The pro-Hamas movement is hunting down Jews in the diaspora under the guise of liberating Palestine. The targeting of Israelis across the globe, making lists of those who served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and sharing the locations of Jewish businesses with ties to Israel is nothing more than a Nazi tactic designed to target and endanger Jews.
Years ago, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement started a racist initiative called the "Mapping Project" website, which claimed to illustrate organizations and institutions supposedly "responsible for harm against Palestinians." In reality, it was a map listing any business or organization connected to Israel. Since Israel is a significant part of Jewish life in the diaspora, this list simply targeted anyone or anything Jewish. The website included Jewish institutions such as high schools, a center for people with disabilities, student groups, synagogues, newspapers, Jewish-run charities, and even a center for Jewish arts. The map also targeted private corporations, politicians, police departments, financial groups, universities, and healthcare companies.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, there has been a targeted campaign against Israelis who have served in the IDF by anti-Israel organizations seeking to doxx and arrest Israelis abroad. Recently, a list emerged in Canada called "Find IDF Soldiers," targeting Canadian citizens who have served in the IDF. Although the website is now inactive, the fact that there are initiatives targeting Canadian Jewish citizens on Canadian soil is truly frightening.
This is simply the use of Nazi tactics, packaged in a way that appears to challenge some supposed oppressor.
In the early years of Nazi rule, the regime systematically targeted Jewish businesses as part of its broader campaign of persecution. One key tactic was the creation of detailed lists identifying Jewish-owned enterprises. This process began shortly after Hitler came to power in 1933, culminating in the nationwide boycott of Jewish businesses on April 1, 1933. The lists were used to isolate Jewish entrepreneurs economically, discourage the German public from patronizing their establishments, and pave the way for "Aryanization" – the forced transfer of Jewish businesses to non-Jewish ownership, often at a fraction of their value. This economic marginalization was a critical step in the Nazis' broader plan to exclude Jews from German society, ultimately leading to the horrors of the Holocaust.
This is exactly what these lists of Jewish IDF soldiers and Jewish businesses are doing.
Noy Leyb, originally from Calgary, is one of the Canadian-Israelis featured on this list. He told us that, "this isn't the first time I was featured online by anti-Israel pages, but this is going beyond what is normal. They included my brothers in the website and just used language that is clearly biased, making me look like a genocide killer." Leyb added, "I am a proud soldier and won't hide my face but when it comes to my family, that is when I get upset and angry."
Canada has been a hotbed of antisemitism since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, and now there is a clear initiative to target and attack Canadian Jews and Jewish life. Leyb is mainly concerned for Canadian-Jewish families, explaining that "the website has threatened people's families, and now people will attempt to find Jewish family businesses, and it is dangerous for them. Australia and New Zealand have now started screening IDF soldiers entering the country, what will stop Canada from doing the same?"
What is comical is that the targeting of IDF soldiers is ultimately fruitless. No matter how much someone hates Israel, the IDF is a legitimate army subject to both internal and external scrutiny. It is the official military of a democratic state, operating under civilian government control, adhering to international law, and primarily focused on national defense and protecting its citizens. In contrast, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) serves an authoritarian regime, supports designated terrorist organizations, and engages in extraterritorial military operations that undermine international norms. The IRGC's involvement in terrorism, proxy wars, and human rights abuses has led to its designation as a terrorist organization by the United States and other countries, fundamentally distinguishing it from the IDF's legitimate defensive mandate.
The efforts to target Jewish individuals and businesses under the guise of anti-Israel activism are nothing more than the repackaging of Nazi-era tactics in a modern context. By publishing lists of IDF soldiers, Jewish-owned businesses, and community institutions, these movements aim to isolate, endanger, and intimidate Jewish communities worldwide. History has shown us the dangerous consequences of such dehumanization and scapegoating. Democracies like Canada must recognize these initiatives for what they are: hate-fueled campaigns that threaten not only the safety of Jewish citizens but also the principles of freedom and equality at the core of any just society.
