By Dan Pujdak, October 25, 2024
One year ago on the Hebrew Calendar, as Jews around the world readied themselves for joyous Simchat Torah celebrations, a listed terrorist organization launched a ruthless attack callously murdering men, women, children and the elderly in Israel. More than 1,200 people, representing citizens of over thirty countries, were killed in cold blood and 254 people were taken hostage. Girls and women were raped. Eight Canadians perished at the hands of fanatical, extremist terrorists.
Reasonable and rational people were united in their horror.
Yet across the west, others celebrated their hatred against Jews and Israelis on our city streets, on our campuses, and online. They cheered terrorists as “anti-colonial” revolutionaries, ignoring the fact that their newfound heroes have a genocidal charter dedicating themselves to the destruction of Jews in the ancient Jewish homeland. They failed to recognize the ambitions of Hamas as a proxy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a member of its “axis of resistance,” a network seeking to reshape the middle east into its own ideological vision through terrorism and autocracy.
One year later, in Canada we find ourselves in a renewed yet ancient battle against antisemitism and extremism. If this battle is lost, it threatens to unravel our most precious values and erode the law, order and foundations of our society.
Since October 7th, antisemitic incidents in Canada have risen 670%. Jews are the most targeted group for hate crimes in the country. Jewish schools have been shot at, businesses vandalized, neighbourhoods besieged, and universities barricaded. Canadian Jews have found themselves wondering if they are still safe in Canada and when, if not now, they might need to flee.
In the past year, we have seen political leaders, universities, union leaders, police forces, prosecutors and immigration agents ignoring – if not overturning – long established Canadian norms as they fail to take seriously the threat of “anti-Zionism,” a perverse antisemitic political ideology that posits anyone who believes in the Jewish right to self-determination is, somehow, evil.
Our political leaders have used hollow words with no actions to stand up for Jews in Canada. Virulent antisemitism and hate have gone unaddressed within political parties and unprosecuted in our streets. Our universities have let uninformed opinions go unchallenged and offensive behaviour unpunished as radical students attack Jews on campus. Our public sector labour leaders, who represent those whose solemn duty is to safeguard our fair and impartial institutions, at worst espouse antisemitism and at best are silent.
The Canadian promise of tolerance and pluralism has never been more at risk.
Extremism is on the rise and our leaders have equivocated. We have learned that Canadians are engaged in terror plots against Jews and the west, and that our supposedly welcoming cities foster hate movements with connections to global terrorists organizations. As our political leaders say “this is not who we are” after each attack on Jewish communities, they ignore the obvious truth that this is who we have let ourselves become.
The first Jew arrived in Canada in 1738. We should never have a date for when the last Jew leaves. On this somber anniversary, it is important to renew the Canadian promise for a tolerant society, one that stands for mutual respect and against hate – one that stands with the Jewish community.
Renewing our commitment to the Canadian promise means that leaders must move beyond idle talk and to action. It means that those who have been too fearful to do the right thing should join their colleagues in standing against antisemitism.
Renewing our commitment means we must ensure our institutions maintain their norms, that individuals are protected, that our laws are enforced, and that free speech can flourish concurrent with our commitment to a multicultural and pluralistic society.
Renewing our commitment means our leaders must relentlessly speak the truth and doggedly pursue the best interests of a free and tolerant Canada, consistent with our fundamental freedoms, even when it is not politically expedient.
Renewing our commitment means that we do better.
Throughout history, Canadians have looked hatred in the face and, while we have stumbled, we have ultimately rejected it time and time again. Our leaders must find this spirit in them yet again – to do what is right even when it is hard, to stand with the Jewish community and fulfill the Canadian promise of tolerance, peace, order and good government for everyone living here.
Dan Pujdak is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and chief strategy officer at Blackbird Strategies. He previously served as the director of policy to the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and northern affairs Canada.
