Canadian Jewish Life Is Worth Fighting For: Antisemitism, Pluralism and Rebuilding Our Civic Compact

Ya'ara Saks

“Pluralism in Canada is not the exception to the framework. Pluralism is the framework.”  Prime Minister Mark Carney

Several weeks ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney joined the Jewish community in a synagogue, our sacred space, to address Canadians on the alarming rise of antisemitism. His message to the country was clear: as a community, we are not okay. We are not safe, nor do we feel safe. Canadians must listen and become part of the solution.

As the Prime Minister stated, “The crisis of antisemitism in Canada today is specific, severe, and demands a targeted response.”

By standing with us and speaking directly to Canadians, he also made something else unmistakably clear: the Jewish community cannot do this alone.

Since October 7, the dramatic rise in antisemitism has pushed many Jewish communities to build higher and higher walls physically, socially, and politically. These protective fortresses, though understandable, risk disconnecting us from one another and from the broader Canadian society to which we belong.

Yet the Canada Prime Minister Carney envisions, a global economic powerhouse in energy, artificial intelligence, and natural resources, depends on something deeper than economic ambition. Its success rests on a civic compact: an agreement that we will build a country that includes all of us.

Jewish Canadians have been helping build Canada for more than a century, and indeed since before Confederation. Our story is one of institution-building, welcoming the stranger, and advancing inclusion and equity. We have helped shape Canada’s pluralistic identity.

Pluralism has also long defined Jewish life itself. Within our community, unity, not uniformity - has guided our relationships with one another, with Israel, and with the broader Canadian landscape. We are a diverse community, encompassing a wide range of opinions and perspectives, yet grounded in a shared sense of belonging. Those values are deeply Jewish, but they are also profoundly Canadian.

Prime Minister Carney captured this when he said, “Pluralism in Canada is not the exception to the framework. Pluralism is the framework.”

The Elephant in the Room: Israel Is Not a Plan B

There was also significance in what was left unsaid in the Prime Minister’s address.

He spoke clearly and unequivocally about antisemitism, stating:

“We do not welcome the world’s hatreds. When you come to Canada, you bring your faith, your tradition, your language, your story. You leave behind your animosities.… It requires that we do not transpose foreign conflicts onto each other. It requires all of us to stand up and protect our fellow citizens. It requires that no Canadian child who goes to school is seen as a representative of any foreign state… and that political arguments are conducted in Parliament and the public square, not directed at private businesses, homes or communities.”

He did not mention Israel by name, to the chagrin of many in the Jewish community - and there are compelling reasons why he did not.

While most Jewish Canadians are aligned on Israel’s right to exist, many are increasingly concerned about the actions of the current Israeli government. Large segments of pro-democracy and pro-peace movements, both in Israel and abroad, continue to advocate for a safe and secure Israel living peacefully alongside its neighbours.

At the same time, Jewish Canadians are being isolated, targeted, and marginalized simply for being Jewish, regardless of their connection to Israel. Antisemitic attacks are often justified in the name of events taking place in the Middle East, but that rationale must be firmly rejected. By decoupling Jewish identity from the conflict, we can state clearly that, no matter the motivation, targeting Jews is antisemitism and it has no place in Canada.

Israel itself is increasingly isolated on the world stage and is struggling under the weight of a security paradigm rooted primarily in force. We can no longer ignore an uncomfortable truth: the singular pursuit of security through military means is failing to create lasting safety.

The ongoing violence in the West Bank, the devastating stalemate in Gaza, and Hamas’ brutality toward Palestinians are creating an environment of escalating instability and suffering. These are difficult conversations, but they are necessary ones. Force alone is not making Israel more secure, and a society that relies exclusively on that approach risks perpetuating endless cycles of violence.

This is not a rejection of Israel. It is an expression of concern for Israel’s future as a democratic state.

Supporting Israel today is not the same project it was for previous generations. The challenges Israelis face including security threats, democratic erosion, and recurring cycles of war should matter deeply to Jewish communities around the world.

