Content warning: This article discusses antisemitism.

On October 7, 2023, the Hamas-led attack on Israel killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of over 200 hostages. Since then, Israel has intensified its war on Gaza, killing over 45,000 Palestinians. 

In September, Israel escalated its attacks on Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group, killing more than 2,000 people in Lebanon. Most recently, Israel’s security cabinet approved a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire deal with Lebanon.

The ongoing violence in the Middle East has sparked student activism across U of T’s campuses. Over the past year, the university has seen protests, vigils, and a pro-Palestinian student encampment, leading to divisions within the university community.

Since the October 7 attacks, Jewish students, campus groups, and the university administration have raised concerns about rising antisemitism at U of T. In interviews with The Varsity, members of the U of T community reflected on antisemitic incidents, the administration’s response, and the support available.

Rising hate crimes

Jenn Ferman, Senior Campus Director at Hillel U of T, wrote in an email to The Varsity that over the past academic year, Hillel recorded “a staggering 11 [times] increase in reports of antisemitism across our nine campuses in Ontario, of which U of T is part.”

She explained that “this matches the trend in our own city,” referring to the increase in hate-motivated crimes committed against Jewish people in Toronto. 

As of March, 56 per cent of reported hate crimes in the city targeted Jewish people, with February seeing the highest number of antisemitic hate crimes in any month over the past three years. 

According to Statistics Canada, Jewish people were targeted in 70 per cent of all religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023, despite comprising only one per cent of Canada’s population. 

In response to a rise in antisemitic incidents, Ferman urged U of T to “do everything in its power to ensure that those who violate policy and incite hatred against Jews are held to account — and strengthen policies and procedures if necessary.”

Antisemitic incidents on campus

Ron Ulitsky, a fourth-year student studying computer science and a University of Toronto Student Union board member, noted an “explosive increase in reports of antisemitic graffiti and incidents around campus and the City of Toronto,” since October 7.

“In the last academic year, there were constant reports of graffiti, usually in the form of swastikas, praise of listed terrorist entities, and calls for violence,” wrote Ulitsky in an email to The Varsity. “More concerningly, graffiti was commonly found within the vicinity of the Wolfond Center, which houses Hillel, and many Jewish students consider to be their cultural home on campus.”

Third-year anthropology and sociology student Ryn Van Leeuwen explained that antisemitic graffiti at U of T has been a notable issue since 2016. 

“[The graffiti] seem to come in waves now, around the start of each semester, but occasionally in between; I hoped not to see them again this year but that is not the case,” they wrote in an email to The Varsity. “Over the past two years or so, I have seen swastikas near UTS on Spadina, around the borders of Queen’s Park, along Carlton Street on the way home from the QP subway station, and near the ROM and the Gardiner Museum.” 

Van Leeuwen noted that the best way to address the problem “is not to increase policing or surveillance,” but to “create a culture that listens to students, provides space to collaboratively address students’ concerns, and ensures equitable access to the university.”

In addition to the graffiti, Ulitsky added that there were incidents of “overt threats made to Jewish students” and claimed that “Jewish students have seen many of their peers and respected academics praised for justifying political violence against Jewish civilians.”

“To top it off, instead of finding sympathy and solace in the university and student community, Jewish students often find themselves being lectured about what is or isn’t antisemitic,” he wrote. “Such lectures are unfortunately common on campus, with many student groups and guest speakers taking it upon themselves to instruct Jewish students [on how] they should be feeling.”

“Tangible action”

Van Leeuwen and Ulitsky also expressed concerns about the university’s response to antisemitism.

For Ulitsky, “the University will only act if its lawyers believe they are on a completely solid legal footing, such as explicit threats, depiction of nazi symbolism, or violations of their property rights.”

He claims that “the university has made gestures, such as sending administrators to speak with concerned students, or to make broad virtue-signalling statements at conferences, but it fails to take any truly brave steps towards dealing with this crisis.”

