Canadian Report Uncovers Widespread Antisemitism: Teacher Called Student ‘Half Human’

On Monday, the office of the Canadian Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism published a report summarizing the findings of a federally commissioned survey on antisemitism in Ontario’s K-12 school system.

The report identified 781 antisemitic incidents across Ontario schools, impacting an estimated 3,000 Jewish students. More than 40% of these incidents included Nazi salutes and explicit references to Hitler, such as claims that he should have “finished the job.” Students were also subjected to chants like “[expletive] you Jews,” “Jews are vermin,” and “Jews are cheap.” Fewer than 60% of the documented incidents were connected to Israel or the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Alarmingly, nearly one in six of the antisemitic incidents were either led or condoned by teachers or took place during school-approved activities. In one case, a teacher told a six-year-old girl that she was “half-human” because one of her parents is Jewish.

Almost half of the reported incidents, 49%, were never investigated by the schools in which they occurred.

Josh Landau, Director of Government Relations in Ontario for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, issued a strong response to the findings.

“This federal report makes one thing clear: the status quo for Ontario Jewish students is unsustainable and unacceptable,” Landau stated. “It’s no coincidence that Toronto and Ottawa-Carleton school boards—two of the boards the Ford Government placed under supervision—are also some of the most hostile environments for Jewish students and teachers.”

“To protect Jewish students and staff, it is imperative that the provincial government accelerate the implementation of the recently delayed expanded mandatory Holocaust curriculum to address the troubling lack of understanding and ongoing dehumanization of Jews. Further, there is an urgent need for the government to mandate that school boards adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to ensure acts of antisemitism are reported properly and without personal bias.

“The government must act to implement robust, system-wide reforms that will ensure schools are safe and inclusive for all students, including those targeted because of their Jewish identity,” Landau said.