In my family, it was always the “kosher Loblaws.” Featuring Ottawa’s only large kosher food section, the Loblaws location at College Square in the west end of the city is our destination several times per week for everything from groceries, to prescription refills, to challah bread for Shabbat. My Globe and Mail opinion piece published this weekend notes that as the only such store in Ottawa, it serves as both a place to see familiar faces and a reminder of the small size of the Jewish community here.
Last week, a 71-year-old man from Cornwall, Ont., is alleged to have entered the store and stabbed a Jewish grandmother multiple times in the back. The grandmother, well known in the Jewish community here, is thankfully now at home recovering. But the initial fears that this might be an antisemitic attack appear to have been borne out, as a review of the alleged attacker’s social media feed reveals a steady stream of antisemitic hate stretching back years. On Friday, Ottawa police announced they will be investigating the incident as a hate-motivated crime.
For the Jewish community, this means yet more security measures as grocery stores get added to a list that now includes synagogues, community events, schools, senior homes and campus lectures – a growing number of places requiring added security and secrecy to keep the community protected. For individuals, it means rethinking placing mezuzahs on the outside of doors, wearing a kippah or Star of David, or participating in Jewish events, given fears of heightened safety risks. The cumulative effect is the gradual erasure of a visible Jewish presence in Canada.
This event hits very close to home, raising the question of how it can happen in a country like Canada in 2025. There is no single answer – antisemitism has been a scourge for thousands of years – but the failure of Canadian leaders in confronting it must surely be at the very top of the list.
No politician can single-handedly prevent antisemitic attacks, just as no community or campus leader can guarantee the safety of all community members. But for nearly two years, the rise of antisemitism has too often been met with inaction and generic statements against all forms of hate, or assurances that this behaviour wasn’t reflective of Canadian values. Unfortunately, this has proven nowhere near enough.
The words themselves have been wholly inadequate. Fearing political blowback, too many leaders have been unwilling to lean into support for the Jewish community with unequivocal condemnation of antisemitism without caveats or references to other forms of hate. Too many have avoided community events, leaving the unmistakable impression that the Jewish community is on its own.
The result is a torrent of hate online and in our streets that targets Jews directly, or is thinly disguised with claims that the opposition is only to Zionists, who represent the vast majority of the Jewish community supporting self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland.
Despite promises of more effective legislation and mandates for police to enforce the laws, far more can be done. Bubble-zone legislation to protect vulnerable community institutions is still needed, alongside the enforcement of existing laws so that the rights of all members of the community are respected.
And these issues are not merely a local matter. Last week, Australia expelled the Iranian ambassador after evidence emerged that two violent antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne were state-sponsored by Iran. In other words, this is now a national security matter and should be treated as such.
Into the void of inaction comes an escalation of risk. Legitimate political protests outside of government consulates have morphed into actions at campus buildings, hospitals, synagogues, community parades and senior homes, blurring the line between political opposition and the direct targeting of the Jewish community. And as politicians remain silent and law enforcement stays on the sidelines, the language becomes more violent in nature amidst allegations of criminality directed at an entire community. Viewed in that light, an elderly man shifting hateful words to violent action becomes not only understandable, but seemingly inevitable.
As I reviewed the accused attacker’s social media feed, I was struck by more than just the open antisemitism. Several of the posts sparked banal responses from others. Some cheered him on while others merely asked how he was doing and paid no mind to the hate they had just read. Whether you are a politician, a community leader, or just an average citizen, we all must play a part to bring this normalcy of antisemitism to an end.
As always, a thoughtful perspective from a respected and wise voice in our community.
The Israeli left is doing their best, though embarrassing the world by being more concerned about one hostage than a thousand Gazans,but only Jews outside Israel can resolve this.
Even a respected observer like Marsha Leaderman admits the Balfour two-state solution is dying among worldwide Jewry.
Never have Jews inside and outside Israel been in a better position to implement a two-state resolution and send Netanyahu to exile in Switzerland, or Paraguay.
Even France and Germany never said that only one of them should have the lands of the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne!
People should be allowed to go about their business without fearing for their safety.
With that said, I see you wrote: “only Jews outside Israel can resolve this” and “Never have Jews inside and outside Israel been in a better position to implement a two-state resolution and send Netanyahu to exile in Switzerland, or Paraguay” Just one little caveat: Switzerland would arrest Netanyahu for war crimes if he were to set foot there.
As far as I know, only Israelis inside Israel can vote in that country’s elections and Netanyahu doesn’t listen to protestors outside or inside Israel.
So I’d like to know what else a private citizen can do.
The main thing citizens can do is speak up and not allow apologists for Israel’s genocide to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. They have so completely lost their moral compass and are fueling the conflation of a people’s identity with the genocide the Israeli state is performing in front of everyone.
An innocent Jewish grandmother in Ottawa was stabbed in an unprovoked, hate-motivated attack while grocery shopping. What does she have to do with the war between Israel and Hamas? Answer: Nothing.
She was attacked because she is Jewish — not because of her feelings toward Israel. Trying to use her suffering for your geopolitics is blatant antisemitic deflection.
Bringing Israel into a discussion about a Jewish woman stabbed in Ottawa, Canada isn’t just irrelevant, it’s antisemitic deflection.
An innocent woman shopping for her groceries was targeted here for being Jewish. What does your comment have to do with that hate-motivated attack?
From the post we are all replying to: “The result is a torrent of hate online and in our streets that targets Jews directly, or is thinly disguised with claims that the opposition is only to Zionists, who represent the vast majority of the Jewish community supporting self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland”.
This blog has consistently conflated protests and opposition to Israel’s genocide with anti-semitism. I agree that this deflection of criticism of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people is inherently antisemitic in that it silences the Jewish people who oppose it (with unsubstantiated claims that they are not the majority and therefore not as Jewish as the Israeli state’s apologists) and is the type of bullying behaviour that conflates people’s identity or religion with a state that is committing war crimes.
But that is the constant move of Israel’s apologists in the West, conflate criticism with antisemitism when it suits their purposes and then cry “antisemitism” when anyone responds to their conflation. The only people who do not see past this tactic are those who think anything is permissible when it comes to shielding Israel from criticism of the blatant genocide it is committing in front of the world’s eyes.
You’re still dodging the point.
An innocent Jewish grandmother in Ottawa was stabbed in an unprovoked, hate-motivated attack while grocery shopping. What does she have to do with the war between Israel and Hamas?
Whether you agree with Israel’s actions or not, what influence does she have over Israeli military or security strategy? Answer: None.
She was attacked because she is Jewish — nothing more, nothing less. Her personal views on Israel didn’t put a knife in her; antisemitic hatred did. Using her suffering for your geopolitics is exactly the deflection this article called out.
It is deeply troubling to witness the resurgence of antisemitism in Canada, a country that prides itself on diversity and inclusion; we must all take a stand against hate and work collectively to ensure that our communities remain safe and welcoming for everyone.
———————
monkey mart
I wrote a comment earlier today about a way to stop the rise in antisemitism in Canada. The comment was posted on this blog but quickly removed. I suspect those in charge don’t like people with a pro Palestinian point of view. I am disappointed but not surprised.
* Inside and outside Israel STOP protesting 20 hostages and start protesting 2 million Gazans
* Increase your support for a two-state solution
* Increase protest about the West Bank land seizures
Netanyahu has now found a new way to kill Palestinians. In addition to airstrikes, tank missiles, drones, walkie talkies, he now is using robots to demolish buildings in Gaza. And don’t forget the use of starvation to kill young and old. What gets me is the silence coming from Jewish lobby groups like the CIJA; this makes t hem complicit in the genocide IMO. The one Jewish organization that has the courage to stand up to Netanyahu and recognize this genocide is B’Tselem. I wonder if this post will get removed like the last one I sent. We shall see.
Similar to Mr. Wearing above, bringing Israel into a discussion about a Jewish woman stabbed in Ottawa, Canada isn’t just irrelevant, it’s antisemitic deflection.
An innocent woman shopping for her groceries was targeted here for being Jewish. What does your comment have to do with that hate-motivated attack?
The commenters advocating the “two state solution” demonstrate their ignorance of the situation. The first Arab state in Palestine, Jordan, was created in 1923. The second was offered and rejected in 1948 and on multiple occasions since then. The indisputable fact is that the “Palestinian” movement is not, and never has been, about the creation of an Arab state. Rather, it is about the objection to Jewish autonomy, no matter how small the Jewish state. Hamas is completely explicit about this. Fatah talks about its desire for a state but has also made clear that it wants all of the territory of green-line Israel and that no Jews will be allowed to live there.
And what does Carney do? Recognizes Palestine as a state…And with Bill C-9 announced, I’m sure we all know who those laws would heavily favor. I’m beyond disgusted with Canada and on the verge of leaving for good.
We won’t miss you.
This is a powerful and sobering reflection on how everyday acts like grocery shopping can carry weight and danger for Jewish communities. The way you trace the link between the ordinary and the extraordinary is deeply felt.
In much the same way that communities must safeguard their daily routines, cities also need to protect their built environments. Just as a kosher grocery section becomes a focal point of identity and safety, infrastructure projects—say, when Concrete Contractors in Arlington build public or private spaces—shape how safe, accessible, and welcoming neighborhoods feel. The physical world we inhabit matters just as much as the social one.
Thank you for bringing this to light.