Rising threats and hate incidents are driving some Jewish Canadians to explore relocation options in Panama, the US, and Israel
Jewish organizations in Canada say rising antisemitism is pushing some members of the community to consider leaving the country, with groups arranging exploratory trips to Panama and Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Jews who no longer feel safe at home.
The Toronto-based Tafsik Organization, a Jewish civil rights group, told The Media Line it is organizing a trip to Panama this month for people interested in relocation, after two earlier trips drew dozens of participants. The US-based organization Tulsa Tomorrow said more than 1,500 Canadians have expressed interest this year in its trips to Tulsa, where antisemitism is often cited as a reason for considering a move.
Tulsa Tomorrow said about 85 Canadians are expected to visit this year, with participation in its twice-yearly trips capped at 100 people. In previous years, the trips drew no more than 10 Canadians, and the organization said it has helped three Canadian families relocate since 2022.
Michael Sachs left Canada with his family last July after facing security threats while serving as the director of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Western Canada in Vancouver.
Sachs said the threats were serious enough that he received police security assistance, and that protesters once told his children their parents were killers. He said his wife, who normally tucked away her Star of David, made it visible when they first visited Tulsa with Tulsa Tomorrow.
As a Jew, I feel that Tulsa has been a relief of stress for us as a Jewish family
“As a Jew, I feel that Tulsa has been a relief of stress for us as a Jewish family,” he said.
Rivka Campbell, executive director of Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Toronto, said more community members have been considering immigration to Israel or moves to places they view as safer, including the US or Panama. She said some older Jews who spend winters in warmer parts of the US say they feel safer there.
We hear about how different it is. It’s almost like they can breathe when they leave Toronto.
“We hear about how different it is. It’s almost like they can breathe when they leave Toronto,” she told The Media Line.
The relocation discussions come as Canadian Jewish organizations report a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel and the war in Gaza that followed.
B’nai Brith Canada said it documented 6,800 antisemitic incidents in 2025, the highest figure since it began issuing annual reports in 1982. Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a speech last month that more than two-thirds of religion-motivated hate crimes in Canada last year targeted Jewish Canadians, who make up about 1% of the population.
In May, three “visibly identifiable” members of the Jewish community standing outside a Toronto synagogue were shot at with an imitation firearm, according to police. After an arrest in the case, acting Deputy Chief Joe Matthews of the Toronto police said, “We recognize that Jewish residents have been living with a heightened sense of fear due to repeated incidents targeting their community, and this only adds to that, which is unacceptable.”
Campbell said the tone of antisemitism has become more “in your face,” while reporting of hate crimes has also increased. She said laws are already in place to deal with hate crimes but are not being enforced properly.
“I know there’s this feeling, ‘Well, if we arrest them, they’ll probably get off.’ So what? So what? Arrest them anyway,” she said. “Send a message that we don’t tolerate hate in any form.”
Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman told The Media Line that elected leaders have failed to enforce existing laws, contributing to the rise in antisemitism.
Nobody should have to ask their government to enforce a law, because that’s the government’s job—but that’s where we’re at today
“Nobody should have to ask their government to enforce a law, because that’s the government’s job—but that’s where we’re at today. The fact that this is even controversial shows you just how much work we have to do to restore normalcy here in Canada,” said Lantsman, who is also a member of parliament.
A federal law taking effect in July will make it a criminal offense to intimidate or obstruct people seeking to access places of worship, schools, and community centers used by identifiable groups.
“These measures are intended to address gaps in law enforcement and send a clear and consistent signal that hate will not be tolerated,” Public Safety Canada wrote in an email to The Media Line.
Carney last month launched the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, saying it would assess antisemitism in Canada and help create a “whole-of-government approach” to addressing it.
Kim Werker, president of the Reform Jewish Community of Canada, told The Media Line that most of the antisemitic conversations she has seen have been online, but that she has become more conscious of possible backlash for being Jewish.
“There are times I have tucked my Star of David into my shirt,” she said.
Werker said both younger and older members of the Jewish community have reported seeing more antisemitism, with some teenagers hearing antisemitic language used more casually. She said Jewish students have felt physically unsafe on some university campuses in recent years, and that antisemitism has become more normalized.
“What I’m seeing more are comments that indicate that people in our Canadian society do not see Jews as worthy of the same kinds of compassion and support as anyone else in Canada,” she said.
Amir Epstein of the Tafsik Organization told The Media Line he knows dozens of people who have left Canada because of antisemitism in recent years, and many more who are preparing to do so.
“This is where we’ve come down to in our community, that people are really seriously looking to leave,” he stated.
Epstein said he has faced claims that he is part of the Mossad and has received constant death threats. He said inquiries from older community members about leaving Canada became frequent enough that Tafsik created Plan B, a Panama trip held in February and March for participants ranging in age from 40 to 70.
“We’re always getting emails from people saying, ‘Where do we go? What do we do?’ So, people are very seriously looking to leave,” he said.
Epstein said older members of the Jewish community have been more active in exploring relocation, while Jews under 40 appear less likely to consider leaving or to take part in protests. He said many people view Panama as a safe destination for Jewish families and see permanent residency there as relatively easy to obtain.
When he asks attendees at Tafsik events whether they are considering leaving Canada, Epstein said roughly two-thirds of the 700 to 1,500 people present typically raise their hands.
Epstein said Tulsa is not realistic for many families, partly because of the difficulty and cost of immigrating to the United States. He said Orthodox Jews may be more likely to consider Israel, while more secular Jews may be deterred by the cost of living there or by not speaking Hebrew.
Campbell said the sense of vulnerability has deepened because hate crimes are not being addressed forcefully enough. She said she has felt less safe over the past two years and is constantly worried about the risk of a lone attacker.
“Of course, we feel physically vulnerable, 100%. And some will say, yeah, today may be OK, but there’s this underlying feeling of it’s a matter of time,” she said.
