An inaugural report from the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Anti-Semitism shows an unprecedented increase in anti-Semitic activity worldwide, including a recent spike of 83 per cent here in Canada.

Released as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the J7 Annual Report on Anti-Semitism contains a comprehensive overlook of the current state of anti-Semitism across the seven countries with the largest Jewish communities outside Israel: Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The data highlights particularly negative trends across Canada in 2023. Although Jews account for fewer than one per cent of the Canadian population, 19 per cent of all reported hate crimes were motivated by anti-Semitism, the report says. The Jewish community was also deemed the most targeted religious minority, accounting for close to 70 per cent of religiously motivated hate crimes, 900 in total. Hate crimes against Jews increased by 71 per cent from 2022 to 2023, and 172 per cent in total since 2020.

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Although full 2024 data is not yet available, those numbers are expectd to rise, particularly in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and the full-scale war launched by Israel in response. Certain municipalities have reported their own isolated hate crime statistics. The Toronto Police Service reported 164 hate crimes targeting Jews as of October 2024 — a 74.5-per-cent increase over 2023.

“ This is certainly something that we cannot afford to get used to, both Jewish communities and society as a whole,” said Richard Marceau, vice president of external affairs and general counsel for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).

“We are looking at seven fully fledged democratic countries that carry an expectation that everybody can live their faith and identity without fear of persecution, violence or harassment. However, those pacts have been broken, the promise of Canada has been broken, and we are seeing that through a continued rise of anti-Semitism.”

Canada is not alone either, with Marceau highlighting the elevated reports of anti-Semitism as a “symptom of a broken part of our collective democracy.” In 2024, Australia reported a 317-per-cent increase in anti-Semitic incidents, with 2,062 reported cases compared to 495 in 2023. From 2021 to 2023, anti-Semitic incidents spiked by 23 per cent in Argentina, 75 per cent in Germany, 82 per cent in the U.K., 83 per cent in Canada, 185 per cent in France and 227 per cent in the U.S.

“Those numbers are scary,” Marceau admits. “They are a clear sign that something is not right.”

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The J7 Task Force was established in July 2023 to foster cooperation among larger Jewish communities over the surge in anti-Semitism worldwide. Its mission intensified following Hamas’ attack on Israel, which brought on an increase of anti-Semitic incidents across the world.

The report identifies various common trends across the J7 countries, such as repeated targeting of synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres, an escalation of online hate towards Jewish communities or individuals and a growing feeling of insecurity among Jewish communities.

“It is unacceptable that Canada has a list of designated terror entities, and yet we see the flags of those terror entities flying in the country; we have seen demonstrations where those flags were flown,” Marceau said. “We've seen support of those entities here in Canada, and that is not OK.

"If Canada is serious about fighting terrorism, it follows logically that the promotion of those groups and their activities should also be criminalized in Canada.”

The Archdiocese of Toronto's Office for Promoting Christian Unity and Religious Relations with Judaism remains firm in its ecumenical work with the Jewish community. It is commited to combating anti-Semitism’s history as well as addressing its rise through various events and resources.

The office’s support, as well as broad support from Catholics worldwide, remains vital to the CIJA. Marceau noted that further  understanding of the feelings of the Jewish community, support of initiatives denouncing anti-Semitism and continued Catholic-Jewish dialogue are practical steps that Catholics can take in supporting their Jewish communities.

“As the former Pope said, to be anti-Semitic is to be un-Christian,” Marceau said, referring to Pope Francis’ 2018 comment that a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite.

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“We saw that Pope Leo XIV sent out a recent message about wanting to continue to work with the Jewish community, and we were grateful to see this. We are eager to see that implemented because Catholics, being among the biggest religious group on the planet, have a role to play in combating any form of intolerance, racism and discrimination, which includes anti-Semitism.” 

The full J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism can be found online.