“In case anyone missed it, I’ve made it my mission to take a far more aggressive stance,” Jeremy Levi recently posted, “exposing, condemning, and shaming Canada’s most notorious anti-Israel, antisemitic elected officials… We’re not here to play nice; we’re here to crush hate and drive it back into the shadows where it belongs.”
Levi is not a cabinet minister, a police chief, or an envoy to combat racism. He’s the mayor of Hampstead, a well-heeled Montreal Island suburb with just over 7,000 residents, about 65 percent Jewish per 2021 data from Statistics Canada.
For the past 14 monhs, Levi has become one of Montreal and Quebec’s most vocal English-speaking critics of antisemitism, encampments, of Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Montreal mayor Valérie Plante, with daily—often multiple times a day—social media missives.
For the mayor of a town where just a few years ago—what was considered uproar-worthy was the alleged involvement of a predecessor’s wife in choosing flower arrangements for the median on the town’s main throughfare—it’s certainly a sea change.
An accountant by profession with six young children, the generally mild-mannered Levi didn’t set out to be a politician. His public trajectory began with an attempt to change the roof on the house he had gutted and planned to move into in the sleepy suburb that has been home to his family for three generations.
Existing rules stymied the roof change, which no one could justify to his satisfaction. So, he persisted, and council finally relented and granted him an exception—until the vote was overturned by then-mayor William Steinberg.
The whole business prompted a frustrated Levi to run for office in November 2021, which he did, and won with 55 percent of the vote, edging out long-serving Steinberg by 222 votes.
With no commercial or industrial zoning, and no vacant land to develop, the town of less than two square kilometres is easy to manage, says Levi, especially with “a supportive council and excellent employees.”
But along came Oct. 7, 2023, and his life, like that of many Jewish Canadians, was forever changed, as he recalled hearing the news in the street as he was walking to a synagogue. “I knew right off the bat this was going to be a game-changer and realized that as a Jew, leading a town with the highest concentration of Jews outside Israel, I can’t just coast on the sidelines. Everybody knew Israel would retaliate and once boots entered the ground in Gaza, the conversations in Canada will change. And they did.”
He recalls discussions with the town’s public security director and with the Montreal police (SPVM). “I explained and they didn’t understand. Nobody, it seemed, unless you’re a member of the tribe, could understand the rationale why something so far away would have an impact here.”
Levi and council immediately ordered the city’s flags lowered to half-mast, accompanied by Israeli flags alongside them at the town hall and local park, which will remain lowered “until all the hostages are home.”
Early in the conflict, as other North American communities struggled with the phenomenon, Levi and council drew international attention for passing a bylaw making the destruction of city-approved posters subject to a $1,000 fine—$2,000 for repeat offences. They also made it known that the proceeds of the fines would be donated to Israeli charities, something that incensed many critics, he agrees. “I mean we need to find some simcha in all of this, right?
Hampstead council, made up entirely of Jewish members ,followed with bubble legislation banning demonstrations outside houses of worship, parks and schools, and rendering the town a “safe space for Jews” on the island of Montreal, he said.
Meanwhile, adjacent neighbourhoods saw boisterous and menacing demonstrations around synagogues and the Jewish community campus in the city’s largest borough, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG). That’s where, in a move that embarrassed the Plante administration, civic employees were dispatched specifically to scrape hostage posters off of public furniture three weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks, because of what its top bureaucrat described as “more than a couple of complaints,” which turned out be three.
Levi’s activism has drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian activists at Montreal city council meetings, where they’ve denounced him as a genocide supporter and questioned his priorities and the legality of his legislated moves.
Along the way he’s earned critics on social media, including a blogger who approached him at a community menorah lighting event outside town hall, and grilled him about how many dead children is acceptable and if he would support the “nuking” of Gaza.
But some locals don’t like his tactics or his public posturing on matters unrelated to municipal business.
As one resident told The CJN, “Hampstead consistently has one of the worst roads in Montreal. Why does he not work to fix that rather than be partisan and paint targets on our community?”
Fabiola Gómez has lived in Hampstead for 46 years and says Levi has “become a fanatic” with his pro-Israel and anti-ceasefire comments, “criticizing Justin Trudeau and the entire Canadian political class… and worse, all those who do not think like him.”
Gomez contends Levi’s use of Facebook and title of mayor is “for his politics, never for Hampstead business. It takes no account of the 25 percent of the non-Jewish residents, we are beginning to feel oppressed, despised and disrespected and yet we pay the same taxes, and our homes are evaluated in the same way.”
