Canada Has an Antisemitism Problem But the Country Is Not Lost

There is an old saying in journalism: “If it bleeds, it leads.” Crisis attracts attention. Fear commands headlines. Nuance, by contrast, rarely goes viral.

That reality has shaped much of the discussion surrounding antisemitism in Canada since October 7, 2023. If you consume enough Jewish news, you could be forgiven for thinking Canada is on the verge of becoming uninhabitable for Jews. Synagogues require security. Jewish schools have faced threats. Anti-Israel demonstrations have become a regular feature of public life.

No honest observer can deny that antisemitism has become a more serious problem in Canada. But recognizing that reality is not the same as declaring the country lost.

As a visibly Orthodox Jew and public figure working in Israel education based in Toronto, I am not ignorant of antisemitism. I have been threatened, harassed, and doxxed because of the work I do. I understand why many Jews are worried.

Yet I am troubled by a growing tendency to describe Canada as a country that is no longer safe for Jews. A recent article on aish.com argued that Jews are now afraid to walk the streets and openly identify themselves. While that may reflect the experience of some individuals, it bears little resemblance to the reality I encounter every day.

Canada (like everywhere else in the West) has a serious antisemitism problem. But Jewish Canadians should not confuse a serious problem with a lost cause.

To begin with, incidents are not the same thing as attitudes.

Statistics Canada recorded roughly 900 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024. That number should concern every Canadian. Antisemitism is real, and it deserves a far more serious response from our political leaders than we have seen to date. Too often, federal, provincial, and municipal governments have appeared absent, hesitant, or unwilling to confront the problem directly.

But while incidents matter, they do not tell us everything about the society in which we live.

According to a 2025 ADL survey, Canadians remain among the least antisemitic populations in the world, with only 8 percent of Canadians holding deeply antisemitic views, slightly lower than those found in the United States. This is not 1930s Europe with near-universal levels of Jew-hatred. We are not witnessing a society-wide collapse into anti-Jewish hate. Rather, we are confronting a determined minority whose influence and visibility often exceed their numbers.

This is a crucial distinction.

A relatively small group of extremists can create an atmosphere of fear without representing the broader population. Their actions should be taken seriously, but they should not be mistaken for the views of an entire country.

Nor should we lose perspective when comparing our situation internationally.

In places like France or the United States, Jews have endured deadly synagogue attacks, regular violent assaults on visibly Jewish individuals, and repeated acts of serious anti-Jewish violence. Yet the dominant response from American Jewish leaders (including on aish.com just this week in the face of an anti-Jewish hate crime in New Jersey) has been resolve, not retreat. We are staying, we are fighting back, and we are not surrendering public space.

Canadian Jews should adopt the same posture.

Just this week, approximately 60,000 Jews and allies gathered in Toronto for the Walk with Israel, making it the largest event of its kind anywhere in the world.

The story of Jewish life in Canada is not merely the story of hate crimes and harassment. It is also the story of extraordinary resilience, solidarity, and public support. We are a strong and growing community, and we should not forget it.

Just this week, approximately 60,000 Jews and allies gathered in Toronto for the Walk with Israel, making it the largest event of its kind anywhere in the world. That number dwarfs the attendance at every single anti-Israel demonstration.

Which number better represents the future of Jewish life in Canada: a few hundred professional agitators, or tens of thousands of people proudly standing together?

I have also attended multiple (huge) rallies held by the Iranian community here in Toronto in recent months. At every one of them, there are tons of Israeli flags fluttering. At the last one I attended, I lost count at the number of people who, seeing my kippah, expressed their love for the Jewish people.

On multiple occasions over the past 2.5 years, countless complete strangers have approached me on the street to express support for Israel and the Jewish community. Just recently, I attended an Indigenous-Jewish friendship symposium that brought together Canadians from different backgrounds in a spirit of mutual respect and partnership. These moments rarely make headlines. They are quieter than acts of vandalism and less dramatic than angry protests. Yet they tell us something important about the country we live in.

We cannot allow masked vandals in the middle of the night to become the sole narrators of the Jewish Canadian experience.

The challenge before us how to combat antisemitism without surrendering to despair. The goal of antisemites is to convince us that we do not belong. We must reject that message.

It means walking into synagogue with our heads held high, attending Jewish events, supporting Jewish schools, institutions, and causes. It means building alliances with our neighbors and speaking proudly about who we are and refusing to disappear from public life.

Canada has a serious antisemitism problem but it is still our country. As Canadian Jews, let’s stand taller.