The Question Behind the Book

When I wrote When Is It Too Late?: Holocaust Lessons on Risk, Decision Making, and the Failure to Act, I was not only writing about the Holocaust. I was writing about recognition.

How do ordinary people understand danger while they are still living inside ordinary life?

That question has become painfully relevant for many Canadian Jews after October 7. Not because Canada is Nazi Germany. It is not. Not because Canada is occupied Europe. It is not. Serious history requires that distinction.

But serious history also requires that we pay attention when hatred becomes more visible, when intimidation is minimized, and when institutions hesitate to respond with moral clarity.

A Question That Feels Urgent After October 7

For many Canadian Jews, the concern is not only the number of antisemitic incidents. It is the atmosphere those incidents create.

Jewish schools require greater security. Synagogues need protection. Jewish businesses and neighbourhoods have been targeted. On campuses and in public spaces, many Jews have watched hostility toward Israel slide too easily into hostility toward Jews.

This has created a sense of vulnerability that many Canadian Jews did not expect to feel in this country. The fear is not only about isolated acts of hatred. It is about whether the broader society understands what those acts mean to the people being targeted.

The Difference Between Protest and Intimidation

The issue is not protest. Lawful protest belongs in a democracy. People have the right to criticize governments, policies, and political decisions, including those of Israel.

The issue is when protest becomes intimidation. The issue is when political language excuses hatred. The issue is when Jewish Canadians are made to feel unsafe in schools, places of worship, neighbourhoods,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)