CIJA

Three shootings at GTA synagogues in one week! This isn’t just about the safety of one community—it’s about the future of our cities, our provinces, and our country. It's time for all Canadians to push back. Go to ActionHub.ca to take action right now, and stay tuned for more ways to hold our elected officials accountable.

The sentencing of Esteban Pavez comes at a moment of heightened security concerns for the Jewish community in Edmonton and across Canada — including the recent ITAC warning that a violent extremist attack on Canadian Jews is “realistic possibility.” As @JewishEdmonton CEO @YegStacey shared with @EdmontonJournal, we are grateful for law enforcement and the authorities but the scale of what was averted is chilling. Governments at all levels —federal, provincial and municipal—must do more to address the root causes of the violence and radicalization, including unchecked antisemitism, religiously and ideologically motivated extremism and hateful rhetoric against our community. Read the full community impact statement: jewishedmonton.org/hidden-section…

The Combatting Hate Act passed in the House of Commons this week.    That’s a huge step forward in our mission to build a stronger, safer country where everyone — no matter who they are or how they worship — can live free from violence and intimidation.

We're grateful to @PasternakTO for raising this important motion and encouraging Toronto City Council to take this important step. For the community near Bathurst & Sheppard, now there must be real change—an end to weekly harassment, consistent enforcement, and safer streets for residents and businesses. We need to ensure these commitments translate into action.

In this @nationalpost piece by @TLNewmanMTL, she raises the alarm after Vanier College cancelled a Holocaust memorial under pressure from extreme activists. "This would mean a memorial that, in a time of rising antisemitism and questionable Holocaust knowledge among youth, should be witnessed by more college students, not less, will have been effectively intimidated off campus." Read more here: nationalpost.com/opinion/caving…

Last week the @brandeiscenter announced a legal settlement with the University of California, Berkeley the university’s longstanding failure to address systemic anti-Semitism, including discriminatory “anti-Zionist” bylaws. While this legal victory significant, @adam_louis52328 latest piece in @TheFP argues that lasting change requires a cultural transformation that explicitly identifies and confronts anti-Zionism as a form of discrimination. You can read more here: thefp.com/p/yes-anti-zio…

"Bill C-9 represents an important and necessary step to strengthen tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to protect targeted communities and hold criminals accountable.” CIJA joins @ALCCAcanada, @bnaibrithcanada, @cwaa_national, the Canadian Jewish Law Association and @CanadianFSWC in welcoming the adoption of Bill C-9, The Combatting Hate Act, by the House of Commons and urges Parliamentarians to advance more measures to confront Canada’s antisemitism crisis. In the wake of violent attacks targeting Jewish communities, Parliament must act with urgency. The Senate should move quickly to pass Bill C-9 and help ensure that all Canadians can live in safety and security. Click here to read our full statement: cija.ca/jewish_communi…

The withdrawal of charges against Mai Abdulhadi for her hateful and shameful acts of intimidation and antisemitism are unacceptable, outrageous, and yet another indication that the most perverse and blatant acts of antisemitism can occur in Montréal and go without consequences that reflect the severity of the act. It is an indictment on the criminal justice system in Quebec when acts motivated by hate are not recognized and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The notion that doing a Nazi Salute and threatening Jews with “the final solution” can happen in a diverse city like Montreal without significant consequences is deeply shocking and an affront to the shared common values of our city. Decisions such as this one contribute to a climate of impunity where extremist agitators have been emboldened by the lack of clear consequences which sends a message that creating the disorder and chaos we have seen in our streets over the last two years is acceptable. Federation CJA and CIJA are deeply appalled with the outcome of this case and the implications it has for the safety of Jews and indeed all Montrealers. The only way to make sure these acts stop is with serious consequences for those who break the law.

