With the synagogue’s shattered front glass windows still boarded up with plywood sheets and an emergency fundraiser underway to repair the damage, Toronto’s century-old Pride of Israel congregation opened its doors to host a large community solidarity rally on the evening of July 31.
More than a dozen federal, provincial and municipal politicians, as well as a senior Toronto police inspector, spoke to the crowd of 1,500 and pledged to work harder to stop the wave of antisemitic hate that began after Oct. 7, yet has intensified in recent weeks. Just in the past few days, there have been dozens of incidents of vandalism, graffiti and arson targeting Toronto-area institutions.
So it was no surprise that tensions ran high at the solidarity rally, with organizers trying to prevent pro-Palestinian protesters from disturbing the event—while also keeping guests inside from being rude to the invited politicians… with varying degrees of success. On the The CJN Daily, hear the crowd boo during remarks by Mayor Olivia Chow and Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks, hear from pro-Palestinian Jewish protester Gur Tsabar, and from invited speakers—including Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner; newly elected Conservative MP Don Stewart; Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, the prime minister’s new special advisor on antisemitism; and Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the federal Conservative party—who all pledged their solidarity and demanded that Jewish rights be protected.
What we talked about
- Read a written version of the podcast. Read the latest hate crime data from the Toronto Police Service, in The CJN.
- How worshippers discovered the Pride of Israel synagogue had been vandalized when they arrived for Sunday services on June 30, 2024, in The CJN
- Hear the controversy over Ya’ara Saks’s March 2024 photo op with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, on The CJN Daily
Credits
- Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
- Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
- Music: Dov Beck-Levine
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