On October 7, 2023, the terrorist group Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, including innocent civilians. Since then, the world has seen a rise in anti-Semitism, expressed in violent protests, vandalism and death threats against Jews. In Quebec, the situation is particularly worrying. The Jewish community, which represents only 1% of the population, is the target of irrational and dangerous hatred. It is time for the government and civil society to react to put an end to this scourge.
I am a fourth generation Jewish Quebecer. I am proud of my roots and my culture. I am also proud to belong to Quebec society, which aims to be open, tolerant and democratic. But today I feel threatened and unwanted in my own province. And I am not the only one: thousands of Quebec Jews live in fear and anguish in the face of rising anti-Semitism.
The facts are there, and they are frightening. Jewish schools targeted by shootings three times, an attempted arson attack on a synagogue, posters calling for the elimination of Jews, a University of Montreal lecturer publicly telling Jews to “ return to Poland. These actions and comments are unacceptable and intolerable. They recall the darkest hours in history, those of the Shoah, which left six million dead. We cannot let history repeat itself.
My wife is originally from Paris, where she suffered and witnessed anti-Semitic acts. She chose to settle in Montreal, where she thought she could live her Jewish faith in complete freedom and security. For several months, she has been making herself small as a Jewish woman: she does not dare buy kosher meat at the supermarket, nor go to the synagogue, nor even go out in the city center, for fear of coming across a hostile demonstration.
Last year we welcomed our son into the world. We want to offer him a better future, where he can grow up in peace and harmony with others. But we wonder if it is possible in Quebec. We wonder if our son will be accepted and respected, or if he will be rejected and persecuted because of his religion.
We are not the only ones asking ourselves these questions. Thousands of Quebec Jews feel helpless and abandoned. They see little action from the government, which does not do enough to protect them and to condemn anti-Semitism. They feel isolated from civil society, which does not mobilize enough to support them and denounce hatred. They feel powerless in the face of extremist groups who import their conflict and violence to Quebec.
We wonder when urgent and effective measures will put an end to it. Why is Montreal experiencing such a rise in anti-Semitism? Why does this hostile doctrine flourish in Canada and North America? Why do we let hateful people bully others? Why are they allowed to import their hatred and stay in Quebec? And how do they get their hands on guns?
Quebec can be an example of the fight against anti-Semitism, and not one of the breeding grounds of this hatred.