2001 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents

The League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada has produced an Audit of Antisemitic Incidents annually since 1982. This report has long been considered an authoritative record of antisemitism in Canada and a barometer of the nature and level of prejudice and discrimination in this country. Its consistency in definition and approach is widely recognized as an indicator of its integrity and reliability.

In the highly charged climate prevailing post September 11, in which pent-up prejudice against minorities — long considered reasonably dormant in Canadian society — re-emerged in various guises, there are clearly additional factors that must be taken into account in analyzing the data for 2001. Although traditional reporting guidelines and criteria remain the same for this year’s Audit, our study recognizes that antisemitic incidents in Canada can no longer be analyzed solely in the domestic arena; the contextual background of the incidents must be reviewed even more meticulously than in the past. A comparison between incidents reported in Canada and antisemitic outbursts in other countries must also be undertaken in order to understand what is reported as a growing phenomenon worldwide. As in so many other areas post September 11, it is no longer possible to separate the Canadian experience from events elsewhere.

It was greatly feared that there might be mass attacks on Canadian religious institutions as part of a huge backlash against minorities that was widely predicted, but failed to materialize, except to a certain extent in the immediate aftermath of September 11. That is not to say that religious minorities escaped unscathed. The Samaj Hindu temple in Hamilton was burned to the ground just days after the terrorist bombings. Incidents against Canadian Muslims were reported across the country, including the beating of a young boy in Ottawa, schoolyard harassment of students named Osama, and damage to several mosques. Antisemitism — the focus of this report — experienced a peak of activity at this time, culminating in bomb threats against a synagogue and a Jewish elementary school in Toronto on September 13, and mass anthrax hoaxes perpetrated against Jewish community institutions across the country just weeks later.

Although the current climate seems calmer, we cannot dismiss such occurrences, nor rest easy that the danger of activity relating to intolerance and prejudice has passed. Only recently, six Hindu statues at Gayatri Mandir Hindu Temple in Toronto were desecrated, and while the suspected arson at the Anshei Minsk Synagogue in Toronto may not have been the result of a “hate/bias” crime, it has still raised community concerns that are already heightened in light of the rash of synagogue firebombings that has plagued Europe.

The Audit for 2001 will examine whether the year’s data confirms trends evident in the past and supports a continued reliance on traditional reporting criteria. It will look at whether existing guidelines and definitions are sufficiently sophisticated to measure the changing face of antisemitism in this country, and suggest additional indicators that must be taken into account in order to gain a true picture of the phenomenon. Clearly, such complex issues require substantial research to be able to offer definitive answers, but these questions have to be broached nonetheless in terms of setting the parameters for future Audits and suggesting the course of further academic study on this topic.

In evaluating this year’s data and the anecdotal evidence, several factors become clear. There is a growing tendency for victims to internalize rather then protest their victimization. Many in the younger generation feel it is not “cool” to report harassment. In the older, more established age groups, some have been so exposed to low-level antisemitism in the workplace over the years, in the form of antisemitic comments and racial jokes, that they have become almost immune and would certainly never think their discomfort merited a formal protest. The attitude of “not making waves” is still alive and well amongst large segments of the Canadian Jewish community today. Even among those who reported incidents to the League in 2001, only about one third contacted the police as well. As with other types of abuse, reporting by victims in general is estimated to take place in only about 10% of the cases. The data under review, therefore, represents only the tip of the iceberg, and should be viewed as one specific indicator that can contribute to the overall picture.

It is our intention to broaden discussion of Audit-related issues in the future and, to this end, certain additional questions must be asked that are fundamental to this study. As the outward forms of racism continue to evolve, we must question whether the seemingly ageless metaphors of racism have not also changed. This appears to be the case in some of the newer manifestations of antisemitism that are currently emerging in response to overseas conflicts and the resulting tensions within society. How has the growing use of technological advances in the field of communications affected the scope of the target group and intensity of propaganda that is shaping the consciousness of Canadian society? Does the antisemitic discourse that is found in the international arena impact on the Canadian scene? It is time for these questions to receive some serious attention.

The findings of this study lead us to assume that the structure and underlying mechanics of antisemitism have remained more or less unchanged over the years, in spite of reports that have confidently predicted its demise, and that it will still erupt periodically under the stress of political, racial, religious and socio-economic tension. Differences in attitudes across Canada prompt some serious concerns about the continuing tenacity of prejudice in Quebec, at the same time as we receive encouraging news about the psycho-social health of Canadians in general. And the ever-encroaching role of the Internet suggests that the reported incidents of overt harassment, vandalism and discrimination cannot be viewed in isolation from the sweeping impact of mass prejudice that is being disseminated over the World Wide Web to an ever-growing audience. The fact that Israel and the Jews have become interchangeable targets for abuse in some circles is a growing phenomenon that has disturbing implications. Rather than dismissing or marginalizing such concerns, they must be honestly considered in our evaluation of antisemitism in Canada.

The League for Human Rights is fortunate to be able to feature specially commissioned contributions to this year’s Audit from five leading experts in the human rights field. Their submissions have allowed us to enhance the customary approach of the Audit with more broad-based analysis.

Section 1: ATTITUDES — PATTERNS OF PREJUDICE IN CANADA TODAY

Dr. Conrad Winn, President of COMPAS, and a leading pollster in this country, will examine how attitudes towards minorities have changed over the past generation.

Section 2: INCIDENTS — HOW THE STREET RESPONDS

This section, researched and corroborated by League for Human Rights professionals at B’nai Brith Canada’s national and regional offices, will summarize antisemitic incidents reported over the past year.

Section 3: TECHNOLOGY — THE MECHANICS OF MASS HATE

Ken McVay, OBC, Director of the Nizkor documentation site, will discuss the ever-growing use of the Internet to disseminate hate propaganda, and its potential implications for Canadian “hearts and minds”.

Section 4: THE LAW — A REMEDY AGAINST HATE?

Marvin Kurz, Legal Counsel for the League for Human Rights, will give an update on recent legal cases that impact our ability to fight hate propaganda through the courts.

Section 5: TERMINOLOGY — TOWARDS A NEW DEFINITION

Professor Stephen Scheinberg, National Chair of the League for Human Rights and Chair of History at Concordia University, will offer a landmark thesis on the “new antisemitism” and examine the inroads this phenomenon has made in Europe as compared to Canada.

Section 6: CHALLENGES AHEAD — A POST-DURBAN AGENDA

David Matas, internationally-renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Legal Counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, will examine the implications of the antisemitism unleashed during last summer’s UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, and suggest a suitable response to get Canada’s anti-racist agenda back on track.

Patterns of Prejudice in Canada

INTRODUCTION: Patterns of Prejudice in the Post-September 11 Era