Gerry Weinstein President	Frank Dimant Chief Executive Officer	Allan Adel National Chair	Ruth Klein National Director of Advocacy

2005 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents

I. FINDINGS OF THE AUDIT

I.1. THE OVERALL PICTURE
I.2.CLASSIFICATION BY TYPE OF INCIDENT
I.3. EXAMPLES OF INCIDENTS
I.4. REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
I.5. PATTERNS OF OCCURRENCE

I.1. THE OVERALL PICTURE

Antisemitic incidents are reported either directly to the League for Human Rights’ Anti-Hate Hotline [1 800 892 BNAI (2624)], to B’nai Birth Canada’s national office in Toronto, or to our regional offices and network of local volunteers across the country. The Anti-Hate Hotline operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day, to offer front line assistance and referral, and to act as a conduit for contact with law enforcement services. The League is often the first point of contact for victims of antisemitism.

During the year 2005, 829 incidents were reported to B’nai Brith’s League for Human Rights, an overall decrease of 3.3% over the previous year. However, this small but welcome reduction follows an increase of 46.7% in 2004, when there were 857 incidents, an increase of 27.2% in 2003, when 584 incidents were reported, and a jump of over 60% in 2002, when the League dealt with 459 cases.  The variation for 2005, therefore, in effect demonstrates little tangible change from the high level of incidents noted in 2004, and does not reverse the upward trend that we have been seeing over the last five years.

In fact, the total for 2005 still represents the second highest number of incidents since the Audit’s inception twenty-three years ago, and is almost three times the number reported just five years previously when there were 286 cases.

Looking back at the last ten years gives us an even more dramatic view of how antisemitism has established a bedrock in Canadian society, insinuating its way into attitudes and perceptions. The Audit data illustrates how this plays out in incidents perpetrated by people in all walks of life.

Across the country, regional differences were noted in 2005, particularly in the cities with the largest Jewish populations. Following a trend noted in previous Audits, the majority of antisemitic incidents in 2005 took place in Toronto and Montreal. Regional differences will be explored in section I.4.

In 2004, 45% of the incidents reported to the League were also reported to the police, but this number was significantly lower in 2005, with only 303 out of 829 incidents (32%) being brought to the attention of law enforcement agencies by the victims themselves. In general, it is estimated by police and sociologists that only about 10% of hate crimes are ever reported at all, whether to police or to human rights agencies such as the League. The numbers in studies such as the Audit can thus only give a glimpse of a far wider problem, serving as a barometer of levels of prejudice in general. In fact, the very increase in numbers in recent years has led to a lowering of the threshold of what people consider unacceptable and requiring police follow-up.

The difficulties inherent in encouraging victims to report abuse were summarized in the 2004 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in a passage that bears repeating:

As noted in previous Audits, hate-related incidents often do not meet the legal criteria for a criminal offense because the incidents fall outside the restrictive definition of a hate crime under the Criminal Code. As well, provincial Attorneys General are often reluctant to give consent to hate crimes charges, partly because of the difficulty of obtaining a conviction. There was, however, an increase in the number of charges laid in 2005 to a total of 37 charges, as compared to just 12 in 2004, an issue that is discussed further in Section II.1.

Nevertheless, victims are still reluctant to petition the authorities for help since they do not expect any legal remedies. A message has been sent that certain types of behaviour are considered, if not acceptable, then at least tolerable - just a regrettable aberration.

Graffiti threatening Jews in London, ON

When one looks for explanations as to why incidents in Canada have not decreased at the rate experienced in France 2 and the UK ³ , one reason could well be that these countries implement their hate crime protections much more rigourously and consistently.

I.2.CLASSIFICATION BY TYPE OF INCIDENT

An explanation of the definitions of hate-based activity used by the League to determine the appropriate classification of each incident can be found in Appendix A. Of the 829 reported incidents across the county, 531 (64.1%) were classified as harassment, 273 (32.9%) as vandalism and 25 (3.0%) as violence. 

These figures compare to the 2004 classifications of 457 harassment cases (53.3%), 369 cases of vandalism (43.1%), and 31 cases of violence (3.6%). The increase in the number of harassment cases in 2005, as compared to the previous year, suggests that in the short term at least, this type of activity has become the method of choice for the majority of those who act out on their hatred towards Jews.

