Today, the office of the Canadian Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism released a report detailing the results of a federally commissioned survey on Antisemitism in Ontario’s K-12 Schools.
The report documented 781 antisemitic incidents in Ontario K-12 schools, which affected about 3,000 Jewish students. More than 40% of antisemitic incidents involved Nazi salutes, such as assertions that Hitler should have "finished the job." Other chants included “F*** you Jews,” “Jews are vermin,” and “Jews are cheap.” Fewer than 60% of antisemitic incidents refered to Israel or the Israel-Hamas war.
Nearly one in six antisemitic incidents were initiated or approved by a teacher or involved a school-sanctioned activity. In one case, a teacher told a six-year-old girl that she was "half-human" because she had a Jewish parent.
49% of the incidents, or about half, were not investigated by the schools where they took place.
Josh Landau, Director, Government Relations - Ontario, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, released a statement in response to the report detailing the rise of antisemitism in Ontario schools.
“This federal report makes one thing clear: the status quo for Ontario Jewish students is unsustainable and unacceptable," Landau stated. “It’s no coincidence that Toronto and Ottawa-Carleton school boards—two of the boards the Ford Government placed under supervision—are also some of the most hostile environments for Jewish students and teachers."
“To protect Jewish students and staff, it is imperative that the provincial government accelerate the implementation of the recently delayed expanded mandatory Holocaust curriculum to address the troubling lack of understanding and ongoing dehumanization of Jews. Further, there is an urgent need for the government to mandate that school boards adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to ensure acts of antisemitism are reported properly and without personal bias.
“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,” Landau said.
