Podcast Summary: What Is Happening Here | Canadaland Investigates

Episode #5: "Why Here?"

Release Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Jesse Brown

Overview

This episode confronts a disturbing reality: Canadian Jews are now nine times more likely to be victims of hate crimes compared to their American counterparts. Jesse Brown investigates the surge in antisemitism since October 7, 2023, in “a country known for politeness, diversity, and social democracy.” The episode interrogates competing explanations—governmental failures, policing strategies, and demographic dynamics—while combining statistics, on-the-ground testimony, and social science research. Through interviews with politicians, academics, Jewish Canadians, and Muslim community members, the show explores whether anti-Zionism is being misclassified as antisemitism, why Jewish Canadians find themselves increasingly under threat, and what can be done about it.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dramatic Rise in Antisemitism in Canada

• Initial Context:
  • Canadian Jews feel less safe since October 7, 2023.
  • Antisemitism is no longer a fringe issue; it’s “become institutional and mainstream” (Aviva Klompus, 00:15).

2. Three Theories for the Surge

Theory 1: Government Failure

• Lack of Political Will and Leadership
  • Politicians across all levels—federal, provincial, municipal—are reluctant to confront antisemitism directly.
  • “Western democratic values, the ones that Canada holds dear, are under threat from radical ideologues and a weak leadership right across the board...” (Aviva Klompus, 02:36).
  • “Everybody's blaming everyone else... For this to continue on now over 18 months.” (James Pasternak, 04:35)
• Fear & Optics
  • Politicians and officials fear backlash for supporting Jews or Israel.
  • “That to be with a Jew ... is toxic because then they'll be ostracized or demonized or lose their job. They're afraid. Elected officials are afraid. And I would say that a city that is gripped by fear has no future.” (James Pasternak, 06:38)
• Municipal Inaction
  • Jewish neighborhoods face protests and hate speech, yet authorities fail to deliver meaningful protection.

Theory 2: Police Inaction & Prioritization

• Not a Law Problem, But an Enforcement Problem
  • “We have lots of laws... but we have an enforcement problem in this country.” (Melissa Lanzman, 08:51)
• Police Reluctance:
  • Instances of police standing by passively, or even appearing to support protestors (e.g., delivering refreshments to occupiers).
  • Viral incidents, like officers bringing snacks/coffee to protestors and making apologies after public backlash (10:56–11:50).
  • “Police bias against Jews is not a reason that City Councilor James Pasternak cites... he has other thoughts.” (12:17)
  • Instead, police explain that arrests during large mobs are difficult, citing crowd control and officer safety (13:14–14:04).
• Main Police Strategy: De-escalation
  • “The goal is not to arrest people calling for the genocide of Jews. The goal for that day is de-escalation. Keep the two sides apart and send everyone home.” (James Pasternak, 14:31)
  • This often leads to visible Jews being asked to move along, in the name of public safety, even if they’re not provoking violence (18:37–20:03).
• Long-term Impact:
  • Repeated de-escalation without enforcement enables persistent antisemitic incidents.

Theory 3: Demographic and Cultural Changes—Rise of Antisemitism Among Canadian Muslims

• Integration & Sentiment
  • Growth of Muslim population in Canada; many come from regions with ingrained antisemitism.
  • “There are many newcomers in this country who are not integrated... from countries where anti Semitism is culturally and religiously ingrained.” (Aviva Klompus, 21:02)
• Statistical Evidence—Interview with Professor Robert Brim (Retired Sociologist):
  • “The Canadian population as a whole has one of the lowest levels of anti Jewish sentiment in the world.” (Jesse Brown, 25:37)
  • However, “the percentage of people with negative attitudes towards Jews was four times higher among Canadian Muslims than... the general non Jewish population.” (Aviva Klompus, 28:26)
  • About 48% of Canadian Muslims surveyed expressed at least slightly negative attitudes towards Jews (28:43).
• Nuances & Cautions
  • Brown is careful to separate sentiment from behavior.
  • “Dr. Brim’s research is a record of people’s feelings and their opinions, not their behavior... his statistics were collected at a time of especially heightened emotion.” (30:11–31:31)
• Positive Finding:
  • Having a Jewish acquaintance or positive personal experience eliminates the sentiment gap between Muslims and other groups (35:39–35:57).
  • “One of the things that the Jewish community must do systematically is to try to build bridges with groups that are antagonistic toward us.” (Aviva Klompus, 35:57)

3. Distinguishing Antisemitism from Anti-Zionism

• Research finds most left-wing anti-Israel activists can distinguish between anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism, but “for Muslims, the correlation between negative attitudes toward Israel and negative attitude towards Jews was highest...” (Aviva Klompus, 30:11).

