Rochelle Wilner President	Frank Dimant Chief Executive Officer	Prof. Stephen Scheinberg National Chair	Ruth Klein National Director of Advocacy

2002 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents

II. FINDINGS OF THE AUDIT

1. The Raw Data

In total, 459 incidents were reported to the League for Human Rights in 2002, which represents an overall increase of 60.48% over the previous year (see figures 1 and 2). This confirms the trend noted in the League’s mid year Audit of the first six months of 2002.ⁱⁱ In the twenty year history of the Audit, 459 is the highest number of incidents ever reported to the League. In the past five years alone, the number of incidents has more than doubled (see figure 3).

In 2002, 282 (61.44%) of these incidents were classified as harassment, 148 (32.24%) as vandalism and 29 (6.32%) as violence (see figure 4). This compares to 203 cases of harassment (71%) and 83 cases of vandalism (29%) in 2001. Prior to the 2002 Audits, violence was included in the harassment category, since at the time it was not considered a sufficiently common phenomenon to warrant a separate category. As physical assault became more common following 9/11, the League added a third category of violence in order to be able to track the increasing use of violence in the incidents reported during 2002.

Out of the total of 459 incidents, 154 (33.6% of the total) occurred in April (86) and May (68) alone, which is more than three times the number of incidents that occurred during those two months in 2001. Of these incidents, 96 were classified as harassment, 52 as vandalism and 6 as violence. (See figure 1).

This two month period coincided with Israel’s operation “Defensive Shield” following the Passover Seder terrorist bombing in Netanya last spring that killed 28 Israelis, 1 Jewish tourist, and injured 140. The wild and unfounded massacre charges that accompanied Israel’s action against the infrastructure of terror in the West Bank, and the wide media coverage that ensued until these allegations were disproved, led to a climate that proved a fertile ground for antisemitic outbursts. The overwhelming condemnation of Israel appeared to be taken as validation of attacks against individual Jews and Jewish organizations in this country and was used as opportunity to express latent antagonism and bias.

Just over a year ago, the League asked Dr. Conrad Winn, President of COMPAS, and a leading pollster in this country, to examine how attitudes towards minorities have changed over the past generation. His findings provide a useful backdrop against which to consider the statistics:

“Canadians are no more racist or bigoted than a generation ago, and there are indications of growing inter-group acceptance and even empathy and understanding. However, while empathy and psycho-social health are on the upswing, the core minority characterized by religious or racialist antagonism is not showing any significant decline.”ⁱⁱⁱ

Given such advances in inter-ethnic understanding and the fact that crimes against minorities appear to have declined in number and severity following a spike in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the findings of the 2002 Audit are alarming. In addition to the marked rise in incidents, the increasing use of the imagery and motifs of violence has been reflected in a disquieting trend towards physical assault. This trend is illustrated in the 29 cases of outright violence recorded in the Audit, one of which involved the murder of a visibly Orthodox Jew.

Given the opinion of experts that only about 10% of victims ever report their victimization, the figures released in this year’s Audit represent just the tip of the iceberg of a much more serious problem.

2. The Regional Picture

While incidents were reported across the country (see figure 5), the most significant statistics were collected in Quebec and Ontario, areas of residence for the majority of Canadian Jews. In Ontario there were 329 incidents, 217 of which took place in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In Quebec there were 89 incidents, of which 87 took place in Greater Montreal.

TABLES

Table 1: Breakdown of total incidents for 2002 by province

Table 2: Total Canada — Breakdown by region and categories

Table 3: Breakdown for Ontario — by type of incident

Notes:
*Ontario region — figures for all of Ontario excludeing GTA and National Capital area (Ottawa).
**Toronto region — includes former municipalities as well as areas bordering on Toronto: Markham, Thornhill and Richmond Hill in York Region, and Brampton, Newmarket and Mississaugua in Peel.

Table 4: Breakdown for Quebec — by type of incident

Table 5: 2002 vs. 2001 Regional breakdown

The regional breakdown for incidents under review is as follows:

Regional Ontario

In regional Ontario (not including Greater Toronto or the National Capital Region), there were 69 cases compared to 46 in 2001. This represents a 50% increase in antisemitic incidents. These incidents included serious acts of harassment, distribution of hate propaganda, acts of vandalism and violence (see figure 6).

