By Joseph Marshall
There are political shifts, and then there are warning signs. The idea of Avi Lewis leading the New Democratic Party isn’t just another leadership story, it’s something Jewish Canadians should be concerned about. Lewis isn’t new and he isn’t undefined. He’s spent years in activist circles where Israel isn’t just criticized, it’s treated as something to isolate, boycott, push out. That’s been his lane for a long time. Call it policy debate if you want, but it doesn’t stay there.
At his acceptance speech, a Palestinian flag was waving directly behind him. Not in the crowd, not off to the side, but right there, part of the shot. Next to him, a guy in a keffiyeh. Campaigns don’t leave things to chance. Every frame is planned, every action and every person on that stage is there because someone decided they should be.
Jewish Canadians have watched this play out before. It starts with slogans and boycotts. It moves into campuses, unions, mainstream politics. The line between targeting Israel and targeting Jews gets thinner, then it’s gone. Lewis hasn’t pushed back on that environment, he’s been actively part of it. When that kind of politics moves into the leadership of a federal party, it doesn’t stay contained to foreign policy, it affects tone and it affects what people think is acceptable to say and do.
You’ve seen it since the October 7th Hamas genocidal attack on innocent Israelis. Protests against Israel, attempting to turn the victim into the aggressor, funded by the radical left, crossed lines that used to be uncrossable. Language that used to be fringe and shunned, becoming the standard slogans at these rallies. Police standing impotently by doing nothing, politicians excusing hatred as political speech. As a result, Jewish institutions, who are constantly under attack, were forced to start operating like security concerns are just part of the routine. Parents started thinking twice about things they never had to think about before. This kind of atmosphere in Canada didn’t come out of nowhere.
This isn’t about whether someone supports or opposes a particular Israeli government, everyone has the right to their political opinion. The issue is what happens when a political leader gives space to movements that don’t just criticize Israel, but actively challenges its legitimacy. As we’ve seen, when that’s normalized by federal politics, it quickly spills into society, resulting in attacks on synagogues and schools.
Avi Lewis has been a vocal supporter of the anti-Israel movement and that’s not good for the Jewish people. Avi may have been born Jewish, but he has chosen the path of working against his people’s best interests. I hope one day he sees the light.
Watch Lewis condemn Israel: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DIhPFBbT4cB/