4. Data on Antisemitic Sentiment vs. Behavior

• Hate crimes are rising; sentiments haven’t shifted much on aggregate, but behaviors (“actions that people take against Jews”) have dramatically increased (26:24).
• Reporter’s Caution: Hate crime reports require proven motivation, dispelling the notion that Jewish groups overreport (32:06–32:44).

5. Conclusion: The Paradox of Policy Success

• Government Response to Protest Demands
  • Canada has halted arms shipments to Israel, called for a ceasefire, recognized Palestine—essentially conceding to many anti-Zionist demands (39:06).
• Why Target Jews?
  • In Canada, without large-scale direct political targets (like in the US), activists redirect rage toward visible Jewish individuals, businesses, and neighborhoods.
  • “The reason why anti Zionism in Canada is constantly targeting everyday Jewish people is not in spite of the fact that Canada has met demands of anti Zionists. It's because of it.” (Jesse Brown, 42:38)
  • Complicity becomes ever more tenuous; “the hunt for complicit parties... has proven endless.”

6. Paths Forward

• Building Intercommunal Relationships
  • Personal relationships are key: research shows prejudice collapses with direct positive contact (35:39–35:57).
  • Dr. Shirazi’s interfaith work is highlighted as a model for progress (36:45–38:00).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Current Reality:

  • “This is a society that is falling apart.” – James Pasternak (00:08)
  • “In Canada, antisemitism is not a fringe thing anymore. It's become institutional and... mainstream.” – Aviva Klompus (00:15)

• On Political Fear:

  • “To be with a Jew... is toxic, because then they'll be ostracized or demonized or lose their job. They're afraid. Elected officials are afraid.” – James Pasternak (06:38)

• On Police Practice:

  • “The goal is not to arrest people calling for the genocide of Jews. The goal for that day is de escalation. Keep the two sides apart and send everyone home... that is defined as success.” – James Pasternak (14:31)

• On Sentiment Data:

  • “The Canadian population as a whole has one of the lowest levels of anti Jewish sentiment in the world.” – Jesse Brown (25:37)

• On Muslim-Canadian Sentiment:

  • “About half of Canadian Muslims expressed at least slightly negative attitudes towards Jews.” – Aviva Klompus (28:43)

• On Universities:

  • “Younger people, and people in universities in particular tend to have more negative attitudes towards Jews.” – Aviva Klompus (34:09)
  • “That does track with one conception... universities are hotbeds of both anti Zionist and anti Semitic indoctrination. That is an argument that one hears.” – Jesse Brown (34:24)

• On Intergroup Contact:

  • “Just having a Jewish acquaintance or one positive experience with a Jew was enough to change the opinions of Muslim Canadians to the point where their level of antisemitic sentiment was no greater than anyone else's.” – Jesse Brown (35:39)

• On the Policy Paradox:

  • “The reason why anti Zionism in Canada is constantly targeting everyday Jewish people is not in spite of the fact that Canada has met demands of anti Zionists. It's because of it.” – Jesse Brown (42:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:08–00:28: Personal testimony: why Jewish Canadians feel unsafe
• 02:24–06:38: Theory 1: Government failure and fear affecting leadership
• 08:39–17:41: Theory 2: Police reluctance, “de-escalation” policies, and enforcement gaps
• 20:38–35:39: Theory 3: Muslim-Canadian demographics, integration, and sentiment stats
• 34:09–34:59: Data on universities and youth attitudes
• 35:39–38:21: The power of intercommunal exchange and bridge-building
• 39:06–42:38: “Policy success” paradox: anti-Zionist protest demands being met leads to targeting Jews
• 42:38–End: Summary and lead-in to next episode

Overall Tone

The host combines rigorous skepticism, empathy, and a sense of moral urgency. There is a persistent effort to challenge simplistic explanations, foreground data, and feature the voices of those most affected—while highlighting the vital roles of dialogue and understanding as Canada contends with growing divisions.

Summary for Listeners

This episode analyzes why antisemitism in Canada has surged to shocking levels, exploring evasion of responsibility by politicians, police policies that prioritize crowd management over enforcement, and the demographic realities that shape attitudes and behaviors in a multicultural nation. It balances uncomfortable statistical truths with the hope that, through personal contact and bridge-building, these tensions can be overcome. The episode concludes that the targeting of Jewish Canadians is not despite, but because of, Canadian policy moves that have given the protest movement little left to protest—except individual Jews themselves.