It’s been a rough week for Jews in Canada:  three synagogues shot at, the US Embassy in Toronto shot at, and our intelligence services and police are still claiming they cannot find a definitive link or the perpetrators, but this is now an international story and getting more media and political attention.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/canada-stepping-up-security-at-us-israeli-diplomatic-buildings-after-shootings/

I am having a severe moment of cognitive dissonance and existential outrage.  On one hand, our illustrious authorities admit they can see the need for increased security at US and Israeli Embassies and Jewish synagogues and community centers, but on the other hand they cannot see a definite link to terrorism or a connection between these incidents, beyond the current mideast crisis.

Let’s try to help them.  In the interests of community safety and Truth, Justice, and The Great Canadian Way.  (I hope you are laughing – if we didn’t laugh some of us might cry.)  Righteous indignation is one of my better emotions.

Just as a recap, here is a link to a recent report by our Canadian Security Intelligence Service about threats to Canadians.  A lot of concern was raised in the Jewish community that exponentially rising rates of antisemitic hate crimes and harassment (often not prosecuted effectively) have been named in bureaucracy-speak as ideologically motivated or religiously motivated extremism.  At least they mention threats from Iran.

https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/corporate/publications/csis-public-report-2024/intelligence-operations.html#moc10

Following an unprecedented upsurge in antisemitic hate crimes and harassment in Canada, B’nai Brith has been advocating actively for a Royal Commission on Antisemitism similar to that recently established in Australia following the Bondi Beach Massacre and handwringing apologies after the fact by Australia’s Prime Minister.  No one in our Canadian government seems to be listening.  B’nai Brith has launched a recent petition campaign to this end.  If you know Canadians who might be interested, please share the link with them.

Petition: Royal Commission on Antisemitism

Petition: Royal Commission on Antisemitism

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