She says Levi has not represented the interests of the entire population and “uses his position as a bulwark for his political ambitions, not for the benefit of the municipality.”
William Steinberg served as mayor for 16 years before losing to Lvi, and he too worked on behalf of the Jewish community’s concerns as mayor, steering changes to bylaws to treat Saturday and Sunday equally, banning construction work on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—as was the case for Christmas and Easter—and making Hampstead one of the first towns in Canada to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
“While I personally agree with most of Mayor Levi’s positions, I do not feel that it is the role of a mayor to take those positions when he represents all residents of a town.
“How would we feel if a mostly non-Jewish town took positions praising Hamas and other terrorists?” asked Steinberg, a psychologist by training and prolific online writer, who famously drew the ire of much of the Quebec political establishment when he dubbed Quebec’s secularism law Bill 21—which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by certain government employees—a form of “ethnic cleansing.”
The Jewish community has adequate representation says Steinberg, citing numerous advocacy groups. “We do not need Mayor Levi reposting their comments daily.” He says most residents would prefer Levi “spend much more time dealing with Hampstead issues and less on social media.”
Prior to Oct. 7, Levi wasn’t really active on social media. “Honestly, what am I going to say? Today, on the corner of Netherwood and Fleet roads we filled a three-and-a-half-inch pothole? Just because I’m not speaking about it on social media, doesn’t mean I’m derelict in my duties as a mayor.”
Levi has been unrepentant and continues to publicly support Israel and its war effort. “One of the reasons why I have been able to advocate so strongly is because I have unanimous support from council and support from residents.”
Veteran councillor Harvey Shaffer says he’s never heard any objection from fellow councillors regarding Levi’s comments about antisemitism or any politician in the country. “I am a very strong supporter of Jeremy and shall continue to stand by and for him on these issues as Jeremy and I think alike on these subjects” Shaffer told The CJN. “The time has come for all people, Jews and non-Jews alike to stand up for what is right and never cower or hide. Jeremy is doing exactly that.”
Founded in 1914 as a mostly Protestant enclave, Levi smiles and points to the mezuzah he had affixed to his office door following his election, noting the town has been twinned with Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel since the late 1970s.
Relentless in his criticism of Plante and her seeming indifference to soaring antisemitism in Montreal, he recently posted, after her announcement that she would not seek re-election, “this city cannot afford to wait out the clock on your leadership. Under your watch, our metropolis has spiralled into something resembling Gotham City, riddled with dysfunction and disorder.”
He has slammed her failure to order the police to use a more muscular response in dealing with boisterous demonstrations that infringe the Criminal Code and municipal bylaws.
He has also expressed his full-throated support for Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, and his local candidate, attorney Neil Oberman, who was successful in securing numerous injunctions around Jewish institutions to prevent repeats of threatening demonstrations in the area.
But is it wise for a mayor to relentlessly pan a sitting MP—Anthony Housefather—with deep roots and wide support in the riding where his town is situated?
Levi says he was clear when Housefather reflected on his future with the Liberal Party following his party’s March vote in support of a NDP motion that called for a ceasefire and return of hostages, but also for ending arms shipments to Israel and continued funding of UNRWA.
“I said I fully endorse the Conservative candidate for the Mount Royal riding, and I particularly hope it’s Anthony Housefather.” Housefather ultimately stayed with the Liberals and was soon appointed Justin Trudeau’s special advisor on antisemitism and Jewish community relations.
Levi and his council subsequently passed a resolution of non-confidence in the government of Canada. “Obviously it’s irrelevant from a small town of 7,000, but it sent Trudeau a strong message that we’re not going to be a governing body that just follows the road of concession.” That move drew attention from some national and international media. “We couldn’t just do nothing, just say nothing.”
Since then, Levi has been relentless, criticizing Trudeau and Housefather, the former for a lack of leadership and what he sees as betrayal of Israel and the country’s Jewish community, and the latter for being ineffective in reversing that tide. “I made a decision that I’m going to do whatever I can to help Neil, not because I dislike Anthony, but we need to have proper representation.”
It’s not unheard of for a mayor to speak vigorously about their political allegiances and preferences. In fact, in neighbouring Côte Saint-Luc and around the city’s English-speaking west end, much of the political class has long been solidly and very publicly aligned behind Housefather, a former mayor and leader of an English rights lobby, and known as a hard-working MP.
Housefather would not respond to Levi’s comments and suggested asking what other area mayors think of him: “I will leave it to others to comment on Jeremy’s actions. I will focus on doing my job and being respectful of other elected officials whether I share their views or not.”
