Good morning, everyone. On behalf of the entire University of Toronto, welcome. It is wonderful to see so many distinguished scholars gathered here to engage in a topic of such crucial importance. So let me take this opportunity to thank Professor Shternshis and her colleagues from NYU, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan, for their leadership in organizing today’s proceedings.
Antisemitism is not only ‘the world’s oldest hatred’. It is also an urgent global threat, once again in our own time, as amply demonstrated here in Toronto and around the world over the past few years. This reality is known only too well to everyone in this audience.
Combatting antisemitism requires leadership and commitment on all fronts, from government and law enforcement to civil society and each of us as individuals. And it requires both immediate and long-term action.
In every case our effectiveness depends on the degree to which we know and understand what we’re dealing with. That is the irreplaceable contribution that you and your colleagues are making, as scholars. And it is at the heart of our collective service to society as academic institutions, in addressing this literally vital challenge.
The University of Toronto is immensely proud to be the home of the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. Originating almost 60 years ago, it’s now one of the largest centres for Jewish Studies in the world, with over 65 affiliated faculty and about 70 graduate students. It offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate courses through nearly 20 departments across the University, and over 1000 U of T students take at least one course in Jewish Studies every year.
I want to add here that I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with the Centre’s Director, Professor Shternshis, since my time as the Dean of our Faculty of Arts & Science. Her advice and insight have been – and continue to be – invaluable to me.
In 2024, in response to evolving concerns, the University established the Lab for the Global Study of Antisemitism, housed at the Anne Tanenbaum Centre. Under the leadership of its inaugural Director, Professor Ron Levi, the Lab is doing tremendous work in advancing scholarship in the field, drawing on U of T’s multidisciplinary strengths across the disciplines and professions.
Our partners at NYU and U-M have taken similar initiatives in the past few years. And today’s workshop includes more than 70 faculty members, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, representing some 30 universities across six continents. Clearly, Antisemitism Studies is gaining powerful momentum and is therefore a source of encouragement for all of us, in this perilous time in history.
But of course, in addition to the contribution universities make through our teaching and research activities, we must also take action to combat antisemitism on our own campuses. Many universities have struck committees to guide such action, in response to the rise in antisemitism in our communities in recent years. I note that this is one of the topics you’ll be addressing today, and I look forward to hearing the results of that discussion.
For our part at U of T, we established an Antisemitism Working Group, led by Professor Arthur Ripstein, in 2020. We accepted all of the recommendations in its report the following year, and we’ve been implementing them continuously since then.
And we took additional actions, in response to the extremely difficult controversies arising from the war between Israel and Hamas, after the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Among other things, my predecessor as President, Professor Meric Gertler, initiated a review of our Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment. In November 2025, the University accepted the recommendations arising from that review.
As a result, among other things we are creating a new policy to ensure greater consistency and accountability, and greater clarity in communication, in response to prohibited discrimination. We are also developing a new Human Rights Office for addressing complaints.
This is not an exhaustive list of our most recent initiatives in response to antisemitism on our campuses. And of course, the problem will require constant vigilance and continuing action, as it evolves in the years to come. But let me take this opportunity to say that, as President, I am fully and deeply committed to helping lead that effort as an institutional priority.
And, as the situation has developed even over the seven months since I took office, I am hopeful that we’re making progress. Along with my senior leadership team, I am actively cultivating new means of regular communication and consultation with Jewish members of the U of T community and with key representatives of the Jewish community in the Toronto region as a whole.
These conversations have already proved to be very helpful, in deepening my understanding of their perspectives, experiences and concerns. And I’m confident they will be extremely valuable going forward, as we respond to new developments and determine the next steps in our efforts to combat antisemitism.
As I said at the outset of my remarks, the most distinctive contribution we make to this vital cause arises from our mission as academic institutions. I will continue relying on the expertise of scholars in the field – my colleagues here at U of T, and all of you – to inform my own response as President.
So, let me close by saying, once again – thank you, all, for your dedication and your many individual contributions. And, on behalf of the University of Toronto, thank you for joining us today.
