EDITORIAL: Politicians silent as Jews are demonized

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The murder of two young Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C., allegedly by a lone gunman who shouted “Free, free Palestine” as he was being arrested, was shocking but not surprising.

The two young Israeli embassy staffers who were about to became engaged — Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26 — were shot to death as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, allegedly by 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, who is now in police custody.

Given the unprecedented level of antisemitism that has been on the march ever since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, tragedies of this type are inevitable.

They are the logical escalation of Jew hatred, which starts with hate speech, intimidation, threats and vandalism.

Applying this tragedy to a Canadian context, what Canada’s besieged Jewish community does not need are more pro-forma denunciations of antisemitism from politicians.

What is needed is an acknowledgement of reality by Prime Minister Mark Carney, provincial premiers, municipal mayors and police forces across Canada.

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An acknowledgment — and meaningful action against — so-called “pro-Palestinian” demonstrations that are not genuine protests against the suffering of the Palestinians caused by the military actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Gaza.

If they were, the protesters would not be targeting Jewish synagogues in Canada, or Jewish community centres, or Jewish neighbourhoods, or Jewish hospitals, or Jewish day schools, or Jewish students attending university, or businesses owned by Jews.

In the real world, the purpose of these demonstrations is to provoke hatred against Jews for the sole reason that they are Jews.

When our political leaders fail to call out this out, they are implicitly saying that their silence gives consent — that attacking Jews in Canada is justified because of the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza.

That’s as insane as blaming Muslims in Canada for the terrorism of Hamas.

It is one thing for the government of Canada to condemn the actions of the Netanyahu government in Gaza, hardly surprising since the harshest criticism of Netanyahu comes from within Israel.

But it is moral cowardice not to denounce the calculated and continuing campaign to demonize Canada’s Jewish citizens and it is a dereliction of duty not to enforce our laws against it.