The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has called on British Columbia’s newly formed Provincial Committee on Anti-Racism to ensure antisemitism is a core focus of its mandate.

The statement, released February 26, highlights the troubling rise of antisemitic hate crimes and systemic discrimination across the province, warning that the committee must not allow ideological biases to obscure the reality of racism faced by Jewish communities.

“This is critical work – and it’s work that can be skewed by agendas and ideologies and unfortunately hate,” the Federation’s statement reads. “That is something the Jewish community has experienced for thousands of years and is living with right now in B.C.”

The Federation’s statement details the growing threats against Jewish institutions, individuals, and communities in the province. Citing Vancouver police data, it notes that the Vancouver Jewish community saw a 62% increase in police-reported antisemitic hate incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Canada-wide statistics paint an equally concerning picture: the Jewish community represents less than 1% of Canada’s population yet accounted for 19% of all hate crimes. Additionally, Jewish Canadians were the targets of 70% of religiously motivated hate crimes, and 82% report feeling unsafe in their daily lives. The statement also referenced growing concerns about antisemitism within public schools, citing that 64% of British Columbians are not confident sending Jewish students to public schools due to safety concerns.

Among the Federation’s grievances is the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric at public protests and within organizations that claim to stand for anti-racism. “We’ve had to watch rallies supported by so-called antiracist groups and organizations stand side by side while Jews are targeted, and people chant ‘death to Israel, death to Canada.’ This is racism in action hiding behind a label.”

When asked which groups were responsible for such rhetoric, a spokesperson for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which collaborates with the Federation on advocacy, confirmed that Samidoun, a Palestinian prisoner solidarity network, was the leading force behind these protests in Vancouver.

The organization, which has openly celebrated Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, was finally designated a terrorist group by the Canadian government in October 2024 after months of public outcry. The designation came after affiliates of the group were recorded calling for "death to Canada," "death to the United States," and "death to Israel," while burning Canadian flags in the streets.

Concerns over how antisemitism will be addressed by the anti-racism committee come in light of previous controversy surrounding its formation. When BC Attorney General Niki Sharma first introduced the initiative in April 2024, she faced backlash for initially limiting applications to individuals from “racialized communities,” excluding what the government deemed “non-radicalized” individuals—effectively barring white applicants.

After public criticism of the move as discriminatory, Sharma later revised the language to be more ambiguous in June 2024 but continued to emphasize that the committee would collaborate with racialized communities to shape anti-racism policy.

The committee is tasked with advising the government on implementing the Anti-Racism Act, developing a framework for public institutions to conduct anti-racism assessments, and establishing training standards. While the government claims its goal is to combat systemic racism and build an inclusive province, Jewish leaders fear that rising antisemitism could be overlooked if the committee’s approach is not balanced.

In response to Rebel News’ inquiry about whether CIJA believes the committee might underrepresent or under-address racism against Jewish people, the organization said, “We look forward to working with this new committee to ensure they understand the extent of antisemitism in B.C. and address this critical issue for our province.”

The Federation has made it clear that it will be watching the committee closely, warning that if the initiative fails to take meaningful steps to combat antisemitism, “we will be there to fight for what is right – a dismantling of the antisemitism that is wound so deeply into the systemic racism facing our society.”

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