Greater Toronto Area

There were 217 incidents of antisemitism reported (see figure 7) including death threats, bomb threats, physical assaults, anthrax scares with a hate/bias orientation, serious acts of vandalism and several cemetery desecrations. This marked an 87% increase in reported antisemitic incidents over the 2001 figure of 116.

National Capital Region

There were 43 reported antisemitic incidents in Ottawa including graffiti, vandalism, threatening e-mails and 2 cases of physical assault (see figure 8). This represents an increase of 79% compared to the 2001 figures.

Greater Montreal

The League received reports of 87 antisemitic incidents in Greater Montreal, which represents an increase of 11.5% from 2001. Although the percentage increase is less marked than in other areas of the country, 14% of the total incidents in the Montreal area were violent acts, compared to 6% for all of Canada. There were 12 incidents in September alone, with 6 violent incidents, the majority of which were clustered around the Concordia University riots of September 9, 2002. Half of the total year’s violence in Montreal for the entire year was thus related to that incident (see figure 10).

An additional 2 incidents were reported in regional Quebec in 2002, including the firebombing of Quebec City’s only synagogue (see figure 9).

Manitoba

In Winnipeg, 23 incidents were reported to the League compared to 6 in 2001. This represents a significant increase (see figure 11).

British Columbia

5 incidents of antisemitism were reported in British Columbia, 4 in Vancouver and 1 in Victoria. This is the same level of activity as in 2001.

Alberta/Saskatchewan

There were 6 incidents reported in Alberta and 4 in Saskatchewan, including the Ahenakew affair and the firebombing of the Saskatoon Synagogue. Last year the League received 5 reports of incidents of antisemitism in 2001 for both provinces combined.

The Maritimes

There were 3 reported antisemitic incidents in the Maritimes in 2002, compared to just 1 in the previous year. One involved right wing activities in Prince Edward Island, the others took place in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

3. Examples of Incidents

JANUARY

Montreal: Two jeeps with Arab-speaking youths armed with bats surrounded a car filled with Jewish youngsters who were threatened with assault.

Toronto: Material sent out by a Jewish organization was returned, defaced with swastikas.

Regina: Antisemitic flyers were distributed to private homes.

FEBRUARY

Toronto: A synagogue was defaced with a Star of David with the word “devil” marked on it.

Montreal: A theatre running a movie with Jewish content was firebombed.

MARCH

Toronto: A physician, who found himself in the midst of a downtown demonstration by pro-Palestinian protesters, was called a “Jewish murderer”, pushed to the ground and his collarbone was broken.

Montreal: A Jewish student was choked in front of a Hillel information table at Concordia University, while the perpetrator called out, “F**k you, you Jewish bastards.”

Montreal: A synagogue was defaced with anti-Jewish graffiti.

Winnipeg: An Orthodox man — dressed in traditional attire which clearly identified him as a Jew — was physically accosted by a group of girls from a high school directly across the street from his synagogue.

Montreal: Two visibly identifiable Jews, accompanied by their young children, were accosted by eight Arab-speaking men who threatened them and made anti-Jewish comments.

APRIL

Saskatoon: A synagogue was firebombed.

Grand Prairie: A clergyman addressing his congregants disseminated the myth that no Jews were killed in the bombing of the World Trade Centre because they had prior knowledge of what was to happen and therefore stayed home.

Toronto: Hate messages were sent to the Jewish community’s Tele-Aid distress line, including comments such as, “Death to all you Jewish a**holes. Go back to where you came from…”

Montreal: Employees of a Jewish organization received threatening phone calls with such comments as, “You guys are murderers. You deserve everything you get.”

Toronto: Intruders entered an apartment building at night, daubed swastikas on doors, and damaged mezuzahs, the traditional religious symbolic scrolls commonly found affixed to the doors of Jewish homes.

London: A Jewish cemetery was vandalized and headstones overturned.

