(SeaPRwire) –   AUSCHWITZ: A Canadian Holocaust survivor has issued a warning about escalating antisemitism in his home country, urging national leaders to take measures against those responsible.

Nate Leipciger addressed the crowd at the yearly March of the Living at Auschwitz in Poland on Tuesday, where thousands assembled to honor Holocaust victims amidst a global increase in antisemitism.

The 98-year-old revealed he was recently a target in Toronto when mezuzahs (sacred parchment scrolls) were torn from apartment doors in his building.

The situation intensified in March when his synagogue was the target of a drive-by shooting. “The front doors and lobby were destroyed. It is awful that our sense of security has been shattered,” Leipciger stated to Digital.

“Once that is gone, you cannot predict when or where the next assault will happen. It is profoundly disturbing to live in a free, democratic nation — where equal rights are a given — and to face this kind of persecution,” he continued.

Leipciger, born in Poland in 1928, was sent to Auschwitz in 1943. He endured several camps and a death march before being freed in 1945, eventually moving to Canada in 1948.

He stated that championing the truth and challenging falsehoods is the sole method to keep history from repeating.

“The time for running is finished. For centuries, we fled. We must assert our right to live as Jews in any nation, including Israel, as free citizens who benefit from Western culture, which we are a part of,” he further added.

Canada has experienced a significant surge in antisemitism following the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, with B’nai Brith Canada documenting 6,219 incidents in 2024—more than twice the figure from 2022.

Although 2025 statistics are not yet public, Public Safety Canada reported that from April to June 2025, “Among religion-based hate crimes… most were aimed at the Jewish community (69%).”

Jewish communities in Canada are “extremely concerned” about a spike in antisemitism, a point Israeli officials have communicated to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government in both private and public forums.

“We recognize the profound concern within Canadian Jewish communities regarding their safety and welfare, both individually and collectively, including their institutions,” Israeli Ambassador to Ottawa Ido Moed said to Digital. “Israel regards the recent synagogue attacks as extremely grave and classifies Canada as a high-risk nation for shooting incidents.”

Moed stated that Israel has proposed enhancing collaboration with Canada in fields such as education and security coordination, and has started roundtable talks on policy, regulation, and best practices.

At Auschwitz, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Yehuda Kaploun told Digital that holding leadership accountable is vital to fighting antisemitism.

“Law enforcement agencies in different countries have a duty to officially designate terrorist organizations, similar to our actions against parts of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The global community should unite in this effort, with America at the forefront of this fight,” Kaploun stated.

Shots were fired at a Jewish-owned restaurant in Toronto earlier this month during Passover. In March, Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, wrote a letter pressing Ottawa to enhance protection for Jewish communities after three synagogues in the Toronto area were shot at in a single week.

Richard Marceau, senior vice president of strategic initiatives and general counsel at the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, pointed out that Jewish Canadians face a risk of being hate crime victims that is 25 times greater than any other demographic.

“What has occurred in Canada is a systemic failure across the board to tackle Jew-hatred,” he told Digital.

“Addressing this emergency is crucial not just for shielding the Jewish community, but for preserving the future of the Canadian way of life,” he went on. “Every level of government needs to enhance its efforts to protect Canadians, which involves guaranteeing vigorous and uniform enforcement of current laws, increasing transparency in prosecutorial choices, boosting support—including financial—for community security, and tackling the root causes of radicalization in Canada.”

SanJaya Wijayakoon, an RCMP superintendent in Vancouver who participated in the March of the Living with a global law enforcement delegation, said connecting with the Jewish community is a cornerstone of police work.

“A significant component of our duty is to establish contacts and foster solid relationships that enable us to gather information, offer safety advice and direction, and, if an action becomes criminal, conduct a thorough investigation,” he explained.

“I believe that over time, fewer police officers comprehend the events of 1945 in Europe. Participating in this program and march enables us to go back and share our insights with our colleagues, who can then use them in their daily duties,” he added.

Sylvan Adams, president of the World Jewish Congress Israel Region, referenced the recent Toronto synagogue shootings and denounced the government’s reaction as inadequate.

“I want the prime minister to correctly identify the issue and cease avoiding the fact that radical Islam exists,” Adams said.

“We are being attacked. Foreign agents are active in Western nations in three key ways: they are dispatching radical imams to mosques, pouring huge sums of money into educational systems, and focusing on us through social media. I consider the reaction from Western leaders, aside from President Trump, to be completely insufficient,” he stated.

“The entire Western world must become alert. They are attempting to strip us of our liberty. It begins with the Jews but does not conclude with the Jews,” he concluded.