Israel’s ambassador to Canada says he is shaken by the surge in anti-Semitic hate across the country, telling a Senate committee he has witnessed behaviour that left him “mind-bogglingly” concerned about public safety and social cohesion.Iddo Moed told the Senate human rights committee he feels welcomed as a visitor, but said he cannot ignore the fear and frustration Canadian Jews now describe to him. Blacklock's Reporter said he urged Canadians to show the courage to stand beside victims of hate. “If you are attacked, I’m attacked,” he said. “That’s what we are talking about.”Moed said the message he hears “universally” from Jewish Canadians is one of abandonment, intimidation and open hatred. He offered sympathy and support on behalf of Israel but pressed the community to speak out when targeted. .“I know it is hard,” he said, recalling his own upbringing in Holland where Jews avoided drawing attention.He warned that changing circumstances demand new approaches. “As a bystander, as someone who comes from a country that is constantly attacked, for us it is clear we can’t do what we tried to do in the past,” he said.Sen. Leo Housakos (Que.), the Opposition Leader in the Senate, said Canada had failed its Jewish citizens. Moed said Israel holds Canada to a high standard, but noted the number of incidents has grown sharply in recent years, especially since the October 7 attacks..Sen. David Arnot (Sask.) said Canadian leaders have been too timid in confronting the issue, even as democratic values are openly challenged. Moed told him antisemitic trends in Canada now mirror those seen worldwide, with “very strong language” becoming common.Moed said antisemitism is increasingly masked as criticism of Israel. “In the Middle Ages they said, ‘We don’t hate Jews, just their religion.’ In the 19th century, ‘We don’t hate Jews, just their race.’ Now they say, ‘We don’t hate Jews, just their nation state.’”Criticism of Israeli government policy is legitimate, he said, but attacking Jews in Canada is not. Statistics Canada data released July 22 confirms Jews remain the top target of police-reported hate crimes, despite representing less than 1% of the population.Moed said the list of incidents, including arson, assault and other violence, is long and disturbing. “These are by no means isolated,” he said.“We don’t have to love each other,” Moed concluded. “But we have to respect each other and tolerate each other.”
