2025 Walk With Israel sees more Jewish pride, fewer anti-Israel protesters, than last year

Last year, the 2024 UJA Walk With Israel was tinged with pain, coming just months after the Oct. 7 massacres and being marred by intimidating anti-Israel protesters. But participants at this year’s event, held on May 25, felt a strong sense of Jewish pride and confidence, and refused to allow protesters to spoil the day—raising $1.4 million along the way, $200,000 more than last year. The 56th annual fundraiser was held under heavy security, coming just four days after a gunman, yelling “Free Palestine,” shot two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. With that news still fresh in people’s minds, thousands of police and security officers were on hand, officials told The CJN, and there were noticeably fewer protesters than the year before—just one arrest, compared to six arrests in 2024. Toronto police arrested one man at the event, charging him with mischief and causing a disturbance, after he was heard hurling antisemitic threats. But while the event went off mostly smoothly, attendees questioned why the police created “designated protest areas” on both sides of the last major intersection before the finish line, forcing the record-breaking 56,000 participants to pass through a gauntlet of pro-Pro-Palestinian yells and chants, along with smoke bombs. The CJN Daily‘s host Ellin Bessner brought her microphone and managed to stay dry despite the torrential downpour that drenched participants at the afterparty. On today’s episode, you’ll hear from Omri Kohavi, a survivor of the Nova music festival and Ilan Faktor, a music producer; Jesse Brown, who brought the Nova exhibition to Toronto; Rabbi Michael Dolgin of Temple Sinai, whose synagogue hosted the starting line for the walk; newly-elected Conservative MP for York Centre, Roman Baber; Steven Del Duca, the mayor of Vaughan; Melissa Lantsman, the deputy Conservative leader and re-elected MP for Thornhill; Matthew Taub, a community advocate; and Toronto city councillor Shelley Carroll, who chairs the city’s Police Service Board.

Related links

• Read how the City of Toronto’s bubble legislation will keep protests 50 metres away from Jewish buildings, and come into force on July 2, in The CJN.
• Learn more about the exhibit about the Nova music festival now showing in Toronto until June 8, in The CJN.
• Learn more about the Tribe of Nova Foundation, which helps survivors and bereaved families of Nova victims.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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