Members of Jewish community in Canada push for armed security amid rising antisemitism
Members of the Jewish community are pushing for armed security as a solution for safety and protection at synagogues and schools amid rising antisemitism.
Eli Yufest is a father of three children who attend Jewish day school in Toronto.
“My wife and I worry about their safety every single day we drop them off,” he told National Post. “More broadly, I feel a responsibility to speak on behalf of Jewish families and community members who attend schools, synagogues and other communal spaces. Since October 7, and with the sharp rise in antisemitism, concerns about security have become constant among the Jewish community and deeply personal for every Jewish person I know.”
Recent events being canceled or shutting down due to security concerns have highlighted gaps in protection faced by the community, said Yufest. “That signals a failure to adequately protect the community. Proper protection is critical now because the threat environment has changed and many in the Jewish community fear that a violent incident like Bondi Beach could happen here. Sadly, that fear is widely shared.”
In late January, anti-Israel protesters showed up outside of a Jewish community centre where an Israeli comedian was scheduled to perform. He ended up making it on stage, but faced crowds of protesters after and even got injured while leaving, he told Canadian Jewish News . Last week, an Israeli hockey league said it would postpone a game scheduled for late February due to safety concerns.
There were no specific threats made, Israel Elite Hockey League co-commissioner Marc Brunengraber told National Post. It was the “the general background of what’s been happening in Toronto towards the Jewish community coupled by the logistical challenges of arranging the type of security and preventative measures that we wanted.”
Toronto resident and Jewish community advocate Joseph Reichmann said, however, that threats against Jews are not theoretical.
“There have been repeated incidents in Canada involving shootings, firebombings, bomb threats, and disrupted plots targeting Jewish schools, synagogues, and community events,” he told National Post. Reichmann has been involved with protecting the community since 2019, when he noticed there were no security guards at his synagogue when he arrived for service one morning.
There has long been a need for better safety measures, which was brought to light even more after October 7, he said. Large anti-Israel demonstrations across Canada became “platforms for hate speech and explicit calls for violence, not just against Israel, but against Jews globally.”
“The Jewish community raised concerns early and warned that allowing open incitement and intimidation to go unchecked would lead to further radicalization and, eventually, physical violence,” said Reichmann. “Unfortunately, in most cases, the police limited their response to crowd control rather than law enforcement, even when criminal thresholds were clearly met.”
A Toronto police spokesperson told National Post that much of its proactive work has been on managing the aftermath of October 7 and its “direct impacts” on the city.
“We have outlined a range of measures in place to support and protect Toronto’s Jewish community, including dedicated hate crime investigators, increased patrols, ongoing engagement with community leaders, and rapid response to incidents,” the statement said.
“Decisions by individual institutions to hire private or supplementary security are their own. Many organizations choose to take additional steps based on their specific needs, and we respect and support those efforts to help their communities feel safe.”
While protecting citizens is the responsibility of the government, in principal, said Reichmann, “in practice, the Canadian government policies and funding models show a fundamental misunderstanding of the specific risks faced by the Jewish community.”
The office for Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree said he is committed to protecting the Canadian Jewish community.
“He recognizes the deep concern within the Jewish community about threats to synagogues, schools and community centres,” the office’s spokesperson Simon Lafortune told National Post, adding that the government has increased investments in community security, most notably through the Canada Community Security Program.
He also cited that the government introduced Bill C‑9, the Combatting Hate Act, in September 2025, “which would create a specific hate‑motivated offence, criminalize intimidation or obstruction of access to places of worship, schools and community centres, and make it an offence to wilfully promote hatred by displaying certain terrorism or hate symbols in public.”
Anandasangaree is “deeply concerned by the documented increase in antisemitic incidents across the country and believes it clearly warrants stronger security measures and more robust legislative tools.”
Reichmann believes the most reliable form of protection is community-based security, “operating within the law and in coordination with police.” He said the goal is not vigilantism or the creation of militias, but “professionally trained guards held to the same standards as any other armed private security.”
In Canada, security guards can only carry guns in a limited capacity, for example, to protect money or jewelry, and with explicit authorization from the RCMP, Noah Schwartz told National Post. He is an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley. He recently authored a book, Targeted, which explores Canadian gun culture.
“I think there’s the general feeling that more needs to be done to protect Jewish spaces in Canada,” he said, especially since the Jewish community was attacked at Bondi Beach in Australia.
“I’ve heard people talk about armed security guards for a little while. It’s obviously complicated in the Canadian context. To apply for license to carry a firearm, you have to go through the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program. They’re generally incredibly stringent with who they will give authorization to.”
Generally, guards can be armed if they are protecting a vehicle carrying cash, for example, like a Brink’s truck. Those working in the wilderness as surveyors or trappers who are in an area with bears could also be permitted to carry a gun, he said.
“From (the government’s) perspective, I imagine they’re worried that if they grant an exemption to one group, then other groups will have grounds for exemption,” said Schwartz.
However, Reichmann said there’s no “rational reason” that individuals who want to protect places of worship, schools and communities can’t undergo extensive screening and training, the same way guards are trained to protect cash or other valuable assets.
Yufest pointed to the Bondi Beach massacre as an example of what can happen if the threats against the Jewish community go unchecked.
“The next steps involve advocacy, legal engagement, and dialogue with government representatives and members of law enforcement to expand existing frameworks so that properly trained, accountable members of the community can provide that protection,” he said.
“The consequences are already visible,” added Reichmann.
“There is a growing emigration of Canadian Jews to Israel and the United States. Many no longer see Canada as a country where they can live openly and safely. Others, myself included, are actively weighing whether staying makes sense long term.”
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.