A major new survey on antisemitism in Ontario schools offers empirical data on the alarming rise of antisemitic incidents, many of which have no direct link to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The findings highlight incidents such as a six-year-old Ottawa student, with one Jewish parent, being told she was “half human.” Support of Hitler, a rise of Nazi rhetoric, and rampant dehumanization of Jews have become increasingly prominent in Ontario schools, the report warns.

The survey, led by University of Toronto sociologist Robert Brym, underscores the urgent need for systemic changes within Ontario’s education system.

Published in Canadian Jewish Studies and commissioned by the federal government’s Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, it involved responses from 599 Jewish parents who documented 781 antisemitic incidents experienced by their children between October 2023 and January 2025. The data indicates that roughly 10 percent of Ontario’s Jewish schoolchildren directly encountered antisemitism in that period.

One of the most alarming findings, according to Brym, is that over 40 percent of reported incidents involved Holocaust denial, Nazi salutes, or explicitly antisemitic rhetoric such as students asserting “Hitler should have finished the job.” Brym told The Canadian Jewish News the findings were unexpected. “It surprised me that this was so widespread in the school system—that young kids are spouting Nazi slogans… It was startling to me.”

Additionally, nearly one in six (17 %) antisemitic incidents were initiated or approved by teachers or involved school-sanctioned activities, the findings show. The report found that just over two-thirds of incidents occurred in English public schools, with nearly three-quarters taking place in the Toronto District School Board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and the York Region District School Board.

The report also highlights systematic failures in school responses to antisemitism. Almost half (49%) of all reported incidents were never investigated by school authorities, and in nearly 9 percent of cases, schools explicitly denied the antisemitic nature of incidents or recommended removing the Jewish student from the school or shifting to virtual learning.

Aside from explicit Nazi rhetoric, the report also shows antisemitism disguised as anti-Zionism, Brym explained. He says Jewish students in Ontario are “routinely accused of being baby killers and otherwise held to be personally responsible for the Israel-Gaza war.”

Brym emphasized to The CJN that this study moves beyond anecdotal evidence, providing “systematic evidence collected in an objective manner demonstrating the existence of widespread antisemitism, particularly in the English public school system.” He hopes this report will reinforce the Ontario government’s resolve to act decisively on the issue.

Emma Testani, press secretary for Ontario’s Minister of Education Paul Calandra, told The CJN the report and its recommendations are being taken seriously.

“Schools should be a safe place for every student to learn in a respectful and supportive environment,” Testani wrote in an email statement. “Antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in our schools. We expect school boards across the province to focus on student achievement and creating supportive classrooms. We will continue working with our education partners to keep politics out of the classroom and ensure schools remain focused on helping students succeed.”

Brym’s policy recommendations include creating a robust, anonymous reporting system for antisemitic incidents, accompanied by clear codes of student conduct and mandatory education for teachers on antisemitism. He also stressed the need for whistleblower protections for educators, acknowledging the fears many teachers face about potential backlash.

“This is where the government needs to step in and make regulations…there has to be whistleblower legislation brought into the school system where people are protected,” Brym told The CJN.

Brym’s report also specifically recommends compulsory professional development days for teachers, led by experts on contemporary antisemitism and the Israel-Palestine conflict, and calls for clearer, enforced definitions of antisemitism in accordance with Ontario’s Human Rights Code. He further advocates for transparent annual reporting of antisemitic incidents, publicly accessible online to foster accountability.

The implications of the survey extend to the ongoing provincial takeover of four Ontario school boards, including the TDSB and the Ottawa-Carleton board. Brym sees the takeover as an opportunity for meaningful policy reforms. However, he also criticized the province’s one-year delay in compulsory Holocaust education for Grade 10 history classes.

“I think students need to learn as early as possible because the study that I did showed that kids are hearing Holocaust-related (disinformation) in very early grades. So the earlier they get adequate education the better,” he explained.

Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, senior director of policy and advocacy with Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, underscored that while the findings are deeply concerning, they were unfortunately not surprising given what her organization hears regularly from families. “Every single day, we are hearing from parents whose children are in public schools about the kind of abuses their children are enduring,” she told The CJN.

Kirzner-Roberts also stressed the need for clear policies and transparency in schools, calling for incidents to be openly named and addressed. She expressed frustration with the tendency among some administrators to minimize or ignore antisemitic occurrences, describing these incidents as violations of Canada’s core democratic values. “Nobody can say this is exaggerated or made up. I mean, there are the numbers in black and white,” she said.

Kirzner-Roberts described the province’s current handling of antisemitism as reactive and inadequate, noting antisemitism remains “an afterthought” despite significant investment in diversity and equity programs. She advocated for an empirically-based approach to prioritize antisemitism as a central issue rather than an overlooked secondary concern.

“We can’t deny it, push it aside, or say this is exaggerated,” Kirzner-Roberts said. “It’s a growing problem that demands an urgent response.”

Former Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth, who resigned in June, citing antisemitism and dysfunction within her board, said, “Their dysfunction is much more profound than just finances. They have a history of dismissing community concerns and silencing trustees who speak out. The equity committee became an anti-Israel committee, which is unacceptable.”

Kaplan-Myrth criticized the board for failing to enforce policies against discrimination, saying, “When students or staff alienate Jewish families, they get away with it. There’s no accountability.”

Kaplan-Myrth expressed skepticism about meaningful change, noting, “I’m not hopeful there will be any substantive difference if the same group continues doing what they’re doing. The Jewish community is consistently ignored.”

The survey also reveals that one in eight parents (16%) are considering or have moved a student following an antisemitic incident. Jewish private school was the choice for 39 percent of parents who transferred a student.

In an email from Brym, he mentioned Jewish schools in Ontario are having a “hard time dealing with the inflow of new students abandoning the public system.”

In a post on X, Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy for preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism, wrote that the report is significant for school boards across the country. 

“When administrators and teachers ignore—or worse, perpetuate—antisemitism, they send the message that Jewish kids are not safe or valued. It is our hope that school boards across the country read this report and take necessary action before classes resume in September.”

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