TORONTO—Crowds waving Israeli flags showed their support for the Jewish state in Toronto on May 25, in an event organizers say featured some 56,000 people joining the United Jewish Appeal’s Walk With Israel.
The event, held annually since 1970, came a few days after two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed in Washington on May 21 by a man shouting “free, free Palestine.” Some of the participants interviewed by The Epoch Times noted the importance of showing support for the Jewish community in the wake of the tragedy.
Various allies of the Jewish community participated in the May 25 walk, including Salman Sima, a former Iranian political prisoner now living in Toronto, who said he joined some 200 other Iranians who took part.
(L-R) Sima Dini, Guidy Mamann, Salman Sima, and Taimaz Hafezi take part in the United Jewish Appeal’s annual Walk With Israel event in Toronto on May 25, 2025. Dave Gordon for The Epoch Times
He held a sign that said “we stand with Yaron Lischinsky,” referring to one of the two people murdered in Washington last week outside the Israeli Embassy.
Sima said the Toronto event had “very positive vibes,” and added that he believes Iranians and the Jewish people have common ground in battling Islamic extremists.
“We share the same pain and the same cause,” he said. “This is real unity and we show it in action.”
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The 3.7-kilometre walk began at Temple Sinai off Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue in North York, and ended at the Sherman Campus, known as the Jewish community centre, near Sheppard Avenue, where there were various entertainers and exhibitors.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Ontario’s Jewish population is roughly 212,000, nearly 60 percent of all Jews in Canada, while about 180,000 of those are in the Toronto area.
Law Enforcement
The event also drew about 300 counter-protesters, many waving Palestinian flags and walking through the street, bookended by Toronto police. Police arrested a man for “yelling antisemitic slurs at attendees of the Walk.”
People take part in the United Jewish Appeal’s annual Walk With Israel event in Toronto on May 25, 2025. Dave Gordon for The Epoch Times
In light of continued protests at Jewish places of worship and neighbourhoods, and even shootings at Jewish schools and acts of vandalism against Jewish-owned businesses, some participants in the Walk With Israel said they wanted more coordination from the police to separate the counter-protesters.
In one incident, police tried to remove parade participant Noah David Alter, who confronted a counter-protester at the Holocaust memorial at Earl Bales Park. Alter told The Epoch Times that he decided to confront the person because he “didn’t think that was appropriate.”
In a video posted to social media on May 23, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue indicated there would be a major police presence, adding that there would be designated protest zones. Pogue also said those engaging in hate speech or committing criminal acts wouldn’t be tolerated.
Participant Lana Kogan said despite mentions of “designated areas” for the counter-protesters by police, there were anti-Israel protesters who walked in the same area as parade participants.
“It was a provocation. Who gave them permission to go with us? Was it approved by police?” Kogan said.
Guidy Mamann, president of the Toronto Zionist Council, said the anti-Israel counter-protesters were “far enough away from us,” though they were shouting things that to him that were “distasteful, things that are untrue, things that are provocative,“ and even ”racist.”
Still, he said he was surprised there was no intervention by law enforcement to prevent counter-protesters on both sides of the street.
“So a lot of hate-filled messages [were said] in stereo. Really, they should have kept them all on one side of the street and created a buffer zone, but that didn’t happen. But thank God, as far as I know, nothing serious happened,” Mamann said.
“The truth is, if you’re going to be Jewish in a community like ours, in a multicultural community like ours, unfortunately, we don’t have a choice.”
Mamann later directed the pro-Israel rally at Bathurst St. and Sheppard Ave., as he’s done for the 86th week in a row.
Police had set up barriers around some areas of the walk. Deputy Chief Pogue said the police uphold the “right to peaceful assembly and expression, but intimidation, harassment, hate speech, or criminal behaviour will not be tolerated.”
“We are committed to maintaining public order, enforcing the law and ensuring that everyone can exercise their rights lawfully and without fear,” she said.
Counter-protesters holding Palestinian flags gather along the route of the United Jewish Appeal’s annual Walk With Israel, in Toronto on May 25, 2025. The Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey
‘The Streets Came Alive’
Eynat Katz, a clinical psychologist, said the walk was “nothing short of extraordinary.”
“To walk shoulder-to-shoulder with 56,000 proud Zionists, each with their heads held high and hearts full of pride, was an unforgettable experience. The streets came alive,” she said, in “voices united in strength, resilience, and unwavering love for Israel.”
Katz added that the “energy was electric—a powerful display of unity, identity, and hope” and that for her, the event symbolized coming together “as one people, with one voice, standing tall for the Jewish homeland.”
Tafsik, a Toronto-based civil rights organization launched in February 2024, said it had brought about 1,200 people to join in the event, from various ethnic communities, including Hindu, Christian, Yazidi, and Iranian.
Olga Goldberg told The Epoch Times that “the walk brought all the best that the community has to offer: family, friendship, and Jewish pride.”
