Nexus of Thought: Why is there so much anti-Semitism in Canada?

(My answer on Quora)

Canada as a whole is not an anti-Semitic country although it has had a disturbing history of anti-Semitism in the past.

Christie Pits Riot

Background In the first half of the 20th century, anti-Semitism was a socially acceptable, inseparable part of mainstream Canadian society. Jewish Canadians were relegated to second-class citizenship. Businesses refused to hire them, universities restricted their enrolment, and entire neighbourhoods prohibited the sale or rental of housing to Jews. During the Great Depression , some Canadians looked for scapegoats to blame for their economic hardships. Anti-immigrant sentiment intensified. Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933 and the Nazis’ violent and racist policies against the Jews appeared across Canadian newspapers ’ front pages. The symbol of the swastika and what it stood for quickly became common knowledge. Swastika Clubs In 1933, Toronto was overwhelmingly British . The Orange Order was a major social force in the city. The organization promoted a British loyalism that was both anti-Semitic and anti- Catholic . Jews were the largest minority group in Toronto and found themselves subject to verbal and physical attacks. Tensions between Jews and Anglo-Canadians were especially high at Toronto’s eastern beaches. Local residents resented the Jews, who they viewed as outsiders. ( See also Prejudice and discrimination ). These residents were especially upset at Jews leaving what were perceived as “Jewish neighbourhoods” to enjoy the public beaches and recreational areas during the hot summer months. Some residents requested separate leisure spaces for “Gentiles only.” In early August, headlines about the formation of “Swastika Clubs” at the beaches appeared in major papers across the city, shocking the Jewish community. Members of these clubs publicly flaunted the swastika to antagonize Toronto’s Jews. Violence erupted between the two groups. Swastika Club spokesmen declared their intentions to keep the beaches clean of “obnoxious visitors.” The tensions from the eastern beaches soon spilled over to the rest of the city. The swastika appeared throughout Toronto sparking spontaneous outbreaks of violence. (Toronto Daily Star/8 August 1933) Tensions Build On 14 August 1933, the mostly Jewish Harbord Playground baseball team took the field at Christie Pits against local rivals St. Peter’s. Provocateurs unaffiliated with either team took to the field waving an improvised swastika banner. That evening, they returned to paint the swastika alongside the words “Hail Hitler” on the roof of the clubhouse. They then informed the Toronto Daily Star that they wanted “to get the Jews out of the park.” The Christie Pits Riot Two days later, on 16 August, supporters of both factions arrived in force for the series’ follow-up game. Fights erupted in the stands and were broken up by police. As the game ended, members of a local anti-Semitic group flew a homemade swastika banner to cries of “Heil Hitler.” Violence broke out. The Jews battled members of the Swastika Club and other Anglo-Canadians of similar disposition for control of the swastika

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/christie-pits-riot

Having said that it is not free of anti-Semitism today either.

According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission

Statistics found police-reported hate crimes against Jewish people accounted for the highest number of religion-based hate crime in Canada.

In addition there are number of people and groups who conveniently hide their anti-Semitism under the veneer of anti-Zionism

This all too often shows up when legitimate criticism of Israel spills over into direct verbal and physical attacks on Jews. During the turbulent events of May 2021 this ugly side of my country erupted into such an orgy of hate and we were greeted once again to a torrent of anti-Semitic abuse.

Sources:

OHRC statement on the National Summit on Antisemitism

History reveals that antisemitism intensifies at times of social disruption. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an alarming increase in antisemitic acts. In 2019, Statistics Canada found police-reported hate crimes against Jewish people accounted for the highest number of religion-based hate crime in Canada. Recently, the B’nai Brith Canada 2020 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents reported a record number of antisemitism cases last year, up 18.3% from 2019. In 2020, over 44% of antisemitic violence was COVID-related, including incidents of Jewish people being spat on and assaulted with weapons. More severe forms of creed-based prejudice, including antisemitism, have emerged in recent times, often shaped by international events and transmitted through media, especially social media. A pernicious theme repeated this past year was to blame the Jewish community for the pandemic. For example, Bnai Brith reported graffiti on a trail sign in Milton that said: “There is no deadly virus. The Jew owned media lies to you.” Other graffiti in public sites included “Blame the Jews” and “Jews should be ashamed.” Ontario has witnessed an unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents this past year, such as the vandalism of the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa. A Jewish person in Toronto was randomly hit in the face by a man who shouted “f--- Jews.” In North York, a city worker threatened to circumcise a Jewish boy for “a second and a third time.” In the Hamilton area, someone painted a red swastika on the hood of a car parked near a synagogue. The media is full of reports of the many ways Jewish communities continue to be the targets of hate. We have seen antisemitism erupting at pro-Palestine events in Toronto and Montreal, hateful banners unfurled in Vaughan and businesses, parks and schools defaced with antisemitic graffiti. We see assaults and other life-threatening behaviour that has no place in Ontario. Denouncing and fighting hate and discrimination, especially antisemitism, was why the Ontario Human Rights Code was enacted in the first place. In the early 1960s, the world was still dealing with the shocking aftermath of the Holocaust. Jewish people were barred from entry to Canada, including at times of greatest need fleeing Nazi Germany in WWII. They were routinely denied access to jobs, facilities and services, because of virulent antisemitism. The first Code , in 1962, envisioned a better path forward for Ontario and the majority of the complaints the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) pursued in the 1960s were on behalf of Jewish people. Governments and community leaders have consistently spoken out against the hate that continues to erupt in our communities – all because of someone’s beliefs. But history has shown that saying the right things is meaningless, unless the words are tied to action. That’s why the OHRC joins community calls for governments to review hate crime laws to ensure these laws are responsive to the lived realities

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc-statement-national-summit-antisemitism

Jewish communities on edge amid ‘troubling rise’ of anti-Semitism in Canada

Multiple demonstrations across Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver resulted in police intervention earlier this month.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7887734/anti-semitism-rising-canada/

Nexus of Thought

Sunday, October 3, 2021

Why is there so much anti-Semitism in Canada?

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