For about a dozen years, the City of Toronto has displayed Israel’s flag each spring on a ceremonial courtesy pole to mark the Jewish State’s Independence Day. The annual event drew little attention—until the Oct. 7 war reshaped the context and protests have spilled onto local streets ever since.

Last fall, a Jewish advocacy group sought to block what would have been the first Palestinian flag raising at Toronto City Hall. The court challenge failed. But the escalating tensions prompted Toronto City Council, including Mayor Olivia Chow, to vote on March 26 to end all foreign flag raisings as of Dec. 1, in hopes of “lowering the temperature.” Chow had previously called the Israeli flag ceremony “divisive.”

Toronto now joins other municipalities stepping back from the practice, including Calgary and Mississauga, where a sudden ban adopted on Passover cancelled the planned Israeli flag raising there this week.

On this episode of The CJN’s North Star, host Ellin Bessner went to what may be Toronto’s final Israel flag ceremony—one marked by defiance and sadness, and a surprising absence because for the first time in two years there were no protesters.

Related stories

Opinion: Are Israeli flag raising in Canada good or bad for the Jewish community, on The CJN’s Not In Heaven podcast.
Tensions over Palestinian flag raising last November at Toronto City Hall, in The CJN .
Check out the list of flags raised at the City of Toronto courtesy flagpole in 2026. Israel was the last one, so far.

Credits

Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner )
Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director)
Music: Bret Higgins

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Israel’s Final Flag Raising in Toronto Was a Celebration, Not a Flashpoint