“The last time I reported an incident to the Victoria College Dean, I did not get a response back,” Van Leeuwen explained. “The only time I got the university to take action was when I was referred to Campus Security who notified [the] Toronto Police [Services]. However, all they did was take down the swastikas I specifically pointed out — most of which I had already covered up myself.”

A spokesperson for Victoria University confirmed that the antisemitic graffiti Van Leeuwen had reported has since been removed.

For Van Leeuwen, “U of T blames its own bureaucratic intricacies for not taking action — ‘it’s complicated!’ — but if they are committed to giving all students a good environment to learn, they need to be proactive and prioritize community-oriented, tangible action over press releases and platitudes.”

U of T’s response

Since October 7 of last year, the university administration has publicly condemned antisemitism at U of T.

On September 23, U of T President Meric Gertler delivered remarks at a Conference on Historical and Contemporary Antisemitism. During the conference, he discussed the October 7 attacks on Israel, noting that their aftermath had led to a “dramatic and deeply troubling upsurge in antisemitic acts and speech.”

On November 22, Gertler released a statement on “reaffirming our commitment to fighting antisemitism.” 

“The University of Toronto stands resolutely against antisemitism, as it does against all forms of hate and discrimination,” he wrote. “We have consistently and repeatedly condemned antisemitism and have taken strong steps to combat this pernicious form of hate, including enhancing our policies, training, and enforcement.”

Gertler noted that the university is working on a definition of antisemitism, “so that we may recognize it and respond to it more effectively,” while also reviewing U of T’s existing Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment. In September, Gertler rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which has been criticized for conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism and suppressing pro-Palestinian advocacy. 

In the November 22 statement, he noted that U of T has “initiated a community-wide process to enhance the capacity of our students, faculty and staff to ‘disagree well.’” The university also plans to counter antisemitism through its “core mission of scholarship and teaching.” 

A U of T spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Varsity that, “providing an inclusive environment for everyone in our community means ensuring our physical spaces remain free from hateful or discriminatory messages based on race, place of origin, gender and sexual identities, creed/religion, or any of the prohibited grounds identified in the Ontario Human Rights Code.”

“Vandalism or graffiti on university property should be reported to the relevant Campus Safety service or equity office,” wrote the spokesperson. “U of T community members who have concerns about vandalism or graffiti in off-campus locations should report them to the relevant municipal police service.”

The spokesperson added that the university has launched consultations for a draft Guide to Law and Policy regarding Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Discrimination at U of T. The guide aims to help the university community “better recognize and respond to antisemitism and anti-Israeli discrimination on our campuses, and to make our teaching, learning, and working environments more inclusive.” 

Student support

Both Van Leeuwen and Ulitsky called for the establishment of more grassroots Jewish advocacy groups on campus. 

Ulitsky noted that “Hillel U of T is generally the go-to resource for all things Jewish on campus,” but the lack of additional student groups “results in a natural gap of support in most campus environments.” 

He explained that he founded a chapter of the Canadian Union of Jewish Students at U of T in hopes of filling the “grassroots advocacy gap.”

Van Leeuwen found Hillel U of T to be “a somewhat corporatized but social space for students.”

“I know they have resources for reporting antisemitism, but my awareness of this coincided with my awareness of how they continue to uncritically support Israel (both socially and economically through excursions) and conflate Israel with Jews as a whole, even as the death toll of Palestinian civilians and children killed by the Israeli forces rose exponentially after Oct 7,” they wrote. 

“Hillel does not represent all Jews on campus—and in that vein, I believe U of T needs to encourage the formation of alternative, bottom-up Jewish student groups,” Van Leeuwen explained.

“We should have a space where we are on equal footing to discuss and support each other. I am not going to ask U of T to make another committee; whatever it does next should be student-focused, and should promote connection and conversation through guidance, not oversight,” they wrote.

If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship and/or creed at U of T, report the incident to the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity office: https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/help/. 

You can report antisemitic incidents at U of T to Hillel U of T at https://hillelontario.org/uoft/report-incident/.

If you or someone you know has experienced antisemitism and is in distress, you can contact: