Marty York: Carney’s antisemitism council fiddles while Jewish businesses burn

Members of the Canadian Jewish community, particularly in Toronto, are apoplectic with rage after a pair of bagel shops were damaged on Sunday, in what police are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

One of the bakeries, in the beating heart of midtown Toronto, was hit by gunfire. The other is located at the northern tip of Toronto and is rich with Jewish heritage. Both are owned by Kiva’s Bagel Bakery and Restaurant, a beloved Toronto institution that has been cherished by many, including myself, for decades.

I have been getting together with friends or relatives for a “nosh” at Kiva’s on a semi-regular basis for many years. So, yes, I am infuriated, too.

“This is utterly reprehensible,” said Michael Levitt, former Liberal MP and now president of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. Incidents such as these, Levitt added, “deepen fear and reinforce why so many in our community feel increasingly vulnerable.… Condemnations are not enough. The Jewish community needs more than expressions of concerns. It needs results.”

The thing is, Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed two months ago to develop a “whole-of-government approach to antisemitism to ensure federal policies, workplaces, public safety programs and community initiatives are aligned in protecting Jewish Canadians and confronting hate.” Carney appointed an advisory council with what he said was a “clear mission” to combat antisemitism.

And what have we heard from the council so far? Crickets. What actions has the council taken? As far as we know, zilch. What results are we seeing? More attacks against Jewish businesses.

While Jewish organizations applauded Carney for setting up a council to address hate and the scourge of rising antisemitism, most could not understand why  he would appoint individuals such as Omar Alghabra to it. Alghabra, a former Liberal MP, was once the president of the Canadian Arab Federation, which, after his tenure, advocated against listing Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

Hamas and Hezbollah, of course, terrorize Israel and aim to eliminate the Jewish state and all Jews. CLARITy Coalition Canada circulated a petition shortly after the council was announced, asking Carney to reconsider his choices. The prime minister did not heed the advice.

“We condemn yet more violent attacks on the Canadian Jewish community,” Hadassah Goldberg of CLARITy told me on Monday. “These attacks are not only on Jews but on Canada’s values and our democracy itself. (There has) not been a word from the advisory committee on rights, equality and inclusion, who are now responsible for determining the causes of antisemitism in Canada.…

“As we have previously noted, this committee has members with no qualifications in issues of antisemitism and members whose prior associations should have disqualified them.”

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wrote on X that the attacks on Kiva’s were “vile and unacceptable,” and thanked Toronto police for investigating, but most of the replies to her post blamed her for contributing to the antisemitism in Toronto by failing to support the Jewish community. Replies were subsequently disabled on the thread.

“Makes sense,” replied Rebel News founder Ezra Levant. “People would point out that you literally refuse to stand with Toronto’s Jews. You go anywhere with an open bar but you boycott Jewish events. Because you’ve done the math and you realize you need the pro-Hamas vote to win.”

Toronto, sadly, has deteriorated into a cesspool of antisemitism and hate. On Monday, Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella cited statistics showing that there were more antisemitic incidents in Canada than anywhere else in the world last year, and that Toronto is the worst city within Canada.

Conservative MP Roman Baber shared a video on social media of what he called “Islamist thugs outside” a residence for Jewish seniors in Toronto. “It’s not free speech,” Baber said, “it’s harassment & intimidation, the same day two bakeries are attacked.”

Robert Walker of Honest Reporting Canada told me the attacks on the bakeries, if determined to be anti-Jewish hate crimes, “would be the latest in such attempts to harass the Jewish community and would represent an assault on all civilized Canadians.”

But he added: “Rather than shine a light on the real threats facing Canada, including Islamic radicalism and the Iranian regime’s tentacles in Canada, much of the news media has instead fixated on regurgitating pro-Palestinian talking points.”

Toronto Coun. Brad Bradford, who’s running against Chow in the upcoming mayoral election, said on X that he is huddling with Jewish community leaders to tackle antisemitism.

“Toronto’s Jewish community deserves more than just thoughts and prayers,” he wrote. “Toronto is not going to remain a city where Jewish store owners sweep up broken glass. We will sweep it up together.… Indifference is indictment.”

Here’s hoping the Toronto police find the individual or individuals responsible for the attacks on Kiva’s and bring them to justice. It would relieve at least some of the apoplexy in the community and let us eat our Kiva’s bagels with some peace of mind.

National Post