If anything, it will certainly prove to be a pitched election battle in this Montreal Island riding which, for the first time in memory, is now considered anyone’s game.
As for the social media backlash against him, Levi says he doesn’t care what the commentators say.
“If I don’t get re-elected because of the positions that I take and residents don’t agree with these positions, then I shouldn’t be in office. You either agree with me or you don’t. But I’m not going to change my public opinions to gain votes… It’s more important for the Jewish community for Neil Oberman to get elected than for me to be re-elected.”
But it’s not that simple, either.
Levi’s comments on social media about Canada’s program for Gaza refugees got him in hot water with local media last May—and it had other unexpected consequences.
Hampstead was engaged in a legal battle alongside fellow island suburb Town of Mount-Royal (TMR) against the Quebec government’s Bill 96 language law, which severely tightens the restrictions on use of English in municipal services.
Another legal challenge was launched by more than 20 Quebec municipalities, which took a different legal approach.
That partnership hit a big road bump after Levi’s public musings that Canada should reconsider admitting Gazans to Canada, citing polling numbers about attitudes towards Jews.
The temporary visa program, launched in December 2023, offered visas to a limited number of Palestinians from Gaza. But citing the Anti-Defamation League 2013-2014 Global Index poll that revealed 93 percent of Gaza respondents held antisemitic views, Levi argues that welcoming individuals with such views now has dire consequences for Canadian society.
“After everything we’ve seen in the streets,” he told The CJN, “Adil Charkaoui publicly proclaiming all Zionists should be killed, protests, vandalism, day of rage, occupying a bank, preventing commerce, encampments, we’ve seen all of this and it’s with such passionate hate that I said I really hope Canada reconsiders allowing people in from Gaza. I have no more desire to import additional hatred into the country.”
That reportedly prompted TMR to demand Hampstead be dropped from the suit. Moreover, the mandated law firm, Montreal-based Gattuso Bouchard Mazzone (GBM), had a client in an unrelated case, a large public teachers union, also objecting to the association. Within days it was done, Hampstead was out, but it is still pressing ahead with its legal action against Quebec with new representation.
Asked about their decision to drop Hampstead as a client over Levi’s comments, GBM did not return comment. Nor did TMR Mayor Peter Malouf, who was among 16 signatories to an Association of Suburban Municipalities’ declaration of support for the community “who are upset by the large-scale terrorist attacks that have taken place in Israel,” a gesture largely driven by Levi.
Levi remains unapologetic, a case he made with local French-language media, while many politicians, including representatives from the NDP, Québec Solidaire and even Premier François Legault, known as a robust supporter of Israel, distanced themselves from the commentary.
Many on social and in traditional media dubbed his comments as racist, which he rejects.
“What’s racist about it? If consistent polling shows that the people of Gaza before and after October 2023 hold negative views of Jews, do we want more of that here? It’s not about people, it’s about their attitudes… There were 50 U.S. senators that signed a joint letter saying the exact same thing: don’t allow refugees in from Gaza. But when Jeremy Levi, the Jewish mayor says it, he’s a racist. All I’m trying to do is make Hampstead and Canada a safe place for Jews.”
He was the only Canadian mayor attending the North American mayor symposium on antisemitism in Florida last year. “The Canadian government sent its consul-general in Florida to observe” he told The CJN. “But that was the entire contingent from Canada. How pathetic was that?” He hopes there will be better turnout from north of the border at a similar event next year.
The irony is before his roof travails, he never even voted in a municipal election and didn’t even know who all the councillors were. “I have six children, am happily married and have a thriving business. I never felt the need to pay more attention. I understood the mechanics of what’s going on, but there was no need for me to know more… But I love this community. I grew up here, my parents grew up here, my wife grew up here and my wife’s parents grew up here. Our grandparents lived here. We’re Hampstead through and through.”
Levi says none of his actions are based on personal politicking. “I’m not beholden to anything. I’m prisoner of nothing. In other words, I don’t believe that anyone is above or below the law. Someone’s freedom of expression should not be diminished because of an office that they hold… I vehemently reject and disagree with that.”
As his messages have ramped up, the pushback and some threats he has received online—overt and veiled—have languished, he says. “When they first started spamming me it was ‘You’re gonna get it!’but then they see I have not changed course. They realize ‘this guy’s unbreakable’ and they just stopped, gave up, because at the end of the day, they’re bullies, right? And bullies only understand one thing: strength.
“And we’re not backing down.”