In the harassment cases in 2005, the language continued to be graphic, ugly and disturbing, dispelling the myth that Canadians express their biases in polite ways. There were fewer outright threats directed against individuals or sites, but this number still reached 72 cases. These included bomb threats and threats of physical assault. For examples see Section I.3.

In 2005, cases of vandalism dropped by 26% overall across the country compared with the previous year. It has been suggested that the increased security measures that have been put into place in major Jewish institutions across the country could have deterred some potential vandals. Security issues have indeed been a huge issue in Toronto which, in 2004, was hit by rashes of this type of activity. In Montreal, the firebombing of the UTT Elementary School and the ongoing trial of the perpetrator kept such issues at the forefront of community consciousness.

However, outside these major centres of Jewish population, vandalism cases have not shown a marked decrease and in fact have even risen, for example, in Alberta (see Section I.4. on the regional distribution of incidents). Security clearly remains a top priority.

Similarly, in the nation’s capital, vandalism jumped in 2005 by 29.2% over the previous year. In fact, 64.6% of Ottawa’s incidents were classed in this category, whereas in every other jurisdiction harassment made up the majority of incidents.

Incidents involving violence decreased overall from 31 cases in 2004 to 25 cases in 2005. Only in Toronto did violence against Jews increase to 16 incidents, from 14 in the previous year, perhaps reflecting the increase in violence in the city in general. There were six cases of violence in Montreal, one in Kitchener, and one in Winnipeg. In Ottawa, where four cases had been reported in 2004, there were no violent incidents in 2005.

There were 35 incidents targeting synagogues in 2005, compared to 40 the previous year, including synagogues in Montreal, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Edmonton and Belleville, Ontario. This suggests that Jewish houses of worship are still considered prime targets. There were also 19 incidents targeting Jewish communal buildings, such as charitable organizations and community centres, down from 25 in 2004. 

Cases involving cemetery desecrations dropped to just two in 2005, in Edmonton and Ottawa, from the ten cases in the previous year. We cannot surmise from this that budding perpetrators have suddenly acquired a new respect for such sites, but rather that the strong police response and negative public reaction following a high profile cemetery desecration case in Toronto in 2004 have prompted them to find less risky targets. This suggests that criminal prosecution in such cases can have a positive deterrent effect.

In the 2004 Audit, it was reported that incidents against Jewish homes - as opposed to public settings or community sites - had jumped to 151 cases from 95 in 2003, causing considerable concern in the Jewish community. There is some relief in seeing that number drop to 113 in 2005, an improvement that could be due to increased vigilance by police following rashes of incidents targeting private homes in Toronto and Thornhill, Ontario during the spring of 2004. However, it should still be considered unacceptable that 113 Jewish homes have been targeted in this way, traumatizing families, seniors and individuals living on their own.

The League’s Anti-Hate Hotline received 161 reports of web-based hate activity with a Canadian connection in terms of content, perpetrators and/or victims, compared to just 47 in 2004 and 32 in 2003. This number is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the proliferation of hate propaganda being disseminated via the Internet (see Section II.2. for further details).

This number includes 34 incidents involving targeted hate through direct e-mail messaging, in which the perpetrator managed to obtain the victim’s personal e-mail address in a gross invasion of privacy. Internet sites, whether neo-Nazi or Islamist, continued to feature hate material throughout 2005, though there was some limited success in shutting down some of these sites, at least temporarily (see Section II.2 ). Blogs did a brisk trade in online hate.

Jewish students - often visible Jews - were targeted in 48 reported antisemitic incidents on campus, similar to levels in 2003 and 2004. As discussed in Section II.3, inflammatory anti-Israel campaigns continue to be mounted, with events that demonize the Jewish State, delegitimize its existence, and often endorse violence and terrorism against its citizens. In addition to these incidents, classrooms have become less than welcoming to Jewish students who do not publicly follow the prevailing anti-Israel tone. As reported in previous Audits, this type of antagonistic atmosphere has often led to anti-Jewish outbursts. There have also been cases in which students experience a more subtle antisemitism, but fear to report it due to concerns that their academic standing will be compromised.

