Justin Trudeau privately met with Jewish leaders in Toronto yesterday—but these rabbis left dissatisfied

For the first time since Oct. 7, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several Liberal Members of Parliament met with a large group of Toronto-based Canadian Jewish leaders on Jan. 10 at Beth Tzedec synagogue in Toronto. While the prime minister’s office and community guests had to keep the details secret ahead of time for security reasons, The CJN has learned what was discussed. The group pressed the prime minister on what Canada’s position will be vis-a-vis the International Court of Justice hearings, beginning today, on genocide charges against Israel. Trudeau’s meeting in Toronto also came a month after Canada voted for a UN motion calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—a policy change that has angered many Jewish Canadians, who see it as a betrayal of Canada’s longstanding support for Israel. The prime minister also discussed how the Jewish community is coping with the explosion of antisemitic public discourse, a surge in hate crimes and anti-Zionist protests. Trudeau later released a statement on social media saying he listened to the community’s “pain and anger and grief,” and that he remains focused on combating antisemitism and keeping Canadian Jews safe. He also described his commitment to Canadian Jews, and also to Israel as a Jewish, democratic state as “unwavering”. While the meeting was closed to the public and off the record, we at The CJN Daily spoke to several guests who were there—and who say the meeting didn’t make them feel better. On today’s episode, you’ll hear from host rabbis Steven Wernick and Robyn Fryer Bodzin, both from Beth Tzedec, and from audience member Rabbi Daniel Korobkin of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto congregation.