Ask Haviv Anything 109: The crisis no one is talking about in Canada, with Dr. Casey Babb
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Apr 23, 2026 
Dr. Casey Babb, director of the Promised Land Project and scholar of antisemitism and public policy, explains shifts in Canadian Jewish life. He discusses rising violence and fear after October 7. He explores who is behind attacks, why Canadian institutions struggle to name causes, and what community responses and policy changes might look like.
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Four Eras Explain Modern Jewish Anxiety
- Babb divides Canadian Jewish history into eras: exploration, rejection/renewal around the Holocaust, a conditional golden era, and a current era of remembrance and retreat.
- He ties the present retreat to events culminating in October 7, 2023, which intensified insecurity.
Similar To US Jews But With A Quebec Difference
- Canadian Jews resemble U.S. Jews politically and demographically (mostly Ashkenazi, often left-leaning) but Canada's smaller Jewish ecosystem limited cultural and political influence.
- Quebec's French-Catholic dynamic produced a distinct, sometimes hostile, local Jewish experience.
October 7 Magnified Isolation And Betrayal
- October 7 triggered a wave of shock, isolation, and a sense of betrayal among Canadian Jews due to public reactions ranging from contextualizing to outright celebration.
- Pro-Palestinian protests in major cities gave 'pre-pogrom vibes' and amplified Jewish loneliness.