Antisemitism reports are rising at the University of Ottawa, particularly after an antisemitic graffiti incident in campus residence this semester, according to some staff and students.
A “shaky” and “upset” Jewish student reported the graffiti incident in September, according to Jonathan Calof, uOttawa’s special adviser on antisemitism. That same week, three more antisemitic campus incidents were brought to Calof’s attention.
The graffiti was removed, Calof said, but police told the Charlatan they can’t comment on its depiction beyond it being “religious-based” while the Hate and Bias Crime Unit conduct an ongoing investigation.
Ottawa’s Jewish community of about 15,000 people was ranked as the most targeted group for hate crime reported incidents last year in the city, with 113 incidents in 2024. This is more than double any other targeted group, according to Ottawa Police Service data released in January.
Some uOttawa Jewish community members said this hate is felt on campus.
Karine Riger, a fourth-year Jewish student at uOttawa, said she feels “on edge” coming to campus.
“There’s always hesitancy,” she said. “I am always worried (that) maybe something will happen to me or my friends.”
More needs to be done to help combat antisemitism and protect Jews on campus, Riger added, suggesting the university collect feedback directly from the Jewish uOttawa community to help the university navigate its communication with students about incidents.
Calof said he is not surprised when he hears about antisemitic incidents on campus. Jewish students and faculty reported feeling “isolated, anxious, and that it’s dangerous to show their Jewish identity in public,” according to Calof’s survey of the community last year.
Calof believes this is why many antisemitic incidents continue to go unreported.
“One student said, ‘I go from home to classes, don’t talk to anybody, and then go back home,’” he said.
A faculty member also reported being frozen out by colleagues over his Jewish identity, Calof said.
Calof said it’s not acceptable for students to be feeling this way, and that an updated survey is being conducted this year to assess changes since the graffiti incident.
The “troubling” graffiti incident was considered an isolated incident, according to uOttawa spokesperson Jesse Robichaud in a Dec. 3 statement to the Charlatan. The university added that it must be considered within the broader context of the Jewish community frequently being targeted in hate-motivated incidents in Ottawa.
Calof said the university was willing to “move mountains” to support the student who reported the incident, including offering to move the student out of the residence area.
Marie-Eve Sylvestre, uOttawa’s president and vice-chancellor, notified students about the incident and said the university is “deeply disturbed” by the act in an Oct. 27 email obtained by the Charlatan.
“Acts that target individuals or groups based on their religion or identity are intolerable and stand in direct opposition to our values as an institution and community,” the email read.
The statement also offered support services and encouraged students to remain vigilant.
Despite the hardship students have felt from campus antisemitism, they continue to find solace in the Jewish community, Calof said.
Rabbi Chaim Boyarsky of the Rohr Chabad Student Network, an organization that supports Jewish post-secondary students in Ottawa, said the network planned to lend support to the student who reported the graffiti incident.
In addition to reprimanding those responsible for the incidents and working to make the campus a safer space, Boyarsky said he hopes to remind students to never let the fire for Jewish pride burn out.
“We have to be even prouder and louder regarding our Jewishness, not to cave. If the person that did it feels vindicated by Jews hiding their identity, they’ll do it more,” he said.
“The response has to be one of great strength and courage.”
______________________________________________________________________________________
Featured image provided by Chaim Boyarsky.
