Canadian Jewish organizations condemn Colorado attack, call for more action at home
In the wake of another antisemitic attack in the U.S., organizations representing the Canadian Jewish community condemned the incident and renewed their call for governments to take concrete steps to prevent more like it.
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On Sunday in Boulder, Col., eight people were injured, some with serious burns, when 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly used Molotov cocktails and an improvised flamethrower on a small group of people assembled to raise attention for the remaining 58 Israeli hostages in Gaza.
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Abraham Global Peace Initiative CEO and founder Avi Benlolo said he was saddened by the incident, but 'not surprised.'
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It's the byproduct, he said, of demonstrators becoming 'much more hostile, much more desperate' in an effort to seek attention. And he thinks it's only going to escalate.
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'I think we're going to see more Colorados,' he told National Post Monday.
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In a post to X, B'nai Brith Canada called it 'a cowardly act of hate filled violence' and suggested this and other recent antisemitic attacks 'are emblematic of what happens when radical extremism is allowed to flourish and when hatred is incited without consequence.'
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B'nai Brith Canada stands in solidarity with the Jewish community in Boulder, Colorado. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack.
Targeting a group that was peacefully gathered to call for the release of the hostages is a cowardly act of hate filled…
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) June 1, 2025
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Less than two weeks ago in Washington, D.C., two Israeli Embassy staff members — Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26 — were shot and killed by a gunman who later yelled 'Free Palestine' while being arrested.
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Hamas's infiltration of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — during which 1,195 people were killed and 251 more were taken hostage — and the Israeli military's response have led to a wave of antisemitic attacks in Western countries, including Canada.
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And while there haven't been any hate crimes resulting in the deaths of Jewish people in Canada, there has been a marked increase in other offences in the 19 months since hostilities began with the terrorist group in Gaza.
In 2023, of the 1,284 hate crimes targeting a religion — a jump of 67 per cent from 2022 — 900 were against Jewish people, that's over 70 per cent of all hate crimes and a 71 per cent increase over the previous year, according to Statistics Canada police-reported hate crime data.
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There were more than four times as many antisemitic hate crimes as the second-most targeted religious minority, Muslims.
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In Toronto, antisemitic hate crime spiked 76 per cent in 2023 over the year prior, with almost 68 of the 146 occurring after October, per the Toronto Police public safety data portal.
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That figure climbed 20.5 per cent in 2024 with 176 reported hate crimes targeting Jewish people, which represented 81 per cent of all religion bias hate offences.
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That includes three shootings at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School in North York — which was unoccupied at the time — and vandalism at the Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue, among other unpublicized incidents.
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In response to Sunday's events, Toronto police said Monday officers would continue to maintain a heightened presence around places of worship, community centres, schools and other faith-based locations as they have since the Washington attack.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sometimes we're left with the power of words
Opinion I'm not a head of state. I'm not a general. I'm not a billionaire. I'm a writer. And in times like these, that is both a burden and a responsibility. The world is on fire — again. Israel and Iran are locked in a war that has already killed hundreds, including civilians, children, and hospital patients. Missiles have struck medical centers. Entire cities are bracing for what comes next. In Gaza, the death toll continues to rise, with over 55,000 Palestinians killed since 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. And still, more than 50 Israeli hostages remain in captivity in Gaza — some confirmed alive, others feared dead — while their families wait in anguish for a world too distracted to remember. In Ukraine, Russia's illegal war of aggression grinds into its fourth year. Russia continues to bomb civilian infrastructure and resist ceasefire proposals. In recent weeks, Kyiv and Kharkiv have seen some of the deadliest strikes since the invasion began. Apartment blocks flattened. Hospitals hit. The United Nations reports that more than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians remain imprisoned inside Russia. At least 19,000 Ukrainian children, in age from four months to 17 years, have been forceably moved in a systematic campaign into Russia, fracturing their connection to Ukrainian language and heritage through 're-education, and even disconnecting children from their Ukrainian identities through adoption,' notes the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. And still, the bombs fall. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Trump regime has launched what it proudly calls the 'largest mass deportation program in history.' ICE raids have escalated in Democratic-led cities. National Guard units have been deployed to suppress demonstrations. Daily arrest quotas have tripled. People are being detained en masse — not for crimes, but for where they were born. This is not a dystopian novel. This is the news. And yet, I worry we are becoming numb. That we are scrolling past suffering. That we are mistaking fatigue for neutrality. So I write. Because I believe, as James Baldwin said, 'Nothing can be changed until it is faced.' And I believe that facing it begins with naming it. Let's name it. Let's name the fact that the United Nations Human Rights Office has warned of a global collapse in accountability. That civilians are being deliberately targeted. That starvation is being used as a weapon. That executions are on the rise. That civic space is closing in country after country. That the world is not just in crisis — it is in retreat. And as the planet records its hottest year yet, the climate crisis continues to accelerate — fueling floods, fires, and famine — while the world's largest banks pour billions more into fossil fuels. Let's name the fact that economic injustice is not a side issue. It is the soil from which every cruelty grows. The richest one per cent now control almost half of global wealth. The poorest 50 per cent own just over one per cent. This isn't just inequality — it's economic apartheid. And when people lose faith in fairness, they lose faith in democracy. Let's name the fact that authoritarianism doesn't always arrive with tanks. Sometimes it comes wrapped in a flag. Or disguised as policy. Or piped through a social media algorithm. Sometimes it comes with a smile and a slogan. And let's name the fact that silence is not neutral. It's a decision. And it's one that history rarely forgives. Even here in Canada — my home, my hope — we are not immune. We remain a bastion of liberal democracy, of pluralism, of dignity. But we are also a country still reckoning with the legacy of residential schools, with inequality that cuts along racial and economic lines, with disinformation and political polarization. Our democracy is not unshakeable. It survives only because people believe in it. And act to protect it. I take comfort — and courage — from those who came before me. From Émile Zola, who risked everything to write J'Accuse! when France betrayed justice. From Anne Frank, who believed in goodness even as the world collapsed outside her hiding place. From Margaret Atwood, who reminds us that dystopias are not predictions — they are warnings. From Salman Rushdie, who nearly died for his words, and still refuses to stop writing. These writers didn't just describe the world. They challenged it. They didn't just bear witness. They bore consequence. And so must we. I don't pretend that writing alone can stop a war. But I do believe writing can stop forgetting. It can preserve the truth when propaganda poisons the air. It can remind us that history only moves forward when people pick up the pen — and use it. Anne Frank once wrote: 'How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.' She was fifteen. She was hiding. And she was right. So I write. Because I refuse to wait. Because I refuse to forget. Because I refuse to be silent. And if you're reading this, I hope you'll write too. Martin Zeilig is a writer and journalist based in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tarnished by Oct. 7, Netanyahu's legacy may be reshaped by war with Iran
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In the days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed a shellshocked shadow of himself. He looked diminished and downtrodden by the surprise assault that created a national emergency and caused his public support to plummet. Now, as Israel faces another unprecedented crisis in a war with Iran, Netanyahu appears rejuvenated. With the U.S. lending its support against a threat he has devoted his life to confronting, Netanyahu is demonstrating a resurgent confidence that could signal a new turning point in his lengthy political career. Even as Iranian missiles pound Israeli cities, Netanyahu, 75, has the chance to salvage his sagging political fortunes and reshape a legacy punctured by Hamas' attacks, a corruption trial and a history of divisive rule. If he succeeds, it will cement his reputation within Israel as a political wizard who can rise from the ashes. 