Antisemitism has reached record-high levels in recent years, and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa is working hard to curtail its spread both locally and nationally. 

With Tuesday’s (July 15) concerning report that now confirms the stark increase in antisemitic incidents in Ontario schools alone, it should be no surprise how critical fighting antisemitism is in Federation’s day-to-day operations.

To support these efforts, Federation has launched an updated incident reporting form to streamline how community members can share local antisemitic incidents. This tool helps ensure that Federation’s Advocacy team receives timely, accurate information so they can take appropriate action and provide support where needed. 

“I aim to get in touch with every person who files to see how they are doing, and what support they may need,” said Jodi Green, Federation’s Interfaith and Advocacy Specialist. “That can include listening, helping them file a police report, or reaching out to other communal resources.”

Federation works with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) to ensure that when incidents occur, they can be handled cohesively as a united front. Experts in monitoring hate speech and advocacy, CIJA plays a critical role in this conversation.

“Reporting hate is not just about telling your story — it’s about building the case for both systemic and legal change,” said Howard Fremeth, CIJA’s Vice President of Communications. “Whether it’s through our Legal Task Force pursuing accountability in the courts, our work with law enforcement to ensure urgent, thorough responses, or our work with school boards and governments so that our public institutions do better, we ensure incidents of hate don’t fall through the cracks.”

He emphasized the importance of people coming forward to report their experiences. While that first step can be daunting, and many people may second-guess whether their incident is worth reporting, doing so anyway will allow experts to determine what steps to take going forward.

“Silence protects the perpetrators, not the victims,” said Fremeth. “The more we report, the more we expose the scale of the problem — and the harder it becomes for police, prosecutors, and policymakers to ignore. That’s how we protect our communities and ensure hate doesn’t just get condemned; it gets prosecuted.”

It is also very important to remember to be as specific as possible when reporting. Pictures, videos, or documents can all be uploaded to the new form to help corroborate the occurrence when working with partners to better understand the nature of antisemitism in all its manifestations.

You may be able to take additional steps depending on where the incident occurs. If it happens in a school or college/university, there are additional resources available after filing a report with Federation.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has numerous resources, including Jewish Equity Coach Brian Kom, as well as the Safe Schools Reporting Tool. Post-secondary institutions in the city (Algonquin College, Carleton University, and the University of Ottawa) all have different protocols to follow, as well.

All of the specifics and more can be found on Federation’s website by clicking here. You will find the major points of contact, as well as what to do when an incident happens.

If you have an incident to report, click here to use the new form now.

Remember, antisemitism can only be successfully combatted by working together. By reporting an incident, no matter how big or small, you are doing a mitzvah to the entire community by alerting those who can help.