TORONTOย โ The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation has formally urged the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery to reconsider hosting an upcoming event featuring a speaker whose public statements, the organization says, include praise for the October 7 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians.
In a letter dated January 10, 2026, and addressed to Danielle Deveaux, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, the foundation expressed serious concern over an event titled โGaza: Doctors Under Attack,โ which lists Dr. Yipeng Ge as a featured participant. The letter was delivered by email and copied to municipal officials in Kitchener and Waterloo.
The foundation noted that while the gallery is entitled to curate programming of its choosing, it also receives public funding and includes city councillors among its board members. As such, the organization argued, the gallery has a responsibility to consider the broader public implications of the voices it amplifies.
According to the letter, the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation alleges that Dr. Geโs social media activity demonstrates support for and endorsement of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, in which approximately 1,200 Israeli and international civilians were murdered. The foundation described the attack as the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
โYipeng Ge is no ordinary activist,โ the letter states. โHis social media postings make it clear that he supports and endorses the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli and international civilians.โ
The foundation posed a direct question to the galleryโs leadership, asking whether it would knowingly host an event featuring an individual who praises the Holocaust as a form of resistance. The letter concluded by urging the gallery to make its decision carefully, emphasizing that cultural institutions play a powerful role in shaping public discourse.
The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation is a Toronto-based organization focused on combating antisemitism through education, advocacy, and public awareness. It has been increasingly vocal in recent months as cultural, academic, and public institutions across Canada face scrutiny over events and programming related to the Israel-Hamas war.
The controversy surrounding the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery event reflects a broader national debate over how institutions address the conflict and where the line lies between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and rhetoric that Jewish organizations say crosses into antisemitism or the glorification of violence.
Jewish advocacy groups have repeatedly warned that framing the October 7 attacks as resistance rather than terrorism minimizes the deliberate targeting of civilians and contributes to an environment in which antisemitism is normalized. They argue that this rhetoric has real-world consequences, pointing to rising antisemitic incidents across Canada since the outbreak of the war.
The foundationโs letter also highlights governance concerns, noting that several members of the galleryโs board are elected municipal officials and that a significant portion of the institutionโs funding comes from taxpayers. In this context, the organization argues that hosting speakers accused of endorsing mass violence raises questions about public accountability.
As of publication, the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery has not issued a public response to the letter. It remains unclear whether the institution will proceed with the event as planned, modify its programming, or address the concerns raised by the foundation.
The incident underscores the growing tension facing Canadian cultural institutions as they navigate politically charged topics tied to Israel, Gaza, and the broader Middle East. For Jewish and Zionist communities, the case has reinforced concerns that moral boundaries are being blurred, and that voices perceived as legitimizing violence against Jews are increasingly finding platforms in publicly funded spaces.
Whether the gallery alters its course or not, the letter from the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation adds to mounting pressure on institutions to weigh artistic freedom against ethical responsibility in an era of heightened polarization and rising antisemitism.