'Netanyahu has proven that he is a phoenix,' said veteran Israeli journalist and Netanyahu biographer Mazal Mualem. Netanyahu's troubled legacy is granted a lifeline The war is far from won. Israel is still vulnerable to Iranian attacks, and whatever political boost Netanyahu gains from the latest developments could dissipate by elections scheduled for next year. He is the same polarizing leader he was yesterday. Internationally, he faces an arrest warrant for charges of war crimes in Gaza. He is widely reviled across the Arab world. And after nearly two years of regionwide conflict, many critics see him as a warmonger responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East. But domestically, where Netanyahu's eyes are always focused, his legacy has been granted a lifeline. Many Israelis are attuned to Netanyahu's campaign against Iran's nuclear program, which they view as a major threat to their country and are therefore relieved by the direct involvement of the U.S. military. 'Netanyahu is seen as a very divisive and destructive leader. He is seen as someone who talks a lot and doesn't do anything,' said Aviv Bushinsky, a former Netanyahu aide. 'Today, Netanyahu redeemed himself, big time.' In an early morning video statement after the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, Netanyahu could barely contain a smile as he thanked President Donald Trump. He said the intervention would 'change history.' It's a stunning turnaround for an Israeli leader who critics and analysts largely wrote off in the days after Oct. 7, when he presided over the deadliest attack in Israel's history. Many hold Netanyahu personally responsible for overseeing policies that enabled Hamas to retain power in Gaza for many years and build up a formidable arsenal. Netanyahu has been buoyed occasionally since then by military successes against Hamas and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. But with the Gaza war dragging on with no end in sight, and dozens of Israeli hostages still in captivity, his approval ratings have remained low. The week-old assault on Iran, highlighted by Sunday's U.S. attack, grants Netanyahu a chance for salvation. Netanyahu's yearslong focus on Iran The war caps a yearslong focus — some would say obsession — by Netanyahu on Iran and its nuclear program. Since his first term as prime minister in the 1990s, and throughout his current, nearly uninterrupted 16-year rule, he has made challenging Iran's nuclear program his life's work. Netanyahu has long portrayed Iran as an existential threat — pointing not only to its nuclear program, but also its development of long-range missiles aimed at Israel and support for hostile militant groups on Israel's borders. Iran became a repeated theme in his speeches to the Israeli and international public. He famously hoisted a cartoon bomb from the dais of U.N. General Assembly as he accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran insists the program is for civilian purposes. At the same time, Netanyahu has made no mention of Israel's own widely suspected nuclear weapons arsenal. Netanyahu took significant diplomatic risks to pursue his crusade, including with a 2015 speech to Congress that was organized by Republican lawmakers, angering the Obama administration. During the speech, he railed against a U.S.-led deal on Iran's nuclear program just as negotiators were wrapping up its details. Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the agreement during his first term. Some critics say that it was Netanyahu's laser focus on Iran, and the military and intelligence resources devoted to it, that blinded the Israeli leader and the defense establishment to the threat Hamas in Gaza. Hamas' attack is a stain on Netanyahu's legacy Hamas' attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, blindsided Israel. Netanyahu, who likes to portray himself as a security hawk and the only true guardian of Israel, is seen by many as having promoted a failed strategy in the years preceding the Oct. 7 attack by sending huge amounts of aid into in Gaza under the misconception that Hamas was deterred. In fact, the Palestinian militant group would stage a brutal assault that would crush Israel's vaunted defenses and change the course of history. In the aftermath of Hamas' attack, Netanyahu's public support plummeted. Netanyahu shrugged off accountability for Hamas' attacks, pointing a finger at his security chiefs and rejecting demands for a public inquiry into the failures. He says he will answer tough questions about his role after the war, now in its 21st month. Any political boost from the war could fade by elections Netanyahu's work is not done. The war in Gaza grinds on, and Netanyahu still dreams of seeing a normalization deal between Israel and Arab powerhouse Saudi Arabia as part of his legacy. The question remains whether Netanyahu will rebound politically from the Iran war. Polls taken last week showed that Netanyahu would still struggle to form a coalition if elections were held today. Even if he gets a bump from Sunday's U.S. attack, it's not clear how long that might last. Bushinsky compared Netanyahu's potential political predicament to a world leader he likes to compare himself to, Winston Churchill, who, after leading the allies in triumphantly defeating the Nazis in World War II, did not get reelected in a 1945 vote in part because public priorities shifted dramatically. 'Bibi may be 'King of Israel,' Bushinsky said, using a nickname for Netanyahu popular among his supporters, 'but even a king has his limits.'
