In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack and the ensuing Gaza war, Canadian streets have become host to a painful spike in violence and hate. It invites a vital question: what is driving this toxicity and polarization?

We know that antisemitism is the oldest, most virulent and institutionalized form of hatred in the world today. The global community justifies it in a number of ways. Bouncing the ball between “we are not anti-Jew, we are anti-Israel” and “we are not anti-Israel, we are anti-Zionist” — or plainly “from the river to the sea, we don’t want to see any Jews,” they have many options. Others outright say they hate the Jews because supposedly “they control the world.”