Ho-hum. Here we go again. Just another day in Toronto, another attack on the Jewish community. Just last week, in separate shootings, three synagogues and two Jewish-owned enterprises were fired on, not to mention antisemitic incidents elsewhere in Canada and the torrent of antisemitic venom online which goes under the radar. We know where this can lead.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the recent assaults but sadly, shockingly, the targeting of Jews is no longer extraordinary in our fair city. Nor is the nonresponse from most public officials and ordinary citizens.

History shows what can happen when a society becomes desensitized to hate against a minority and tolerates it as an almost everyday occurrence rather than a shameful moral failing. When hate becomes banal and people acquiesce to it, danger isn’t far behind.

Canadian Jews fear such a scenario may be unfolding. Beyond the sobering statistics on virulent antisemitism in Canada, what worries Jews is its growing normalization. The gravity of the moment can’t be overstated. As our community finds itself increasingly targeted by antisemites, it’s little surprise our patience is wearing thin.

A dangerous line has been crossed in our country. Jews shouldn’t have to question whether it’s safe to attend synagogue, run our businesses, send our children to school or simply live our daily lives. Yet that’s the reality we’re now facing. Canada’s reputation as a safe place for minorities is eroding as our community finds itself increasingly in the crosshairs.

It’s now reached a point where urgent action on this issue must be championed loud and clear from the top. While I appreciate Prime Minister Carney’s statement on Sunday condemning the shootings, more is needed. With so much at stake, I urge him to personally take control of this spiralling crisis immediately given that what’s happening threatens the very fabric of Canada.

I can only hope the latest shootings will spur Canadians to stand up in large numbers, voice outrage at this corrosive hate and forcefully speak out in solidarity with their Jewish fellow citizens now under attack.

It’s critical for everyone to understand that an attack on Jews in Canada is also an attack on the core values that hold this country together, the basic social contract that guarantees every Canadian the right to live in safety and dignity regardless of their background.

As is so often the case when Israel is in the news, Jews become the object of hatred and violence. For many anti-Israel extremists, any target or tactic is fair game in their obsessive, hate-driven campaign to deprecate and isolate the Jewish state and those who support it, often cloaked in the language of anti-Zionism. Their vocabulary may evolve, but their attempts at intimidation are true to the time-honoured ostracization of Jews, most of whom identify with Israel as a core part of their identity. And, while some argue disingenuously that all criticism of Israel is dismissed as antisemitism, that’s not true. For my part, I don’t consider fair, evidence-based criticism of Israeli government policies as inherently anti-Jewish.

For the record, the Government of Canada officially adopted the nonlegally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which explicitly states that “criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

Far from causing Canadian Jews to slink, hide and cower in fear, attempts to freeze us out of daily life because of our ancestral link to Israel does nothing of the sort. It emboldens and causes us to stand together, alongside our allies, to tell the haters their anti-Jewish efforts are repugnant, unacceptable and that Canada must be a place where no one feels threatened because of who they are.

Repeatedly, campaigns whose aim is to undermine Jewish lives as members of Canadian society fail, with good reason. They don’t weaken our sense of pride. They don’t diminish our commitment to our values and identity. They don’t reduce our standing in society.

As we’ve seen with previous attacks on symbols of our community, it strengthens our resolve to live our lives more Jewishly and more proudly, reinforcing our commitment not to let the antisemites win. Like most Jews in this country, I will continue to declare myself a proud Canadian, a proud Jew and a proud Zionist, proud of my community for its resilience and everything it contributes to Canada.