Over the past 2.5 years, antisemitism in Canada has surged to historic levels. Synagogues have been targeted at alarming rates, and Jewish Canadians are now 25x more likely to experience a hate crime than any other Canadian. But as @JesseBrown writes in @TheAtlantic, there’s also something less visible at play—a “polite pogrom” with the quiet exclusion of Jewish Canadians from public life and civil society. Jewish Canadians have contributed deeply to this country for generations. Today, the fight is not only for safety and belonging of our community, but for the kind of Canada we all want to live in. Read more here: theatlantic.com/international/…

For the past two years, Victorians have seen their lives disrupted by weekly aggressive anti-Israel protests. These protests have raised serious safety concerns, including when demonstrators targeted a Jewish elected official on June 7. #bcpoli 1/3

Joint Statement by CIJA & @UJAFederation on the Launch of Toronto Police Service's New Counter-Terrorism Security Unit and Task Force Guardian: “In recent weeks, Jewish communities across the Greater Toronto Area have faced a dangerous escalation — including gunfire targeting synagogues, extremist protests, and open displays of antisemitic incitement. “The establishment of a dedicated Counter-Terrorism Security Unit and the deployment of Task Force Guardian are necessary and overdue steps. We welcome this action as a recognition that the current situation and threat levels require a stronger response, including enhanced policing measures. “The current threat environment, including recent national security assessments that indicate an extremist attack against the Jewish community is a very real possibility in the coming months, underscores the urgency of this moment. This is not a theoretical risk. It is a credible and imminent danger that requires a proactive, visible, and sustained policing presence. “Jewish Torontonians should not have to question whether it is safe to attend synagogue, send their children to school, or walk in their own neighborhoods. The expectation that laws will be enforced and that public safety will be protected is fundamental, and it must be consistently met. “We will continue to engage with law enforcement, and our community will be watching closely. Today’s announcement must translate into tangible improvements: increased patrols, disruption of extremist activity, and meaningful consequences for those who incite or commit hate-driven acts.”

As reported by the @nationalpost, Toronto Police issued a directive restricting demonstrations in residential areas at the heart of Toronto’s Jewish community due to the unacceptable risk to public safety. We are grateful to the thousands of community members who spoke up and urged Toronto Police to take stronger action. This is a meaningful and long-overdue step—but it must be paired with consistent enforcement and protection for our community, not just here in Toronto, but across the city and beyond.

All Canadians should be concerned by the latest from @StewGlobal's @GlobalNational report that a Vancouver business has been sanctioned by the U.S. for ties to Iran-backed Hezbollah. While no sanctions have been laid by Canada, CIJA's VP @nicoslobinsky is calling on all levels of government to do more to ensure that our country is not used as a safe haven for Iran's Islamic Regime and its proxies. Read the full story here: globalnews.ca/news/11742096/…

Gunfire at three synagogues in two weeks. This is where things stand in Ontario right now. As MPPs return to Queen’s Park today, the government must act on its commitments to the Jewish community. CIJA's @JoshLandau_CIJA Landau breaks down the priorities we're looking at.

Last week, Jewish community leaders from across Alberta gathered at the provincial legislature in Edmonton for our Advocacy Day. We met with ministers and MLAs from both sides of the floor to advance our shared priorities on community safety, mental health support, education, and stronger partnerships. Our message was clear: more must be done to confront antisemitism across society. Together, we can build a province and country where everyone can prosper and live in safety. #ABPoli

On the heels of three attacks on Toronto synagogues, antisemitic signs being paraded in the heart of Jewish neighbourhoods, and last week one of Canada’s own intelligence agencies delivering a warning that a violent extremist attack against the Jewish community is a realistic possibility – it’s imperative the Ontario government moves decisively in the coming weeks. As Members of Provincial Parliament return to Queen’s Park, CIJA is calling for urgent action to keep Ontarians safe. Read more here: nationalpost.com/news/cija-legi…

We wake up to yet another heinous antisemitic attack. This time, targeting ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer rescue organization in London, England — with reports that the perpetrators are linked to Iran’s Islamic Regime. We stand in solidarity with Britain’s Jewish community. Confronting violent antisemitism and Iranian-backed terror are essential not just for the safety of one community, but for safeguarding the future of our societies as a whole.

Pressure works. Following our joint letter with @UJAFederation and @BnaiBrithCanada, and our organized effort with thousands of people contacting decisionmakers to call for enforcement of the law, Toronto Police have now stated that protests will not be permitted in residential neighbourhoods. This is a meaningful step—but it must be matched with consistent enforcement and protection for our community. We won’t let up.

Founded in 2008 with funding from the United Church, IJV often presents as a mainstream Jewish organization. However, by its own admission, it represents only a small fringe, not the vast majority of Jewish Canadians or broadly held Canadian values. 1/6