The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) voted Feb. 13 to receive a contentious report on antisemitism following two days of intense debate and nearly 100 delegations.
The report, Affirming Jewish Identities and Addressing Antisemitism, was received despite divisions among trustees over the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, as well as concerns about the future of the board’s anti-hate strategies.
Much of the debate stemmed from confusion over the report’s purpose, with several trustees questioning whether it was a policy framework or simply a summary of consultations.
Roni Felsen, superintendent of education with the TDSB, clarified that it was the latter.
“We met with 35 different organizations, groups, and agencies,” he told trustees during the virtual meeting. “Those agencies ranged from religious to secular, from cultural groups to groups working in Holocaust education. We met with Reform rabbis, Orthodox rabbis. We met with grassroots organizations, we met with groups that politically stand on the left, groups that politically stand on the right, and everywhere in between. It was one of our most extensive community consultations with community groups that we have ever undertaken in the TDSB.”
Audley Salmon, the board’s associate director of learning transformation and equity, reiterated that the report outlined recommendations from mainstream Jewish community groups but was “not itself an actionable strategy.”
Despite this, a motion was put forward to defer the report back to staff for further consultations.
School trustees Matias de Dovitiis and Zakir Patel argued that the report should be amended to include perspectives from anti-Zionist Jews who spoke during the delegation hearings.
Trustee Alexandra Lulka Rotman called the motion “problematic.”
“To do anything other than receive this report would indicate that this body does not take the concerns of the Jewish community or our Jewish students seriously, that we don’t care what they have to say and that once again, Jews don’t count at the TDSB.”
Trustee Shelley Laskin also opposed the motion, calling it “disingenuous.”
“(The report) does not have to go back to staff to continue the broader consultation when (further consultation) is what is outlined in the current report,” she said. She warned that delaying receipt would “erode trust in this board.”
Delegation hearings spark controversy
Tensions ran high following Wednesday’s delegation hearings, during which many speakers denounced Zionism as a “racist political ideology.”
Toronto school board hearing on policy report addressing antisemitism dominated by anti-Israel voices https://t.co/4Kxt1aPIM6
— The Canadian Jewish News (@TheCJN) February 13, 2025
Lulka Rotman described the session as “one of the most painful experiences” of her career.
“There have been many times where it has been extremely painful to stand in the boardroom or where I’ve been honestly just embarrassed to be associated with the TDSB in any way,” she said. “Last night may have been the most offensive experience I have had to sit through as a Jewish woman on this board.”
She also condemned one delegate who falsely claimed to be related to a well-known Holocaust survivor, Bill Glied, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944.
“I was contacted by Bill Glied’s immediate family who have asked me to clarify that this individual is not known to the family, and they are disgusted that this delegate would try to use his name to justify her hateful politics.”
The Canadian Jewish News contacted the TDSB to ask how delegate identities are verified before hearings but did not receive a response.
"I was told 'You should have been gassed with your ancestors, Jew. Free Palestine and kill Israel.’”
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) February 14, 2025
A young student testifies at a Toronto District School Board meeting about the antisemitism he has faced without any intervention from his teachers, the principal, or the… pic.twitter.com/dsv8cOra8l
One of the most contentious points of debate was the report’s acknowledgment of anti-Zionism as a form of contemporary antisemitism.
“They will tell you they don’t hate Jews—just Zionists,” Lulka Rotman said of anti-Zionist delegates. “Let me translate that for you: They don’t hate Jews, they just hate 90 per cent of Jews.”
Felsen reiterated the definition of Zionism throughout the meeting.
“It is the simple belief of Jewish self-determination in their ancestral homeland,” he said.
Trustee Weidong Pei also addressed the disproportionate scrutiny placed on Jewish identity within broader political discourse.
“We have had significant issues with antisemitism in our schools,” he said. “We have had incidents where Jewish students were bullied, harassed, and labeled as ‘colonizers’ simply for expressing their identity. The board must ensure that all students—Jewish and non-Jewish—can express their identities safely without fear of being attacked. It is our duty to protect our students, and that includes recognizing antisemitism in all its forms.”
He added: “We must recognize that anti-Zionism is a modern manifestation of antisemitism.”
Tonight, the TDSB Planning and Priorities Committee voted to receive the Affirming Jewish Identities and Addressing Antisemitism staff report. Victory for common sense and decency.
— Weidong Pei 🇨🇦 DDS, PhD (@DrPeiTO) February 14, 2025
Big change from the propaganda and invective we had to sit through last night. pic.twitter.com/LivglBjFrc
Superintendent of education Debbie Donsky acknowledged that some voices in the consultation process resisted equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
“Some of the voices shared concerns about the complexity of antisemitism, emphasizing the need for nuanced approaches that acknowledge diverse perspectives within the Jewish community,” she said. “They critiqued mainstream Jewish organizations for conflating antisemitism with anti-Israel sentiment, which they feel silences alternative voices.”
Motion to defer defeated
The motion to send the report back to staff was defeated, with 12 votes against and eight in favour.
Trustees then voted to receive the report, with 13 in favour and five against.
@tdsb votes to accept and implement report about antisemitism in the school system. Jewish students, faculty, administration and trustees are beginning to see a hopeful future. pic.twitter.com/BhQKLBJTRg
— Baruch Frydman-Kohl (@Ravbaruch) February 14, 2025
However, immediately after its passage, a new motion was introduced and passed to consolidate all anti-hate strategies into a single comprehensive plan—delaying any dedicated antisemitism strategy.
The original timeline for an antisemitism strategy was expected within two years, but the restructuring could extend it to three years or more.
While some trustees argued that this shift was intended to move away from “identity politics,” others viewed it as a bureaucratic delay tactic.
Lulka Rotman warned that Jewish students are already suffering amid rising antisemitism and that further delays risk leaving their concerns unaddressed.
“It is imperative that this work move forward tonight,” she said. “The Jewish community has been suffering, especially in the aftermath of the horrors of Oct. 7.”
