In a bold move that has municipal politicians across Canada worried, a newly formed advocacy group called Unapologetically Jewish has filed human-rights complaints against the cities of Toronto and Montreal, accusing both of systemic negligence toward Jewish safety.
The organization, officially incorporated on August 12, announced the filings at a news conference in Ottawa. Founder Matthew Taub, a fitness-and-recovery coach turned activist, declared that city leaders “have a responsibility to keep citizens safe — and they’re not doing that.” The complaints name the mayors, police-services boards and chiefs of police of both cities.
Taub’s group argues that municipal governments have allowed a “rising tide” of antisemitic threats and harassment to spread unchecked in schools, workplaces and public spaces. The filings, he says, demand that institutions be held accountable for failing to protect Jewish residents under Canada’s human-rights framework.
The organization’s own footprint is barely two months old. Its website still reads “Full site coming soon,” yet its message has caught fire online: Instagram clips show Taub promising that Jews will “no longer ask permission to feel safe.” Merchandise branded with the group’s name is already circulating through a small Shopify storefront.
Records confirm that Unapologetically Jewish exists as a federally registered non-profit in Ontario. Beyond Taub, no directors or board members have been publicly listed. The group has not yet appeared in any tribunal docket, a normal delay at this stage, but the founder insists the paperwork is filed with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and Quebec’s Commission des droits de la personne.
Taub, who previously built a career in wellness and recovery coaching and was profiled in “Sober Spotlight” for his advocacy work, says his transformation into a political activist was born of necessity after seeing Jewish institutions repeatedly targeted while, in his view, governments offered “tweets instead of protection.”
Municipal leaders in Toronto and Montreal have not issued official replies. Police boards contacted for comment acknowledged awareness of the complaints but declined to discuss them publicly.
For now, Taub appears undeterred. “We are done whispering,” he told reporters in Ottawa. “We are Jews living in Canada in 2025, and we are not going anywhere.”
MJN will continue monitoring the tribunals for the first official responses to what could become a landmark test of whether city governments can be found legally liable for ignoring antisemitism on their watch.
