Antisemitic incidents, including violent assaults, rose nearly 110 per cent from 2022 to 2023 across Canada, according to a new report.
Canadian Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada released its Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in Canada today, which also marks Holocaust Remembrance Day in Canada. The audit is published every spring.
The report says there were 5,791 antisemitic incidents across the country over that one-year period, marking a 109.1 per cent increase from the previous year. This marks the highest total of incidents ever recorded by the organization.
On average, nearly 16 antisemitic incidents occurred every day in 2023, up from eight incidents a day in 2022.
“The incidents and numbers cited in our Audit should concern all decent Canadians,” Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s director of research and advocacy, said in a statement.
“Antisemitism is not only a blight on Jewish people. It is an attack on Canadian values and a threat to our multicultural, diverse society. We urge people to think seriously about what this spike in antisemitic incidents says about the direction in which our society is heading,” he added.
In 2023, the organization noted a whopping 208 per cent increase in the number of violent incidents with 77 reported, compared to 25 in 2022. Meanwhile, harassment was up 124.4 per cent with 5,252 incidents last year, up from 2,340 in 2022.
Online harassment has also seen a concerning rise with 4,847 incidents reported, compared to 2,056 incidents in 2022, marking a 135.7 per cent increase, according to the report.
ONTARIO SAW THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF ANTISEMETIC INCIDENTS
B’nai Brith broke down antisemitic incidents by region rather than province or territory for this audit, with Ontario and Quebec being their own regions.
For another year, Ontario accounted for the highest number of incidents in 2023, while the lowest rate of incidents was seen in the Atlantic provinces. Ontario saw a 77.5 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents from 2022 to 2023.
The organization noted that Ontario saw a notable rise in antisemitic graffiti, with messages such as “Kill the Jews” written on walls, park benches and public spaces. When looking at a monthly breakdown, incidents went up 57.3 per cent across the country from September to October, likely because of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
B’nai Brith also noted an alarming rise in antisemitism on Canadian campuses.
“Although the rise of antisemitism at Canadian universities can be attributed to a multitude of factors, this trend can most blatantly be tied to the renewed escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict following Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7th,” reads the report.
“In the aftermath of October 7th, Jewish students across Canada have increasingly been intimidated and alienated on campuses, as clubs, teachers, and administrators have outwardly
vocalized and adopted antisemitic stances,” it continued.
LEADERS RECOGNIZE HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
Political leaders across the country have been marking the day with comments online.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a video on X of a conversation he had with Holocaust survivors to commemorate the day.
And last night Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera and Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism Deborah Lyons released a statement for the beginning of Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“On this day of remembrance and introspection, we vow never to forget the victims of the Holocaust. More than 6 million Jewish men, women and children were tortured, persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime and its followers. Half a million Roma and other members of minority and vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities, suffered the same fate. This very dark chapter of the past carries intergenerational trauma for people in many countries, including Canada,” reads the statement.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford joined members of the province’s Jewish community at Queen’s Park to mark the day.
Meanwhile, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wrote on X, “Today, we honour those survivors who are still with us. And we redouble our efforts to never allow the Holocaust and such horrors to return to the world.”
