The canary in the coal mine of hatred

Opinion

It has been said that Jews are the canary in the coal mine of hatred, and that what begins with Jews never ends with Jews. Meaning that, history has shown that Jews are often the first target, but rarely the last.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish communities in Winnipeg and across Canada have felt this truth acutely and viscerally.

We’ve seen antisemitic graffiti in our city reach record levels. We’ve experienced intimidation outside the Asper Jewish Community Campus during Folklorama, an event meant to celebrate culture and community.

Families tell us they worry about their Jewish children in public schools. At the end of August, an elderly Jewish woman was attacked in a grocery store in Ottawa — for no other reason than she was Jewish.

Then, last week, a terrorist stormed a synagogue in Manchester, killing two people and injuring others on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The question of whether this could happen here lingers in our minds.

The numbers make that question impossible to ignore.

A recent Statistics Canada report confirmed what Canadian Jewish communities, including ours in Winnipeg, have long felt. In 2024, nearly one in five hate crimes in Canada targeted Jews, with 920 incidents taking place in a single year. Almost 70 per cent of all religiously motivated hate crimes were directed at Jews, even though we make up less than one per cent of the population.

I saw the result of where this hatred leads.

In November 2023, not long after the Oct. 7 attacks, I travelled to Israel with fellow federation CEOs and elected officials. We met with the parents of hostages and the families of those murdered that day. At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, we walked through charred homes where families had been killed or taken hostage.

Witnessing that first-hand is something I will never forget.

Last month, I joined Jewish leaders from across the country in Ottawa for a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. It was Parliament’s first day back, and he made the safety of Jewish Canadians a top priority.

We spoke candidly about what our community has experienced in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and I made sure he heard about what has taken place here in Winnipeg.

The prime minister condemned antisemitism and promised legislation that would make it a crime to obstruct access to synagogues, schools, and community centres.

He also committed new funding to help train police and prosecutors so hate crimes are appropriately investigated and prosecuted.

Locally, Winnipeg city council is considering action to prevent protests outside schools, places of worship, and community centres — recognizing that harassment on the doorsteps of our community institutions and synagogues is not free speech, but rather intimidation.

Government action matters, but it cannot change everything. Part of it is up to us. It begins around dinner tables with our families, in classrooms, on our social media feeds, and in whether we choose to ignore or confront hatred.

Across Canada, many Jewish people are having to hide outward symbols of their Judaism.

Mezuzahs — small scrolls traditionally placed on the doorframes of Jewish homes — are being taken down by families who no longer feel safe displaying them.

Students are hiding their Star of David necklaces.

Police now stand guard outside synagogues during religious holidays, now a common sight. This is not the Canada most of us believe in, and it should trouble anyone who calls this country home.

Discussions about the war in Gaza will continue. That is our right as Canadians.

But holding Jews accountable for the actions of a foreign government is Jew hatred, and history shows where such double standards lead.

Debate should not come at the cost of basic empathy, and we should be able to condemn terrorism against Jews or acknowledge Jewish suffering without needing a disclaimer first.

Oct. 7 was a day of unspeakable violence levelled against the people of Israel, and its consequences have caused significant aftershocks through Jewish communities around the world.

The question now is whether we will ignore the warning signs or heed the canary — and consider our words and actions before the wildfires of hatred are allowed to spread further.

Jeff Lieberman is the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.