Matthew Taub: Two years of inaction have normalized hate crimes in Toronto |
Mezuzahs were ripped from Holocaust survivors' doors on Dec. 25. Such hate is now familiar — as is the lack of enforcement of existing laws
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This week, mezuzahs were ripped off the doors of multiple units in a Toronto condo tower. The victims included Jewish seniors, among them Holocaust survivors. Police attended, interviews were conducted, and the incidents were correctly treated as hate crimes.
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Two weeks earlier, similar acts occurred elsewhere in the city.
That matters because repetition changes the meaning of an incident. When the same crime occurs again so quickly, it points to a failure of deterrence, not a lack of legal clarity.
A mezuzah is not a decoration. It is a religious symbol affixed to Jewish homes for thousands of years. Tearing it off a door is not random vandalism. It is an intentional act targeting Jewish identity. It is meant to intimidate, to signal that Jews are seen, marked, and unwelcome.
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