Vancouver Sun
6 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
World braces for Iran's response after U.S. strikes signal new era
(Bloomberg) — The unprecedented US airstrikes on Iran have set traders and governments worldwide on edge, as the Islamic Republic warns of retaliation and Israel shows no sign of letting up in its assault. President Donald Trump's decision to deploy bunker-busting bombs, Washington's first direct military action against Iran after decades of hostility, has pushed the Middle East into uncharted territory and raised geopolitical risk in a world economy already facing severe uncertainty over his trade war. Oil rose almost 6% when markets opened Monday morning in Asia, with analysts warning $100 a barrel is in sight depending on Iran's further response to the conflict, which began June 13 with a surprise attack by Israel. The US dollar pushed higher, stock futures fell and Bitcoin slid below $100,000 for the first time since early May. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The extensive US operation — which targeted nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — included 125 aircraft, strikes by Tomahawk missiles launched from a submarine and the use of 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, the first time such bunker busters were used in combat. At the United Nations on Sunday, Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told an emergency Security Council meeting that the 'timing nature and scale' of Tehran's response 'will be decided by its armed forces.' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier said the country reserves all options to respond. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which answers to the Iran's supreme leader, signaled US military bases in the region could be targeted. Trump has vowed to meet any retaliation with force 'far greater' than the US strikes on the nuclear sites. He also floated the possibility of regime change in Iran, although US and Israeli officials Sunday stressed that isn't their aim. Police in New York, Washington and Los Angeles increased patrols at religious institutions, diplomatic facilities and public spaces. Officials cited no immediate credible threats but highlighted the need for vigilance. The Department of Homeland Security said the Israel-Iran war has placed the US in a 'heightened threat environment' through Sept. 22. It's still unclear how successful the US strikes were in eliminating Iran's most heavily protected enrichment site at Fordow. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which officially has the task of monitoring Iran's program, told the UN Security Council on Sunday that no one yet knows the condition of the facility, nor the location of Iran's more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. Any move by Tehran to harass traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery for global crude and natural gas, has raised the specter of a spike in energy prices at a fragile moment for the global economy. The World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Monetary Fund have all downgraded their growth forecasts in recent months. 'An expanding conflict adds to the risk of higher oil prices and an upward impulse to inflation,' Bloomberg Economics analysts including Ziad Daoud wrote in a report. Naval forces in the region warned that ships, especially US-linked vessels, could be at heightened risk. Greece, home to more oil-tanker capacity than any other nation, cautioned its ship owners to think again if they're considering entering the Persian Gulf. Two supertankers both capable of hauling about 2 million barrels of crude U-turned in the Strait of Hormuz, entering the waterway then abruptly changing course on Sunday. British Airways and Singapore Airlines canceled flights to the Persian Gulf, increasing aviation disruptions in the region. While the US action was condemned by the likes of Russia and China, even allies such as UK and France distanced themselves from Trump's decision. Iran, meanwhile, finds itself isolated. Tehran's top allies — Russia and China — are offering only rhetorical support, while the militia groups Tehran has armed and funded for years are refusing or unable to enter the fight. Iran's Araghchi said he plans to travel to Moscow, although Russian officials have made it clear that a cooperation treaty the two countries signed in January doesn't include mutual-defense obligations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in a news conference to continue Israel's military campaign in Iran as well as in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it hit a surface-to-air missile launcher in Tehran, while in western Iran, Israeli jets struck infrastructure for storage and missile launches as well as satellites and military radar sites.