Holocaust denial continues to be a theme that emerges in pseudo-academic debate on campus led by invited speakers, for example, in Hamilton, Ontario and Montreal. It is perhaps no coincidence that the number of cases of Holocaust denial/trivialization has risen from 15 in 2004 to 39 in 2005.

There are two chief reasons for this marked increase in Holocaust denial, an activity that many had hoped would decline with the relative demise of the neo-Nazi recruitment heyday of the 1980’s. Firstly, once academia gives such revisionism a seal of legitimacy, then it is bound to seep into mainstream society, without the stigma that is connected with overt neo-Nazi activity. This theme is explored further in Section II.3, which finds that Holocaust denial is no longer the exclusive domain of the neo-Nazi movement. A second factor is the recent re-emergence of small Canadian-based neo-Nazi groups, as documented in this year’s Audit. Activities in support of Holocaust denial, wherever they may occur, bear close scrutiny.

The previously limited reach of such groups has been boosted by the new co-operative recruitment and messaging opportunities that the Internet currently offers, providing a conduit for Holocaust denial activities. Alberta and Central Ontario are two areas that should be watched carefully. Entrenched neo-Nazi groups in the United States and Europe provide the template for hate, while the borderless nature of the Internet has created an efficient and cost-effective operating framework. The propagandists of the Middle East have been quick to pick up and exploit the Internet, in concert with neo-Nazi groups, in mutually expedient ways.

Swastikas and Nazi-related symbols continue to feature prominently in vandalism incidents, though the numbers are down from 218 in 2004 to 160 in 2005. This suggests a pattern of gang tagging that is in line with the increased activity of gangs in general, as well as an upsurge in the propaganda offensive of neo-Nazi groups, especially at the time of the Zundel security certificate hearing in early 2005.

In 2004, the League reported that 66 incidents had taken place in the public school system, up from only 22 in 2003. In 2005, the number decreased to 48, but this figure still illustrates an unacceptable baseline increase in the level of racial and religious tension in the public school system in recent years. As noted in previous Audits, the school system will have to increase its capacity to counteract home-based biases, as well as prejudices that are being absorbed in community or religious-based settings. The eight Jewish schools targeted in 2005 are included in the total number of school incidents.

Internet cartoon depicting Jews as rats

In 2005, there were 46 incidents in workplace settings, similar to the 2004 figures, but double the 23 incidents recorded in 2003, just two years beforehand. A troubling pattern is beginning to emerge, whereby an increasing number of cases are occurring in public service settings. Clearly, ingrained prejudice is a problem in government bureaucracy, both federally and provincially, as much as in other employment sectors.

In this respect, it is useful to look at a survey of issues relating to harassment and discrimination conducted by Statistics Canada in 2002⁴. Of the 60% of employees who responded, 17% indicated that they had been victims of harassment in the previous two years, and 15% felt they had been the victims of discrimination based on race, religion, national or ethnic origin or gender.

Even more disturbing is the fact that 33% of those who responded felt that they could not initiate a formal redress process without some fear of reprisal. This finding speaks to a common anxiety on the part of individuals dealing with harassment and discrimination in the workplace, who worry that they may lose their job or jeopardize tenure and promotion prospects if they speak up. This concern was often cited by individuals contacting the League’s Anti-Hate Hotline for assistance in employment-related cases.

The data for 2005 tells us that denial of religious accommodation has become a significant theme in the workplace, and also, interestingly, in campus situations where such accommodation is required, for example, to re-schedule examinations that fall on days of religious significance. Ironically, this is a sector that has in the past generally been quite accommodating.

The fact that these cases are now arising speaks to a concern that the propaganda being disseminated on campus, whether inside or outside the classroom, does percolate down through the system, negatively affecting the mindsets of professors and administrators alike with the opinion that Jews are being “too demanding and overbearing” when they ask for accommodation of their religious needs.

This theme of religious accommodation is, of course, not confined solely to Jewish students and has already begun to emerge as a central theme in the educational system, as illustrated by the Supreme Court kirpan case.⁵ As can be seen in the negative reaction expressed in some quarters to the Supreme Court decision, this is an issue that will continue to challenge a Canadian society that, while paying lip service to multiculturalism, often finds itself at odds with what multiculturalism really means.

