Virulent Antisemitism in Ontario Schools

"Something has gone terribly wrong with our promises of 'Never Again' when over 40 percent of the incidents in this study involved Nazi salutes, Holocaust denial, and overt verbal hate such as 'Hitler should have finished the job'."

"We need to seriously consider antisemitism education, not just Holocaust education."

Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy on antisemitism

 

"Antisemitism was commonplace when I was a child. It's not surprising I was beaten for killing Jesus in the late 50s, even though I told the assailant I didn't even know anyone by that name."

"However, it's now 54 years since Canada was declared a multicultural society. Generations of students have been taught that all religious and ethnic groups should be respected. Yet many students have apparently failed to learn that lesson, at least when it comes to Jews."

Robert Brym, report author,  S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, University of Toronto 

 

According to a new federal report recently released, over 40 percent of incidents targeting Ontario Jewish students since the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, have included a Nazi salute or statements like 'Hitler should have finished the job'. Commissioned by the Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, the survey relied on testimonies of 599 Jewish parents province-wide who had reported 781 incidents of antisemitism taking place in elementary and high schools from October 2023 to January of 2025. 

 

The environment has become sufficiently alarming within Ontario public schools as to motivate 39 percent of Jewish parents to plan on moving their children to the Jewish private school system. In September of 2024, the report recounted that a Grade 9 student in York Region District School Board, Toronto had been berated by a classmate, called a "terrorist, rapist and baby killer". In Waterloo that same month, a teenage Jewish girl suffered being cornered by five male students shouting "Sieg Heil", while making the Nazi salute at her. 

 

A six-year-old student with one Jewish parent was informed by her teacher at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board that she was "half human". Other students reported overhearing comments such as "Jews are vermin", "Jews are cheap", and "F--k you, Jews". A troubling pattern emerged with Jewish parents and students realizing that many teachers seemed to engage in political advocacy in an educational context where one in six antisemitic incidents were either "initiated or approved by a teacher or involved a school-sanctioned activity".

 

Instructors wore shirts of the region "that lacked boundaries between regions" and featured colours of the Palestinian flag and slogans such as "From the river to the sea", on several occasions. Toronto, Ottawa-Carleton and York Regional school boards were those where reports from parents identified them as having the highest level of incidents of antisemitism. When Jewish parents and students brought their concerns to school leaders, almost half (49 percent) "were not investigated". An additional nine percent "denied the incident was antisemitic or recommended the victim be removed from the school permanently or attend school virtually".  

"Jewish schools in Ontario are having a hard time dealing with the inflow of new students abandoning the public system."

"Canadian multiculturalism is ailing and may be on its deathbed."

Robert Brym

Key findings of the survey include the following:

• More than 40% of antisemitic incidents involved Nazi salutes, assertions that Hitler should have finished the job, and the like. Fewer than 60% of antisemitic incidents refer to Israel or the Israel-Hamas war.
• Nearly one in six antisemitic incidents were initiated or approved by a teacher or involve a school-sanctioned activity.
• Just over two-thirds of antisemitic incidents occurred in English public schools and nearly one-fifth were directed at Jewish private schools. Fourteen percent of incidents occurred in French, Catholic, and non-Jewish private schools.
• Nearly three-quarters of antisemitic incidents took place in the Toronto District School Board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and the York Region District School Board.
• The most common emotional reactions to antisemitic incidents on the part of their victims involved anger (31%), fear of returning to school or of being bullied (nearly 27%) and worrying about losing non-Jewish friends and being socially isolated (more than 27%).
• Some children insisted that their parents not report an antisemitic incident, fearing it would become public and they would consequently become the target of increased harassment or bullying. Some removed clothing and jewelry with Jewish symbols and Hebrew lettering so they would not be identified as Jewish.
• Forty-nine percent of antisemitic incidents reported to school authorities were not investigated. In another nearly 9% of cases, school authorities denied the incident was antisemitic or recommended that the victim be removed from the school permanently or attend school virtually.
• In under one-third of cases reported to school authorities, schools responded by providing counselling for the targeted child or the perpetrator, taking punitive action against the perpetrator, creating or modifying a program to promote ethnic, racial, and religious tolerance of Jews, or reporting the incident to the police.
• Because of antisemitic incidents experienced by their children, 16% of parents moved their children to another school or are considering doing so. Some moved house to enroll their children in different schools.
• At 39% of the total, Jewish private schools are the most frequent choice of parents who have moved or are moving their children to new schools.

  

An upset student sits in a school yard (iStock by Getty Images)

 

As well, the report noted that 39 percent of Jewish parents transferred or plan to move their children to Jewish schools as a result of their troubled experience in antisemitic events targeting their children and the lack of interest or response from school authorities to address the outstanding issues involved. "The percentage would undoubtedly be higher if Jewish day schools existed in smaller communities", the report observed, pointing out the scarcity of such alternate institutions outside of Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and London. 

"This federal report makes one thing clear; the status quo for Ontario Jewish students is unsustainable and unacceptable."

"The government must act to implement robust, system-wide reforms that will ensure schools are safe and inclusive for all students, including those targeted because of their Jewish identity."

Josh Landau, government relations director, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs