Three years ago, Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than 1,000 people were murdered. Children, parents and grandparents were dragged into Gaza as hostages. Families were torn apart in a single morning.
Today I stand with Toronto's Jewish community in remembering every life lost, and the hostages and families whose suffering did not end that day.
That hatred did not stay thousands of kilometres away. Here in Toronto, schools have been shot at, synagogues and Jewish businesses vandalized, families harassed in their own neighbourhoods. Too many Jewish residents have told me they no longer feel safe being visibly Jewish in the city they call home.
Antisemitism is not the Jewish community's problem to confront alone. It demands leadership. There can be no excuses for celebrating terrorism on our streets, and no looking the other way when Jewish Torontonians are threatened. As mayor, hate will be met with consequences, not excuses.
I have stood with this community at vigils and in synagogues. I have sat with families who buried their children and with families fighting to bring their loved ones home. They asked only that the world not forget.
Remembering October 7 is about the kind of city we choose to be. I choose a Toronto where Jewish residents can live openly and proudly. A Toronto everyone can be safe in.
May the memories of those murdered be a blessing, and may we build a Toronto where antisemitism has no home.