Montreal: 15 participants in a soccer game were overheard shouting “Death to Jews” in Arabic and French throughout the match. When the game ended, several Arab-speaking youths jumped the fence and assaulted a group of Jewish students, threatening them with knives.

Toronto: A man received a postcard in the mail calling for “Death to the Jews”, and threatening him and his family specifically, after he expressed his opinion on CBC radio that Israel has a right to defend itself.

Montreal: A visibly identifiable Jew was refused service at a national chain hardware store in West Island. When the attendant finally arrived and was asked a reason for the delay, he responded with anti-Jewish slurs.

Calgary: A Rabbi received death threats by phone.

Toronto: A hate propaganda mailing alleging that non-Jews are unwittingly forced to pay a hidden tax so that Jews can have kosher products was surreptitiously inserted in a local newspaper prior to delivery to area residents. This Kosher Food Tax canard has re-appeared with increasing frequency in recent months and is currently posted on several far Right and far Left websites.

Montreal: At some time between the time of posting and the time of delivery, letters sent by a synagogue to its board members were marked with a Jewish Star, an equal sign (=) and a swastika. An investigation has been initiated by Canada Post at the request of B’nai Brith Canada.

MAY

Montreal: An identifably Jewish 12-year-old boy was harassed on a public transit bus in Ville St. Laurent and death threats were made.

Toronto: A pharmacy assistant at a national chain drug store in an area with a significant Jewish population gave a Heil Hitler salute to a Jewish customer in front of other shoppers.

Quebec City: A pipe bomb was thrown at the city’s only synagogue.

Ottawa: The police issued an alert to the city’s Jewish community of an unspecified threat against its synagogues and/or institutions, based on intelligence that the community was to be targeted during the month of June.

Calgary: Shouts of “Death to the Jews” were heard at a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

Mississauga: A female high school student had to be escorted to and from classes after being harassed in the schoolyard by Arab-speaking students and subjected to antisemitic remarks and threats of violence.

Cochrane: A memorial to Raoul Wallenberg was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

JUNE

Toronto: The B’nai Brith Canada national office, along with several other Jewish organizations were targeted and received hate mail that included specific threats of violence. Some of these letters included white powder in an apparent intimidation campaign reminiscent of the rash of such hoaxes in the Fall of 2001. One of the targeted locales was the Anshei Minsk Synagogue in the downtown area, the target of “suspected arson” in April 2002. The letter threatened: “We reserve a singular hatred for the Jew… we will soon be in a position to crush you not just in Israel but worldwide… We outnumber you in every place in which you once felt safe…”

Toronto: There was a bomb threat against a Jewish community center complex that houses a school and nursery, as well as the offices of several community organizations.

Ottawa: Cars were vandalized in a synagogue parking lot.

Scarborough: As part of a course on world religions, a high school Religious Studies teacher told his students that the Jews killed Jesus.

Toronto: Cars were vandalized in a condominium building with a large number of Jewish residents, and antisemitic graffiti and swastikas defaced walls throughout the building.

Guelph: Neo-Nazi related material posted on a website was investigated by police.

JULY

Toronto: An orthodox Jewish man was stabbed to death on a public street. The assailant, who did not know the victim, came out of a nearby restaurant after an argument with another Jewish man, made antisemitic comments, ran down the block knife in hand and stabbed the victim in the back.

Ottawa: Material was distributed alleging Jews were responsible for a “kosher Food Tax scam”.

Toronto: Ongoing antisemitic graffiti was reported in a condominium with predominantly elderly Jewish residents, including many Holocaust survivors.

Ottawa: An MP reported that constituents received a poem calling for a Jewish Holocaust.

AUGUST

Balfour Beach, Ontario: Swastikas were found on cottages with predominantly Jewish owners.

Toronto: A death threat was received by the webmaster of a Jewish site via email.

Ottawa: A car belonging to a Jew was vandalized with antisemitic messages scratched into it.

Hamilton: A rock was thrown through the glass window of a synagogue on the Jewish Sabbath.

SEPTEMBER

London: Right wing groups distributed antisemitic material in parts of the city.

Montreal: Rabbis and other visible Jews were assaulted at the Concordia campus as part of a riot aimed at blocking a planned lecture by former Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hamilton: An object was thrown from a passing vehicle at a Jewish student wearing a skullcap.

