Many Jewish faculty and staff say university EDI is failing them

University of Ottawa Professor Cary Kogan, left, is joined by fellow members of the Network of Engaged Canadian Academics, at a news conference on its national study documenting antisemitism at Canadian universities and colleges, in Ottawa in August 2026. The study was commissioned by the federal government. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Many Jewish faculty and staff say university EDI is failing them Published: September 16, 2026 10.04am EDT Share article Print article In 2025, Jewish people were the target of 70 per cent of all police-reported hate crimes in Canada targeting a religious group. Jews make up about one per cent of the Canadian population. Research indicates that higher education often increases tolerance. A 2026 national survey by sociologists Robert Brym and Rhonda Lenton found that Canadian university students have a low level of negativity toward Jews, but a high level of negativity toward Israel. This is a point of friction since many Canadian Jews feel emotionally attached to Israel and support Israel’s existence. Most Canadian universities have an infrastructure for addressing discrimination: equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies and action plans. A new federally commissioned survey of Jewish students in Canadian universities finds they believe EDI offices had generally not engaged with their concerns. Similarly, my recent study reveals that while many Jewish faculty and staff hoped EDI offices and policies would help them navigate contested terrain after Oct. 7, 2023, many say they encountered silence, indifference and dismissal. Read more: Antisemitism in Canada, 3 years after Oct. 7: What the alarming numbers show, and what Ottawa hasn’t done Ongoing debate in Jewish communities The Hamas attack on Israel, which which killed 1,200 people, destroyed communities and saw 251 people taken hostage, was traumatic for many Jews. An extremist Israeli government then launched attacks that have killed approximately 71,000 people in Gaza and catastrophically destroyed infrastructure. Protests and encampments erupted on many campuses, deepening tensions in an already polarized environment. A protester attaches a Palestinian flag at an encampment at the University of Toronto in May 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Since Oct. 7, there has been an ongoing debate within Jewish communities and beyond about whether EDI offices’ perceived disengagement from Jewish concerns is an accident of implementation, a “bug” or “a…