KINSELLA: Flood of antisemitic hate seeping its way into Ontario schools

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The worst places for the explosion in antisemitic hate?

The United States, and then Europe — unsurprising, given their relative populations. But the country that has had nearly as many antisemitic crimes as all of the rest of the world?

Canada.

Antisemitism — Jew hatred — has metastasized like a virus within this country. The statistics do not lie. Wherever one looks in Canada these days, antisemitism can be seen. In our streets, on our computer screens, in the media: The cancer of Jew hatred is ubiquitous in 2025.

And, too often, those we entrust with authority — teachers, union leaders, politicians, police, prosecutors, media — seem to be completely indifferent to it. But there are grim consequences that flow from that indifference.

Children, as any parents knows, are always watching. They observe grown-ups, they listen and they remember. And now Canadians children are clearly acting on what they have seen and heard elsewhere.

The Justin Trudeau Liberal government generally did an atrocious job combatting antisemitism. About that, there can be little debate. But a few days, ago, Mark Carney’s Ottawa actually did something useful: It released a report titled Antisemitism in Ontario’s K-12 Schools and — even in these dark days — it is a shocker.

Authored by respected University of Toronto professor Robert Brym, commissioned by the Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, the detailed report studied “the prevalence, nature and impact of antisemitic incidents in elementary and secondary schools” across Canada’s largest province. There was a lot of it.

Brym interviewed 600 parents and examined nearly 800 antisemitic incidents at Ontario schools between October 2023 — when Hamas and Gazans killed, wounded, raped or kidnapped thousands of people in Israel — and January.

Among his findings:

— “Nearly one in six antisemitic incidents were initiated or approved by a teacher or involve a school-sanctioned activity.”

— “Just over two-thirds of antisemitic incidents occurred in English public schools … 14% of incidents occurred in French, Catholic and non-Jewish private schools.”

— “Nearly three-quarters of antisemitic incidents took place in the Toronto District School Board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the York Region District School Board.”

— “(Half) of antisemitic incidents reported to school authorities were not investigated. In another nearly 9% of cases, school authorities denied the incident was antisemitic or recommended that the victim be removed from the school.”

— “Because of antisemitic incidents experienced by their children, 16% of parents moved their children to another school or are considering doing so. Some moved houses to enrol their children in different schools.”

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Jewish children described experiencing Holocaust denial, accusations that Jews have excessive wealth or power, were “baby killers” and were told “F— you, Jews,” “Jews are vermin,” and, “Jews are cheap.” Jewish kids reported being hit, pushed, threatened and spat on. Much of the time, Brym noted, children did not want their parents to do anything because they feared increased harassment or bullying.

The Toronto District School Board had the worst of it by far with 40% of Jewish kids reporting being targeted with antisemitism. Its response to the problem? In the midst of that disturbing surge in Jew hatred, the TDSB shrugged — and sped up implementing a strategy to deal with what it called “anti-Palestinian racism.”

Meanwhile, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board came second with a fifth of enrolled Jewish kids experiencing hate. While antisemitism was escalating at the OCDSB, it published a policy declaring that kids were permitted to wave Palestinian flags, wear keffiyehs, call for a “free Palestine” and fundraise for anti-Israel causes.

In an interview, Brym said: “I was surprised by some results. For example, I was surprised that more than 40% of antisemitic incidents in Ontario’s K-12 schools involve Nazi-inspired salutes, assertions that Hitler should have finished the job and the like.”

Asked if school boards were doing enough to deal with antisemitism in their schools, Brym was unequivocal: “Absolutely not.”

Children aren’t born hating. They have to be taught it.

And in many Ontario school boards, they are learning their lessons too well.