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Antisemitism Against Canadian Jews Is Out of Control; Doesn’t Anyone Care?
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Donald Trump in the White House on May 6, 2025. Photo: Wiki Commons.
Earlier this month, an Orthodox Jewish man in Montreal was savagely assaulted, right in front of his children. This is just the latest incident in a seemingly endless series of attacks against the Jewish community in Canada, a country that prides itself on being a tolerant, multicultural society.
Indeed, multiculturalism is even part of Canada’s Constitution.
Article 27 of its Charter of Rights and Freedoms specifically states, “This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.” One could easily argue that multiculturalism is Canada’s national ideology. But lately, it seems that Canada’s multiculturalism excludes Jews.
In fact, antisemitism in Canada has gotten so bad that some have suggested the Great White North isn’t safe for Jews.
Last December, for example, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister, Amichai Chikli, wrote on X, saying, “Canada is no longer safe for Jews.” In response, Anthony Housefather, a Jewish member of Canada’s Parliament and the country’s special advisor on Jewish community relations and antisemitism, called Chikli’s statement “false and exaggerated.” But is it really?
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war following the October 7th massacre — the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust –Canadian Jews have been under siege. They’ve been assaulted both verbally and physically, and their institutions have been attacked on numerous occasions, even shot at and firebombed.
According to a report released this year by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, antisemitism in Canada skyrocketed a whopping 970% in 2024 — the highest increase of all Western countries. And I would argue that the blame for at least some of this antisemitism can be laid at the feet of the current federal government.
Canada’s current government is led by the Liberal Party, which, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, embraced woke, ultra-leftist policies. For example, the Liberals have implemented reckless immigration policies that have flooded Canada with more newcomers than it could absorb. These policies have led to soaring housing costs and a significant strain on public services. No wonder, according to a Nanos poll last fall, nearly two thirds of Canadians wanted Canada to absorb less immigrants in 2025.
No other political party in Canada uses immigrants more cynically than the governing Liberals. They encourage more immigration than the country can handle, because they believe that immigrants who come whenever a Liberal government is in power will vote Liberal if and when they become citizens. For the Liberals, more immigrants mean more votes.
The Liberals’ immigration policies have also inundated Canada with many immigrants from countries in which antisemitic attitudes are taught almost from birth — countries like Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, all of which have been among the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants to Canada in the last decade, and all of which are hotbeds of antisemitism.
Of course, not every person who comes from these countries is an antisemite, but many likely are. In addition, according to a study conducted by Robert Brym, a University of Toronto sociology professor, Muslims in Canada by far have the strongest anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments. Thus, it is highly likely that when Canada absorbs immigrants from Muslim countries, it is importing antisemitism.
The Liberals also cater to radical left-wing extremists, another group that Professor Brym identified as a main source of antisemitism in Canada. This group includes militants like those that participate in anti-Israel rallies across the country, who frequently chant the genocidal slogan, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” or call for violence, shouting, “Globalize the Intifada.” It is these radicals that the Liberals pander to when they repeatedly condemn Israel for defending itself against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist group bent on wiping the Jewish State off the map.
To make a long story short, Liberal policies are adding gas to the fire that is antisemitism in Canada. So, what do we do about it? It’s very unlikely that the Liberals will stray from their current path, as doing so would put them in trouble with their leftist supporters, whom they depend on for votes. Thus, stemming the rising tide of antisemitism in Canada depends, at least in part, on electing a new federal government.
Unfortunately, it may be a while before we can do that, as the previous election was just held last April. The Liberals managed to win with a strong minority government, having convinced Canadians that their current leader and now Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is different than his predecessor Trudeau, who polls showed was widely unpopular when he resigned.
But in fact, Carney is no different from Trudeau, which is why he chose to recognize a Palestinian state, effectively rewarding Hamas for their atrocities on October 7, 2023.
Indeed, following the Montreal assault, Diaspora Minister Chikli told JNS that, “When weak left-wing governments in France, Britain and Canada reward the barbaric gangs that carried out the massacres and rapes of October 7, the message is clear: It is permissible—and even effective—to harm Jews; this is the way to achieve results.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Jason Shvili is a freelance writer and commentator on Jewish affairs, Israel and the Middle East.
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Iran Says Direct Nuclear Talks With US Possible Under Suitable Conditions
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Photo: Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if conditions are suitable, first Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday, according to state media.
But he said US demands for Tehran to drop uranium enrichment entirely were “a joke.”
