{"id":151121,"date":"2026-06-08T15:24:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/151121\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T15:24:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:24:25","slug":"record-turnout-for-toronto-pro-israel-march-as-violent-antisemitism-spikes-across-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/151121\/","title":{"rendered":"Record turnout for Toronto pro-Israel march as violent antisemitism spikes across Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 The streets of central Toronto pulsed with Israeli and Persian tunes on Sunday as 60,000 people converged to demonstrate solidarity with Israel and Canada\u2019s Jewish community.<\/p>\n

In response to surging Jew-hatred that has darkened Toronto over the last several months, a diverse crowd chose to march with the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto\u2019s 57th Walk with Israel. Despite sometimes violent counter-protests on the march\u2019s sidelines, this year\u2019s walk attracted 4,000 more participants than last year, making it one of the largest public demonstrations of support for Israel in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not afraid of anything, in spite of all the antisemitism that\u2019s been going down, specifically here in Toronto,\u201d said participant Shai Klein. \u201cIt gives us that much more reason to be here today and show that we\u2019re not going to back down in the face of hatred, and that we\u2019re going to show our pride. And we\u2019re not leaving Toronto and Canada. We\u2019re going to be proud Jews here and support the State of Israel no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jewish participants in the roughly four-kilometer (two-and-a-half-mile) walk, along the heavily Jewish areas of Wilson Avenue and Bathurst Street, told The Times of Israel they were there to clearly state their deep connection to their ancestral homeland and their belief in its sovereignty and right to self-defense.<\/p>\n

They were joined by many other walkers from an array of backgrounds, including members of the Christian, Persian, Hindu, White, Black, Asian, Filipino and Indian communities. All approached by The Times of Israel said they attended the march in support of the Jewish state and to speak out against the anti-Zionist hate that is endangering Jews worldwide.<\/p>\n

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This year, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, a nonprofit organization, raised CAD 650,000 ($466,000) for the walk, which fell short of the $780,000 ($560,000) target it set in honor of Israel\u2019s 78th birthday, and was notably less than the CAD 1.4 million ($1 million) it raised last year. All of the money supports humanitarian initiatives in Israel that provide mental health, physical recovery and trauma care services, and aid to evacuees.<\/p>\n

The demonstration had an air of particular urgency, coming as antisemitic hate crimes have risen<\/a> to the highest levels seen in Canada since World War II following the bloody Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel\u2019s subsequent war against the ruling terror organization in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s anti-Zionist movement has gained unprecedented traction<\/a>, universities are increasingly hostile to Israel, synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses are vandalized<\/a> with alarming frequency, and antisemitic violence<\/a> is at an all-time high.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tPeople participate in the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

According to the latest Toronto police data, Jews are targeted by 82%<\/a> of religiously motivated hate crimes. Nationally, B\u2019nai Brith Canada recently released a report<\/a> documenting 6,800 incidents of antisemitism in 2025, the highest volume since it began gathering this data in 1982 \u2014 a figure that is particularly disturbing given that Jews make up just 1% of Canada\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

Synagogues have been repeatedly targeted<\/a> with gunfire over the last two years. In recent weeks, attacks against Jewish targets have included an attempted arson at a Montreal synagogue, gel-gun assaults<\/a> on visibly Jewish people in Toronto, and on Saturday, an attack that shattered the window of Toronto Congregation Mishkan Avraham, which is located just south of the walk route.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the rise of hatred against the Jewish community, we need community to be our source of strength, so this is really an injection of energy and pride that I think people of all ages and stages in our Jewish community in Toronto are waiting for and need,\u201d said Sara Lefton, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto\u2019s chief development officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing allies come out to stand with us and support our community as we\u2019re going through these really, really difficult moments is more important than ever,\u201d said Lefton.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAnti-Israel counter-protesters demonstrate near the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

The soaring hate against Jews in Toronto necessitated the walk\u2019s largest-ever security measures. A well-coordinated police response consisted of officers from Toronto, York, Durham, Peel and the Ontario Provincial Police patrolling the entire perimeter and surrounding neighborhoods on foot, bicycle and horseback. Complementing their efforts was a sizeable contingent of private security companies and Jewish community protection organizations such as Shomrim and Hatzoloh.<\/p>\n

Counter-demonstrators breach police barrier<\/p>\n

Anti-Israel protesters assembled at locations adjacent to the route, chanting \u201cGenocide no more,\u201d and \u201cIsrael is an apartheid state.\u201d Some waved the flag of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and held signs with the slogans \u201cMarg bar Israel\u201d \u2014 Farsi for \u201cDeath to Israel\u201d \u2014 \u201cDown with Zionism,\u201d \u201cKill more babies,\u201d and \u201cJews against Israeli crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAnti-Israel counter-protesters demonstrate near the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

Police contained most of the demonstrators in a designated area away from the walk, but some breached the police barrier. Police arrested six people for alleged acts such as assaulting a police officer, displaying antisemitic messages and stomping on an Israeli flag.<\/p>\n

