Jewish leaders urge confidence over fear in Canada’s fight against antisemitism

In a recent address, Beryl Wajsman warned that the Canadian Jewish community is slipping into a self-reinforcing cycle of fear, treating each antisemitic act as proof that Jewish life in Canada is ending. She acknowledges the surge in hate crimes since the October 7 events but stresses that surrendering to fear only aids extremist goals. Highlighting Montreal’s shift over the past year, she notes changes in municipal leadership, more decisive police interventions, and the Quebec government’s reinforcement of secularism laws as factors that have reduced extremist demonstrations.

Wajsman also praises the community’s move from merely documenting hate to confronting it legally and building coalitions with other ethnic groups. She argues that isolated departures of families do not constitute a mass exodus and that the future of Jewish life depends on confidence and collective action, not despair.