One year ago today, Hamas terrorists launched the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, committing horrific atrocities. Since that day, Canadian Jews have existed in an extended state of mourning and grief, not only because of the horrific massacre and the ongoing captivity of the hostages trapped in the tunnels of Gaza, but also because of the denial, justification and even celebration of these events. The Jewish community should have had time to grieve, but were instead forced to grapple with new waves of antisemitism here in Canada.
In the wake of the October 7 massacre, antisemitic incidents rose sharply across Canada. This rise began immediately following news of the Hamas invasion. In cities across the country, hundreds gathered to support and celebrate the gruesome atrocities. The organizers of those celebrations are gathering again today to continue to glorify and justify the vile terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.
In March, Toronto police reported that hate-motivated crimes in the city increased 93 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier. In Vancouver, there were more police-reported antisemitic incidents over the final three months of 2023 than in all of 2022. These are not just statistics — they represent the new daily reality for Jewish-Canadians.
In schools across the country, Jewish pupils have “been punched, spat at, chased by groups of children shouting abuse, ostracized in class and faced antisemitic taunts — as well as Nazi salutes,” according to a report in the Globe and Mail. On university campuses, Jewish students are scorned, harassed and often excluded from campus life — forcing some to hide their Jewish identities. In their neighbourhoods, Jewish-Canadians have been met with crowds marching through the streets, brazenly chanting “long live October 7” and other hateful and inflammatory chants.
This appalling explosion of antisemitism in Canada has now lasted a full year. Antisemitism cannot be normalized in our country. Antisemitism cannot be acceptable in our country.
On this day in particular, Canadians must recognize that antisemitism does not only pose a threat to Jewish-Canadians, but to all Canadians — and to Canada as a whole. October 7 should be a day not only of remembering the innocent lives that were taken and turned upside-down, but of understanding and recognizing the horrific results of unbridled and unchecked antisemitism. It is a reminder — merely eight decades after the Holocaust — of the toxicity of antisemitism and the threat it poses to our shared humanity.
To combat the denial of the atrocities of October 7, Canadians should learn about the events of that day by listening to the testimonies of survivors and witnesses, by challenging those who deny the widely documented massacre, which included systematic sexual assaults and the torture of Israelis by Hamas and other terrorist groups. This atrocity denial echoes the denial of the Holocaust and an ancient pattern of Jew hatred.
We as Canadians must recognize antisemitism as a grave threat to the tolerance and diversity that we pride ourselves on. Antisemitism is often described as the “canary in the coalmine” — a warning sign of a broader trend of growing prejudice, intolerance and hatred. History has shown us time and again that rising antisemitism portends a corresponding rise in other forms of prejudice. Simply put, hate begets hate.
Canadian governments at all levels should be treating antisemitism as a threat to our social fabric, political norms and democratic institutions. Over the last year, we have all borne witness to the corrosive effects of antisemitism on Canadian institutions — from our universities to our legislative chambers.
As Canadians, we must commit to redouble our efforts to combat antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head, and to not make the mistake of turning a blind eye or waiting until it is too late to combat this pernicious hate. Antisemitism is a threat to all of us, and it will take all of us to combat it.
On the anniversary of October 7, we must also honour the memories of the eight fellow Canadians who were murdered in that terrorist attack: Netta Epstein, Shir Georgy, Tiferet Lapidot, Alexandre Look, Ben Mizrachi, Vivian Silver, Adi Vital-Kaploun and Judih Weinstein Haggai. Their ages ranged between 21 and 74 years old. They were sons and daughters, mothers and grandmothers. Today, we remember and mourn the loss of these eight individuals. May their memories be a blessing.
National Post
Deborah Lyons is Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. She previously served as Canada’s ambassador to Israel and Afghanistan, as well as the United Nations secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.