Conference focuses on addressing antisemitism

Due to unprecedented levels of antisemitism in Canada in the last few years, most organizers of Jewish community events, in Winnipeg as elsewhere across the country, no longer publicly advertise the location of those events, choosing instead to share that information only with those who are registered in advance and, in some cases, only to those who provide proof of identification.

The fact that the organizers of a conference entitled Faith Not Fear still felt the need to follow that practice is less ironic than it is pragmatic. Not publicly identifying the conference’s location seemed to be the only way to ensure that its participants could safely meet to learn about protecting themselves, their community institutions and their freedom to walk through university campuses and city streets without being harassed because of their religion, culture or an international conflict in which they play no part.

Faith Not Fear: Building Jewish Leadership for a New Era in Canada took place in Vaughan, Ont., on the evening of Sunday, June 14. It was, as Simon Wolle, CEO of conference co-sponsor B’nai Brith Canada, explains, “a fresh initiative bringing together voices and organizations at a time when there is a national crisis of antisemitism.”

“The conference was inspired by the need to address Canada’s systemic failure to address threats to the Jewish community, the ongoing threat to Canadian values and its effect on the lived experience of Jewish Canadians in particular,” Wolle said.

The goal of the conference was to identify concerns, seek solutions and action plans, and empower the Jewish community, its allies, government and law enforcement to work together to create pathways for a better and safer future.

Wolle was one of the evening’s featured speakers, joining a roster that included rabbis, MPs, mayors, podcasters and the founders of three different recently established grassroots activist groups committed to identifying and eradicating antisemitism in Canada. That last group included Matthew Taub, the founder of an organization called Unapologetically Jewish.

“Unapologetically Jewish is a grassroots advocacy organization and movement dedicated to combating antisemitism, strengthening Jewish identity, defending the civil rights of Jewish Canadians and empowering ordinary people to become active participants in shaping the future of our community,” Taub explains. “We work across advocacy, education, community engagement, media and public policy to ensure Jewish voices are heard and respected in Canadian society.”

Unapologetically Jewish is based in Ontario but has volunteers and advocates across the country, including in Winnipeg, where Taub is currently in discussion with some community members about expanding the group’s presence.

Taub formally established Unapologetically Jewish in 2025, but its roots, he explains, go back to Oct. 7, 2023.

“Like many Canadian Jews, I watched the aftermath of the Hamas attacks and the unprecedented rise in antisemitism that followed across Canada,” he says. “What became clear was that many Jews felt abandoned, isolated and increasingly fearful. Unapologetically Jewish was created to bridge that gap, to provide leadership, advocacy and a platform for people who wanted to move from concern to action.”

The group’s central contention, which Taub shared at the Vaughan conference, is that Jewish people in Canada, whether they live in Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver or anywhere else, should never have to apologize for their identity, remain silent in the face of discrimination or hide who they are out of fear.

“One of the key themes (of the conference) was that fear cannot be our organizing principle,” Taub says. “The answer to rising antisemitism is not retreat. It is engagement, leadership, resilience and participation.”

Jewish Canadians, he added, must stop viewing themselves solely as victims of a problem and instead become active participants in building solutions by, for example, attending city council meetings, engaging elected officials, supporting advocacy organizations, building relationships with allies and speaking up when they encounter antisemitism.

Antisemitism, after all, he cautions, is not simply a Jewish problem.

“It is a warning sign for society,” he insists. History repeatedly shows that when antisemitism is tolerated, other forms of extremism, hatred and social division soon follow. Jews are often the canary in the coal mine.”

“Every Canadian deserves equal protection, equal opportunity and equal access to public spaces regardless of their faith or background,” Taub says. “Fighting antisemitism is about defending those principles.”

By creating a nationwide network of engaged citizens who are committed to confronting antisemitism and defending basic Canadian democratic values, Taub and the other speakers and participants from the Faith not Fear get-together will, ideally, make it possible for organizers of Jewish events to once again openly promote their films, panel discussions, concerts and conferences without worrying about them being disrupted simply for being Jewish.

swchisvin@gmail.com

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