Avi Benlolo: Jewish bakery attacks show how much we need all Canadians to fight antisemitism

Elie Wiesel famously said that the opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference. It’s indifference that has put our nation on the map as one of the world’s worst purveyors of antisemitism. The latest Statistics Canada figures show that nationally, 788 police-reported hate crimes were exacted on the Jewish community in 2025. Jews were the victims of 70.7 per cent of all religion-motivated hate crimes and 16.7 per cent of all reported hate crimes in Canada last year.

None of this is a surprise anymore. Plenty has been written about the cesspool of hate that Canada has become since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel. Even our own prime minister, Mark Carney, is now looking the other way beyond feeble attempts at courteous condemnations from one attack to the next. His special advisory committee put into action following his now-infamous speech at Holy Blossom Temple is (not surprisingly) missing in action.

The attacks on two Kiva’s bakery locations in Toronto last weekend (one was shot at; the other had its front window shattered) were yet another dramatic assault on our community. But once again, the Jewish community is standing strong, refusing to flee or cower in fear. Instead, it immediately converged on the two Kiva’s locations, in support not in words, but in action. Long lines stretched across St. Clair Avenue with people showing up to push back on violent antisemitism.

At the location at Steeles Avenue West and Bathurst Street, I met parents with their young children, seizing the opportunity to teach the next generation to never surrender. In defiance, the bakery’s owner was helping customers with a smile.

The Canadian Jewish community is leading by example. It refuses indifference. It always has. It was the Jewish community that first welcomed and helped resettle Syrian refugees. At that time, Rabbi Dan Moskovitz of Temple Sholom in Vancouver told his congregation, “I want to ask you to save a life, the life of a stranger — because we were once strangers in the land, because we are human beings and that is the only similarity that we really need.”

With an exceptional record of standing up for the oppressed and marginalized, the Canadian Jewish community also proudly played a major role in rescuing and resettling Yazidi refugees fleeing ISIS. It raised thousands of dollars through local synagogues like Shaarey Zedek and through the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services. One of the individual efforts in this regard was by a Montreal businessman, Steve Maman, who raised funds to ransom Yazidi women and girls held captive by ISIS.

The stories of Jews helping others are endless. Many years ago, I organized a press conference with Holocaust survivors to bring attention and condemnation of the gassing and murder of children and innocent people by the Bashar al-Assad regime. Before that, I was involved in the Save Darfur campaign. Just recently, I had lunch with a business leader in Toronto who spoke proudly about employing Afghan refugees to help them integrate into Canadian society.

Now what we need to see is for the rest of Canada to step up. A few weeks ago, 66 non-Jewish business leaders published a full-page letter demanding a stop to antisemitism. That was an excellent start and must be followed by an outpouring of similar love by more business leaders. Many faith leaders are taking action too. My friend, Rev. Daniel Winter of the Calvary Church, recently hosted an evening of Christians and Jews who came together to counter antisemitism. His guest speaker was the father of the young Israeli diplomat, Yaron Lischinsky, who was gunned down last year with his girlfriend in Washington, D.C.

Let me be honest, we are proud Canadians. Given the scourge of antisemitism in this country and the Jewish community’s integration into the fabric of society, I am still awaiting a tsunami of support for the community in this country.

Canada could heed the courageous words of Boy George, who this week released a beautiful song called “We Will Dance Again” in tribute to those who were murdered by Hamas. His lyrics are simple and clear for all to hear: “You never mention October 7. Young girls raped against trees, murdered brutally, for the crime of dancing. You condemn the Jews, with selective memory.… If you’re ever confused, I stand with the Jews. I don’t feel brave; I just need to behave like a human.” It’s that simple.

National Post