Opinion: Time To Deep Dive Into Our Canadian Jewish Psyches

Canadians watching America’s nervous breakdown should beware of schadenfreude – the guilty pleasure you take in watching someone else’s misfortunes. Canadian Jews should be particularly wary of it, because Israelis could look down on them as glibly and condescendingly.

I’ve always been amused when Canadians claim Americans are hypernationalist, but they are not – that itself is a nationalist statement. We all know the best way to trigger Canadian pride is to mention America. Canadians joke – “what do you call a sophisticated American?” – a Canadian; or “why do Americans walk around sleeveless but Canadians won’t?” – because Canadians don’t have the right to bare (bear) arms.

Now, alas, the situation is depressingly serious. As the world suffers from pandemic lockdowns, and the resulting economic breakdown, America’s suffering is intensified by a buffoonish, narcissistic president; some racist bullying cops; thousands of self-righteous, violent looters – and a population watching cities burning, unemployment soaring, and the mood souring.

Canada, and especially Quebec, endured its own Corona-missteps – some due to incompetence, some politically motivated. And while Canada doesn’t have America’s racist legacy from slavery, Canadian minorities and outsiders have their own complaints about condescension and other forms of bigotry.

In fact, Canadian Jews suffer from rising anti-Semitism too, while experiencing more anti-Zionism, and less mainstream acceptance, than American Jews do. Much hostility is hidden behind Canadian politeness. But most Canadian Jews are unaware that generally, support for Israel hovers around 70 percent of Americans, but usually around 40 percent of Canadians. Moreover, powerful voices in the Canadian Jewish establishment often try suppressing the real debate we need about various dimensions of Canadian Jew-hatred.