Headquarters of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, Toronto.

A leading Canadian Jewish group commended an Ontario teachers union for passing a resolution to address antisemitism in public schools.

During its annual meeting on August 17-19, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) voted to “establish a task force to combat antisemitism in Ontario,” adding that it has “reached an all-time high since May 2021.”

The ETFO represents over 83,000 Ontario public school officials.

“This resolution is an extremely positive development,” said B’nai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn. “Tackling antisemitism in Canada is a whole-of-society endeavor, and elementary teachers have a critical role to play. B’nai Brith strongly encourages other labor unions in Ontario and across Canada to follow suit.”

In recent days, Canadian Jewish organizations have sounded outrage over a series of acts of vandalism against Jewish targets, including a Toronto synagogue, a Toronto Jewish school, and election posters for Jewish political candidates in Montreal.

B’nai Brith Canada said Friday that representatives had recently met with Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce to discuss what it called “the urgent need to ensure that our classrooms are free from hate.”

In a June report, the group cited at least 250 antisemitic incidents tracked during the month of May, which saw the 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, including 61 incidents of violence.