Ontario Camps Association denounces anti-Israel campaign targeting Canadian Jewish summer camps

The Ontario Camps Association is pushing back against a campaign targeting it, its executive director, employees and over a dozen Jewish camps throughout Canada for supporting Israel.

In a statement issued Friday, the OCA board of directors said it will not tolerate “harassment, intimidation, antisemitism or discrimination.” 

The board said the accusations against executive director Joy Levy, staff and several member camps within the province “draw directly on stereotyped libels and tropes related to Israel, Zionism and Jewish people — including ‘genocide’ and ‘colonizers,’ symbolic categories that are so often spread with specifically malicious intent.”

Such campaigns, it wrote, form a broader, coordinated effort to harm Jewish children and communities, weaken the credibility of Jewish camp leaders and “Canadian Jewish life in general” and impose a discriminatory test of which Jews are deemed “acceptable.”

The OCA board also expressed complete faith in Levy and staff and said while its role is not to “evaluate member camps based on their religious or cultural identity,” it remains unwavering in its vigilance against antisemitism and hate in all forms.

“Camps must be places where children, staff, volunteers, and families feel safe, respected, and protected. That includes our Jewish community, without exception,” the board wrote.

The campaign , titled “When children’s camps support a genocidal state, it’s time for a gigantic change,” is led by Just Peace Advocates along with the support of the Palestinian Canadian Congress (PCC), the Canadian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Coalition, Ontario Palestinian Rights Association (OPRA) and Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU). 

“These camps are not problematic because they encourage connection to Jewish identity,” organizers wrote. “Rather, they pose a problem because they encourage support for a genocidal, settler-colonial State.”

The anti-Zionist coalition compiled a list of 17 other Jewish-Canadian camps — 10 in Ontario, three in Quebec and one each in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia — that “support the State of Israel in some way,” whether by promoting a love and appreciation of Israel, supporting the nation’s military or employing former IDF members.

“This is not an abstract possibility. Multiple camps proudly and publicly share their staff connections to the Israeli military,” they wrote, singling out several individuals at various camps with ties to Israel.

Their campaign urges people to contact the OCA board and the leadership of Quebec and N.S. camp associations to demand they revoke the accreditation of “camps that hire, host, or support (current or former) Israeli military personnel.” 

National Post has contacted the provincial organizations for comment.

The UJA Federation of Toronto said the Jewish Security Network is monitoring the bullying and harassment and is coordinating with local police. 

“JSN is conducting ongoing risk assessments and providing structured security guidance, training, and support to ensure that summer camps remain safe and secure for all participants,” the organization wrote on X , thanking the OCA for its “strong and principled stand.”

UJA is aware of a campaign by anti-Israel agitators seeking to bully and harass some of our camps. This direct targeting of Jewish campers and staff is a deliberate act of intimidation. The Jewish Security Network (JSN) is actively monitoring the situation and remains in close… pic.twitter.com/R6ZDzlNixc

— UJA Federation of Greater Toronto (@UJAFederation) February 15, 2026

The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation also condemned the campaign and said it stands with OCA in its “tough, immediate and courageous response.”

“We support our community’s efforts at Jewish continuity, and Zionist expression, an integral part of Jewish identity, through a strong network of summer camp experiences for children and youth,” it wrote in a statement.

“We won’t let the bigots and haters win. Ever.”

In the case of the OCA, the anti-Israel ensemble wants its board to hold Levy accountable for alleged racism and supporting “a genocidal military,” which they evidenced with a collection of Instagram screenshots from Levy’s account showing her attending pro-Israel protests, sometimes holding an Israeli Defence Force flag. 

The campaign organizers argued that Levy’s openness as “a Zionist who publicly supports Israel, its military and promotes anti-Palestinian racism” raises concerns about her ability to live up to the OCA’s values and fulfill its mandate.

The anti-Israel organizations also accused the OCA board of being “implicated,” pointing to its 2025 statement on Antisemitism , which cites B’nai Brith, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affair and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre — “all of which espouse pro-Israel, Zionist perspectives.”

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