A sixth round of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Both powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran has rejected.
“Iran is ready for negotiations under equal conditions in order to safeguard its interests … The Islamic Republic’s stance is in the direction that people want and, should there be suitable conditions, we are even ready for direct talks,” Aref said.
Previous rounds of negotiations, which started in April, were indirect, mediated by Oman. Washington says uranium enrichment in Iran constitutes a pathway to developing nuclear weapons and should be dropped.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a controversial statement in favor of resuming negotiations with the US regardless of current levels of distrust.
“You don’t want to talk? Well then, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to war? … Going to talks does not mean we intend to surrender,” he said, adding that such issues should not be “approached emotionally.”
A senior commander of Iran‘s Revolutionary Guards, Aziz Ghazanfari, reacting to Pezeshkian’s comments on Monday, said foreign policy requires discretion, and careless statements by authorities can have serious consequences for the country.
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Australia’s Albanese Says Netanyahu ‘In Denial’ Over Gaza Humanitarian Situation
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at a Labor party election night event, after local media projected the Labor Party’s victory, on the day of the Australian federal election, in Sydney, Australia, May 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was “in denial” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, a day after announcing Australia would recognize a Palestinian state for the first time.
Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at next month’s United Nations General Assembly, Albanese said on Monday, a move that adds to international pressure on Israel after similar announcements from France, Britain, and Canada.
Albanese said on Tuesday the Netanyahu government’s reluctance to listen to its allies contributed to Australia’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
“He again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,” Albanese said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC, recounting a Thursday phone call with Netanyahu discussing the issue.
Australia’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state is conditional on commitments received from the Palestinian Authority, including that Islamist teoor group Hamas would have no involvement in any future state.
Right-leaning opposition leader Sussan Ley said the move, which breaks with long-held bipartisan policy over Israel and the Palestinian territories, risked jeopardizing Australia’s relationship with the United States.
SENTIMENT SHIFT
Albanese said as little as two weeks ago he would not be drawn on a timeline for recognition of a Palestinian state.
His incumbent center-left Labor Party, which won an increased majority at a general election in May, has previously been wary of dividing public opinion in Australia, which has significant Jewish and Muslim minorities.
But the public mood has shifted sharply after Israel said it planned to take military control of Gaza, amid increasing reports of hunger amongst its people.
Israel recently increased the flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, after imposing a temporary embargo in an effort to keep them out of the hands of Hamas, which often steals the aid for its own use and sells the rest to civilians at inflated prices. While facilitating the entry of thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, Israeli officials have condemned the UN and other international aid agencies for their alleged failure to distribute supplies, noting much of the humanitarian assistance has been stalled at border crossings or stolen. According to UN data, the vast majority of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is intercepted before reaching its intended civilian recipients.
Nonetheless, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge this month calling for aid deliveries in Gaza.
“This decision is driven by popular sentiment in Australia which has shifted in recent months, with a majority of Australians wanting to see an imminent end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” said Jessica Genauer, a senior lecturer in international relations at Flinders University.
Opposition leader Ley said the decision was “disrespectful” of key ally the United States, which opposes Palestinian statehood.
“We would never have taken this step because this is completely against what our principles are, which is that recognition, the two state solution, comes at the end of the peace process, not before,” she said in an interview with radio station 2GB.
Neighboring New Zealand has said it is still considering whether to recognize a Palestinian state, a decision that drew sharp criticism from former prime minister Helen Clark on Tuesday.
“This is a catastrophic situation, and here we are in New Zealand somehow arguing some fine point about whether we should recognize we need to be adding our voice to the need for this catastrophe to stop,” she said in an interview with state broadcaster RNZ.
“This is not the New Zealand I’ve known.”
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Iran Says It Arrested 21,000 ‘Suspects’ During 12-Day War With Israel
Rescue personnel work at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Bat Yam, Israel, June 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 “suspects” during the country’s 12–day war with Israel in June, a law enforcement spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to state media.
Following Israeli air strikes that began on June 13, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and “public reports” whereby citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously.
“There was a 41 percent increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12–day war,” police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said. He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks.
The Israel–Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities had also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel.
“Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorized filming were also arrested,” the spokesperson added.
Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released.
He added that Iran‘s police handled more than 5,700 cases of cyber crimes such as online fraud and unauthorised withdrawals during the war, which he said had turned “cyberspace into an important battlefront.”