Antisemitism in Canada

Antisemitism in Canada has affected Canadian Jews ever since Canada’s Jewish community was established in the 18th century.[1][2]

1930s-1940s

Between 1930 and 1939, Canada rejected almost all Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe, taking in only 4,000 of the 800,000 Jews looking for refuge. MS St. Louis sailed from Hamburg in May 1939, carrying 937 Jewish refugees seeking asylum from Nazi persecution.[3] The destination was Cuba, but officials in Havana cancelled Jewish passengers' visas. Jewish immigration was strictly limited in North America, so the passengers were denied entrance to Canada and the United States.[3]

Outbreaks of violence against Jews and Jewish property culminated in August 1933 with the Christie Pits riots; six hours of violent conflict between Jewish and Christian youth in Toronto, Ontario. Swastikas and Nazi slogans began to crop up on Toronto’s eastern beaches, and Jewish swimmers were attacked.[4][5]

In 1934, Adrien Arcand started a Parti national social chrétien in Montreal patterned after the Nazi party. His party’s actions resulted in anti-Semitic rallies, boycotts, propaganda and literature, and the inception of several other Nazi-like organizations throughout Canada. Also in 1934, all interns at Hôpital Notre-Dame in Montréal walked off the job to protest the hiring of a Jewish senior intern who had graduated from the Université de Montréal, Dr. Samuel Rabinovitch. The dispute was resolved after several days when the new intern resigned his position. The hospital administration did arrange another internship post for Dr. Rabinovitch in St. Louis, Missouri where he remained until 1940, after which he returned to Montréal and a medical practice.[6][7]

In 1938, a National Fascism Convention was held in Toronto's Massey Hall.[8]

Anti-semitic residential segregation was also prevalent during the 1930s and 1940s, and was accomplished through restrictive covenants. These were agreements among owners of properties to not sell or rent to members of certain races, including Jews, or were clauses registered against deeds by land developers that restricted ownership based on racial origin. At the time, restrictive covenants could be enforced by the courts.[8]

A 1943 Gallup poll put Jews in third place, behind the Japanese and Germans, as the least desirable immigrants to Canada.[8]

A 1948 article on anti-Semitism in Canada written for MacLean’s magazine by Pierre Berton illustrates this racism: Berton hired two young women to apply for the same jobs, one under the name Greenberg, and the other under the name Grimes. While Grimes received interviews for nearly every application, positions available for Grimes were "already filled" when Greenberg applied, or Greenberg’s applications were ignored. When Berton contacted several of these companies, he was told, “Jews did not have the right temperament,” that “they don’t know their place” or that “we don’t employ Jews.”[8]

Berton, during his research on Canadian anti-Semitism, sent two different letters to 29 summer resorts, one signed Marshall, the other signed Rosenberg. "Marshall" was able to book twice as many reservations as "Rosenberg." Some resorts did not reply to "Rosenberg", and some told "Rosenberg" they were fully booked.[8]

1950–present

Antisemitism is still a concern in Canada.[9] On April 12, 2012, several Jewish-owned summer homes in Val Morin were broken into and defaced with swastikas and anti-semitic messages.

In 2009 Anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on a Jewish memorial in Ottawa.At the same year, the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism was established by major federal political parties to investigate and combat antisemitism, namely new antisemitism.[10] The League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith monitors incidents and issues an annual audit of these events. On November 2011 an antisemitic attack took place at the south Winnipeg high school when a teen approached a 15-year-old girl as they crossed paths near his locker and began talking to her. He pulled out a lighter and started flicking it near her head, saying, "let's burn the Jew".[11]

Data and Analysis

According to the "2013 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents" written by the B'nai Brith Canada, there was a decrease of 5.3% in the number of antisemitic incidents during 2013. Despite that, cases of vandalism rose by 21.8% while violence increased by one incident and harassment cases dropped by 13.9%.[12] These incidents include antisemitic graffiti, paintings of swastikas in Jewish neighborhood, firebomb attacks, antisemitic statements, etc.[13] Antisemitic graffiti and swastika inscriptions has been also found during 2014.[14][15]

In March 2015, a Toronto police published the 2014 Annual Hate/Bias Crime Statistical Report. According to the report, the victim group most targeted in 2014 was the Jewish community, with occurrence of 30% of all the hate crimes in Toronto. The total number of reported incidents that occurred on antisemitic base was 52, which makes the Jewish community to the most targeted population to assaults.[16][17]

In June 2015, B'nai B'rith Canada published the "2014 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents". Contrasted with 2014 results, there was an increase of almost 30% in antisemitic incidents. The audit showed a peak of acts during July with the onset of operation Protective Edge in Gaza. According to the report, most of the incidents (1013) were defined as 'harassment', when the fewest (19) were under the category of 'violence'. As in previous years audits, Ontario leads the number of incidents reported at 961, or 59% of the total.[18]

Annual Incidents Figures by Category 2012-2014 [18]
Category 2012 2013 2014
1. Vandalism 319 388 238
2. Violence 13 14 19
3. Harassment 1013 872 1370
TOTAL 1345 1274 1627

According to a phone survey of 510 Canadians conducted by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) in 2013-2014, an estimated 14% (+/- 4.4%) of the adult population in Canada harbor substantial antisemitic opinions.[19]

On March 2016 the Toronto Police published its annual report of hate-crimes during 2015. According to it, the Jewish population is the group most targeted to hate-crimes. Moreover, in occurrences involve religion, most of the victims are part of the Jewish community (in 31 out of 58 cases). [20]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Manuel Prutschi, "Anti-Semitism in Canada", Fall 2004. Accessed March 29, 2008.
  2. ↑ Dr. Karen Mock, "Hate Propaganda and Anti-Semitism: Canadian Realities", April 9, 1996. Accessed March 29, 2008.
  3. 1 2 "The Story: The Voyage". Voyage of the St. Louis. Washington, DC: United States Memorial Holocaust Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  4. ↑ Remembering Toronto's Christie Pits Riot Daniel Bitonti, The Globe and Mail, Aug.9, 2013
  5. ↑ Remembering the Christie Pits riot Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star, Aug.10, 2013
  6. ↑ Days of shame, Montreal, 1934 Peter Wilton, CMAJ Dec. 9, 2003 vol. 169 no. 12 p.1329
  7. ↑ Doctor was central figure in 1934 hospital strike David Lazarus, Canadian Jewish News Nov. 25, 2010
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Adelman, Howard and John H. Simpson, eds. Multiculturalism, Jews and Identities in Canada. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1996.
  9. ↑ "Anti-semitism incidents jump five-fold in Canada". thestar.com. 2010-04-11. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  10. ↑ http://www.cpcca.ca/about.htm
  11. ↑ Turner, James (01/2/2014). "Judge agrees lighter attack at a high school not racially motivated". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 27 April 2014. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ "2013 Audit of antisemitic incidents" (PDF). B'nai Brith. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Antisemitic Incidents". CFCA. CFCA. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  14. ↑ "Photo Galleries Racist, anti-Semitic graffiti found near Ottawa River". CBC News. Apr 19, 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Swastika was scrawled at the entrance to Kiryas Tosh". CFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Lungen, Paul (March 23, 2015). "Police find Jews most targeted for hate crimes". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Police find Jews most targeted for hate crimes". CFCA. Toronto Police. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  18. 1 2 "2014 Annual Audit Of Antisemitic Incidents" (PDF). B'nei Brith. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "ADL global 100- Canada". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Toronto Police Service 2015 Annual Hate/Bias Crime Statistical Report". Toronto Police Service. Retrieved 28 March 2016.

References

External links

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