Another Rally, Another Missed Opportunity
Proactive Solutions Not Included
This is a guest post from Toronto writer Dave Gordon. Gordon is a freelance writer and editor. His work has been published in the Washington Times, New York Times, National Post, Globe and Mail, BBC, and other A-list media. He was bred in Toronto, buttered in Brooklyn.
The July 31, 2024 event organized by and at Toronto’s Pride of Israel Synagogue, was billed as “An Evening of Solidarity Against Hate” – and judging by the crowd of 1,500, it would appear a significant number of people indeed wanted to gather in solidarity against hate.
As might be expected, the usual anti-Israel raucous protesters came out, that ironically showed the rest of us the kind of hate we all need to stand against. They wore keffiyehs and black tee-shirts that said, “Say No to Genocide” and “Jews for Palestine.” This was not billed as a political event, nor anything having to do with Israel. In fact, it was as bi-partisan as you can get. Simply, again, “solidarity against hate.” But it’s too much to expect for these “Jews for Palestine” to stand up against antisemitism
Rebel News caught on film at least two protesters among the dozen or so filmed, who expressed support for Hamas. They screamed the usual slogans. They took to the front steps of the synagogue, sitting in locked arms, shouting rhyming couplets about genocide, until law enforcement removed them.
Those same protesters expressed their befuddlement to police, that it was unfair they weren’t being allowed to enter the event.
Theatre and stunts for social media, to be sure, because leafleting, or setting up a booth on the sidewalk with the banner “Israel is committing genocide, change my mind,” isn’t Instagrammable.
(As an aside, I wished the event name was specific. What precisely is the “hate” we’re discussing? Sikh-phobia? Transphobia? Hindu-phobia? Let’s not be afraid to say it: antisemitism or Jew-hatred. It’s not hard.)
Taking the stage were MPs Anthony Housefather, Melissa Lantsman, Ya’ara Saks, Don Stewart, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, MPP Michael Kerzner, and Laura Smith, among others. They were there to tell us how hate has no place in Toronto, and that they will stand with the Jewish community. Some – not all – was boilerplate paint-by-numbers platitudes, the likes of which has been seen before on their X accounts.
The only politician to get roundly booed was the member of parliament for York Centre, Ya’ara Saks.
It’s not difficult to understand why. It’s one thing, with the Liberal government’s long-documented complicity and complacency on antisemitism, and its seesaw, amoral stance on Israel. But the York Centre’s MP Chamberlain-like caressing of an arch-terrorist-Holocaust-denier’s arm, in a grinning photo-op, really takes the knafeh.
Made worse by the fact that she a) is Jewish b) represents a highly-Jewish riding, and c) knows that Mahmoud Abbas has before, and since Oct. 7, expressed support for murdering Jews.
She had ample opportunity after the fact to Tweet out some kind of namby-pamby walkback, but she doubled-down, and rationalized her decision. (To be fair, she did receive some applause.) Melissa Lantsman, in contrast, received a few standing ovations. And she had the courage to call out those politicians who have no backbone in actually doing something to stand against the hate, that they say they stand against.
Oddly, recordings were forbidden of the event – the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing. Strange, since the bedrock of democracy is transparency and openness in our political system. Instead, it was messaging for the privileged few, just .7% of the GTA’s Jewish population that get to hear these leaders speak. The rest of you have to hope you can get the gist from what your friends tell you. Or what you read here on Catch.
I have no information who made this “no recording” rule, but I’d not be surprised if this was a prerequisite from certain elected officials who play both sides.
If these speeches were something they were proud of, they would want everyone to know. They would announce that they had no issues with video or audio recordings. They would want to post their speech on social media and be pleased that others would do the same.
To the best of my knowledge, only MP Lantsman shared her whole speech on social media. MPP Michael Kerzner shared a short clip of his.
Others foresaw the folly: they would be vilified by the haters, and scoffed at by the Jewish community. Not worth the swell of vomit emojis, and the high-pitch cackles of hypocrisy.
Neither were there questions allowed to the speakers. Curious, again, with this niggling thing called democracy. Curious, again, given how many questions the community has about what’s being done about the glaring Jew-hate in the country. Sit, listen, and shush.
Missed opportunities abound
All these rallies, town halls – how many of them mobilize the community, to give them next steps in advocacy? This was a missed opportunity on so many levels.
There are four supermarkets within a mile of the synagogue. Imagine if hundreds of people the following day all bought $100 worth of Israeli food items. Imagine if, on each seat, was a list of ten Israeli charities that people can donate to, once they got home? What if, on each seat, was a list of the dozens of places in dire need of volunteers in Israel? Join a postering or de-postering campaign? To attend the weekly Bathurst and Sheppard rally for Israel? Suggested tehillim for the hostages and soldiers? To corral volunteer security teams for synagogues and schools? Or encouraging a simple act, like sending a message to displaced Israelis or wounded soldiers? The list goes on.
To its credit, event partner Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF) left a letter for the politicians in attendance. They insisted that actions matter more than mere words. They demanded that funding be cut from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for their complicity in terror attacks; to “seriously probe charities and nonprofit corporations with credible links to designated terrorist organizations”; to protect places of worship, hospitals, schools, from targeted mob harassment; withhold funding from universities that engage in BDS activity or tolerate antisemitic harassment on their campuses; that hate mobs assembling without a permit be dispersed; and no more politicization of classrooms. It’s a shame this letter wasn’t left on each seat, to publicly hold our elected officials’ feet to the fire.
Unfortunately, I'm willing to bet, the needle isn't moved an inch after this solidarity event. A big expense of time and money, precisely for what? And of course, the haters continue to scoff.
A few days later, antisemitic demonstrations in Toronto cropped up – again. One in front of the Eaton Centre, another at City Hall, and an indeterminate location in downtown.
Rinse, Repeat, Rally.
 | A guest post by
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Well said. We have heard enough words…we need to see our politicians take action.