Politicians do \u2014 and do not \u2014 make appearances<\/p>\n

Several federal, provincial and municipal government leaders took part in the walk, including Member of Provincial Parliament and Attorney General Michael Kerzner, who represents the district of York Centre, where the walk took place.<\/p>\n

Kerzner, who is Jewish, has been criticized by some for not sufficiently using his authority to push for more responsive enforcement of laws against those who explicitly demonize Jews, including a group that has been meeting weekly at a major intersection in his district. In December, Kerzner told the Toronto police chief in a statement that \u201cstrong action is required to prevent further escalation and hold offenders to account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has never been a more important time in the history of the Jewish community in Canada to stand with Israel. And so, I will,\u201d Kerzner said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPeople participate in the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

Also on hand were two of the district\u2019s federal members of government, Leslie Church from the governing Liberal party and Roman Baber from the Conservatives, the official opposition party. Baber and Melissa Lantsman, who is a deputy leader of the Conservatives, are both Jewish and have consistently called for more assertive government and police action to curb the antisemitism crisis in Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen governments go quiet, communities find their voice. That\u2019s why we walk. Not in fear. In pride and in love for this country, and in the unshakeable belief that what binds Canada and Israel together as allies is freedom, democracy and decency,\u201d Lantsman said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tChildren put on a presentation at the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

Absent from the walk was Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, a fierce Israel critic who has claimed that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza \u2014 a charge Israel vehemently denies \u2014 and who some say has been too slow to condemn local acts of Jew-hatred.<\/p>\n

However, Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford, the leading challenger in the upcoming October 26 mayoral election, did participate and noted on X: \u201cWe walk for peace, justice, pluralism, and the right of every person to thrive in a Toronto that is welcoming, tolerant, and safe for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also missing was Prime Minister Mark Carney, who recently announced<\/a> the formation of a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion to help combat antisemitism and other forms of hate and racism.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA man wears an Imperial Iranian flag, demonstrating opposition to the Islamic regime, at the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

Carney\u2019s response to the country\u2019s soaring antisemitism has drawn criticism from Jewish groups, who find it inadequate and dangerous for its refusal to name anti-Zionist hate as a main cause of antisemitism in Canada.<\/p>\n

Joining the walk were the leaders of various grassroots Jewish civil rights groups in Canada, including the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem, Israel Now, STOP Antizionism, Tafsik, Unapologetically Jewish and Yalla!<\/p>\n

Natasha H. Pein, executive director of STOP Antizionism, which co-organized the World Symposium Against Antizionism in Toronto on May 17, characterized the walk as a declaration by Jews and their allies that \u201cantizionism is Jew-hatred. Antizionism is racism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAnti-regime Iranians show support for Israel at the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

Describing Jew-hate as a sign of civilizational decline, Pein continued that anti-Zionism \u201cis not political criticism of Israel. It is an ideology that hides behind the language of human rights while denying the Jewish people\u2019s right to existence in their ancestral homeland \u2014 a right afforded to every other nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to expose the mask, reject the lie, and reclaim that truth publicly and unapologetically,\u201d Pein said.<\/p>\n

Waving the flag for Israel<\/p>\n

Pro-Israel marchers carried Canadian flags \u2014 notably absent among the anti-Israel counter-protesters \u2014 as well as those of Israel, Imperial Iran, the United States and India.<\/p>\n

According to the UJA\u2019s Lefton, more groups allied to the Jewish community registered for the walk than ever before. Among supporters was Reza Ghazi, an Iranian-Canadian who proudly waved a large flag with the Persian Lion and Sun emblem.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tReza Ghazi waves an Imperial Iranian flag, demonstrating opposition to the Islamic regime, at the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our duty. [We are] two nations always together, and we should be together because we will be stronger,\u201d said Ghazi, referring to Israelis and Iranians united against the country\u2019s ruling Islamic regime, which has brutally cracked down on dissent, killing and injuring thousands.<\/p>\n

Eve Wang was at the walk with fellow congregants from Canada House of Prayer, a Christian ministry in Richmond Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love Israel, we support the Jewish community, and we also rally people to love the Jewish neighbors around us,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tSteven Rapoport waves an Israeli pride flag at the Walk with Israel in Toronto, June 7, 2026. (Sharon Aschaiek)<\/p>\n

Steven Rapoport said he was proud to attend and wave his giant Star of David rainbow flag.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tradition with my friends. We are Jewish men who are queer. We find it\u2019s important to represent, to march and to show our pride,\u201d Rapoport said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 The streets of central Toronto pulsed with Israeli and Persian tunes on Sunday as 60,000 people…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151122,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[10725,48555,949,48554,37,32875,16179,48556,48557],"class_list":["post-151121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-anti-zionism","tag-antisemitism-in-canada","tag-canada","tag-canadian-jews","tag-israel","tag-pro-israel-advocacy","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-jews","tag-uja-federation-of-greater-toronto"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116715183575365188","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}