We see the results of this crisis, especially since October 7.
For example, a Jewish student was called a “dirty Jew” by his lab partners. The student appealed for help. His professor instructed him to stop complaining. On one campus, graffiti depicted a Star of David on a scaffold with a swastika. On another, a Jewish student's mural that called for peace after October 7 was defaced with threats, including “I'm going to kill you”. Posters advocating the return of hostages have been repeatedly ripped down and pins stuck in the eyes of a victim. A student organization distributed stickers on campus displaying a hand tossing a Molotov cocktail. A Canada-wide student club is calling for anonymous tips to identify faculty members, instructors and courses that include “Zionist narratives” so they can “keep our campus safe from Zionist perspectives”.
Often, Jewish students aren't reporting these incidents because university policies are not being applied and officials do not recognize anti-Semitism when it happens. This hostile climate is a threat not only to Jewish people but also to the core values of Canadian society. It undermines open dialogue, diversity of ideas and the search for truth, which make our universities an essential part of a liberal democracy.