June 8, 2026
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, today a world-wide organization of Reform rabbis, deplores the continuing antisemitic violence facing Canadian Jewish individuals as well as synagogues, among a range of Jewish institutions. Among those attacked have been two synagogues served by CCAR rabbis: Temple Emanu-El of North York, Ontario, where shots were fired, and Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal, Quebec, which survived a largely unsuccessful arson attempt just this past Friday morning.
CCAR rabbis among Jewish leaders across Canada have been speaking out boldly, naming antisemitism wherever it is found and calling for strong government action to stop the violence and the incitement that causes it. Harsh criticism of Israel from the Canadian government has too often created a permission structure for antisemitism across Canada.
On Monday, June 1, Prime Minister Mark Carney went to Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple, a congregation led by CCAR rabbis including Senior Rabbi Yael Splansky, to deliver a national address confronting antisemitism. The prime minister is to be commended for naming antisemitism clearly as a unique scourge in Canada and a rupture in the nation’s civic compact. He neither downplayed nor denied the problem, nor did he deflect attention from it by grouping it with other forms of hatred. He proposed a bill targeting hate crimes, hate speech, and obstruction of houses of worship. He instructed law enforcement and government prosecutors to prosecute antisemitic vandalism and violence aggressively, and several arrests have been made in the days following his address. He also allocated seventy-five million dollars to security grants to protect houses of worship.
Prime Minister Carney announced the formation of a Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion, with a mandate to include antisemitism among the forms of racism and hate the Council is created to confront.
Critics rightly note that Prime Minister Carney failed to name anti-Israel, anti-Zionist activism as a proximate cause of growing antisemitism in Canada. The prime minister himself has been hypercritical of Israel in ways that are utilized to justify horrific antisemitism.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis calls on Prime Minister Carney and all Canadian federal, provincial, and local municipalities to be consistently vigilant, enforcing existing laws as well as the pending bill which is expected to become law in the days ahead. We conclude with the words of our CCAR colleague Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, after the Friday attack on the Montreal synagogue she leads: “Responding requires being proactive, not reactive. Naming the ways in which external conflicts are being imported. Recognizing that while criticism of Israel can be legitimate, when the Jewish State and those who love it are libelled, violence against Jews is the result… Politicians need courage. Law enforcement needs support. Neighbourhoods need good neighbours.”
Rabbi David A. Lyon, President
Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis
CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.