On Oct. 16-17, I was at the first-ever national Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It conference in Ottawa. It was sponsored by Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. I was there reporting for the Winnipeg Free Press and the Canadian Jewish News. Below find the articles I wrote before it, during it and after it. I will be adding to the list as the conference continues.
1. Conference to address "frightening growth in antisemitism across the country"
WINNIPEG, Man. -- War is raging between Israel and Hamas as this column is being written on October 8. It is on the minds of Canadian Jews. Also on their minds is the rise in antisemitism in this country. That’s why, a year ago, they started planning a first-ever national conference to discuss the ongoing battle against hate toward Jews.
Called Antisemitism: Face It,
Fight It, the October 16-17 conference in Ottawa is sponsored by the Centre for
Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across
Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
According to Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO of CIJA, the goal of the event—the largest national event of its kind in Canada—is to address the “frightening growth in antisemitism across the country.”
About a thousand people are registered for the two-day gathering, which will address the changing face of antisemitism today and then encourage attendees to return home and turn what they learned “into action,” as Fogel put it.
Of major concern to conference organizers is the rise of antisemitism on social media, along with other kinds of hate.
“Online hate is spreading,” Fogel said. “We are still struggling to get a handle on that and how to push back against it.”
Through the conference, participants will be encouraged to find ways to confront it and build allyship with other groups that are also concerned about hate on the Internet.
“It’s not enough to wring our hands,” he said. “We need to stand up and move from victim to empowered action.”
While at the event, conference goers will hear speakers on topics such as “United Against Antisemitism: Confronting the Challenge Together;” “Online Hate: Breaking out and Breaking down the Echo Chambers;” “Countering Antisemitism: Hate vs. the Law;” “Turning Sideline Passion to Frontline Action: Finding your Voice in the Political World;” and “Harnessing Social Media for Good: Done with the Doomscroll.”
Participants will also fan out to visit politicians on Parliament Hill, asking them to undertake a national campaign to promote social media literacy.
The goal of such a campaign would be to help Canadians learn what hate looks like online and how to deal with it, Fogel said, noting this would be about “all hate, not just antisemitism, about anything that marginalizes or delegitimizes anyone.”
Social media can be a power for good, he said, “but there is a dark side to it.”
Conference participants will also ask politicians to expand and streamline the Security Infrastructure Program, which is designed to enhance the safety of places of worship and other gathering places.
The “threat levels” have changed, Fogel said, adding there is a need to provide extra security today.
Through the conference, “we want to empower people to be part of the solution” to fighting hatred in Canada, Fogel stated. “It’s not just a Jewish problem. All Canadians have to take part in addressing it.”
At a Tuesday evening gala, the Honourable Irwin Cotler will receive a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his work on behalf of human rights for the world’s most vulnerable and oppressed citizens. Leaders of Canada’s main political parties are also slated to speak at the event.
In addition to what was planned before war broke out, the conference program will be adapted to focus on the fighting between Israel and Hamas, including any negative effects for Jews in Canada. Security will also be beefed up, said Nicole Amiel, who directs media relations for CIJA.
Belle Jarniewski of Winnipeg greets new Special Envoy Deborah Lyons
2. Participants in Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It share hopes for the event
WINNIPEG, Man. -- For Laia Shpeller, attending the Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It Conference in Ottawa is an opportunity to “engage in meaningful discussions about being Jewish in Canada and how our community can work together.”
The Winnipegger, who is studying
biomedical engineering at the University of British Columbia, sees the Oct.
16-17 event as a way to “learn from diverse voices within the Canadian Jewish
community, and learn about how their experiences, both with antisemitism and in
general, have influenced their work.”
As a young adult, she also believes it’s important to have young voices at the conference since they can “bring a unique perspective due to our willingness to challenge norms” and because of their exposure to diverse perspectives during their studies.
At the same time, the conference will allow her to learn more about advocacy and policy strategies so she can improve her efforts to engage politicians.
Noting the event has been in the planning for a long time, she said the rise in antisemitic rhetoric and actions due to the Israel-Hamas war “makes having these conversations right now even more critical.”
Steven Kroft is national vice-chair for Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). Also from Winnipeg, he agreed the war between Israel and Hamas gives the conference “new meaning and a greater sense of urgency.”
