Alarming new data from Statistics Canada reveals Canadian Jews are targeted by hate crimes at an astonishing 25 times the rate of other citizens, enduring an unseen daily reality of fear and harassment that demands urgent leadership action.
A chilling new report from Statistics Canada today unveils a staggering and persistent crisis of antisemitism gripping Canada: in 2024, there were 920 police-reported hate crimes targeting Canadian Jews, cementing their position as the most targeted religious group in the entire country. The data paints a horrifying picture, showing that a Jewish Canadian was an unfathomable 25 times more likely to be the victim of a hate crime than any other Canadian citizen.
While the total number of antisemitic hate crimes saw a slight dip from its peak of 959 incidents in 2023, the 2024 figures remain drastically elevated compared to the 527 antisemitic hate crimes reported in 2022, indicating a deeply entrenched and ongoing problem.
Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), reacted with profound concern to the “shocking” statistics, emphasizing that the numbers, while alarming, barely scratch the surface of the community’s grim reality. “Numbers don’t paint the full picture. They reflect only a fraction of what Jewish Canadians experience every day,” Shack stated. He painted a visceral image of the daily fear: “The daily reality is families wondering if it’s safe to walk to synagogue, school buses being checked for explosives, and students being bullied and harassed for being Jewish.”
Shack underscored the broader societal threat posed by such targeted hatred: “When any community is targeted because of who they are, it erodes the values all Canadians count on.”
In light of this escalating crisis, CIJA is issuing an urgent call for decisive action from Canadian leaders. Their demands include:
- Increased support for security of Jewish institutions.
- Criminalizing the glorification of terrorism.
- Ensuring police effectively enforce the law and are equipped with necessary tools.
- Stopping extremists from inciting or promoting violence in Canada.
The statistics are a stark and undeniable testament to a pervasive climate of fear and hostility faced by Jewish Canadians, demanding immediate and robust intervention to protect fundamental Canadian values of safety and equality.
