the moral test of protecting our minorities. The pro-Hamas demonstrators doing the Nazi salute aren’t just targeting the Jewish community — they’re attacking the very values that define us as Canadians who liberated Europe from the Nazis.
Canada’s leaders must act decisively. Strengthening hate crime laws, enforcing accountability, and unequivocally condemning antisemitism are essential steps. Schools and universities must be held accountable for creating safe spaces, free from radicalized narratives.
Most importantly, Canada must reaffirm its unwavering support for Israel. Abandoning the Jewish state isn’t just foreign policy failure — it’s a betrayal of who we are as a nation. We aren’t even taken seriously on the international scene because we have abandoned our moral compass.
Canada once stood as a beacon of justice, fairness, and moral clarity. The erosion of these values has left a vacuum now filled with hate and division. If we say nothing, we will be nothing. It’s time to reclaim the identity and principles that once made us proud to call this country home. Canada is better than this — I am Canadian and I know we are better than this.
National Post
Avi Abraham Benlolo is the Founder and CEO of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative