Taking Action Against Antisemitism | CAEF Bulletin, May 14, 2025
- CAEF
- 15 hours ago
- 4 min read
Today, we celebrate Declaration Day to acknowledge Israel's Independence in 1948.
Court Cases Update - R. v. Gobin, Ontario Court of Justice, Newmarket
Malcolm and Tilda Roll are congregants at the Chabad Flamingo synagogue, located on Bathurst Street in Thornhill. On January 6, 2024, as they were walking home from Sabbath services in the company of two other congregants, Kenneth Jeewan Gobin mounted the curb on his electric bicycle and tried to run them down. They narrowly escaped being hit by running onto the grassy area next to the sidewalk. Gobin hollered at them “Hitler should have taken you out” and spat on Tilda Roll.
Gobin was arrested the same day charged with two counts of assault and found guilty after a trial on March 25, 2025.
Tilda Roll described the attack this way: “The proximity has shattered the illusion that you’re safe in your home, you’re safe in your neighbourhood, you’re safe on Sabbath. It’s shattered and destroyed ... It was a wake-up call. I do things differently now than I did prior to January 6. That January 6 was my October 7 on a much smaller scale. I think of things pre-January 6 and post January 6.”
On May 8, Gobin faced a sentencing hearing with a courtroom packed with members of the local Jewish community, where all four victims read out Victim Impact Statements to the court. Community Impact Statements were also presented in court by Jaime Kirzner Roberts of the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Richard Robertson of B’nai Brith Canada, and by Michael Teper, President of CAEF.
The Crown asked for an 18-month term of imprisonment, and the defence for 90 days, based on their views of what was imposed in similar prior cases.
On May 13, 2025, Justice Michael Townsend imposed a sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment, followed by probation of two years.
This was justice in action, and a proportionate penalty for a serious crime.
CAEF is appreciative of our colleagues at B’nai Brith Canada and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for their interventions in this case.
Read more here:
For more in-depth coverage of the Gobin case and related cases, here’s an article by Stewart Bell of Global News
Assaults, bomb threats, Nazi salutes: Canada’s courts are starting to convict those targeting Jews | Globalnews.ca
Other Upcoming Cases
R. v. Elkhodary (found guilty of assault on woman installing posters about the Israeli hostages)
R. v. Akbari (found guilty of uttering threats to blow up every synagogue in Toronto)
R. v. Arvahi-Azar (accused of multiple synagogue attacks, including Pride of Israel, Kehillat Shaarei Torah, numerous weapons offences)
R. v. Razaali Bahadur (accused of promoting hatred at Nathan Phillips Square during a rally for the hostages)
R. v. Sherif (accused of multiple assaults on police officers, Jewish community officials)
For details, please email CAEF President Michael Teper, rmichaelteper@gmail.com.
It is very important that as these cases progress to the sentencing stage, our community show its concern by being present in the courtroom and by submitting community impact statements.
On May 12, 2025, Skigh Johnson, previously found guilty of committing mischief (i.e., vandalism) at the former Starbucks coffee shop at Bathurst & Eglinton, was given a conditional discharge by the Ontario Court of Justice. A conditional discharge means no jail time, and no criminal record. This was Johnson’s handiwork:
What’s troubling, is that between this case and the Indigo 11 cases, the provincial courts are establishing a “Free Palestine Activist” exception to the laws against mischief, where the perpetrators even when found guilty, are given trivial penalties or none at all. Effectively, it’s a declaration of open season on Jewish-owned businesses.
We at CAEF are doing our best to follow these cases, but we can’t do it all by ourselves. Please show up in court, please write in Community Impact Statements. We are happy to show you how!
CAEF Files Complaint against Victoria BC Cleric Preaching Hatred against Jews
On May 12, 2025, CAEF President Michael Teper wrote to Victoria Police Chief Del Manak demanding action to deal with a repeat pulpit preacher of hatred, Younos Kathrada.
Read Tristan Hopper’s article in the National Post, referencing CAEF’s complaint letter, here.
Advocacy and Action
In last week’s bulletin, we covered the scandal of the Atlantic School of Theology awarding honorary degrees to Larry and Judy Haiven of the radical anti-Zionist group “Independent Jewish Voices”. Just as a quick reminder, here’s Judy in her own words....
Last week, we posted our own letter to Atlantic College of Theology President Heather McCance. Here’s another letter written by Ruth Abrams.
CAEF Letter to Sault Ste. Marie public library regarding the use of library for antiIsrael event.
Campus Update
Read the National Post article by Ari David Blaff on why Jewish students hide their identity at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Supplementary Readings
Read David Israel in Jewish Press No Country, No Embassy— Palestinians will be served by the US embassy in Jerusalem
Read article in the Jewish Press on Jerusalem’s closing of 6 UNRWA schools that were operating in Jerusalem.
Read Allisraelnews about the latest global report on antisemitism, released by Israel Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism on 80th anniversary of the Second World War.
Read statement about Toronto data from Toronto Police Service on historic high in the crimes, with Jews being the leading target.
Read article by Casey Babb from The Free Press, on the “pogrom brewing in Canada.”