About The Audit

Despite the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Canada’s Jewish community continued to be the target of hate at a historic rate throughout the year. The 6,800 incidents of antisemitism recorded by B’nai Brith Canada in 2025 demonstrate that although the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led terror attack in Israel (October 7) seemed to open the Pandora’s box of anti-Jewish hate in Canada, antisemitism has become so normalized in our society that its incidence can no longer be tied directly to the war in Israel. The rise of antisemitism after October 7, 2023 can no longer be viewed in isolation. Antisemitism is a national crisis and must be treated as such.

In 2025, the systemic nature of the crisis of antisemitism in Canada became even clearer. Anti-Jewish hate, though largely propagated by a virulent and vitriolic subset of our society, metastasized throughout all aspects of Canadian life. Our streets, schools, academic institutions, workplaces, and online platforms were increasingly compromised by nefarious actors who wished to spread and incite hate against the Jewish community. The failure to adequately address the devolving crisis of antisemitism resulted in the occurrence of antisemitism at a historical and disgraceful rate in 2025. The 6,800 incidents of antisemitism recorded in 2025, another record high for our nation, represent a 9.3% increase from 2024. This intolerable statistic translates to an average of 18.6 incidents of hate per day targeting Jewish Canadians. From 2022 to 2025, antisemitism increased 145.6%. The sustained increase in anti-Jewish hate over a period of three years indicates that crisis levels of antisemitism that were previously inconceivable are now the new normal for our nation.

The impact the crisis of antisemitism has had on Jewish Canadians over the last year cannot be conveyed through mere words and statistics. There is no Jewish community in Canada that has not been affected by the soaring rates of anti-Jewish hate. It is hard to imagine that our society would permit any other minority to endure what the Jewish community has been forced to endure, yet antisemitism has become a daily reality for Canadian Jews. Though Jewish life continues to thrive across the country, the sheer magnitude of hate that Jewish Canadians face has left many questioning the community’s continued vitality. Without adequate redress, we risk the infliction of irreparable harm.

If it achieves nothing else, I hope that this year’s Audit will serve as a lasting testament to the enduring spirit of Canadian Jewry. In spite of the near constant efforts to intimidate, harass, and harm its members, the Jewish community has remained resolute in its resolve. It has endured three years of the unthinkable, and though the incitement of hate and fostering of division have caused deep tears in our national fabric, the Jewish community has remained steadfastly united. As our nation’s morals and values were further denigrated, Jewish Canadians continued to epitomize the best of Canada in 2025. Our collective commitment to the advancement of the Canadian dream, the protection of Canada’s multicultural mosaic, and the proliferation of human rights across the country is a source of profound pride. In the face of overwhelming adversity, Jewish communities across Canada have and will continue to define what it means to be Canadian.

This Audit, as a comprehensive review of the state of antisemitism in Canada, must also serve as an impetus for immediate action. The sustained year over year rise in antisemitism is not only a threat to the Jewish community, but it also signifies the deterioration of our collective norms. Our inability to confront the spread of antisemitism is a symptom of our societal decay. Mitigating the crisis of antisemitism will require a whole-of-society approach; it will not be achieved through the efforts of the Jewish community alone. Each and every Canadian, as a stakeholder in our democracy, must demand more from our leaders at all levels and better from our fellow citizens. The current state of hate in our country is not the Canada I know and love. I would hazard a guess that it does not reflect the Canada that so many of us hold so dear. 

The Jewish community has suffered greatly, but all hope is not yet lost. The time to act, however, is now. Those words may seem hollow in the face of the inadequate responses we have seen thus far. I do believe that, together, we can overcome this crisis. For every negative instance, and there have been many, there has been a counternarrative that compels hope and optimism. If we can eradicate the rampant antisemitism that has infiltrated daily life in this country, the future of our nation remains unquestionably bright.

How we respond to the lessons of the last three years will set the stage for our nation’s future. We must chart our own course, and the path is clear. Do we want Canada to be the nation that succumbed to the forces of hate and abandoned its Jewish community in their time of need? Is that the narrative that we want to symbolize this chapter of our collective history?

Frankly, I believe we are better than the sobering figures and harrowing reality disclosed in the following pages: 6,800 instances of hate in a single year targeting your family, your friends, your neighbours, and your colleagues. These numbers indicate a society at its worst, but they need not define us. The choice is yours, Canada. You can remain silent and be part of the problem, or stand up and be part of the solution.

Richard Robertson
Director of Research and Advocacy
B’nai Brith Canada