At first glance, he has no real connection to Israel. Born and raised in Canada, he became the pastor of a community of hundreds who eagerly follow his teachings. So what made him one of the most prominent pro-Israel Christian voices in the country?
David Larmour, 56, married and father of two daughters, has served for 19 years as a community pastor in Oshawa, Toronto, and is also a practicing psychologist. Since October 7 he has emerged as one of the strongest Christian voices in Canada confronting antisemitism.
Unlike many others, he chose to take responsibility, refusing to parrot empty slogans. He insisted on learning the facts on the ground first, and only then forming a position on the massacre and, more broadly, on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He recently traveled to Israel as part of a United Israel Appeal Canada (UIA) delegation. During his visit he toured communities near the Gaza border, met residents and professionals, and says he returned with a rare toolkit: "reliable information at a time when disinformation about Israel and antisemitism are dominating public discourse in North America."
Every week he gives a talk to roughly 600 members of his church, sharing what he witnessed in Israel, explaining the complexity of Israeli reality, offering insights, and leading a firm conversation against antisemitism and against denial of the atrocities.
'The failure called me'
What was the moment you decided it was no longer possible to stay silent?
"I grew up in a family with deep respect for Judaism. The Hebrew Scriptures are the foundation of Christian faith. Jesus and the apostles were themselves Jews. We owe the Jewish people an enormous historical debt for sharing the Bible with us.
"At the same time, my familiarity with the church's history left me with personal disappointment and pain. We cannot ignore the complex role the church played during World War II and the Holocaust, nor its passivity in the 1930s. That failure called me, personally, to say 'never again.'"
"Over the course of my life I visited Israel twice, and our church had planned to bring a group of 40 people in February 2024. The October 7 attack changed everything and delayed our plans. This past month I managed to return with a Jewish Federations of Canada - UIA delegation to study the events of the massacre, understand the situation in the communities around Gaza, and bring that knowledge back to Canada.
"Historically, our church has always stood by Israel and supported the Jewish community. The world after October 8, 2023, drew a clear line between good and evil, and we decided to stand on the side of good and push back against the false narrative portraying Israel as an oppressive villain committing genocide.
"When I first landed in Israel years ago, I felt something very powerful, as if I was coming home. It was an extraordinary feeling, and today Israel truly feels like my second home."
The day after – just as troubling
Around the events of October 7, did something change for you as a leader and as a person? Something that stays with you?
"I watched the live broadcasts from Israel that Saturday in absolute horror. It was a sickening event. But what disturbed me just as much was what unfolded on October 8.
"While the full scale of the casualties was still unclear, parts of the world – including my own country – began holding rallies supporting Palestinians and the terrorist organization Hamas, and those voices dominated public discourse. Suddenly Israel was cast as the villain and Palestinians as victims."
"It was a distorted and inverted narrative, amplified by mainstream media. That created a huge internal rift for me, one that pushed me to act and use my platform for truth and justice.
"The rise in antisemitism after October 7 was immediately felt, and sadly it continues to this day. As a Canadian church leader, I could not stand by and do nothing. We led prayer gatherings where each week we focused our prayers on ten different hostages."
Romi Gonen's impact
During this period, the church hosted Maureen Leshem, cousin of Romi Gonen, who was abducted from the Nova music festival and held at that time in Gaza.
Larmour says the encounter was "formative," marking a turning point that led him to expand his community efforts: weekly prayers for Israel, strengthening ties with rabbis and synagogues, and mobilizing 50 church leaders to sign a joint declaration against antisemitism.
Looking ahead, he says, "My vision is to bring the church and the synagogue closer, to respect our differences while celebrating the values we share."
'A false narrative, pure evil'
What leads your community to see Israeli reality differently from other Christian communities around the world?
"As Christians, to stay true to our faith we must consistently choose the good and actively oppose evil when we encounter it. The October 7 attack, in my eyes, was pure evil. Our faith places love of humanity at the center, which means we must stand with the victims.
"In recent years, Canadian media have drifted away from factual reporting and toward quick, sometimes shallow commentary. In this environment the false narrative labeling Israel as an apartheid state spread widely – a narrative not grounded in facts."
The pastor decided to mobilize his people into action: "Instead of relying on headlines, we urged our community to check the facts themselves. We learned that many anti-Israel campaigns are driven by hostile actors deliberately spreading false information.
"As a community, we undertook deep learning and gained tools to understand Israeli reality more accurately. That understanding enabled us to engage in responsible advocacy, grounded in facts, and push back against the wave of disinformation."
What was most meaningful to you during your visit with the CIJA in Kfar Aza?
"Visiting Kibbutz Kfar Aza was one of the most devastating moments of the trip. We heard the story of Avihai Brodutch, whose wife and children were abducted by Hamas. Then we walked through a kibbutz completely destroyed by terrorism. The sight of children's shoes and toys left exactly where they had been dropped made the human cost almost unbearable.
"The walk through the Nova site was also emotionally overwhelming. This is where hundreds of young people were murdered brutally and women were sexually assaulted. For me and for everyone in the delegation, it was a heavy, chilling experience and a stark reminder of the scale of the atrocities.
"And yet, alongside the pain, we also saw Israeli resilience. We witnessed the diversity within Israeli society and the exceptional innovation at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. Seeing the technological achievements of Israeli companies up close was inspiring.
"In this reality, the efforts of the BDS movement to isolate Israel are detached from facts and ultimately harm humanity, because they undermine developments that improve lives around the world."
A daily fight against antisemitism
What does the church's daily fight against antisemitism look like in practice?
"Our biggest challenge is awakening the Christian community in the West, which is like a sleeping giant. If people have no personal connections with Jews, it is easy for them to stay indifferent to antisemitism.
"I see that our success comes through personal connections. We invite rabbis to church for 'Sundays of Solidarity,' participate in Shabbat events at synagogues, and join marches for Israel. When personal relationships form, the reality changes. That is how we operate."
Among the initiatives Larmour described: prayers for the hostages still held in Gaza, hosting a Passover Seder led by a local rabbi, Steven Wernick, and distributing a video series on the history of antisemitism urging Christians to confront "our historical failure and not repeat it."
A message to the world
In an era where extreme voices command attention, what would you want to say to the world?
"I want the world to recognize the enormous contribution of the Jewish people to humanity. You are just 0.2 percent of the global population, yet you have won roughly a quarter of the Nobel Prizes since 1901 – one hundred times your share of the world's population.
"I call on people to visit Israel with an open mind, see your lives firsthand, and learn what drives the Jewish people to contribute so much.
"It is vital that the world understands the facts and recognizes that behind the propaganda are foreign actors spreading countless lies. I urge everyone to learn history and acknowledge that the Jewish people are the people whose roots are here and nowhere else."
'A true ally'
Olga Davidovich, Director of Emergency Operations at Jewish Federations of Canada - UIA, says: "David brings integrity and exceptional commitment. His deep connection with Jewish communities and his determined fight against disinformation have made him a significant voice against the rising wave of antisemitism.
"At a time when public discourse is misleading, David consistently chooses to stand with the Jewish community and promote unity and justice. He is a true ally."
Larmour concludes, "My Jewish friends have made my life better. The solidarity among religious leaders in Canada is growing stronger. The story of Israel is one of resilience in the face of pain, constant innovation, and an unwavering will to survive. The Christian community stands with you, both in the diaspora and in the State of Israel."
Pastor David Larmour's mission to Israel was sponsored by the JFC-UIA.
