In the Jewish tradition, the 10 days between the celebration of Rosh Hashanah and the observance of Yom Kippur are known as the “Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe.”
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days → know → Awe
Jewish tradition teaches that the Book of Life is written on Rosh Hashanah, but it is only on Yom Kippur that it is sealed.
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it → teach → Kippur
We are taught that our actions matter and can ultimately alter the decree.
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actions → teach → decree
The question is who is being judged?
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who → judge → ?
Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl taught us that, “Between stimulus and response there is a space.
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Frankl → teach → stimulus
In that space is our power to choose our response.
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power → choose → response
For three years, this country’s Jewish community has been hoping that Canadians will stand up and refuse to accept the continued, virulent and persistent vilification of Jews, thinly disguised as anger at the current Israeli government or anti-Zionism.
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Canadians → hop → government
Canadians have a choice to make.
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Canadians → have → choice
Too often, it is only when Jews are targeted that people have the audacity to explain away hatred.
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people → target → hatred
Why is it that anti-Zionism is tolerated when Zionism — the Jewish right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland — forms the core identity of the vast majority of Jews?
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Zionism → tolerate → Jews
Would any other religion, race or ethnic group be subject to questions about their lived experiences and what hate feels like to them?
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hate → live → them
Except when it comes to the Jews, apparently.
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it → come → Jews
When political rhetoric becomes a vehicle for denying Jews the right to national self-determination, when Jewish students are targeted because of their connection to Israel or when tropes about Jewish power, conspiracy and collective guilt are repackaged as political activism, Canadians should have the courage to call it what it is: Jew hatred.
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it → become → it
Two recent reports should serve as a wake-up call.
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reports → serve → call
Judge Mary Lou Benotto’s independent review at Toronto Metropolitan University examined serious incidents surrounding campus protests and concluded that the events were problematic and symptomatic of a deteriorating campus climate that requires remediation.
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that → examine → remediation
The federal government’s Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences report’s findings are also deeply disturbing, with 84 per cent of Jewish respondents saying antisemitism is a serious problem on campus and more than 95 per cent saying they experienced or witnessed at least one instance of antisemitism in the previous year.
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they → say → year
In July, Statistics Canada data showed that Jews continued to be the most targeted religious group in the country in 2025, accounting for 71 per cent of all religion-motivated hate crimes, despite comprising less than one per cent of the population.
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Jews → show → population
Even more concerning is that political leaders no longer universally condemn Jew hatred.
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condemn → condemn → hatred
When Edmonton Coun. Michael Janz wrote horrible and malicious lies about Israel, Mayor Andrew Knack failed to condemn him, instead saying: “Well, I would say anyone that’s not sharing accurate information, that’s not what we want to see.”
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we → write → what
His lack of condemnation is a green light for haters to declare open season on Canadian Jews.
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haters → declare → Jews
Many years ago, human rights activist Natan Sharansky identified the three Ds of antisemitism — double standards, delegitimization and demonization — that help us understand Jew hatred pertaining to Israel.
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us → identify → Israel
It is a double standard when Israel’s conduct is singled out and not similarly condemned when practised by other democratic countries.
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conduct → single → countries
Delegitimization is when Israel’s very existence is portrayed as illegitimate or Jews are denied the right to self-determination.
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Jews → portray → determination
Demonization is when Israel or Jews are portrayed using extreme, dehumanizing or conspiratorial language or imagery.
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Israel → portray → language
An example of how the three Ds manifest themselves can be seen at the United Nations.
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Ds → manifest → Nations
According to data from UN Watch, between 2015 and 2024, the UN General Assembly passed 173 resolutions against Israel, compared with 80 concerning all other countries combined.
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Assembly → accord → countries
While the UN has a long history of singling out Israel, these types of double standards have now migrated to Canada.
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types → have → Canada
It’s why, across the country, security was particularly robust at all Jewish institutions on Rosh Hashanah, and why rabbis devoted entire sermons to the topic of antisemitism.
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rabbis → ’ → antisemitism
It is hard to say what the tipping point will be as to when Canadian Jews will start looking for safer places to live.
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Jews → say → places
As leaders of the National Holocaust Monument Committee, we think about this a lot, but have not yet lost hope that the pendulum can swing and Canada can once again be a safe country for Jews to live in.
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Jews → think → hope
To bring us back to Victor Frankl, we choose to hope that you — our fellow Canadians — will stand up to Jew hatred.
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you → bring → hatred
We choose to believe that you can influence political leaders and university administrations to take meaningful action against antisemitism.
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you → choose → antisemitism
At the conclusion of Yom Kippur, the shofar, akin to a trumpet, is blown.
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shofar → blow → trumpet
I urge all Canadians to hear it as a clarion call to action.
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I → urge → action
Jewish tradition teaches that, “It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”
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you → teach → it
There is no singular way to combat the scourge of antisemitism, but Canada’s Jews need more from our fellow citizens.
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Jews → be → citizens
We need more people speaking out when they see the 3Ds actualized, in whatever form.
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3Ds → need → form
May the blast of the shofar be a wake up call for us all.
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blast → wake → us
Hear the shofar, and act, before it’s too late.
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it → hear → shofar
The Aporia
