Jewish community victimized in 70% of all religion-motivated hate crimes in Canada

Representing Only One Percent of the Canadian Population, Jewish Community Now Most Targeted Group Overall 

Ottawa, ON – July 26, 2024 – Police-reported hate crime data for 2023 published yesterday by Statistics Canada validate the concern about which the Jewish community has been warning: antisemitism has risen to levels unseen in modern times. 

The most frequently reported hate crimes in 2023 were directed toward Jewish, 2SLGBTQIA+, and Black populations, accounting respectively for 19, 18, and 16 percent of the total number of hate crimes, with the Jewish community taking the top spot for the first time. 

Members of the Jewish community were targeted in 900 instances of police-reported hate crimes last year – representing a 71 percent increase from the year prior. Despite representing just one percent of the Canadian population, Jews were the victim in 70 percent of all religion-motivated hate crimes. 

Key statistics pertaining to the Jewish community: 

• In 2023, there were 4,777 police-reported hate crimes (all categories), a 32 percent increase over 2022.
• Although the Jewish community accounts for less than 1 percent of Canada’s population, 19 percent of all hate crimes were motivated by antisemitism.
• The Jewish community was the most targeted religious minority, accounting for 70 percent of religiously motivated hate. 
• Hate crimes against the Jewish population increased 71 percent from 2022 to 2023. 
• Of the 1,284 religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023 (67 percent increase year over year), 900 targeted the Jewish community. 
• There were more than 4 times as many antisemitic hate crimes as the second-most targeted religious minority (Muslim).
• According to the 2021 Canadian Census, 0.9 percent of the population identified as Jewish, whereas Islam was the second-most commonly reported religion, accounting for 4.9 percent, or nearly 1.8 million Muslims.
• Anti-Jewish hate crime has increased 172 percent since 2020.  

In response to the report, Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), released the following statement:  

"Jewish Canadians are now the most frequently targeted group for hate crimes – notoriety to which we never aspired but knew was only a matter of time until we regained.  

“Despite constituting less than one percent of the Canadian population, Jewish Canadians were the targets of one-fifth of all hate crimes, revealing exactly how problematic Jew hate has become in Canada and exposing the disproportionate impact the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel is having on our community. 

“The pervasive anti-Jewish sentiment that has seeped into Canadian society and the sharp escalation in frequency and intensity of antisemitic incidents have fostered a climate of fear and anxiety in many aspects of daily life, with many Jewish and Israeli Canadians no longer feeling safe in their workplaces, schools, and public areas. We’ve heard from every segment of the Canadian Jewish community, and it has grown almost impossible to find someone who hasn’t been affected directly or who doesn’t know someone that has been targeted by a hate crime simply because they are Jewish.  

“This surge in antisemitic incidents underscores a profound failure of leadership and societal response. Elected officials must move beyond offering words and instead confront and eradicate this pervasive climate of tolerance towards Jew-hate. It is time for decisive and immediate action from leaders at every level to address and counter this dangerous trend.  

“Governments must no longer look away from those spreading hate. As representatives of the Jewish community, we renew our call to ban Samidoun, which continuously spreads Hamas propaganda across our country through protests and social media. So too do we call on the government to prohibit displays of support for designated terrorist entities. Hamas imagery, PFLP flags, Hezbollah arm bands, and other symbols of terror have no place in Canada.  

“These actions alone will not solve the antisemitism crisis that is now so deeply entrenched in this country, but words of condemnation and slaps on the wrist have, unsurprisingly, proven ineffective. The relentless rise in hatred, intimidation, and fear must be met with a firm and uncompromising commitment to justice, safety, and humanity. The time for our leaders to lead is now. They can abandon Canada to hate, or they can right the course of history and live up to the promise of Never Again.” 

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Additional Background 

• Press Release: In 2022, Jews remain most targeted religious group for hate crime in Canada, second overall  
• Press Release: Top Jewish Advocacy Organizations Form J7 Global Task Force to Fight Antisemitism  
• Press Release: 2021 - Jews Remain Most Targeted Religious Group for Hate Crime in Canada  
• Press Release: 2020 Hate Crime Data Reveals Jews Most Targeted Religious Group  

Not all hate crimes or incidents of antisemitism are reported or recorded. Not all incidents meet the threshold of a crime, especially in schools, so national hate crime statistics do not accurately reflect the total number of antisemitic incidents. 

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