Toronto
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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) on Tuesday denounced a series of antisemitic incidents that occurred at a school in the North York district of Toronto.

Last Friday, a parent informed FSWC that students had depicted swastikas in a classroom at Charles H. Best Middle School earlier in the week, prior to which students performed the Hitler salute in front of classmates.

FSWC immediately notified the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and offered resources to help address these incidents.

FSWC noted in Tuesday’s statement that the school is located in the Bathurst Manor neighborhood, an area with a large Jewish population, where many Holocaust survivors live and the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial site is located.

"It is extremely disturbing to once again learn of antisemitism rearing its ugly head at a school in Toronto. At a time of rising antisemitism, it's essential for schools to have the resources to address and prevent such hate incidents and ensure safe spaces for all students," said FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt.

"As we see Holocaust awareness diminish, an increase in the use of vile Nazi symbols and the spread of antisemitic rhetoric, especially on social media and gaming platforms, educating students and empowering them to stand up against hate is more critical than ever. We must never be silent in the face of Jew-hatred in our community and in our country," added Levitt.

The statement further said that FSWC has been receiving multiple reports per week of antisemitic incidents taking place at schools in Toronto.

In a letter to parents, the principal of Charles H. Best Middle School called the incidents “unacceptable.”

“As soon as these incidents were brought to our attention we took immediate steps to address the issue and continue to investigate,” Principal Elever Baker said. “On behalf of Charles H. Best Middle School, we acknowledge and regret the harm this incident caused to members of our school community and to our shared school climate.”

The letter noted that the antisemitic incidents “are not reflective of who we are and what we stand for as a school community.”

The incident comes amid a rise in antisemitic incidents in Canada in recent years.

Last March, Statistics Canada released its annual survey of police-reported hate crimes which found that Jews have remained by far the most targeted religious group for hate crimes in Canada.

The Statistics Canada report found that there were 1,946 police-reported hate crimes in Canada in 2019, up 7 percent from a year earlier.

Last April, B’nai Brith Canada released its Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which found that antisemitic incidents in Canada have increased 18 percent since 2019.

The study affirms that Canadian Jews remain the most targeted religious group in the country.

FSWC recently partnered with the Ontario government to help further combat antisemitism in schools.

Through the Ministry of Education, FSWC is receiving $148,000 to support the creation of its Antisemitism Classroom Toolkit (ACT), a collection of bilingual resources and programs that will introduce students to the topic of antisemitism, historical and contemporary, and ways to recognize and address it. This will include workshops and webinars for students and parents, FSWC said in a statement.