As in previous years, the ethnic origin of the perpetrators was analyzed where possible, for example, where there was a face-to-face encounter and/or the perpetrator self identified. In 2005, as in the two previous years, the single most active group in carrying out antisemitic incidents was found to be made up of persons who identified themselves as Arab. In the 2004 Audit it was reported that this number had more than doubled from 36 in 2003 to 80 in 2004. Although in 2005, the figure decreased to 56, a welcome development, this number still shows an increase of 64% between 2003-2005 that should concern us.

Other ethnic groups participated as well in anti-Jewish activity. For example, there were 17 incidents of ethnic media employing Holocaust denial and antisemitic rhetoric in Hungarian, Russian, Pakistani and Chinese publications. In addition, there were five incidents emanating from the aboriginal community, largely connected to the David Ahenakew affair. In Montreal, a rash of graffiti late in the year appeared to be connected to a Russian ultra-nationalist party known for its antisemitic messaging.

I.3. EXAMPLES OF INCIDENTS

January

Toronto, ON - A student at a community college made death threats against a Jewish student.

Halifax, NS - Emails blaming Jews for the tsunami and other world crises were sent to Jewish students.

Thornhill, ON - An elderly Jewish man found a swastika carved into his car.

Toronto, ON - A public high school student yelled “f**k the Jews” at another student.

Montreal, QC - Antisemitic comments were printed in the media following an agreement - later struck down - to increase the amount of funding received by Jewish schools in the province.

Toronto, ON - “Jews all dead” was scrawled on the door of a Jewish family’s apartment.

February

Toronto, ON - A visibly orthodox Jewish teenager was threatened by gang members while bystanders stood by.

Montreal, QC - Eggs were thrown at a synagogue.

Toronto, ON - A patient called his dentist a “bastard Jew” when presented with an outstanding bill.

St John, NF - Antisemitic comics and Holocaust denial material were found at a book sale at a local school.

March

Montreal, QC - A team coach made antisemitic remarks referring to Jews as cheats and liars when speaking to 14 and 15 year old players and parents at a hockey game.

Brandon, MB - A letter to a local paper alleged that Jews use the Holocaust as a tool to control others.

Toronto, ON - “Jews Burn to Hell” was painted on a private home.

Barrie, ON - Swastikas were spraypainted throughout a local park.

Edmonton, AB - Headstones in a Jewish cemetery were defaced.

April

Montreal, QC - A bomb threat was made against a synagogue.

Edmonton, AB - Cars in the parking lot of a synagogue were vandalized with swastikas.

Kelowna, BC - A local synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.

Inscription found in a Montreal park located
oposite a Jewsh elementary school

Toronto, ON - Congregants were repeatedly harassed during Sabbath prayer services.

Toronto, ON - Students at an exclusive high school created an antisemitic website and sent hate-filled emails to Jewish students who dared to complain.

Toronto, ON - B’nai Brith’s staff were threatened: “Jews are annoying as wasps. Everyone knows what you do with wasps. You find their nests and smoke them out.”

May

Mississauga, ON - Swastikas were painted overnight on private residences, garages and fences.

Ottawa, ON - Antisemitic remarks questioning why Jews felt superior to others were made at a meeting of a prestigious arts organization.

London, ON - A gang using white supremacist motifs harassed Jewish teenagers.

Fredericton, NB - Private homes and cars were defaced with racist slogans and swastikas.

Toronto, ON - Death threats were made against a B’nai Birth Canada professional.

Hamilton - Public sites in the city were vandalized with antisemitic slogans and swastikas.

June

Toronto, ON - A bomb threat was directed at a synagogue.

Kitchener, ON - A visiting Rabbi was physically assaulted as he walked along a street with his young family.

Sign posted on a public road in Barrie

Toronto, ON - In a targeted campaign white supremacist material was distributed to Jewish homes.

Winnipeg, MB - A synagogue was egged.

Toronto, ON - A customs officer made antisemitic comments to a Jew returning from holiday in Israel.

July

Toronto, ON - A caller to B’nai Brith Canada expressed hate against all Jews and threatened to attack staff members.

