Jewish communities resist rising hate while anti-Israel extremists, emboldened by Gaza propaganda, escalate violence.
After suffering its tenth attack in just eighteen months, Toronto’s Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue is again repairing shattered windows and shaken nerves. Yet Rabbi Joe Kanofsky insists his community refuses to bend to the growing wave of antisemitic violence sweeping Canada.
“These attacks only strengthen our resolve,” Kanofsky told The Times of Israel. “People show up because they know unity matters now more than ever.”
The latest incident—caught on video—shows a masked vandal leaping with a hammer to smash five windows. Earlier assaults involved rocks, graffiti, and even attempted arson, mirroring the global rise in extremist hatred inflamed by anti-Israel agitators since Hamas’ massacre of October 7, 2023.
Kanofsky joked darkly, “I only wish everyone was as determined to come to synagogue as these attackers. They climb our fences no matter how much security we add.”
Canada experienced growing antisemitism even before October 7, but after Hamas’ atrocities and the flood of anti-Israel propaganda from Palestinian groups and sympathetic Arab regimes, hostility has skyrocketed. A B’nai Brith Canada report documented 6,219 antisemitic incidents in 2024—roughly 17 per day, a shocking 125% rise from 2022.
Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, warns that the threat now extends far beyond vandalism.
“We’re seeing firebombed synagogues, school shootings, street assaults,” he said. “This extremist ideology doesn’t threaten only Jews—it threatens the Canadian way of life.”
And even after Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas last month, violence against Canadian Jews increased, proving the point Israel’s supporters have long made: It was never about Gaza, peace, or humanitarian concern. It was about hatred of Jews and hatred of Israel.
CIJA recorded a dozen attacks in Toronto alone in just one month.
Meanwhile, although Canada has not yet faced a catastrophic mass-casualty antisemitic attack like those seen in the US or France, authorities quietly confirm they have foiled multiple terror plots targeting Jewish institutions.
Despite centuries of Jewish history in Canada and decades of relative safety, many Canadian Jews now question their future. Surveys show:
- 82% feel less safe since October 7
- 31% of Jewish doctors are considering leaving Canada due to hostility in hospitals and academia
- Jews remain 25 times more likely to face hate crimes than other demographics
Compounding the distress, Prime Minister Mark Carney shifted Canada’s foreign policy sharply by recognizing a Palestinian state and even declaring he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he entered Canada under a politically motivated ICC warrant.
Kanofsky says government leaders offer sympathetic speeches but few tangible actions.
“I roll my eyes every time I hear politicians say ‘violence has no place here,’” he said. “What they need to say is: ‘Threaten a synagogue and you go to jail.’”
He praised police for their responsiveness but said government funding and national policy lag far behind the threat.
Toronto’s city council plans to issue another security grant, but Kanofsky says such gestures miss the point.
“Do they want us to build a higher wall—or build a wall around the wall?” he asked. “At some point, they need a new approach.”
Despite the fear, Jewish leaders emphasize that the majority of Canadians are still supportive and reject extremist ideology. They believe the threat comes from a small but emboldened group, not mainstream society. But they warn that without decisive action, this fringe could grow—just as global anti-Israel movements have radicalized elsewhere.
