Avi Benlolo: We are Zionists, not ‘roaches,’ ‘rats’ or ‘scum’

TORONTO, ONTARIO—SUNDAY JUNE 7, 2026—ISRAEL—Protestors confront participants in the annual UJA Walk With Israel in Toronto, Sunday June 7, 2026. [Photo By Peter J Thompson/National Post][For National Post Story by TBA/National Post]

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This is the time to fight harder, not run. That is the winning mindset Jews must embrace. The 60,000-strong Walk For Israel this past weekend in Toronto proved we are proud, strong and free. We are Canadian, and we will stand up for our rights and dignity despite attempts to harass and intimidate our community and turn Canada into ground zero for hate.

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Who would have thought that in 2026, Jewish children would hear the same insults and epithets that their Holocaust-surviving grandparents heard in Germany and Poland? In preparing pro-Palestinian counter-protesters for what they could say against the Jews at the walk while avoiding hate speech laws, Naveed Awan Bahadur told them: “When they come to this event, they are a Zionist, and you can call Zionists roaches, rats, scum … right, Zionists.”

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That’s true. We are unapologetically Zionists. But we are not “roaches,” “rats” or “scum.” We are ordinary people who believe in our inalienable right to return to our homeland, the Land of Israel. Zionism is more than a liberation movement. It is embedded in the Jewish religion. Our return to our indigenous home where our ancient language (Hebrew) can be spoken once again and where we can embrace our history grounded in our ancestral land has been grounded in our liturgy for more than 2,000 years — 1,000 years before Islam.

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This time, we will not run away. We will not be defamed and dehumanized. We will not allow antisemitism to be normalized. We will not be ostracized by our universities, unions and government. We will challenge this land of confusion and moral inversion. We will break this Tower of Babel that is threatening not only our community, but our beloved nation.

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Last June, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Muslim values are Canadian values at an Eid al-Adha celebration hosted by the Muslim Association of Canada in Ottawa. Canadian values are based on respect of one another. Our values embrace pluralism and co-existence. They adhere to truth, justice and good citizenship. They celebrate the once touted view that multiculturalism allows us to take pride in our culture but also respects our diversity.

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Where are the denunciations by mainstream Muslim community against this vile rhetoric spewed repeatedly against our community from coast to coast since October 7? Where are the rings of love that once surrounded our synagogues, defending us against the antisemitic terrorism responsible for shooting up our places of prayer, our businesses and our people? The silence against the hateful words spewed against fellow citizens is not a Canadian value.

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For many of us, Canada has become unrecognizable from the pure and innocent land in which we were raised. A land where hockey sticks can be heard hitting a puck at the end of your street, where Christmas trees lined main streets and where Canada Day was cause for celebrating our unity.

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I still believe Canada is worth fighting for, not running away from. One twig can break with a strong wind, but multiple twigs bound together will stand strong and free. We must work harder together to rebuild our nation through a comprehensive reset focused on strong values that bind us together with Canadians who believe in Canada.

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As Canadians, we can do this by doubling down on our efforts to turn government attention to effectively control our borders and immigration. We must elect leaders who embrace traditional Canadian values and vehemently reject the maligning of ethnic and religious communities. Our schools must refocus on national pride and Canadian history, rather than becoming lightning rods for political issues on the other side of the planet.