Antisemitic hate crimes have surged across Canada, with new statistics revealing a troubling increase in incidents targeting the Jewish community.
Despite making up less than 1% of Canada’s population, Jewish people accounted for 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023, according to data released by Statistics Canada on July 31.
The total number of police-reported hate crimes rose from 3,612 incidents in 2022 to 4,777 in 2023, an increase of 32%. The number of hate crimes targeting Jewish people rose from 527 to 900, an increase of 71%. Hate crimes targeting members of any religion grew by 67%.
“Most of the violations typically associated with hate crimes increased, including public incitement of hatred (+65%), uttering threats (+53%), mischief (+34%), and assaults (+20%),” reads the report.
Deborah Lyons, a diplomat and special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism, said that the same week the data were released saw Jewish schools, synagogues, neighbourhoods, and businesses subjected to a wave of antisemitic vandalism.
“Law enforcement must act. The voices of the vast majority of Canadians—including faith, business, and political leaders—need to be heard before it’s too late,” she said.
According to a 2019 survey, only one in five victims of hate crimes reported the incidents to police.
Between 2022 and 2023, police-reported hate crimes against Muslims increased by 94%, other religions by 37%, and hate crimes against Catholics decreased by 6%.
The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto issued an update on security developments the same day the data were released. The update was issued only 24 hours after the organization’s first release, which covered a fire at Leo Baeck Day School.
Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis, marking the largest assault on Jews since the Holocaust. The attackers brutally killed babies, raped women, burned families alive, and took hundreds of innocent civilians hostage.
Since Oct. 7, the Toronto Police Service has responded to 1,556 suspected hate crime calls, averaging 156 per month. There have been 130 arrests and 314 hate crime related charges issued since Oct. 7.
Of the 273 hate crimes reported in 2024 so far in Toronto, 45% were antisemitic.
“Hate crime occurrences are up 55% over the same period last year,” said Chief Myron Demkiw.
The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto have called for various actions from Canadian leaders.
They urged leaders to commit to providing an immediate and sustained deployment of officers in the Jewish community. They called on the municipal and provincial governments to provide additional resources to allow police to protect the community.
“We are calling on federal officials to make glorifying terrorism a criminal offence,” reads the third and last call to action of the release.
The two leaders said that violent online rhetoric has fuelled vandalism, arson, and violent threats facing the Jewish community.
“We can no longer allow jihadists to whip up crowds in our streets, celebrate the murder of Jews, and applaud terrorist groups,” reads the letter.
The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has asked the public to email Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, and urge him to implement legislation to make the glorification of terrorism a criminal offence.