One of numerous swastikas reported in Hamilton

Montreal, QC - Graffiti on a condominium read, “Kill the Jews, F??k the Jews, Burn the Jews, KKK Nazi power”.

Barrie, ON - Antisemitic slogans including Holocaust denial were left on a young Jewish camper’s pillow at overnight camp.

August

Toronto, ON - Jewish community signs were defaced with antisemitic graffiti.

Windsor, ON - Swastikas were painted on the driveway and business premises of two prominent Jewish families.

Richmond Hill, ON - A store front serving as a synagogue, mini community center and nursery school was defaced with swastikas and Nazi SS insignia.

Inscription found on an appartment door in Toronto

September

Montreal, QC - Antisemitic graffiti was spraypainted on the wall of a Jewish school.

Ottawa, ON - A website run by a University professor included Holocaust denial and antisemitic content.

Winnipeg, MB - Three teenage girls attacked an elderly Jewish man outside a synagogue.

Toronto, ON - An employee was refused unpaid leave for High Holiday observance by a supervisor who complained this request showed that “Jews are so demanding”.

Edmonton, AB - A synagogue was paintballed.

October

St. Catherines, ON - the leader of a pro-Palestinian organization was charged with making death threats against Jewish community members.

Newmarket, ON - A swastika was burned onto the wall of a school.

Ottawa, ON - An Internet provider hosted neo-Nazi sites with rabidly antisemitic content.

Belleville, ON - A local synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti and swastikas.

Message found at Belleville synagogue

November

Toronto, ON - A synagogue was defaced with swastikas.

Vancouver, BC - Hackers repeatedly tried to bring down a leading Holocaust research site.

Toronto, ON - Neo-Nazi antisemitic pamphlets alleging “Jewish Supremacism Unmasked” were found on numerous university campuses.

Vancouver, BC - Antisemitic graffiti and swastikas were scrawled on a university campus following Jewish student group events.

Toronto, ON - A visibly Jewish teenager was egged at a bus stop.

December

Edmonton, AB - A synagogue was defaced with the words ZOG - Zionist Occupied Government - and other antisemitic references.

Victoria, BC - An article replete with antisemitism and Holocaust denial was posted on a far left wing media site - the webmaster refused to remove it.

Graffi ti defacing an Edmonton synagogue

Montreal, QC - Swastikas and symbols connected with a Russian nationalist party were found on a number of businesses and public property.

Toronto, ON - Calls to a candidate’s campaign office demanded Jews be barred from holding public office.

I.4. REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Incidents were reported once again across the country, including one in the most northern regions of the country for the second year running, this time in the North West Territories where very few Jews reside permanently. As in previous years, the most significant statistics were collected in Quebec and Ontario, areas of residence for the majority of Canadian Jews.

While census data shows that Canadian Jews, with a population of 348,605, make up little more than 1% of the total Canadian population (31,021,300), police hate crimes reports continue to show that Jews are among the most targeted groups in Canada.⁶ Incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence took place across the country, with regional differences as illustrated in the table below.

ONTARIO

It is in Ontario where the majority of Jews in Canada live. According to Statistics Canada, 196,260 Jews reside in Ontario, which represents 56% of Canada’s total Jewish population and just 1.7% of the total population of Ontario (11,897,600). It is in the province of Ontario that the majority of reported incidents of antisemitism in Canada took place, 544 incidents, or 65.6% of the year’s total. This figure represents an increase of 2.6% over the 530 cases reported in the province in 2004, and almost a three fold increase over the 186 incidents in 2001. While the number of cases of vandalism and violence dropped in Ontario, cases of harassment rose by 29.8%.

The incidents in Ontario are broken down further into Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ottawa and Regional Ontario (areas outside the GTA and Ottawa).

i) Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

Census data indicates that the majority of Jews in Ontario reside in the GTA area (161,250), representing 46% of Canada’s total Jewish population and 3.3% of the GTA’s total population (4,883,800). The GTA area has consistently been the highest reporting area in previous Audits. The 418 reported incidents in the GTA represent 50.4% of the total number of incidents across Canada for 2005, up from 48.9% in 2004.

