hevra Kadisha Synagogue

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Retired Canadian Forces General Rick Hillier, former Chief of Defence Staff, took Canadian politicians to severe task last week for their tepid response to the rise of anti-Israel protests and antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

“We are lions led by sheep!” he said. “And it’s time that we are lions led by lions! And we need your help and the help of the vast majority of Canadians to do it!”

General Hillier was the keynote speaker May 27 at a very well attended Beyond the 7th: Stronger Together fundraising event held at the Chevra Kadisha Synagogue in Snowdon by Beit Halochem Canada, the organization which provides aid for wounded, physically and emotionally, veterans and victims of terror. Côte St. Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, Hampstead councillor Jack Edery and Federation CJA president and CEO Yair Szlak were amongst the attendees.

Audience members heard gut-wrenching and inspiring in-person and video testimony from veterans who had been severely wounded during the Hamas terrorist attack and in battles against Hamas and Hezbollah afterwards, and were helped by Beit Halochem in their recovery. There were also stirring musical performances by Or Cohen, Chen Danino and Liad Grushka.

Gen. Hillier told the audience that while Canada may be in an economic conflict with the Trump administration, the Canada-U.S. relationship must ultimately be settled.

“Because in this unsettled domain, Team Hamas appears, and the hatred they have is expressed openly!” he added. “Demonstrations have been shutting down our cities, and our residential area like this tonight, and our universities! We’ve had attacks on your schools and synagogues, and businesses, and that racism is in the open!”

Gen. Hiller emphasized that Canada’s political leaders “have largely failed us in being able to constrain that antisemitism and hatred.

“I refuse to let them get away with that in silence! If Black Canadians were prevented from going onto the campus of Concordia University, or openly gay people were prevented from crossing into a mall in downtown Toronto, our political leaders would be there in a heartbeat! They would have been on bended knee and changed the laws if needed and we would have had those issues resolved. They need to do the same for antisemitism!”

Hiller said Canadians have to speak up, “to denounce the hatred!

“I believe firmly that the majority of Canadians detest what is going on…but they are silent! We need them to demand leadership from those we elect to lead! Write them, email them, phone them! Go visit their Parliamentary offices and let them know! Participate in demonstrations!”

Hillier also said governments and police forces have to enforce the laws “we already have on the books.

“We don’t need new laws! We need the police force in Montreal, in Toronto, in Ottawa to enforce the laws, stop the hate rallies and allow Canadians to live a life of security that we all want! We also want to make sure that every one of 400,000 Jewish Canadians are treated just like every other single Canadian!”

The veterans who spoke and whose stories were seen on video included Eden Ram, who was hit by 12 bullets when her base was overrun by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 — she was one of two survivors of the onslaught; Evyatar Edri, a police officer who helped rescue his parents on Oct. 7 and who now suffers from PTSD, and who was accompanied by his mother Rachel, who fed cookies to the terrorists as a means of staying alive; Jonathan Pinto, who was blinded as he helped prevent Hamas from entering Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7; Liam Shpilman, who was very badly wounded by the terrorist group Hezbollah and had to endure dozens of surgeries; and Yonti Bahat, who was badly wounded in Gaza and was rescued by a paramedic he personally trained.

Ram told the audience that “what separates us from those who wanted to murder us is this — from first grade, I was taught to respect every human being, to reach out for peace!

“But Hamas and Hezbollah teach their children from first grade to kill Jews, to become shahids, those who murder and are celebrated as heroes when they ascend to Heaven!”

Edri said those protesting outside the synagogue and their ilk “will not stop us, and they will not break us!” Loud applause followed. Those outside protesting “cannot bury our truth!” said Rabbi Asher Jacobson.

After the event, security guided attendees how to exit the synagogue, as there were three groups of anti-Israel protesters in the area who yelled obscenities and made hateful statements. The SPVM, which set up a perimeter on Clanranald and part of Isabella, and private security held the protesters at bay. n