Antisemitism in Canada

Antisemitism has a long and troubling history in Canada, despite the country’s modern reputation as a multicultural and inclusive society. Early Jewish settlers faced discrimination and exclusion, beginning with the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Jews were subject to quotas limiting their entry into certain professions, schools, and neighbourhoods. A particularly dark chapter occurred during the Second World War, when Canada notoriously refused entry to Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust. The phrase “None is too many” became infamous as Canada’s response to Jewish immigration during this time. This legacy of exclusion set the stage for ongoing manifestations of antisemitism throughout Canadian history.

In the post-war period, antisemitism in Canada took on more subtle forms, though overt hate did not disappear. Jewish cemeteries were desecrated, synagogues vandalized, and antisemitic rhetoric occasionally resurfaced in politics and public discourse. However, with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, a new dimension of antisemitism emerged in Canada: anti-zionism, or opposition to the existence of Israel as the Jewish homeland. While criticism of Israeli policies is legitimate and exists within a broader spectrum of political discourse, anti-Zionism can and has often served as a vehicle for antisemitic expression, particularly when it involves denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination or vilifying Jews collectively in the context of their support for Israel.

The events of October 7, when Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack on Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians and taking hundreds of hostages, significantly escalated the tension surrounding anti-Zionism and antisemitism in Canada. In the aftermath of these attacks, Jewish communities in Canada have reported a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, many of which have been cloaked as expressions of anti-Zionism. Protests that ostensibly criticize Israeli policies or military actions have included violent rhetoric, the desecration of Jewish symbols, and threats toward Jewish individuals and institutions. Synagogues have increased security measures in response to threats of violence, and Jewish Canadians have reported feeling increasingly unsafe as the conflict spills over into their daily lives.

The blending of anti-Zionist rhetoric with antisemitic hate has become a significant challenge for Canadian Jews. While the right to criticize governments, including Israel’s, is protected, such criticism often becomes antisemitic when it is used to justify violence or hatred against Jews globally. Canadian Jews have found themselves targeted simply for being Jewish. This wave of antisemitism, fuelled by both long-standing prejudices and the global reaction to the October 7 attacks, has heightened fears within the Jewish community and highlighted the enduring presence of antisemitism in Canada, under both traditional and modern guises.