Although there was a small overall decrease in incidents Canada-wide, the GTA area saw an increase of 3.2%, with 418 incidents compared to 405 in 2004. This is the highest number ever recorded for any city in the history of the Audit. This small increase follows two years of record increases in the area (a 28.6% increase in the number of reported incidents in 2004, on top of the 45.2% increase reported in 2003).

The incidents included bomb threats, physical assaults, acts of vandalism and desecration of homes, synagogues and communal buildings and property (see Appendix B.)

The majority of the GTA cases took place in the City of Toronto where there were 331 incidents, with 59 cases in York Region to the north, an area of growing Jewish population, and 28 in Peel Region to the west, up from just five in the previous reporting year. In Peel, 24 of these incidents took place over the course of one night, in a mass spree of vandalism. York Region saw a substantial drop from the all-time high in 2004 of 119 cases, in line with hate crime trends reported by the York Regional Police. In the City of Toronto, however, there was a jump from 271 cases in 2004 to 331 in 2005.

In terms of a five-year comparison, the number of incidents in the GTA (418 incidents) has risen more than three fold since 2001, when there were 116 incidents recorded.

While the number of cases involving violence dropped Canada-wide, violent incidents in the GTA rose from 14 cases in the previous year to 16 in 2005, an increase of 14%. Over a two year span, the increase is even more marked at 60% from the 10 cases of violence reported in 2003, thus continuing a worrying trend towards increasing aggression and public displays of hatred noted in previous Audits.

ii) Ottawa

In the national capital, Ottawa, the Jewish population of 12,890 represents 3.7% of Canada’s Jewish population and 1.2% of the total city population of 1,102,900. There were 48 cases of antisemitism reported in Ottawa, including 17 cases of harassment and 31 cases of vandalism.

Whereas the breakdown of incidents Canada-wide showed the largest number of cases falling into the harassment category, vandalism made up the majority of the cases in the Ottawa region at 64.6% of the total number. Ottawa also recorded one of the two cases in Canada involving desecration of Jewish tombstones. There were no cases of violence reported, as compared to four cases in 2004 (see Appendix B).

The 48 incidents represented a substantial drop of 27.3% from the 66 incidents recorded in 2004. However, this figure is still 6.7% above the number reported in 2003, when there were 45 incidents. Taking a longer-term perspective, incidents have doubled in Ottawa in the last five years from the 24 cases reported in 2001.

iii) Regional Ontario

In Regional Ontario (excluding the Greater Toronto Area or Ottawa), 78 cases were reported in 2005. Most of the cases occurred in the urban areas of the region, including London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Belleville, Hamilton, Kingston and Windsor. The 2005 total was made up of 37 acts of harassment, 40 cases of vandalism and one act of violence (see Appendix B).

Incidents included vandalism against synagogues, swastikas on public sites and private homes, physical assaults against individual Jews, and hate propaganda on campus and in public forums. Neo-Nazi and white supremacist gang-related activity was reported as well.

The 78 incidents in 2005 represented an increase of 32.2% when compared to the 59 cases in 2004. This is an aberration from the national overall decrease. In 2003, just 40 incidents were reported. This means that the number of incidents in this area has almost doubled over a two-year span. Taking a five-year perspective, we see an increase of 69.6% compared to the 46 incidents reported in 2001.

QUEBEC

There are 82,450 Jews in the province of Quebec, representing 24% of Canadian Jewry and 1.1% of the province’s total population (7,397,000). The 133 reported incidents in Quebec made up 16% of the total incidents recorded across Canada in 2005.

Quebec incidents dropped by 34.8%, with 133 cases compared to 204 in 2004. There were 82 cases of harassment, 45 of vandalism and six of violence (see Appendix B).

Quebec figures are further broken down into Montreal and Regional Quebec, which encompasses the province outside Montreal and its immediate environs.

i) Montreal

Census data indicates that the vast majority of Jews in Quebec reside in Montreal (80,390), representing 23% of Canada’s total Jewish population and 2.2% of the city’s total population (3,620,000).

In Montreal, there were 127 incidents reported in 2005, compared with the 187 recorded in 2004, representing a 32.1% decrease. Each of the categories showed a similar trend, with 78 cases of harassment, 43 of vandalism and six of violence in 2005. This compares with 104 cases of harassment, 73 of vandalism and 10 of violence in 2004 (see Appendix B).

Th reat spraypainted on a Montreal school

The bulk of the 2005 cases occurred in the inner core of Montreal, although suburbs bore some of the brunt. Incidents included vandalism of public sites with antisemitic graffiti, attacks on Jewish homes including the desecration of mezuzahs, harassment of Jewish students at public schools and university campuses, bomb threats directed at local synagogues and physical assaults carried out against Jews of all ages.

In 2004, Montreal was the focus of some attention because of the huge increase, way above the national average, of 83.3% from the 102 incidents in 2003. It is necessary to factor in this finding when discussing the 32.1% decrease reported for 2005. Taking into account year-to-year variations of this nature, an overall upward trend nevertheless emerges. The two-year view illustrates that the 2005 figures still represent an increase of 25% over the data for 2003. In terms of a five year perspective, incidents have increased by 62.8% in Montreal since 2001 when 78 cases were recorded.

ii) Regional Quebec

There were no cases in the category of violence, but four cases of harassment and two of vandalism, including one involving synagogue desecration (see Appendix B).

Incidents in Regional Quebec dropped from 17 incidents in 2004 to six cases in 2005, the same level reported two years earlier, in 2003. This reflects the decrease elsewhere in the province. This brings Regional Quebec to almsost the same level as in 2001 when five incidents were reported.

MANITOBA

According to the 2001 census, 13,035 Jews reside in Manitoba representing 3.74% of Canadian Jews and 1.1% of Manitoba’s total population (1,151,300). Most Jews reside in the province’s capital city, Winnipeg. While there was a drop in both the harassment and vandalism cases in Winnipeg for 2005, there was also one case of violence where none was recorded in 2004. The three cases of vandalism included one attack on a synagogue. The 23 cases of harassment included threatening letters to a synagogue, community leader and government officials (see Appendix B).

Attention had focused on Winnipeg as much as on Montreal in the 2004 Audit, since Manitoba had experienced a three-fold increase in reported incidents in just one year, with 55 cases in 2004 compared to 18 in 2003. In 2005, however, there was a significant decrease of 50.9%, down from 55 to 27 cases. While any decrease is welcome, the 2005 total still represents a 50% increase over the 2003 figure of 18 cases, and an almost five fold increase over the six cases recorded five years previously.

SASKATCHEWAN

The Jewish population of this province is small (865) making up only 0.002% of the total Canadian Jewish population and 0.001% of the total provincial population (1,000,100).

In 2005 there was an increase from three incidents in 2004 to seven cases, all of which fall into the category of harassment. The high profile trial of David Ahenakew, the aboriginal leader, was a factor in three of those cases. Four cases took place in Regina and three in Saskatoon, including a complaint about antisemitic propaganda on campus (see Appendix B).

The five year picture shows an increase of 250% from 2 incidents in 2001 to 7 incidents in 2005.

ALBERTA

There are 11,090 Jews in Alberta, making up 3.2% of Canadian Jewry and 0.36% of the province’s total population (3,056,700). Most reside in the major cities of Edmonton and Calgary where the majority of incidents took place. Out of the total number of incidents, 33 took place in Edmonton, one in Grand Prairie and the remaining 23 in Calgary.

In 2005, there was an increase of 72.7% to 57 incidents from 33 cases in 2004. Out of the 57 cases there was one case of violence as well as 34 incidents of harassment and 22 of vandalism, including numerous graffiti incidents in both major cities, antisemitic emails and website messaging, and vandalism against a synagogue and a cemetery (see Appendix B). Neo-Nazi activity on and off the web had a significant part to play in causing this increase in hate-related activity.

The sharp rise in the number of incidents for 2005 is contrary to the national picture as a whole. It also follows another significant increase with the figures doubling from 2003 to 2004, numbers that had never before been recorded in the province. Over a five-year span, figures for Alberta have shown a huge increase from the three cases recorded in the 2001 Audit.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

The 2001 census records 16,605 Jews living in British Columbia, 4.8% of Canadian Jewry and 0.4% of the province’s total population of 4,078,400.

In 2004, the League had documented a significant decrease of 32% in the number of incidents in the province, down to 17 cases from 25 in 2003. However, in 2005 that downward trend was reversed with an increase of 147.1%, as reflected in the total of 42 incidents. This is another regional aberration from the 2005 overall decrease for Canada.

Incidents took place in the cities of Vancouver and Victoria, as well as in the interior of British Columbia. There were 33 cases of harassment and nine cases of vandalism, including hate propaganda on the Internet and public street, graffiti on a local synagogue and antisemitic graffiti on campus (see Appendix B).

Taking a two-year view, there is a 68% increase from 2003 to 2005. Over a five-year comparison period, there is a more than an eight fold increase from the five cases recorded in 2001.

THE MARITIMES

The Maritimes is made up of the eastern provinces of Canada – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. The 2001 Census records a total of 2,985 Jewish residents of these provinces combined, 0.9% of Canada’s Jewish population and just 0.1% of the region’s total population (2,341,000). The majority of Jewish residents of the Maritimes - 2,120 - live in Nova Scotia. There were 18 reported antisemitic incidents in the Maritimes in 2005, compared to 14 in 2004, an increase of 28.6%.

One of the incidents took place in Prince Edward Island, seven in Nova Scotia, seven in New Brunswick, and three in Newfoundland. There were eleven cases of harassment and seven of vandalism, including harassment in the workplace, a vandalism spree in a residential neighborhood, and harassment in the media and on the Internet (see Appendix B). 

The 18 antisemitic incidents in 2005, and the 14 in 2004 follow on 13 incidents in 2003, two in 2002 and only one in 2001. The five year picture therefore shows a huge overall increase.

THE NORTHERN REGION

This region is made up of the vast areas of Northern Canada - Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Statistics Canada records only 25 Jewish residents in the region, representing 0.025% of the region’s total population of 99,000.

For the second year in a row, one incident was reported in this region, this time in the North West Territories. The incident involved neo-Nazi/white supremacist hate activity. 

I.5. PATTERNS OF OCCURRENCE

When analyzing patterns of occurrence in antisemitic incidents, one needs to determine first whether the baseline picture has undergone any significant changes, and second, whether there were any major trigger events that could have precipitated increases and declines within the context of the larger picture.

In 2004, the Audit discussed numerous trigger points emanating mainly from the Middle East that were a significant factor in spikes in activity during specific months of the year. These triggers also contributed to an increase in the number of incidents overall.

During 2005 there were no major trigger events emanating from the Middle East, apart from ongoing pressures throughout the year generated by the prevailing unresolved conflict. We did not, therefore, see the intense short bursts of activity that have been noted in the past following 9/11, terrorist attacks against Israel, targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders, or US entry into the war in Iraq.

The unilateral withdrawal of Israel from Gaza did not appear to lead to any particular upsurge - or decrease - in month-by-month clusters of antisemitic activity. However, even without any significant precipitators, elevated levels of incidents were the norm during the year, albeit slightly lower than in 2004.

As the data illustrates, the baseline for antisemitic incidents seems to have permanently shifted from the levels commonly seen in the 1990’s, with an overall trend towards rising numbers . The persistence of this phenomenon indicates that overt antisemitism has become a permanent feature in Canadian society. This suggests that less obvious manifestations of prejudice are indeed interwoven into the multicultural mosaic of this country.

Causes for clusters of antisemitic incidents can be domestic as well as international. The months with the largest number of incidents were January (85), representing 10.3% of the total number of incidents for the year, February (85 further incidents), and May with 101 incidents (12.2% of the year’s total).

One could surmise that the attention surrounding the Zundel security certificate hearing in early 2005 led to the small increase in the first two months of the year. It was undoubtedly a rallying call for neo-Nazi sympathizers. The publicity generated by the Ahenakew trial in April 2005 served a similar purpose in terms of the higher level of incidents in May.

One example of regional differences in the overall pictures there was a region-specific increase in Quebec in January following a spate of antisemitic response in the media to an agreement that was announced, but later struck down, increasing public funding to Jewish schools. Out of a total of 133 incidents during the entire year for the province, 20 or 15% took place in the opening month of the year.

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