Windsor: Jewish teens wearing skullcaps were attacked on the street by a group of men.

Toronto: Antisemitic postings were found on the Internet recommending the notorious Czarist forgery Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a true reflection of “Jewish control” in the world today.

Toronto: Headstones were vandalized in a Jewish cemetery. Windows were broken in a synagogue.

OCTOBER

Grand Falls, NF: Canadian nickel coins were defaced with swastikas.

Wolfville, NS: A Hitler salute was made by a University Board member to a Jewish student during discussions.

Thornhill: A listener called in to a local radio station to state his belief that “Jewish garbage” was responsible for 9/11 tragedy.

Niagara Falls: Swastikas and antisemitic slogans were found on a public bridge.

Montreal: A teenage boy was pushed and punched after identifying himself as a Jew to four other teenagers.

NOVEMBER

Toronto: A bomb threat was made against a retail business owned by a Jew.

Ottawa: Antisemitic graffiti was reported at a university campus.

DECEMBER

Saskatoon: Antisemitic remarks were made by an Aboriginal leader.

Toronto: A Jewish family received an antisemitic card inviting the family to “burn in oven”. Dog feces were spread over the front window where Jewish holiday menorah was on display.

Winnipeg: Antisemitic letter received by local synagogue.

4. The Rosenzweig Murder

The incident that attracted the most attention in 2002 was the murder of David Rosenzweig. No matter how the incident is classified, it was first and foremost a tragedy. B’nai Brith Canada has continued to classify the murder of David Rosenzweig as an antisemitic act, despite the fact that the Hate Crimes Unit of the Toronto Police Force has not yet made its final determination as to whether this was a hate-motivated crime.

We are often asked by police and the general public, why recognition of hate motivation is so important in such cases, especially where other additional motivation can be established, such as in this case, the issue of drug dealing. The most pertinent answer is that this determination can affect sentencing on charges ultimately brought against the assailant. The Criminal Code (s.718.2) provides that “evidence that the offence was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor” is an aggravating factor which can lead to a greater term of imprisonment.

In 2002, this provision was used on appeal to significantly increase the sentence of an individual convicted of fire-bombing a synagogue in Alberta. Given this consideration, it becomes evident, therefore, that close attention must be paid to understanding the definition of a hate crime, as well as the legal recourse available (for a fuller discussion of this issue see Appendix B).

The Audit is a record of antisemitic incidents. As a grassroots organization our focus is on the victims and the validation of their experiences and perceptions. The motivation of the perpetrator may never be known, especially if no arrests are made. To the police, this is a highly subjective determination that may never be made if other motivation can be established.

In the case of the Rosenzweig murder, the following comments in the 2002 mid year Audit remain valid:

“The fact that the assailant singled out a victim who was an Orthodox Jew — instantly identifiable by his head covering and conservative attire — could reasonably support the contention that this is a hate crime, even if other circumstances before the murder took place suggest additional motivation.

Although the police subsequently announced related evidence to explain the suspect’s presence at the crime scene… the fact that he felt impelled to vent his rage and hatred on this one particular individual …cannot simply be dismissed as a chance occurrence wholly unconnected to any racist motivation or impulse.”

In addition, according to witnesses, the assailant was heard uttering racial epithets about Jews just minutes before he committed the murder.

For the purposes of this discussion, it is instructive to bear in mind a recent case, which will be included in the 2003 figures, in which a visible Jew, walking home late at night from a Toronto synagogue, was attacked with a hammer by an unknown assailant. The circumstances of this assault, including the absence of any robbery attempt leads to the assumption this was a hate crime. However, the police have to act under certain constraints when making such a determination. Without the arrest and interrogation of a suspect, the police are unable to establish motivation. Even if the police were to concur with the general assumption that antisemitism was the motivation behind this inexplicable crime, using such a classification at the present time would make it harder for them to present their case later on should the assailant be found and brought to trial.

