TMU MUST ACT
Justice Mary Lou Benotto has released an independent review into two antisemitic incidents at Toronto Metropolitan University last year.
Her findings should have been a wake-up call for TMU’s administration.
Justice Benotto found that TMU already has policies capable of addressing antisemitism, but that the university has too often failed to enforce its own rules “consistently and decisively.”
Yet rather than immediately implementing the recommendations, TMU President Mohamed Lachemi appointed a Task Force that will produce an “implementation blueprint” by March 2027.
Our students cannot wait.
Tell TMU: Set clear behavioural expectations, protect the rights of all members of its community, and enforce its own policies consistently and decisively.
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The report’s message is clear: without “decisive institutional action,” incidents like those examined in her review “are likely to recur.”
Similar to a recent Government of Canada study of antisemitism at universities across the country, Justice Benotto found that antizionism is driving much of the discrimination and violence targeting Jewish students.
And it gets even worse. Three members of the President’s Task Force previously signed an open letter opposing the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a core recommendation of Justice Benotto’s review, undermining her important work.
CIJA is proud to be supporting two Jewish students in taking legal action against TMU for failing to uphold its own standards and rules.
- In April 2024, CIJA’s Legal Task Force supported a Jewish student in launching legal action alleging that TMU failed to apply, or inadequately applied, its own policies and procedures in response to pervasive antisemitism and intimidating, offensive, threatening and disruptive conduct.
- Two years later, in April 2026, CIJA’s Legal Task Force supported a second lawsuit brought by Jewish student leader Liat Schwartz. Her claim alleges that TMU again failed to take meaningful action despite repeated reports of escalating intimidation and harassment.
Join us in sending a loud and clear message to TMU President Lachemi: the safety of our students cannot wait; the university must immediately implement Justice Benotto’s recommendations and ensure its own policies are enforced.
*** In partnership with Hillel Ontario, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism, Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation and StandWithUs Canada.