110 ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS REPORTED CANADA-WIDE IN FIRST FEW MONTHS OF 2002

Latest synagogue attack is sixth incident targeting Jewish houses of worship in Quebec region

Montreal, May 22, 2002

For Immediate Release

Montreal, May 22^nd, 2002 — The preliminary numbers compiled for the 2002 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents by the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada shows a disturbing increase in antisemitism across Canada. The recent pipe bombing of the Quebec City synagogue is the sixth incident this year in the region targeting synagogues. It indicates a disturbing trend of increasing violence in the type of incidents being reported to the League this year.

From January to the end of April 2002, 110 antisemitic incidents were reported to the League, compared to a total of 286 incidents Canada-wide for the full 12-months of 2001. In April 2002 alone, the League received 75 reports of antisemitic incidents, 25 of which took place in Quebec. This compares to 25 incidents across Canada for April of 2001.

Me. Steven Slimovitch, National Legal Counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, stated: “The authorities must deal with this most recent attack against a Canadian synagogue with a firm hand. We call on law enforcement agencies to take all legal measures at their disposal to put the perpetrators of such hate crimes behind bars. No attack on a house of worship should be tolerated in Canada.”

Me. Allan Adel, Quebec Chair of the League for Human Rights, added: “The continued rise of antisemitism and the trend to increased violence as a component of these incidents is most disturbing. We call on government officials at all levels — national, provincial and municipal — as well as the Canadian community at large, to condemn these eruptions of antisemitism as an anathema to our multicultural values.”

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To access the 2001 Audit go to:
http://www.bnaibrith.ca/publications/audit2001/audit2001-00.html.

For further comment contact:
Me. Steven Slimovitch (514) 871-8971
Me. Allan Adel (514) 845-4151
Ruth Klein (416) 346-0114

B’nai Brith has been active in Canada since 1875 as the community’s foremost advocacy and volunteer organization.