5. The Ahenakew Affair

The Canadian public reacted with shock and outrage last December to the hateful diatribe of David Ahenakew, former Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. After a profanity-laced speech, Ahenakew gave an interview to a Saskatoon Star Phoenix reporter in which he said Adolf Hitler “fried six million Jews” to ensure they did not take over Europe. He stated that the Nazis moved to exterminate the Jews because Hitler “was going to make damn sure that the Jews didn't take over Germany or Europe.” He went on to say: “That’s why he fried six million of those guys, you know. Jews would have owned the goddamned world. And look what they’re doing. They’re killing people in Arab countries.”^iv Ahenakew said he assumed these opinions during military service in Germany and Egypt.

Though initially some Aboriginal leaders dismissed the comments as merely the opinions of one individual, Matthew Coon Come, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Saskatchewan Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde were quick to denounce Ahenakew’s statements. Steps were immediately taken to strip Ahenakew of all positions and honours within the Aboriginal community. Furthermore, the Crown Prosecutor has initiated an investigation. Applications were also made to the Governor General to remove Ahenakew from the Order of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chretien reacted by stating that: “Such words are not acceptable in Canadian society.”^v

B’nai Brith Canada subsequently met with Chiefs Coon Come and Bellegarde resulting in several initiatives to ensure greater tolerance and understanding between both communities including: a Holocaust and Hope mission to Poland and Israel tailored for Aboriginal educators, a joint visit to Israel with Chiefs Coon Come and Bellegarde, and visits to Aboriginal communities across Canada by B’nai Brith leadership. B’nai Brith also supported the suggestion of an Aboriginal “healing circle” in order to give primacy in this case to the native justice system. Although Ahenakew did issue an apology for his remarks several days after his interview to the Star Phoenix, it is at present far from clear that he has any interest in participating in such a process. Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecutor’s criminal investigation continues.

6. On Campus

On Canadian university campuses, militant anti-Israel and anti-US movements have rapidly been gaining strength. In itself, this phenomenon is not new, and in any event universities are places where strident political views have traditionally held sway. Yet the current situation is characterized by a number of troubling factors.

Firstly, pro-Palestinian advocacy tends to include anti-Israel and anti-Zionist rhetoric, which often takes on a flavour of antisemitism while ostensibly maintaining a veneer of political correctness. Thus, for example, discussions by anti-Israel activists on campuses such as York University have led, time and again, to the old canards of Jewish control of media or Western governments as a matter of doctrine. Pro-Palestinian activists recently told a group of Jews, “Why don’t you people go back to Europe where you came from?” Jewish symbols have been defaced, or equated with the swastika on a number of campuses.

Anti-Israel advocacy has also occasionally led to violence. A Jewish student was assaulted by a prominent Palestinian activist one day after the September 9^th 2002 riot at Concordia. Indeed, at the riot, Jewish attendees at the planned Benjamin Netanyahu lecture were kicked, spat upon, punched, and abused with crude racial epithets. Scuffles have broken out at York University as well, including threats of physical assault.

Ostensibly anti-racist provisions of the constitutions of Palestinian advocacy clubs have not been followed. In fact, though lip service is often paid to condemnations of antisemitism, in practice it is ignored or tacitly sanctioned. For example, a recent event held by a Palestinian advocacy group at the University of Alberta in Calgary allowed a discussion of Jewish “complicity” in the 9/11 attacks among other “Jewish conspiracies”. Despite the clear constitutional claim to combat antisemitism listed on the club’s website, organizers did nothing to halt or dispute the discussion.

University-sanctioned clubs, often using university web servers, have been found to contain links to Holocaust denial material and references to antisemitic books. The Student Association for Muslim Awareness at Concordia University was found during 2002 to have these materials on its website. A B’nai Brith researcher discovered the offensive materials and the site was subsequently closed down. Other campus club sites across the country have also been found to contain offensive and antisemitic materials. This is of grave concern, since universities do not seem to be supervising the clubs and websites that they regulate.

These examples are an indication of the breadth of the problem facing Jewish students at Canada’s university campuses. As tension over a possible war against Iraq intensifies, the concern is that increasingly heated words and threats of violence may result with greater frequency. As it is, Jewish students — especially visible Jews — feel increasingly besieged on campus.