Residents push to make Ottawa public school board address antisemitism

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board met Tuesday evening amid concerns about rising hate directed at Jewish students and staff, and accusations the board is not doing enough to respond.

The meeting being held at the Board head office on Greenbank Road started more than half an hour late, after what board chair Lyra Evans called a "robust in-camera discussion." It was then followed by a lengthy presentation thanking Director of Education Camille Williams-Taylor for her work with the OCDSB. Williams-Taylor is leaving the OCDSB after four years to become the director of education for the Durham District School Board in January. 

School board trustee doctor Nili Kaplan-Myrth told CTV News Tuesday night she's planning to put forth a motion to hire a Jewish equity coach before a committee of the board at the next meeting in January.

This comes as the board confirms a hate incident on Dec. 1. According to a spokesperson for the OCDSB, “an antisemitic act took place after school following an extracurricular activity. Two Jewish students were called into a room by other students. As they entered, they witnessed a large swastika displayed on the floor and subsequently a student made a Nazi salute gesture. This is a blatant act of hate and antisemitism, which is absolutely unacceptable.

Every student deserves the right to feel safe at school, regardless of religion/creed, race, background, ability, gender or sexual orientation. As soon as we were made aware of this, the school administration launched an investigation."

.The board says following the investigation, a plan was put in place to discipline individuals responsible. The board is not releasing the names of the students involved.

Leah Freedhoff is a student at Sir Robert Borden High School. She says she wasn’t made aware of the incident until much later after it occurred.

“I didn’t hear about it until everybody started freaking out about it. I was a little upset. How come I didn’t know about this?” she said.

“It was upsetting, but it felt like finally people were starting to get mad about antisemitism in our schools and people just didn’t want to address it or hear about it.”

Andrea Freedman, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, says the experience can be traumatizing.

“It is devastating and it is a direct threat, when we look at the swastika—that is the symbol of death and destruction of six million Jews. That was the banner in which the Nazi regime pursued their systematic torture and annihilation of the Jewish. So when you are invited to look at the swastika and the “heil Hitler” gesture that is generational trauma exemplified, deeply scary and concerning, and incredibly painful.”

Freedman says it is concerning to hear more students are reporting acts of hatred towards Jewish students.

“It is horrifying to hear these reports from students, it makes me angry because these things have been reported to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for nearly two years, and yet the school board has done little to nothing to push back against antisemitism,” she says.

“The lessons that young people learn in school today, are lessons that will last them an entire lifetime. We are creating and entire generation that thinks it is okay to ‘other’ the Jews, that it is okay to treat Jews differently than any other minority group.”

Talia Freedhoff, Leah’s older sister, recently graduated from high school. She says she witness antisemitism throughout high school. “The fact is that antisemitism feels very normalized at this point, which at this point is a very which is a very disturbing thing to say, a feeling that a lot of Jewish students share.”

Talia Freedhoff says she has noticed the incidents targeting Jewish people is increasing.

“If you are Jewish, then you have been experiencing it for a long time, seeing it spike. It is disturbing, but it has become almost like normal, which is very unfortunate, but I think a lot of Jewish students share that semblance.”

The calls for the board to do more include more education, mandating antisemitism training, and installing a Jewish equity coach at the OCDSB. 

"I don't know how you could let us get here. We are begging for help," said delegate Deena Friedman, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Tuesday's meeting. "Words mean little unless they are followed by action and so far, I have seen no action. How many times do Jewish students have to tell you we're afraid before you take action?"