Left-leaning Jews say NDP's preoccupation with Israel leaves them politically homeless
NDP says Sandra Sousa campaign worker who told family that Israeli Jews should be deported to New York City has been removed
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OTTAWA — They’ve become political orphans.
With the federal NDP becoming increasingly intertwined with anti-Israel activism, Canada’s left-leaning Jews say they’ve become excluded from the party they once called home.
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Left-leaning Jews say NDP's preoccupation with Israel leaves them politically homeless Back to video
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And this sentiment is tangible in the midtown Toronto riding of Davenport, where prominent anti-Israel activist Sandra Sousa is the NDP’s candidate — much to the concern of the party’s Jewish supporters.
One of those is Joanna Salit, who told the Toronto Sun that Sousa refuses to meet with a local organization of concerned Jewish Davenport residents.
“Our group has met with our Liberal incumbent (Julie Dzerowicz), we’ve met with our city councillor, we’ve met with the Conservative (Francis Lavoie) running in our riding,” she said.
“We’ve reached out to Sandra a number of times, and she’s refusing to meet with us.”
Those who spoke with the Sun said Davenport’s Jews tend to lean left and often vote NDP — but they’re now saying Sousa’s anti-Israel activism has made their continued support of the party a non-starter.
Sousa is the founder of “Davenport for Palestine” — a group who residents say regularly poster the riding with anti-Israel literature, organize pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Dzerowicz’s riding office, and renamed a neighbourhood public space “Gaza Square” for use as a hub for their activism.
“There are posters all over our neighbourhood that are anti-Israel, and basically inciting Jew hatred against us,” Salit said.
Concerns came to a head after one of Sousa’s campaigners told a resident at their door that Israeli Jews should be “deported to New York City.”
That campaign worker, said an NDP spokesperson, has been kicked from the campaign, and Sousa has apologized to the family.
Sousa’s campaign documents speak of her activism opposing what she describes as Canada’s “complicity” in Israel’s so-called occupation and “genocide” in Gaza.
She is also a signatory to the “Palestine platform,” writing on Instagram that her community has “advocated so strongly on this issue over the last 18 months.”
The Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks saw Palestinian terrorists conduct a campaign of murder, kidnappings and sexual assault against Israeli men, women and children.
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Tammy, another Jewish resident who’s lived in Davenport for decades, told the Sun she grew concerned over how limited Sousa’s platform was, myopically targeting Israel while giving local issues short shrift.
“She’s not talking about anything to do with Davenport,” Tammy said.
“She has zero experience, and the only thing she has going for her is that she started a ‘free Palestine’ movement and it’s like, ‘Dude, we’re not going to pay you to represent our community in Parliament.'”
Sousa’s staff, Tammy said, initially agreed to meet with the group.
“I said, ‘OK, there are 10 of us that would very much like to meet you and talk about Jewish interests, because if you become elected, you’ll be representing the Jews, too,'” she said.
“And then she said, ‘No.'”
A statement to the Sun from Sousa said she’s committed to meeting as many constituents as possible
“I’ve been out knocking on doors, making phone calls, and answering emails and social media DMs (direct messages) to ensure that I am meeting the people of Davenport where they are,” she said.
“As someone who is asking the people of this riding to place their trust in me to fight for the things they care about in Ottawa, it is vital that I have open communication with as many people as possible.”
Sophie, a lifelong NDP voter and Davenport resident, said she was shocked upon learning that Sousa was her party’s candidate.
“I don’t think she’s unifying our community at all; she’s really dividing our community,” she said.
“We’ve tried to reach out to her as a community, but she really did not want to talk to us.”
An Israeli-Canadian who had previously lived in a kibbutz that was targeted by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, Sophie said there isn’t anywhere for left-leaning Jews in Canada politically anymore.
“I just feel voiceless, completely voiceless, hurt and angry,” she said.
“Honestly, I don’t know who to vote for.”
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