Lesson from Montreal: When Will Jews Learn to be Offended?

The Jews of Montreal don’t know whether to cheer or cry. They’ve been virtually under siege for the past few years, having to weather a continuous series of attacks.

“In 2025, Jews were the targets of 70 per cent of all police-reported hate crimes in Canada,” I wrote in my last piece, quoting a recent report: “Jewish schools in Montréal have been shot at, Jewish people have been assaulted, synagogues have been attacked, and antisemitism has entered academic and professional spaces through intimidation, threats, and exclusion.”

The latest insult was a nasty motion in the Montreal City Council that demonized Israel.

An amended version was adopted Monday night that expressed solidarity with Palestinians but removed provisions to cut ties with Israel, and held back on calling Israel a genocidal and apartheid state.

That’s why Montreal Jews aren’t sure how to react. Should they be grateful for the amended version, or upset that the motion came up in the first place and put a target on their backs?

Here’s the thing: You should have heard the Israel haters talk about their motion in the meeting Monday night. I watched it on livestream. You would think they were talking about a monster, not Israel.

In a letter to the community, the head of the local federation brought up all the work that led to the amended motion:

“In the weeks leading up to last night’s vote,” he wrote, “Federation CJA worked closely with partner organizations, community allies, grassroots groups and leadership, each contributing to different parts of the effort to engage municipal leaders across the political spectrum about our concerns with this motion.”

To his credit, he noted that “I cannot in good conscience call last night a clean outcome. For nearly an hour, members of Projet Montréal had the floor, on the record, to repeat one-sided characterizations of Israel and the war with Hamas. They spewed misinformation and lies about the conflict, Israel, and the war, and did not refer to Hamas as a terrorist organization (as recognized by the Canadian Government and added to the motion), the group that murdered more than 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023. That omission is not a technicality. It is a lapse that disgraces this council.”

Where I push back is with his next steps:

“Now that this vote is over, we invite every elected official to return to reality, focus on Montrealers’ true priorities, and permanently leave these divisive tactics behind.”

Sorry, I’d rather not leave this libelous assault on my people behind.

If the council was “disgraced,” the Jewish community should return to correct the record. The lies must not stand. Jews must attack the lies with the same fervor our enemies spew them.

While Jews have been under assault these past few years, it is those attacking us that have had the chutzpah to act like the victims. Have you ever heard of Palestinians who are afraid to walk the streets of Montreal because they’re terrified of being attacked by those genocide-supporting Jews? I didn’t think so.

We get attacked relentlessly, and then we are the ones who sue for peace so that Montreal can return to its “true priorities.”

Why are Jews so obsessed with being the peacemakers?

Why do we always have to be the responsible adults in the room while our enemies unleash their irresponsible and monstrous accusations?

When will we learn the art of being offended?

I’m not being very practical right now, because I’m deeply offended.

I’m offended to see how recklessly Montreal Jews have been treated, the same Jews who have done so much for this city, the same Jews who have built a world-class hospital (the Jewish General) that serves everyone, including the Israel-haters on that council.

The Montreal Jewish community can set an example for the rest of the Jewish world. They should stop walking on eggshells and say, “we’re not done.” Leaders should call for an immediate hearing in the city council (before Rosh Hashanah) to correct the lies and defend Israel’s honor. And while they’re at it, they should invite Israel boycotters to stop using their smart phones, given that they are powered by Israeli chips.

We don’t need to cheer or cry. We just need to fight as fiercely as our brothers and sisters do in Israel.