Sept. 2025
Gustavo Rymberg
On July 25, 2025, the Hamilton Police Service released its 2024 Hate Crime Statistics report: 297 hate‑bias incidents and criminal offences were recorded—a 35 per cent increase over the previous year (hamiltonpolice.on.ca). This alarming rise feels deeply personal to our community.
This surge reflects acts of vandalism, harassment, threats, and bias that make Hamilton’s Jewish families, public‑school students, community leaders, and faith institutions feel targeted and unsafe. Prior reports indicate that the Jewish community has long been disproportionately victimized: in 2022, more than half of all religious hate‑bias incidents targeted Jews, and most were vandalism such as graffiti. Earlier still, in 2021, religious bias incidents involving the Jewish community spiked amid broader tensions (Global News).
Recent data also show that between Oct. 7, 2023 and Jan. 12, 2024, Hamilton Police logged 26 hate‑bias incidents, of which 21 specifically targeted the Jewish community. Staff at the Federation even received death threats.
These local trends correspond with a disturbing national escalation. Across Canada, antisemitic incidents rose from 5,791 in 2023 to a record 6,219 in 2024—the highest annual total since monitoring began in the 1980s.
Internationally, increases have been tied to the Hamas war beginning Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered widespread antisemitic incidents in North America and Europe.
While Jews represent only about 0.5 per cent of Hamilton’s population—approximately 5,000 individuals according to the 2021 Census, the scale of incidents shows that our community experiences a disproportionate share of hate‑bias reports. The increase in 2024 is a stark reminder: we remain vulnerable in schools, workplaces, public spaces, and online.
Our Response and Our Call to Action
1. Advocating for Security and Support
As previously urged by our leadership, we call again on Hamilton Police Service and city council to acknowledge this disproportionate targeting and to continue investing in protective measures for Jewish spaces—synagogues, community centres, schools—without added financial burden on our institutions or families.
2. Education and Community Partnerships
We reaffirm our commitment to educational outreach—working with schools and civic partners—to challenge misinformation, prejudice, and antisemitic rhetoric before it manifests as violence.
3. Vigilance and Reporting
We urge all community members and allies: if you witness an incident—no matter how minor—report it. Timely reporting builds awareness, supports prosecution when necessary, and ensures each act is part of a broader effort to hold perpetrators accountable.
4. Solidarity and Resilience
Standing together against hate means that Jewish Hamiltonians are not alone. We are grateful for allies across faiths and ethnicities who denounce antisemitism and stand with us in solidarity. Your voices bolster ours and strengthen our city.
The rise in hate incidents is unacceptable. It is a shared responsibility—of Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, secular, and Jewish residents alike—to reject hatred in any form and to foster a city where all can live with dignity and safety.
To every Jewish person in Hamilton: your Federation remains dedicated to your security, your voice, and your belonging. Together, we will not be silenced; together, we will build a Hamilton that truly embraces diversity, resilience, and respect
Hamilton’s Jewish community stands alert—and unbowed. We invite civic leaders, neighbours, and allies to stand with us against hate and ensure our city remains inclusive, safe, and just.
