Canadian Jews Stand Beleaguered and Alone

"My grandparents saw the warning signs in Europe in 1933. They saw what happens when hatred is allowed to grow, when institutions fail to act, and when ordinary people look away."

They saw, then they were murdered."

"Today, when my community needs the federal government to stand firmly beside us, I do not feel it has met the moment."

"[Jewish Canadians] should not have to keep asking for protection or reassurance that we still belong here."

"What frightens me is both the hatred itself and the willingness of some leaders and institutions to accommodate it."

Rick Ekstein, Canadian businessman, son of Holocaust survivors 

Rick Ekstein at the European Coalition for Israel on Nov. 5, 2026, where he introduced the Brussels Declaration. Handout/Courtesy of Rick Ekstein

 

While Jews in Canada, who have lived in the country for generations upon generations and cleave to it as their home, they have now found themselves in a precarious position of feeling that this may not be their home for much longer. Born in Canada, imbued with a love for the country, they suddenly realize that there are forces beyond their control working tirelessly to make life so miserable and tenuous for them in the only homeland they have ever known and which they love, that they must consider moving elsewhere for relief from the tension and threats that assail them daily.

 

That their government at the federal level, descending to the provincial and the municipal levels of political authority have chosen to look on without reacting other than to deplore these constant iterations of Jew-hate emanating from a coalition of ultra-left Marxist groups finding common cause with Muslim jihadi fundamentalists who have brought their brand of Jew-hate as baggage with them when they migrated to Canada, to fester and grow in the green pastures of permissive democracy, has brought them to the realization that they are on their own.  

 

While recoiling from expressions of rabid antisemitism, Canada's political leaders express their support of their Jewish constituents in words but never to the extent of committing to any real action to demonstrate to the protest leaders and their allied supporters that the spread of racial detestation leading to violence cannot be permitted in Canada. In failing to take any remedial action, those same government figures are in reality giving assurance to the malefactors that their crimes against the social contract are of no moment. An attitude that leads to the sense of entitlement to continue and go beyond harassment to threats.

Speaking at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, PM Carney's promises evaporated into thin air.  Chris Young/The Canadian Press / AP

 

Invariably violence follows, as it has in the firebombing and vandalizing of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, the shooting at Jewish day schools, the boycotting of Jewish restaurants, the protests carried out in front of Jewish hospitals, and old-age homes, slinging the assault of insults at those whom the anti-Zionist, anti-Israel, anti-Jew crowd feel are disentitled to live their normal lives, contributing to the society they are part of, and finding comfort in being part of that society.

 

Italian Canadians a week ago pledged to support their Jewish counterparts in combating the hate they're targeted by. Business owners and community leaders took out full-page newspaper advertisements to notify the public of their support for Canadian Jews. There are non-Jewish Canadians who aver their support for the Jews they live among as neghbours and friends, but their voices are soft and barely to be heard. Jews in Canada have abandoned all expectations that their federal government will act to put a stop to the verbal and physical violence the Jewish community is experiencing.

 

Businessman Rick Ekstein travelled to Brussels to attend the European Coalition for Israel, to sign the Brussels Declaration, a pact between Jews and Christians; his family history experiencing the Holocaust first-hand inspired him. This is a man committed to make every effort he possibly can to root out antisemitism in Canada. There are many just like him, who every day, do what they can to educate their non-Jewish neighbours and the wider community that it is not only Jews who will suffer if this campaign to delegitimize Israel and the place of Jews within Canada persists and succeeds, but they too.

 

For the malevolent forces of Islamofascism will not stop with its campaign against Jewish life. Their goal is far greater than that; it targets Western democracy altogether and until Sharia law becomes the law of the land and Islam's conquest is complete, there is no stopping this global threat to human life absent the moral powers of the enlightenment when a malign ideology will not rest until it has totally unravelled the institutions that support human rights. 

"When people use our streets to threaten others, intimidate shoppers or target communities because of their faith, they undermine the freedoms and sense of security we all depend on."

"It's harder to accept hateful caricatures when the people being targeted are your friends, neighbours or colleagues."

"But a community as small as ours cannot reach everyone alone."

Rick Ekstein  

The Brussels Declaration

 

The Houthi Guerrilla Warfare Against Saudi Arabia

Three days following the October 7 attack on Israel, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi warned that if the United States intervenes in the Hamas-Israel War directly, the group will respond by taking military action. In mid-October, U.S. officials announced that the USS Carney downed several Houthi cruise missiles and drones fired toward Israel. The Houthis continued to launch several rounds of missiles and drones until it officially announced entry into the war to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on October 31. Houthi attacks of the same nature continued into November. On November 19, the Houthis hijacked a commercial ship in the Red Sea and have since attacked at least thirty-three others with drones, missiles, and speed boats as of late January 2024. As a result, major shipping companies have stopped using the Red Sea—through which almost 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes—and have rerouted to take longer and costlier journeys around Southern Africa instead. The situation has resulted in heightened shipping and insurance costs, stoking fears of a renewed cost-of-living crisis. In response to the consistent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the United States and United Kingdom carried out coordinated air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on January 11 and January 22. It is unclear whether the attacks will cease in the near future, with the Houthis vowing to persist in their military operations until a ceasefire is agreed to in the Gaza Strip and aid is allowed into the enclave.

Global Conflict Tracker  

Supporters of the Houthis gather during a protest against Saudi intervention in Yemen, in Sanaa, on Oct. 9, 2026.  Mohammed Huwais—Getty Images

 

“Operations toward Saudi depths will continue in the coming days,” said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, describing the locations as “legitimate targets” and framing their attacks as a direct response to Saudi strikes on Yemen. Saudi-led forces said they had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh on Wednesday and local journalists reported hearing “loud blasts” in the Saudi capital.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s top purchaser of American weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. However, it is struggling to defend itself against the Houthis, who are positioned to strike deep into the kingdom. The Saudis are currently investigating how their defense systems failed to stop the deadly attacks. Experts cite the vast mass of Saudi land as one reason why defensive measures may have failed. The Saudi border with Yemen stretches more than 800 miles. “Expecting a country the size of Saudi Arabia to intercept every missile is simply unrealistic. No defense can guarantee complete protection,” said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst, in an online post. 

Time Magazine  

Over 300 people were struck when a Houthi missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 10. The attack left 13 people dead and hundreds injured. A  terminal full of travellers was deliberately targeted by the Houthis in their terrorist war on Saudi Arabia. Their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi does not expose himself. After spending several decades building his terrorist network backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, he sequesters himself in the mountains, communicating his orders by video.

 

Each time the Houthis have signed a peace agreement, their leader has cynically broken every one, once sufficient time has been passed in a 'truce' to enable the militias to rearm, restructure, and recruit before returning to the attack anew. Over a thousand ballistic missiles and drones have been fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia since March of 2016. A Houthi engineer was known to have instructed the terror group in East Africa, Al Shabaab, on how to modify drones and manufacture bombs.

 

An American intelligence company disclosed in September that a weapons cell in northern Yemen controlled by the Houthis had attempted to write guidance software for a long-range missile. It is for the world to imagine what a terrorist army  could accomplish on a much wider scale should it succeed in producing its very own missiles. The southern entrance to the Red Sea, the Bab-Mandab Strait that the Houthis have threatened to close would see some ten percent of world trade unable to use the passageway. 

 

Experts say a perfect storm of factors has left Saudi Arabia's vulnerable to a ragtag group of Yemeni fighters. Source: Getty / Mohammed Hamoud / Houthi Media Center

 

Houthi strikes on Saudi energy facilities saw oil prices rise above $100 a barrel last month. Saudi Arabia has backed the legitimate Yemen government, since 2015, responding to its request for assistance after its capital Sanaa  was captured by the Houthis. The plight of ordinary Yemeni citizens has seen Saudi Arabia respond with humanitarian funding to alleviate hunger and privation. Yemen's civilian population faces a daily potential of children and farmers accidentally setting off concealed land mines causing death and dreadful injuries such as loss of limbs for those who survive. 

 

With Saudi help, the internationally recognized government of Yemen are on the offensive along the coast of the Red Sea, given Saudi air support. Over 750 tons of weapons meant for delivery to the Houthis have been seized. Launch sites and weapons warehouses are being targeted by the Saudi-Yemen coalition working to dismantle the networks behind missile attacks on Saudi territory. Saudi Arabia has closed its financial system to the Houthis. 

 

Yemen's authentic government confiscates weapons and money from Houthi sources. It is imperative for the future of Yemen that the terrorist group be countered and stopped completely. Yemeni students as young as ten are compelled to chant Iran's favourite rabble-rousing call to action: "Death to America". Thousands of children have been sent into combat, emulating Iran's action during the Iran-Iraq war of handing Iranian youth 'keys' to Paradise, while tasking them with the honour of heroically clearing minefields before dispatching its military to engage Iraq on a battlefield cleared of recently-exploded mines.  

 

Flames burn at a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh on October 3, 2026.

(photo credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

 

More recently, Saudi Arabia reported that debris from two ballistic missiles that its air defense intercepted fell in the Mecca region on Wednesday during an exchange of attacks in an escalating conflict between the Kingdom and Yemen's Houthis. The missiles had been launched toward the region, and although Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed them, debris fell in several locations, including Sabuhah village. 

 

"This hostile targeting of civilian objects constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and reflects the dangerous hostile approach pursued by the Houthi militia," Saudi Arabia's civil defense charged, This is not the first time that a Houthi missile hit close to the holiest site in Islam. Now, once again, there is denial from the Houthis that they have ever intended to target Mecca and Medina. Their operations, they claim, are directed solely at military and strategic targets around Saudi Arabia.

 

Debris from 2 Houthi missiles fell 21 km from the Grand Mosque near Arafat, Saudi Civil Defense says. The movement's slogan ends 'Victory to Islam.'November 12, 2026  Mohammed Omar, House of Saud

'Unintentionally' Promoting Antisemitism

"[Kishen] did not intend to promote antisemitism, and he had limited knowledge about antisemitic imagery and tropes associated with Jewish people when he included the images."

"[Kishen's voluntary resignation as dean] reflects his acceptance of the university's sanction."

"[Kishen] is sincerely regretful for his actions and lack of cultural awareness."

"[The investigator's review revealed] deep divisions [within the faculty, with some accepting Kishen's immediate apology, while] others were deeply hurt."

"I want to assure the Faculty of Dentistry community that this matter was treated with the utmost seriousness by the university and that we engaged in a process that was rigorous, thorough and fair to everyone involved."

University of Toronto Vice-President and Provost Trevor Young 

 

"[This outcome was] an important step, [but] Jewish students shouldn't need a formal investigation to establish that antisemitic imagery has no place in their classroom." 

Jay Solomon, CEO, Hillel Ontario 

Anil Kishen, a world-renowned innovator in the field of endodontics, has been appointed dean of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry. (Photo by University of Toronto/ Jeff Comber)

 

It positively strains credulity that an academic and health professional reputed to be a world-renowned innovator in endodontics would have no knowledge of the wider world around him, to the extent that he would have no idea of the presence of savage antisemitism present in imagery that clearly reflects the most base libels of ancient heritage to demonize Jews. That this man, Anil Kishen, with his Indian background and Singaporean experience would be totally innocent of the kind of mischief that is represented with the use of two crude images that clearly mock and degrade Jews as global villains is a difficult story to credit.

 

Appointed head of the faculty of dentistry at the University of Toronto for a five-year term last year, Mr. Kishen's miscalculation has led to a public outcry  and his resignation as dean of the faculty of dentistry.  An investigation had found his use of the two antisemitic images in his lecture materials, an explanation for which seems most peculiar. Having admitted that he is aware of the issue of antisemitism, why he would nonetheless use such imagery then claim he had no idea, does not reflect someone in whom one can place the trust of honesty.

 

GlobalNews.ca

 

"Last night I became aware that two cartoon images that I included in a recent lecture contained discriminatory imagery."

"I selected these images as visual analogies for two concepts. I was not trying to make any political statements with these images."

"I say this not as an excuse for this mistake. I condemn antisemitism and discrimination in all their forms."

Dr. Anil Kishen  

One image was that of a figure, its face painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag, bound by ropes and an Israeli flag. The second image showed a hook-nosed man relaxed in a swimming pool brimful with cash, labelled "IMMUNITY" surrounded by several figures, their faces raised. "This latter image is a well known antisemitic trope that has historically been used to dehumanize Jewish people" Canadian Women Against Antisemitism pointed out, when the images were used in February. 

 

The university plans to welcome Dr. Kishen back into fold during the 2027-28 academic year, following his having undergone training to enable him to 'understand antisemitism'. He has been on leave since February 26. "Antisemitic imagery has no place in a university classroom, and those entrusted with educating students have a responsibility to recognize it", chided Josh Laudau, senior director of government relations (Ontario) for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, adding that "intent does not erase impact".

 

The University of Toronto's vice president and provost, Trevor Young, says Anil Kishen voluntarily resigned as dean of the school's faculty of dentistry after an investigation into his use of antisemitic imagery in course materials earlier this year. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)

 

Montreal's Mimimelon Friendly Family Gathering Place

"Do I have to worry now for my own personal safety?"

"Is there something directed at me? Is there something directed at my family?"

"It's destroyed. Completely destroyed."

"We're kind of used to the hatred that we get."

"It feels like a scene from some kind of a horror film. I don't feel it's real."

Jennie Volfson, co-owner Mimimelon, Montreal bakery

A man peers inside Mimimelon in Montreal’s St-Laurent borough, which was the target of an arson attack on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette

 

When someone she had never before seen suddenly came through the bakery door and shouted "All the Jews will burn", then left, Jennie Volfson was startled, but didn't give it too much thought. Like other Jews in Quebec, and just about everywhere in Canada this past few years, verbal attacks, threats, even more subtle interactions betraying that old familiar curse of rampant antisemitism have become so commonplace, you just move on and deal with that bad taste of a social compact gone suddenly awry. It was only a few months later that she remembered that brief, unpleasant incident.

 

On Monday of last week, November 2nd, at 11:30 p.m. she had an alert from her security company that someone was tampering with the rear door of her restaurant. Surveillance footage later viewed showed an individual making an effort to enter the bakery but having been foiled. Denied entry the person threw a liquid against the exterior of the building, setting it on fire and swiftly leaving the premises.

 

Firefighters lost no time in responding, and the flames were quickly and efficiently put out before they could spread to the interior. Two days later her security company once again called, on Wednesday, 4th of November. She immediately contacted emergency services to respond, at around 12:30 a.m. The result of this second fire was far more dramatic. Ms. Volfson estimates that her Mimimelon family restaurant has been destroyed.  

 

Jennie Volfson surveys the damage done to her bakery Mimimelon in St-Laurent on Wed., Nov. 4, 2026. It was the second of two arson attempts against the bakery in a span of 48 hours. (Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette)

 

Damage to the building was described as "considerable" by Police spokesperson Raphael Bergeron, who stated that indications were that the fire had been set deliberately. Local surveillance cameras would be examined by police and fire investigators in an effort to  determine all possible circumstances leading up to the fire. Physical circumstances, he most certainly meant to allude to, not the circumstances whereby society is inhabited by those whose unreasoning hatred for a racial minority prompts them to act on their vicious antisemitism.

 

Mimimelon arrived as a family business for Volfson, her husband and father-in-law in January of 2015 when they bought the business and turned it into a kosher bakery specializing in a unique peanut-free,  tree-nut-free and dairy-free producer of specialized products for people with allergies. The restaurant quickly became a favourite eating place with the Jewish community in Montreal. "We see people get engaged, get married, have kids", she reminisced. 

 

But that pleasant time when Mimimelon was known as a friendly gathering place where regular clientele would come by for coffee and pastries, where staff watched families grow over the years is gone. The haters who want to see "Jews burn" have seen to that. Does anyone outside the Jewish community notice? Care? What will it take for authorities at any level to take notice and feel responsible to act to correct the situation? Will they ever? Never?

 

For the second time in two days, Mimimelon, a bakery in the St-Laurent borough, was the site of an arson attack on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette

 

 

 

Canada Served Into the Maw of the Global Voracious Predator

"Tibet Action Institute [TAI] has documented intensifying efforts to discredit, intimidate and silence Dr. Gyal Lo -- a former university professor in Tibet and China and one of the most prominent Tibetan human rights advocates in the world today."

"The campaign has included harassment of his family members in Tibet; Chinese state media attacks on him by name; efforts to discredit  his academic reputation; defamatory depictions online; incidents of suspected surveillance and intimidation in Toronto and Geneva; and now, abuse of international legal processes."

The Tibet Action Institute 

 

"Prime Minister Mark Carney's "values-based realism" -- business first, human rights second -- has suffered a a reality check by the Chinese government, as it hounds and persecutes a Tibetan activist and Canadian citizen in Toronto."

Gyal Lo, an expert on China's assimilation policies in Tibet, and an eyewitness to its "residential schools", fled China in 2020, fearing for his life."

"China has now served  him legal documents in Canada in connection with a civil suit in China."

Michael Higgins, investigative journalist, National Post 

Prime Minister Mark Carney, fourth right, meets with President of China Xi Jinping, fourth left, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

 

Canada's latest Liberal prime minister, Mark Carney, took up where his predecessor left off, making friends with the world's greatest trade predator to curry investment and trade agreements. Justin Trudeau left China, tail between his legs after being summarily rebuffed, and Mark Carney followed in his jet contrail years later to make nice with Chinese President Xi Jinping in his pursuit of trade agreements with any country that is not the United States with President Trump's punishing trade tariffs. 

 

Canada, which prides itself on its human rights record, has latterly limped along fatuously with diminished pride, making trade and investment agreements with exemplars of human rights abuse which include Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and China. These Liberal-celebrated nation-to-nation compacts with the world's signal abusers of human rights and supporters of terrorist organizations most of which appear on Canada's own terror lists, represent the Canadian prime minister's "principled and pragmatic" game plan to extend Canada's trade prospects in attempting less reliance on its bullying neighbour. 

"Canada and other governments have opened the door for these attacks on their own soil by relegating human rights issues to private exchanges and failing to push back as Beijing openly doubles down on repression."

"They urgently need to reverse course."

Chemi Lhamo, advocacy manager, Tibet Action Institute  

Prime Minister Carney is not the least bit interested in the fact that Freedom House has noted that "China conducts the most sophisticated, global and comprehensive campaign of transnational repression in the world". Nor that the Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China stated that in its exchanges with China, Canada was "far too often prioritizing trade and investment over human rights", accusing Canada of being "inattentive to human rights in China", urging Carney to "put human rights first". 

 

In Mr. Carney's famous Davos speech when he spoke of "principled and pragmatic" approaches, he somehow overlooked the 'principled' aspect of his negotiations with dictators and human-rights abusers and those whose intentions are completely adverse to any self-respecting democracy, much less their unabridged connection to and support of terrorist groups led by the Muslim Brotherhood.

 

In forging new ties with China, that he believes advantages Canada with new trade opportunities, Carney spoke of his new "strategic partnership and that "We must be pragmatic. We take the world as it is, not as we wish it to be". This is the same Carney that spoke glowingly of Canada's "commitment to fundamental values" and "respect for human rights". "Engagement is not approval", he said sanctimoniously in Turkey where gays are persecuted. His only commitment, he responded, was the promotion of human rights in Canada.

 

"Promoting and ensuring that all Canadians can live their full selves in Canada -- first and foremost, that's our responsibility", he declared righteously. On that score, Jewish Canadians might have quite a lot to say. Given the Liberal intake of the past decade and ongoing, of immigrants, refugees and illegal migrants into Canada of people from North Africa and the Middle East, who enter without intelligence scrutiny, and the ensuing aggravation, persecution, harassment and threats from that growing community toward the much smaller but traditional Jewish community, with no government notice, much less concern other than to mouth mushy statements that antisemitism is not welcome in Canada, Mr. Carney remains uninvolved and not "all Canadians can live their full selves in Canada" where violence against Jews continues apace. 

"Only in Canada can you write a national security strategy without mentioning the specific malign actors that seek to threaten Canadian security and interests."

"China and Russia are omitted altogether."

Richard Shimooka, Aleander Lanoszka, Balkan Devlen, Macdonald-Laurier Institute  

Canada's foreign interference inquiry in its final report last year labelled China as "the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canada's democratic institutions", China viewing Canada "as a high-priority target". Inconvenient details. 

"Canada and China will … pursue pragmatic and constructive engagement in public safety and security."

"Our law enforcement agencies will increase co-operation to better combat narcotics trafficking, transnational and cybercrime, synthetic drugs and money laundering – and create safer communities for people in both our countries."

Signed legal agreement between Carney and Xi  

Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with President of China Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

 

Requiem for Jewish Life in Canada

"The world became a very small place [after the shooting because of the outpouring of support for police which came] from literally around the world."

"[Police] are convinced … there was divine intervention [during the Yom Kippur shooting, because the right officers were at the right place at the right time]."

"Our message to all assembled is that we will be with our Jewish community – or any community that needs us – now, at the moment of need, and after."

Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd

 

"I just worry that we’ve become so polarized as a society, [and people with different views] can’t even talk to each other, let alone hear each other or discuss [issues]."

"[There is] too much drama and emotionally-driven [behaviour instead of people basing ideas on facts and data, not what they’ve heard from others]."

"[I am shocked when reading online comments suggesting] violence is somehow justified."

"How have we forgotten our history? … We’ve been down this road before, and it never leads to good ends."

Reverend Brad Beale, priest, St.Thomas Anglican Church, chaplain Belleville Police Service 

Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd, left, speaks as part of a prayer walk Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 at Robin Jeffrey Park in Belleville, Ont. Listening at right was Rev. Brad Beale, the police service’s chaplain and a co-organizer of the event. Luke Hendry / The Belleville Intelligencer

 

This week an interfaith prayer walk took place to promote peace and unity joined by religious groups, police and citizens in Belleville, Ontario, following on the violent and deadly attack on the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in the city. The armed attacker who shot and seriously wounded the Belleville Police officer seated in an unmarked vehicle in front of the synagogue did not survive his shoot-out with wounded  constable Jeff Smith and his colleague Michael McCurdy who prevented the attacker from creating his intended slaughter inside the synagogue. 

 

He had shouted as he ran toward the vehicle where constable Smith was dispatched to help protect the house of worship and its congregants, "You are going to die for the Jews", before discharging his weapon at the constable's head and back. In the end, the one-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces died as a result of his venomous racist hatred. Both constables have yet to return to work; constable Smith engaged in a long convalescence from life-saving surgeries, and constable McCurdy recovering from the trauma of the lethal engagement.

 

The organized walk which included several hundred people from the community took place when local congregations expressed their interest in holding an event post the September 20 shooting to demonstrate their solidarity with the Jewish community under stress. The walk was also an opportunity to express the community's appreciation for the police whose outstanding service had protected the synagogue's congregants from certain death. 

 

Sandra Amaral of Brighton and Pastor Andrew King of Toronto, both Seventh Day Adventists, carry a banner promoting peace during a prayer walk Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 in Belleville, Ont. People of numerous faiths came together for the event. (Luke Hendry / The Belleville Intelligencer)

 

"Hearing the shots, yelling for people to get down, hearing the glass breaking and screams, watching parents hold their children ... I cannot begin to tell you what we as a community in Canada, as a country, very nearly lost that evening,"  

"If you had asked us what we thought our security needs were on Sept. 19, before this all unfolded, what we would have told you is that our priorities were replacing broken windows and installing burglar alarms."

"In short, we were targeted because we dared to live publicly as Jews."

Shima Vigodda, vice-president, Sons of Jacob Synagogue

 

"When gunfire erupted outside, we instantly knew the gunman was there for us inside. We knew how serious the danger was. What terrified us was the possibility that the gunman could make his way into the building and reach us."

"We come together to pray, never imagining we would find ourselves fearing for our lives. The shooting was outside, but the terror was inside with us."

"[Another attack could have a different outcome.] The next time, we may not be so fortunate. And the next family may not make it home."

Doug Lobel, congregant, Sons of Jacob Synagogue 

A forensics officer points towards a police vehicle (out of frame) at the scene of a shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, where a man armed with a shotgun exchanged gunfire with a police officer stationed outside the Synagogue late Sunday evening as people were arriving for Yom Kippur. The suspect's shotgun can be seen lying on the ground adjacent to the officer. (Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

 

Belleville saw another two incidents of antisemitism when flyers with antisemitic messages were distributed in the neighbourhood of the synagogue shortly after the September 20 shooting. In October police announced charges against a Belleville resident in a third and separate case. The congregation, comprised mostly of volunteers who maintain the synagogue on a low budget, knows it must change its security to continue into the future. Bullet-resistant glass, inner- and outer-door replacement, a safe room, fencing and physical barriers are all needed. 

"That’s my neighbourhood. These are my neighbours and my friends. It shakes you to the core when you see that happen in a community that you just don’t think this will happen in."

"If it can happen in Belleville, it can happen anywhere in Canada. I don’t care if it’s in Hanover, Ontario; Owen Sound, or Weyburn in Saskatchewan. It can happen in any of these communities."

"[The officers’ presence at the synagogue meant Smith and McCurdy] truly [saved] what would have been, I think, by all accounts, a massacre — and that was averted that day due to the bravery of the police."

"[The online spread of hatred is a factor accelerating these threats. The speed at which the hate has spread is quite shocking."

Chris Malette, MP for Bay of Quinte  

Police stand in front of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian MacAlpine

Separating People From Entitlements No Envious Task

"[In Denmark, we get funding and economic support for getting an education, and we're very proud of this."

"[It would be wrong to dismantle one of the world's strongest educational systems."

Oscar Tonberg Hoffman, Danish High School Students' Association 

 

"I'm infuriated that we finally get a supposedly 'red' government in Denmark that includes the left parties and anyway we get cuts to our welfare and to the economies of  young people whilst they're funding corporate tax reductions and warfare."

"I hope they will look at this demonstration and change their mind."

Kiern Hindshaw, 23year-old agronomy student 

 

"It's important when you are in school and trying to educate yourself."

"It's hard to have to pay for yourself, so sometimes it's nice to have a little helping hand with the SU [student allowance]." 

Dagmar Demuth, high school student

Students protest as 21 organizations organizes a joint demonstration against cuts in educations in front of the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday Nov. 4, 2026. (Ida Marie Odgaard / Ritzau Scanpix via AFP)

 

Once a government in any country, including Scandinavian countries known for their social largesse, enacts a social program benefiting the populace, however absurd that program might be in the light of day, reading the details of a universal program that makes no exception for the wealthy, it becomes nigh impossible for any succeeding government to announce changes or restrictions on the benefit-holders. This is an obvious and recognized political swamp that governments however well intended, swim in through inattention to consequences. 

 

Make people dependent on social hand-outs and they and future generations have every expectation that they will continue, irrespective of whether or not they represent a sound fiscal decision by competent intelligent lawmakers who fail to foresee what a trap they've engineered before it's too late. People resent having their special benefits withdrawn or minimized. Once given, they feel they are entitled. And when a decision is made to modify the conditions of eligibility of a once-universal program, anger and resistance can be guaranteed.

 

The riotous and extremely well-attended rallies by students in France denouncing their government's lack of diligence in upgrading the school system, having sufficient numbers of teachers on hand, and failing to refurbish school infrastructure before they reach the stage of fatigue-collapse, has, despite the government crackdown, inspired students in other countries to feverishly embark on their own student grievances against governments not attuned to the needs and educational priorities of their youth population.

 

Denmark is a somewhat late entry, but there thousands of young Danes have protested over a plan by government to restructure a welfare program for students, where the prospect of cutting students allowances predictably enraged those accustomed to these benefits, sufficiently so to engage in street protests against their uncaring government.A dozen high school and university student associations have taken to the ramparts, marching from the City Hall Square in Copenhagen to Parliament over proposed cuts to their entitlements.

 

Students attend a joint demonstration against cuts in educations in front of the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, 4 November, 2026.  Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix Foto via AP

 

Across Denmark, an estimated 40,000 students from 57 schools were out protesting. Police in Copenhagen were in full-force presence to control the 13,000 student groups campaigning for an uninterrupted flow of  social largess benefiting Denmark's students. Chanting "Broken Promises", carrying signage that read "Save SU", and "Less Support, Less Educated" along with "Don't Cheat the Young", flagellated the Danish government for its betrayal of Denmark's youth.

 

Denmark's centre-left government, according to a draft budget bill, has plans to abolish the SU allowance for students who live with their parents and whose parents' total annual income is the equivalent of $146,950 annually. For students whose parents earn between $88,000 and $146,950, the amount they receive could become progressive. Until the present time, all students over age 18 have received that financial bonus so that both high school and university students have been recipients.

 

Roughly 14,000 students may lose their grant, according to the Higher Education Ministry, while another 8,000 students would see theirs reduced. SU represents a cornerstone of Denmark's egalitarian  university system, in force since 1970, which in theory enables all young Danes to receive an education irrespective of their parents' income. Student receive at present $242 monthly for those who live with their parents, and $1,559 for those who live on their own. 

 

Another proposal is for the government to alter eligibility for unemployment benefits  for recent university graduates to be paid only to those who have worked during 18 of the last 24 months of their studies. According to student protest organizer Oscar Tonsberg Hoffmann, high school organizations attempted to share a dialogue with the government but were  unable to meet with success. 

 

The Socialist Peoples Party and the Social Liberal Party within the government had opposed education cuts, but have since, nonetheless supported this contentious move. "It's no secret that this not an initiative that comes from us", pointed out Interior and Economic Affairs Minister Pia Olsen Duhr who had vowed her Socialist People's Party would not touch the student grant system. "But we have made compromises in this government, and I fully stand by them", she stated. 

 

Students attend a joint demonstration against cuts in educations in front of the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix Foto via AP