Even without that, although Jews make up less than one per cent of Canada’s population they are targets of about 55 per cent of all religious hate crimes, he said.
That’s why, for him, “bringing Jews and others from across Canada together to develop a collective path forward in our fight against antisemitism is so critically important . . . If we don’t stand up and fight for ourselves, who will?”
For Rob Berkowits, executive director of Winnipeg’s Rady Jewish Community Centre, the Conference is a way to “educate myself on how to best support my staff and volunteers” during a time of rising antisemitism.
Antisemitism, he added, “creates a feeling of isolation and vulnerability so it is important to learn strategies to manage and support these emotions.”
When it is over, he hopes to have “a better understanding why antisemitism persists and to develop an improved skill set to combat its rise in my local community.”
The conference is sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
Due to the war between Israel and Hamas, some of the speakers from Israel are unable to attend and the event will have extra security.
The
event kicks off Monday morning with an announcement from the Government of
Canada announcing the appointment of a new Special Envoy on Preserving
Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.
New Special Envoy Deborah Lyons with outgoing Special Envoy Irwin Cotler
3. New Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism named
OTTAWA, Ont. -- Deborah Lyons has been named the new Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.
The announcement was made by Karina Gould, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, at the start of October 16-17 Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It Conference in Ottawa.
The announcement “holds particular significance today as Canadians come to terms with the brutal attack by Hamas against Israel a week ago,” said Gould, adding the Government of Canada “stands shoulder to shoulder” with the Jewish community at this time.
She went on to note how many members of the Jewish community in Canada are “hurt and anxious” while, at the same time, acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Outgoing Special Envoy Irwin Cotler praised Lyons’ appointment, saying he “could not be happier” to see her in that role.
“She is the right person in the right place at the right time” due to her experience and expertise, he said, especially at this moment “of historical inflection” in “the shadow” of last weekends attack by Hamas against Israel.
Lyons, the former Canadian Ambassador to Israel from 2016-20, acknowledged she is taking on the role “at a most critical time.”
As Special Envoy, she promised to promote Holocaust education, “including at Canadian universities;” to highlight the "many contributions of the Canadian Jewish community;” to address online antisemitism; to “collect data so no one can tell me this [antisemitism] isn’t real; and to “make sure every member of the Jewish community in Canada feels safe.”
She delivered a special charge to Canada’s faith and spiritual leaders to “bring us all together . . . Now more than ever we need you and your leadership to gather us together as all God’s children.”
She also asked the media to “challenge the seeds of misinformation” and “shine a light in the darkness and hold it high. Political leaders at all levels, she added, should "guide us and unite us and inspire us to build a diverse and inclusive Canada.”
She said she looks forward to working with Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia.
When asked what she, as a non-Jew, could bring to the special envoy role, Lyons said she would bring “the Canadian way” of “fighting for one another and supporting each other,” especially in “these difficult times.”
Lyons also served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Afghanistan, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan from 2020-22 and as Canadian Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2013–16.
She succeeds Cotler, who was appointed to the role in 2020 as part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and combat antisemitism.
During his time, the federal government expanded its commitment to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and committed $85 million in 2022 for programs to fight antisemitism, along with funding for new Holocaust museums in Toronto and Montreal.
The conference, the first national event of its kind in Canada. is sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
Michael Levitt with former Alberta Premier Jason Kenny and online panellists
4. To fight antisemitism, Jews need non-Jewish allies
OTTAWA, Ont. -- “Jews cannot fight antisemitism alone.”
That was the sentiment expressed by Michael Levitt, president and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, at the October 16-17 Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It conference in Ottawa.
Progress has been made,
he went on to say, noting it is “not just up to Jewish Canadians to fight it .
. . what starts with Jews never ends with Jews.”
Levitt was joined in a session at the conference titled United Against Antisemitism: Confronting the Challenge Together by Lord John Mann, Independent Adviser on Antisemitism to Government of the United Kingdom; Farah Pandith, a senior advisor at the Anti-Defamation League in the U.S.; and Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life.
For Schnurbein, non-Jews play a significant role in ensuring Jews can go about their lives feeling “free from insecurity . . . we have a responsibility to Jewish people.”
Mann added that non-Jews today need to stand up against the “new Nazis” today just as some did in the previous century standing up against Nazism in Germany.
“We need to fight the Nazis of Hamas,” he said, adding a “huge majority” of people in Great Britain “stand with Israel.”
“We will not tolerate this evil,” he said. “We will keep fighting, keep organizing.”
For Pandith, a Muslim, having
people of other faith communities speak up for Jews is key.
“A different voice carries a different weight,” she said. “The messenger matters. It can’t just be Jews standing up against antisemitism or Muslims standing against Islamophobia.”
She encouraged members of the Canadian Jewish community to reach out to other faith groups, “otherwise we will never get to where we need to be.”
On the subject of social media, Schnurbein noted the Europe Union has created a new digital service act to force social media companies to police online hate on their platforms.
If they don’t respond quickly to complaints about online hate speech, the companies can be fined, she said, noting there has been an “explosion” of online antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“We are reminding them [the companies] of their obligation under the Act to enforce the rules,” she said.
Pandith said the U.S. government has been “very sloppy” in its enforcement of online hate regulations, adding people were “naïve” about the role social media would play when it first started.
“We didn’t understand the impact it would have,” she said. “We didn’t ask hard enough questions. Now we are dealing with a toxic environment.”
Pandith admitted she was not optimistic about the future online “if we don’t get more serious” about dealing with hate on social media. “If we don’t, we will see things get even worse,” she said.
Also speaking at the session was Jason Kenney, former premier of Alberta who also served as Minister for Multiculturalism for eight years in Prime Minister Harper’s government.
Kenney was critical of what he called “pseudo intellectualism” on some Canadian university campuses that justifies antisemitism, both online and in demonstrations “glorifying” attacks on Israel by terrorist organizations like Hamas and other hate directed at Jews.
Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, indicated the federal government intends to bring legislation forward to combat online hate speech. “We need safe online environments just as we need safe streets,” he said.
The conference, the first national event of its kind in Canada. is sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
Joel Finkelstein talks to participants at the conference .
5. Warning system for antisemitism needed: Expert
OTTAWA, Ont. -- Just
like there are early warning systems for hurricanes and tornadoes, Canada needs
a system to warn about oncoming hate on social media.
That’s the view of Joel Finkelstein, chief science officer and co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Hate on social media “is a predictor about real-world actions,” said Finkelstein in an interview at the Oct. 16-17 Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It conference in Ottawa.
“What we see on social media turns up in real life,” he said, comparing his work to those who forecast storms. “Social media is a signal of what’s to come.”
This is true whenever there is a conflict in Israel, he said, noting that online activity translates into real-world hate. “The conflicts are short, but there is a long tail, a spillover effect,” he said.
By way of illustration, Finkelstein pointed to a report about a conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza in 2021.
An analysis by the Institute of more than 100 million social media posts at that time showed a relationship between online antisemitic remarks on social media platforms and actions a week or two later against Jews in cities like Toronto and Montreal.
This included antisemitic activities such as chants of violent slogans against Jews during protests, vandalism of synagogues, hate graffiti in Jewish neighbourhoods, and other hate crimes.
With the current war between Israel and Hamas, “there is looming anticipation of a similar surge in antisemitism in Canada,” he said. “We have already started to see several similar trends emerging.”
Content on social media is created and shared by ideological hate groups, he said, but then propelled by bot farms and troll accounts operated by authoritarian regimes like China, North Korea and some in the Middle East — regimes that “want to disrupt and destabilize western democracies.”
Through his Institute, Finkelstein tracks hate towards other visible minorities in the U.S., such as Muslims and Hindus, reporting the findings to law enforcement agencies, the FBI, politicians and others.
This includes reporting to social media companies to let them know what’s happening on their platforms. “We alert them so they can respond in good faith,” he said.
Finkelstein believes Jews in Canada could lead the way in helping to set up such an early warning system in this country.
“It should not just be for Jews, but we should make it possible,” he said, adding “community security must evolve in the age of information disorder to meet these threats with faster, real-time data collection.”
Becca Wertman-Traub directs research for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). She agreed with Finkelstein that such an early warning system would be helpful in Canada.
“In 2021, we didn’t make the connection between social media and actions,” she said. “Now we are aware of the relationship between the two. It shows we can anticipate something after a spike in online hate towards Jews.”
Currently, most of what CIJA can do is reactive since information about hate from Statistics Canada is a year old, based on reports from police across the country, she explained.
That is like doing clean-up and recovery work after a storm instead of proactively getting people, governments and police ready for one so they can be prepared and weather it better, she said.
That’s why research by people like Finkelstein is so important. “By tracking social media, we can get current data by the day, hour and minute,” she said. “We can act much quicker.”
Such a system doesn’t currently exist in Canada, but CIJA is exploring it as an option, she noted.
The conference, the first national event of its kind in Canada. is sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
CIJA's National Chair, Gail Adelson-Marcovitz, welcomes Trudeau to the podium to speak at the conference.
6. Federal party leaders condemn Hamas attack, pledge support for Canadian Jewish community
OTTAWA, Ont. -- “The hearts of all
Canadians are broken.”
With those words, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began his remarks October 17 at the Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It conference in Ottawa.
The Prime Minister was one of four political leaders invited to speak at the event, including Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, Jagmeet Singh, leader of New Democratic Party, and Bloc Party leader Yves-François Blanchet.
The Prime Minister went on to condemn the October 7 attack by Hamas and to call for the immediate release of all their hostages, adding his government “deeply cares” for those who are missing and is in close touch with families of hostages.
The Canadian government is also working as quickly and safely as possible to evacuate Canadians in the region impacted by the fighting, he said, noting that 12 flights have taken out over 1,300 people.
“We will not stop being there for affected Canadians,” he stated.
Israel, he added, has a right to defend itself, and Canada “will always be a friend to Israel, defend its rights, including its right to exist.”
He decried the “unimaginable acts” of indiscriminate killing of Israelis by Hamas, adding that Hamas “doesn’t represent Palestinians or their legitimate aspirations for a better future.”
Hamas, he said, only stands for “more suffering for Israel and Palestinians.”
Noting he has heard stories of Canadian Jews who are worried about wearing yarmulkes or stars of David necklaces, Trudeau said the RCMP is working to “keep the Jewish community safe and secure.”
“You are not alone,” he stated. “The work of fighting hate is the work of all of us, all Canadians, especially non-Jewish Canadians . . . we all need to stand up and step up.”
He concluded his remarks by saying “this too shall pass . . . we will get through this together, my friends.”
Trudeau was followed by Pierre Poilievre, who said Jews in Canada are not alone at this time. “You have friends who are with you through thick and thin and onward to triumph,” he stated.
He went on to condemn Hamas, who he said had the goal of maximizing the “bloodshed of Israelis, Palestinians and Muslims as well.”
Iran, he said, was behind the attack because it wanted to disrupt negotiations between Israel and Arab countries in the region. “They were worried the talks could lead to peace and stability in the Middle East,” he stated.
That, he said, would be “Iran’s worst nightmare” since it would end the “unending supply of suffering and resentment” that fuels conflict in the region.
While saying he grieved equally for innocent Israeli and Palestinians killed and wounded by the fighting, Poilievre said there is “no equivalence between terrorists that seek to maximize the deaths of innocent civilians and the state of Israel that seeks to protect them.”
He went on to say Canada must ensure there is the minimum loss of life and suffering of the Palestinian people, and that safe zones should be created in Gaza along with a humanitarian corridor for food, medicine and water.
He went on to call for a comprehensive review of Canadian aid to Palestinians to “make sure it reaches people in need, not terrorists.”
In his remarks, Jagmeet Singh, leader of New Democratic Party, also condemned the attacks, adding he has heard the pain of Jewish Canadians who “are deeply afraid . . . I want to acknowledge that.”
He also grieved for Palestinians killed and injured by the fighting, he said, and called for the upholding of international law to protect civilians in Gaza.
Celebrations of the attack in Canada are “never justified,” Singh stated, adding “we must all do what we can to tackle the rise in hate.” This includes, he said, doing more to secure places of worship and tackling online hate.
“In these dark times, we must treat each other well,” he said, going on to call for an immediate ceasefire — acknowledging, ad he noted, that “not everyone will agree with me.”
In the future, he stated, he hoped Canadians could “build a world where all our children can live in peace.”
The evening ended with an expression of gratitude for Irwin Cotler, the outgoing Special Envoy for Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.
A crowd of pro-Palestine protestors was outside the convention centre main exit at the end of the evening, requiring conference participants to leave by another door.
The two-day conference, the first national event of its kind in Canada, was sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), with support from Jewish Federations across Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
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