EDITORIAL: Time for zero tolerance for anti-Semitic threats

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Disturbing bomb threats were sent to more than 100 Jewish organizations across the country this week. A mass email threatening use of explosive devices was sent to synagogues, hospitals and community organizations in several major cities.

According to B’nai Brith Canada director of research Richard Robertson, one said in part, “You will all end up in a pool of blood, none of you deserve to keep living.”

There’s no indication at this time of who sent the emails and it would be wrong and foolish to point fingers until police have completed their investigations.

What’s important is to recognize this as an act of terror. It strikes fear in the lives of everyday Canadians. It’s one more step in the normalization of anti-Semitism.

It’s time for those community leaders who fan the flames of hatred and then claim they’re making “anti-Israel” statements and not indulging in anti-Semitism to do some soul-searching. They’re spouting dangerous nonsense when they should be calming the waters.

This is just more of the campaign of Jew hatred we have seen on campuses and our streets. In Toronto, Jewish schools have been shot up and businesses vandalized. Toronto Police said recently that anti-Semitism is to blame for almost 45% of hate crimes in 2024.

It’s not enough for politicians to wring their hands, denounce the act and pay lip service to keeping people in the Jewish community safe. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on X that he was “disgusted” by the reports and called it “blatant anti-Semitism.

“The RCMP is in contact with local law enforcement to investigate, and we’re working with them to keep Jewish Canadians safe,” he said, before returning to his regular X posts about golf tournaments and trips to bagel shops.

Jewish Canadians haven’t felt safe in their own country since the Hamas terror attacks of Oct  7. It’s time for our leaders to match their words with actions and show zero tolerance for acts of intimidation.

Enough’s enough. We need our police to protect the Jewish community. We need leaders to unequivocally denounce all acts of violence. And we need the perpetrators of these vile threats to understand that Canadians will not stand for their hateful acts.