OTTAWA โ Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, born in Toronto, has called on the Canadian government to โdo more to eliminate evilโ antisemitic crimes after a Jewish woman was stabbed in Ottawa in a police-confirmed hate-motivated attack.
โThis is antisemitism in Canada in 2025: brazen, violent, and carried out in broad daylight,โ Haskel said in a Twitter statement. โI stand with Canadaโs Jewish community. Enough excuses, antisemitism must be confronted relentlessly by those with the power to stamp it out.โ
The Ottawa Police Service confirmed on Friday that the Aug. 27 attack is being investigated as a hate-motivated crime. Multiple units, including the West Criminal Investigations Unit and the Hate and Bias Crime Unit, are involved.
Police have charged 71-year-old Joseph Rooke of Cornwall with aggravated assault and possessing a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident.
Haskel also criticized Canadaโs planned unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations, warning that it would embolden Hamas terrorists.
โAny unilateral recognition by Canada of a Palestinian state is rewarding Hamas with a state after they committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,โ she told JNS. She called Ottawaโs decision โcompletely shameful, whilst Hamas still holds 48 hostages in the most horrific conditions.โ
The stabbing comes amid rising antisemitic incidents in Canada. Bโnai Brith Canada has reported a sharp increase in assaults, harassment, and intimidation against Jewish individuals and institutions in recent years.
Haskelโs statements highlight the urgency for Canadian authorities to take decisive action to protect Jewish communities and address antisemitism.
This article is based on verified information from JNS, the Ottawa Police Service, and Sharren Haskelโs public statements.