No it’s not right.

It’s not right to lump all Canadian Jews into the basket of being pro-Israel. 

It’s not right to say that all Canada’s Jews ignore the bloodbath of Gaza. 

It’s not right to think that all of Canada’s 400,000 Jews agree with the Israeli government or support the IDF. 

But what is right?

• It is true that more than 40% of Canadian Jews send their children to parochial Jewish schools (Hebrew day schools).
• It is true that one goal of these parochial schools is for students to learn Hebrew. That might account for the unilateral support for Israel at the schools.  so they either associate pretty well exclusively with other Jews, or they learn to support Israel, right or wrong. 
• It is true that in Ontario and Quebec about 39% of Jews say they are “very” emotionally attached to Israel.
• It is also true that in the rest of Canada, only 25% of Jews feel so drawn to Israel
• It is true that recently Canadian Jews are less attracted to Israel because of the Israel-Hamas war and the rightward drift of Israeli government policy.
• It is true that University of Toronto sociologist Robert Brym’s survey reveals that while Canadian Jews feel threatened amid a surge in anti-Israel sentiment, most non-Jewish Canadians look positively at their Jewish neighbours.

Only eight percent of Canadians are antisemitic; only Sweden scored lower.

Dr Robert Brym

• Only 8% of Canadians are classified as antisemitic.  This is the lowest percentage in any of 19 countries except for Sweden. 
• A 2022 survey revealed that non-Jewish Canadians regard Judaism more highly than any other religion. 
• It is true that before Oct 7, 2023 twice as many Canadian Jews opposed building new Jewish settlements in the West Bank and incorporating parts of the West Bank into the State of Israel as favour such initiatives.
• In fall 2020, Canadians believed accusing Israel of committing human rights abuses (80%), calling for a boycott of Israel because of alleged human rights abuses (76%) and comparing Israel’s policies to South African Apartheid laws (69%) to be legitimate expression.  

What is also right is that 

• Canada’s pro-Israel Jews refuse to call for a ceasefire for Gaza
• Canada’s establishment Jews want Israel to “win” the war and tend to ignore the 40,000 dead
• Canada’s synagogues and Jewish media outlets downplay and even ignore the genocide in Gaza in order to justify calling out perceived antisemitism in Canadian universities
• More and more Jews in Canada, especially those under age 40, are no longer willing to identify with Israel due to the genocide against the Palestinians
• New anti-war Jewish organizations are attracting thousands of younger Jews – who are leaving the pro-Israel Jewish communities in order to say what Israel does is not in my name.  
• Growing anti-Zionist organizations such as Independent Jewish Voices Canada have become a magnet for disaffected Canadian Jews – who feel pro-Israel organisations will not allow any criticism of Israel, or support Palestinians’ human rights

Photo at the top: IJV Canada-Montreal, a group photo.