Incidents of antisemitism have risen sharply this past year in our country, our city, and at our schools. B’nai Brith reported an increase in Canada of 18.3%. Toronto Police recently released data that showed a more than 50% increase in reported hate crimes with “the Jewish community, followed by the Black community, LGBTQ2S+ community, and the Asian/Chinese communities the most frequently victimized groups.” In February the TDSB released its first-ever Human Rights Annual Report with comprehensive data detailing hate occurrences in our schools, although in different orders, mirrored the Toronto Police data.

It is clear we all have more work to do. For more information on the Jewish Heritage Committee, please contact Shari – shari.schwartz-maltz@tdsb.on.ca