Jewish Real Estate Agent Brutally Attacked in Toronto Amid Rising Anti-Semitic Violence in Canada

A Jewish real estate agent in Toronto was violently attacked while on his way to meet a client at a commercial property, marking the latest in a series of targeted anti-Semitic hate crimes across Canada. Joseph Biton recounted the incident on Facebook, describing how a man identifying himself as a Yemeni Shia Muslim Houthi threatened to kill him, shouted anti-Semitic slurs, and physically assaulted him. The attacker accused Israel of "killing babies and committing genocide against Palestinians" before escalating to a violent assault involving heavy objects such as bricks, stones, metal rods, and a thick tree branch. Biton sustained minor scratches and abrasions but suffered significant emotional trauma.

Biton reported the attack to the police, who responded promptly, arrested the suspect, and classified the incident as a hate crime. Biton expressed sorrow, stating, "This is not the Canada I grew up in and lived in for 64 years." The attack reflects a broader surge in anti-Semitic incidents in Canada following the October 7, 2023 massacre. Anti-Semitic hate crimes reached a record high in 2025, with 6,800 reported incidents nationwide, according to the annual report by B'nai Brith Canada released in April. This represented a 9.3 percent increase over the previous year’s record of 6,219 incidents.

Early 2026 data indicates the trend is worsening, with 11 violent anti-Semitic attacks already recorded, surpassing the total of 10 such events in all of 2025. This alarming rise underscores the increasingly hostile environment faced by Jewish and Israeli communities across Canada.