Being visibly Jewish
Is antisemitism at a dangerous point in Canada?
There certainly is a lot more visible support for the Palestinian cause(s), and denunciation of Israel, than there was two years ago. I know many Jewish people who feel personally attacked when they see a poster or banner or graffiti saying "Free Palestine" or "from the river to the sea", etc. This is because they have been brought up feeling a strong connection with Israel, as part of their own identity.
However, a survey last year found that non-Jewish Canadians were developing more negative attitudes toward Israel but generally still feeling positive toward Jews. And that fits with my own experience.
I wear a yarmulka everywhere, and virtually all the reactions I get are positive. Just today a random middle-aged White guy said "hey, shalom! That means 'peace', right?" One evening a while back, a random young Black guy said "I like the yamulka! You know what I always think of? All those Nobel prizes! You people have done a lot for the world." And another while back, on campus, a young Indigenous woman said, "You're Jewish! Do you know any Jewish doctors or lawyers?" (I told her the ones I know are married and she was disappointed!)
This is not a proper statistical study, but my own experience does give me the feeling that a lot of people still like us Jews :)
There certainly is a lot more visible support for the Palestinian cause(s), and denunciation of Israel, than there was two years ago. I know many Jewish people who feel personally attacked when they see a poster or banner or graffiti saying "Free Palestine" or "from the river to the sea", etc. This is because they have been brought up feeling a strong connection with Israel, as part of their own identity.
However, a survey last year found that non-Jewish Canadians were developing more negative attitudes toward Israel but generally still feeling positive toward Jews. And that fits with my own experience.
I wear a yarmulka everywhere, and virtually all the reactions I get are positive. Just today a random middle-aged White guy said "hey, shalom! That means 'peace', right?" One evening a while back, a random young Black guy said "I like the yamulka! You know what I always think of? All those Nobel prizes! You people have done a lot for the world." And another while back, on campus, a young Indigenous woman said, "You're Jewish! Do you know any Jewish doctors or lawyers?" (I told her the ones I know are married and she was disappointed!)
This is not a proper statistical study, but my own experience does give me the feeling that a lot of people still like us Jews :)
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