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Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-21 · by Dylan Robertson The Canadian Press
NDP Leader Avi Lewis sparked criticism for a social media post during Yom Kippur where he accused Jews of failing to stop the violence in Gaza. Lewis’s comments were deemed irresponsible and potentially antisemitic by Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather and Ben Carr, who noted that holding Jews collectively accountable for Israel’s actions can fuel anti-Jewish hate. The post came before a shooting at a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Yom Kippur, which Lewis condemned afterward.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
NDP Leader Avi Lewis faced criticism after posting on X during Yom Kippur, reflecting on the failure of Jewish people to stop what he called "an ongoing genocide" committed in their name. The post did not directly mention the war that began in October 2023 when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in a surprise attack on Israel, but it sparked debate over collective responsibility for Israeli actions. Since then, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes hitting civilian areas, leading to an international declaration of famine. Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather and Ben Carr, both Jewish, criticized Lewis’s comments as irresponsible and wrong to hold all Jews accountable for Israel's policies in Gaza. Lewis later clarified that he was "absolutely not" holding all Jews responsible for the actions of Israel.
Written for “NDP Leader Controversy Over Israel Re…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
OTTAWA - Critics are calling out NDP Leader Avi Lewis for suggesting online that he and his fellow Jews have “failed” to do their part to stop Israel’s violence in the Gaza Strip.
asserted
he → call → Strip
Lewis posted Sunday that he is marking the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, by reflecting on geopolitics.
“For Jewish people, the personal has always been political and the political always personal.
asserted
political → post → people
This year I’m reflecting on the fact that we failed to do our part to stop an ongoing genocide committed in our name,” Lewis posted Sunday evening on the platform X.
Lewis’s post did not directly mention the war that started in October 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in a gruesome surprise attack on Israel.
asserted
Hamas → reflect → Israel
Since then, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes that frequently hit civilian areas, and by Israeli policies that led to an international declaration of famine.
asserted
that → kill → famine
Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather and Ben Carr, who are Jewish, both pushed back on Lewis’s comments, saying it’s wrong to collectively hold Jews responsible for the actions of Israel.
asserted
Jews → push → Israel
When asked whether Lewis’s comment was antisemitic, Carr called it “naive.”
asserted
Carr → ask → it
“That’s an irresponsible thing for a leader to say,” the Winnipeg MP said.
asserted
MP → ’ → ?
“It’s dangerous and it’s the type of narrative that is actually contributing to the type of threats that we’re seeing levied against the Jewish community.”
asserted
we → ’ → community
Housefather wrote on X that Lewis’s post was “despicable.”
asserted
post → write → X
Lewis made the post before a shooting on Sunday outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., while worshippers were inside to mark Yom Kippur.
asserted
worshippers → make → Kippur
His office said he plans to speak about the matter on Parliament Hill on Monday.
asserted
he → say → Monday
The federal government’s official definition of antisemitism cautions against holding Jews collectively accountable for Israel’s actions because it can fuel anti-Jewish hate.
asserted
it → caution → hate
Advocates have linked that notion of collective responsibility to multiple attacks on Jewish institutions, including Sunday’s attack in Belleville.
asserted
Advocates → link → Belleville
Lewis condemned that attack Monday.
asserted
Lewis → condemn → attack
“The shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville is deeply upsetting, and has traumatized a community that gathered to pray,” he wrote on the platform X.
“I am sending love and solidarity to the Jewish community in Belleville and across the country on this Yom Kippur, the most solemn and holiest day of the year.”
asserted
I → traumatize → year
Some — including former Canadian ambassador to Israel Jon Allen — argue that major Jewish groups in Canada are creating the false impression that they support Israel’s actions against Palestinians by not calling out the Israeli government.
asserted
they → include → government
“By not calling out what’s happening in the West Bank and Gaza, there is a complicity of silence,” Allen told a Senate committee this past June, adding that he himself is Jewish.
“The failure sometimes, frankly, of the Jewish community” to speak out against Israeli government actions “makes people in Canada say, ‘Well, do they support everything Israel does?
asserted
Israel → call → everything
Do they support what happened in Gaza?’” he testified.
asserted
he → support → Gaza
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2026.
asserted
report → publish → Press
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