What Does Mayor Chow Have to Do with Stolen Mezuzahs?

The News: Reports indicate that someone entered a Toronto Community Housing apartment block, home to Russian-speaking Jewish seniors, and stole their mezuzahs—small ornaments containing a scroll with holy inscriptions that Jewish families affix to their doorposts. This is a cherished tradition among practising Jews, much like displaying holly leaves in Christian homes during Christmas or hanging decorative lights in Hindu homes during Diwali.

Stealing such religious symbols is a form of vandalism that warrants investigation.

However, many Torontonians are left wondering: Does this incident merit the level of hype it has generated, with various politicians and partisan media framing it as a significant “hate” event?

While the theft is indeed unpleasant and distasteful, it would typically qualify as just another act of lawlessness if not for the overwhelming media coverage. This is usually reserved for significant natural disasters or major public health crises.

We do not want to downplay the distress caused to the affected homeowners, but the intense media coverage and ensuing assumptions are surprising. Particularly concerning is the finger of accusation pointed at a figure seemingly held responsible for this act. Who?

A less credible newspaper, known for supporting a specific group in Toronto, couldn’t help but turn this troubling act of theft into a conspiracy theory implicating none other than Toronto’s Mayor, Olivia Chow. But what does the mayor have to do with this incident? Nothing. Yet, she stirred controversy by using the term “genocide” to describe the situation in Gaza—a statement deemed a “betrayal” by this newspaper and its political and nonprofit sponsors, leading them to target her as if she were complicit in the theft of ornaments. Hilarious, if not so dark.

Before we get too caught up in this outlandish and potentially libellous attack on a public servant for expressing her viewpoint, it’s essential to consider the incident as a reflection of broader issues.

This theft exposes the modus operandi of a group that operates in the shadows, intent on policing the thoughts, actions, and words of ordinary citizens. Their goal is to intimidate and instil fear in those in power whose views diverge from theirs. When warnings and threats fail, they seek to make examples of dissenters, ensuring that others think twice before expressing differing opinions.

What do we think of this theft? It’s unacceptable. No one should feel unsafe in their own home, especially seniors. However, we will reserve our judgment until investigations are completed. The police and media are already labelling it a hate crime, even before the facts are thoroughly examined. We hope that whoever is responsible for this act will be apprehended and punished.

But like citizens of any free country, we have questions.

Q1: Why steal a mere ornament? This reminds us of an infamous incident involving Itamar Ben-Gvir, an Israeli far-right politician known for stealing a Cadillac hood ornament from Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car in 1995, shortly before Rabin’s assassination. Ben-Gvir claimed he did it to send a message—that if he could take the ornament, he could easily target Rabin.

Q2: Is this theft yet another attempt by violent radicals claiming Jewish heritage to make the broader Jewish community feel unsafe and reliant on them for protection? Is this incident intended to intimidate the peaceful Jewish residents of Toronto who wish to dissociate from such radicals?

Q3: Why is Mayor Chow included in news reports about this? What is her connection to the crime? Short answer – none! But as we are all aware, Mayor Chow had publicly referred to the mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza as a “Genocide” during an event in Mississauga in early November. In response, the Tafsik Organization, a Canadian Jewish civil rights group, quickly condemned her remarks, labelling them as “disgraceful, reckless, and dangerously irresponsible” in a social media post.

Executive Director of Tafsik, Amir Epstein, had stated, “Those three words (??) were a slap in the face to Jews in Toronto, across Canada, and around the world—an unforgivable betrayal and a disgraceful distortion of reality.”

But what does “unforgivable betrayal” actually mean? Does this imply that there has been an unspoken agreement among Israel and other Western nations, along with their mayors, never to label genocide as genocide? Furthermore, the phrase “disgraceful distortion of reality” evokes memories of Trump during his first term when he famously said, “Do not believe your eyes!”