An Open Letter to Canadian Faith Leaders
From the Toronto Board of Rabbis
On October 7, Hamas slaughtered over 1300 Israelis and abducted more than 150.
They kidnapped children, tortured elderly Holocaust survivors, murdered entire
families, slew over 250 concertgoers, paraded the dead as war trophies, and did
unspeakably worse. It was the largest murder of Jews on a single day since the
Holocaust. These are indisputable facts.
We are grateful to those of you, our colleagues, who have reached out to us, and we
thank you for your ongoing comfort and support. For those who have kept quiet, we
who formed Rings of Peace around your churches and mosques when terror struck
your communities must ask: Where are your voices? Your silence is both sobering and
clarifying.
Some of you have issued statements. Distressingly, many minimize Hamas’s massacre
of innocents by decrying violence “on both sides,” woefully failing to recognize the
moral distinction between those who butcher and those who are butchered, between
intentional carnage and self-defence against that carnage. Like you, we also pray for
the safety of all civilians and for peace. However, Hamas is a Canadian-designated
terrorist organization whose stated goal is the annihilation of Jews. Their callous
disregard for life extends even to their own people. There are no “two sides” to that
reality.
We call upon Canadian faith leaders and organizations to unequivocally condemn
Hamas for their murder, torture, and kidnapping of Jews and non-Jewish Israelis,
permanent residents, and tourists; to call for the immediate return of hostages; and to
denounce the horrifying and deeply un-Canadian displays of support for Hamas in our
streets and online. Since Hamas claims to act in the name of Islam, we especially call
upon leaders within the Muslim community to speak out publicly against these
inhumane acts of terror.
Your Jewish friends and neighbours are suffering. We hope we can count you as our
allies. We, your colleagues in spiritual leadership, await your response.