A Vancouver synagogue says it is being forced to spend more than $1 million a year on security as attacks and threats against Jewish Canadians continue to rise.Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of Congregation Schara Tzedek, the largest Orthodox synagogue in Western Canada, told a Senate human rights committee that the financial burden of constant security has become staggering. “Our community spends well over $1 million a year on security personnel alone,” wrote Rosenblatt. “We could fund a school with that amount.”Blacklock's Reporter said the synagogue was targeted in a 2024 arson attack, and Rosenblatt said fear has now become part of daily life for many Jewish Canadians. “Why is it in a free society, a civil society, a place that describes itself as ‘true’ and ‘free,’ that we must provide security for the simple act of attending school or synagogue?” he asked..Rosenblatt told senators that antisemitism has become so normalized that many Canadians conceal their support for Israel to avoid professional backlash. “We have found antisemitism in unions, art festivals, and on campuses across the country,” he said. “Those who wish to progress in academia, the arts, and even in some sectors of human services need to conceal their association with Israel.”RCMP director general David Janzen said he has tracked the evolution of antisemitism in Canada over decades, noting that hatred has moved from fringe groups to mainstream online spaces. “The level of vitriol online has dramatically increased,” said Janzen. “It is now more of a kind of movement.”.Sen. Leo Housakos questioned why hate crime laws, on the books since 1970, are not preventing the surge. “Where has law enforcement failed and why?” he asked. Janzen replied that much more could be done.Attorney General Sean Fraser, in earlier Commons testimony, admitted prosecutions for hate crimes remain low. When asked how many of the roughly 5,000 annual hate crimes result in charges, Fraser said he did not have the numbers but acknowledged, “I expect not” as many are prosecuted as committed.