Canadian Jewry is worth fighting for, and fighting for a safe, secure, and democratic Israel are not mutually exclusive endeavours.

We cannot give up on Canada, nor should we give up on Israel, not because Israel is a Plan B, but because our commitment to both is rooted in the same values: pluralism, democracy, safety, equality, and human dignity.

Without those values, the very idea of Israel as a democratic nation-state is at risk.

A Shared Civic Compact at Home and Abroad

In Canada, we continue to build a diverse society anchored in pluralism. That commitment must include Jewish Canadians.

Prime Minister Carney rightly identified a breakdown in our civic compact. Repairing it requires us to recommit to building a shared future together.

What is often missing from this discussion, however, is that these same principles can inform how we think about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state existing peacefully alongside the State of Israel must be built on fostering consensus to choose another path than the current security paradigm inside Israel and rejecting the resistance paradigm that has permeated throughout the West Bank and Gaza. The reality is that the futures of Israelis and Palestinians are inseparable from one another and a “third way” beyond security or resistance must be built by those living in the region.

Israel’s security and legitimacy cannot be separated from the project of Palestinian self-determination. Nor can either be separated from the hard work of strengthening institutions, investing in education, reducing disparities, and building the foundations of social cohesion in their respective societies.

Violence and hate dehumanize. A social contract rooted in pluralism and equality allows the distorted veil of “othering” to fall away. Whether it is there, in the place that we pray for peace, or here in Canada where we have built a Jewish community that has thrived, contributed and grown within the fabric of the country, the same values hold true. Having these very discussions are central to instilling the values we want and dispelling the distortions that are fuelling antisemitism.

Combating antisemitism requires working together, whether that means pursuing a long-term resolution to a decades-old conflict abroad or creating the conditions at home for Canadians to understand the Jewish story, including its enduring connection to Israel.

A Council to Combat Hate Must Reflect the Canada We Want to Build

It is important to begin by clarifying what the proposed Council to Combat Hate is, and what it is not. It is not another parliamentary or Senate committee that will conduct a study and produce recommendations.

Like other advisory bodies established to support government priorities, the council is intended to advise the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture on practical ways to address hate. Its membership should include community leaders, constitutional experts, public safety specialists, and those with expertise in combating racism, polarization, and extremism.

If the council is to reflect the Canada we aspire to be, it must itself be pluralistic and inclusive.

Government has already made combating antisemitism its first priority. There is considerable work ahead to establish the council, its structure, and the resources necessary for it to succeed.

Critics have been vocal. Their concerns deserve to be heard. But my response is straightforward: government has extended its hand to the Jewish community in a genuine effort to confront antisemitism. If we want government and Canadians to know us, understand us, and stand with us, then we must participate in shaping this effort and help ensure it succeeds.

Canada and Canadian Jewish life are worth fighting for.

For too long, we have retreated behind walls, bulletproof glass, and security fences in pursuit of safety that often remains elusive. Those barriers may protect us physically, but they have also deepened our sense of isolation.

The only way to truly combat hate is to sit together with those who do not know us and do not know our story. That is how trust is rebuilt. That is how neighbours reconnect. That is how the fabric of Canada is strengthened.

We can choose greater connection or greater isolation. We can choose the courage required to pursue pluralism, or we can retreat further into our own silos. We can choose to work with government to restore a sense of safety, belonging, and shared purpose, not only for Jewish Canadians, but for all Canadians.

There is also something deeply Jewish about this choice.

For centuries, Jewish tradition has taught the importance of engaging with the governments of the day. Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) teaches: “Pray for the welfare of the government, for if not for the fear of it, people would swallow one another alive.”

Mistrust and fear must be met by rebuilding trust, not by withdrawing from public life. At a time when zero-sum thinking, outrage, and suspicion dominate so much of our discourse, we have an opportunity to point another way forward, one rooted in pluralism, civic responsibility, and the belief that our shared future is stronger when we build it together.

Because Canadian Jewish life is worth fighting for. And so is Canada itself.

Next Article

Previous Article