Anthony Housefather is the federal government’s new special adviser on antisemitism. What now?

The CJN Daily with Ellin Bessner

Montreal-area Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said he is grateful to have been officially appointed on Friday July 5 as a special advisor to the Prime Minister and cabinet on relations with Canada's Jewish community, and on antisemitism. Housefather's new title also comes with a budget for travel, and to hire one extra staffer to help with the pile of files he is already working on, in the wake of unprecedented antisemitism which erupted in Canada since Oct. 7. Housefather isn't taking over the job currently held by Deborah Lyons, Canada's Special Envoy on combatting antisemitism and promoting Holocaust remembrance–but will continue working closely with her office, as he has been doing for the past three months. However, now the new title gives Housefather "an added level of respect", as he put it, when he knocks on the doors of politicians, university presidents and the police. In late March, Housefather said he was deeply unsure whether to remain in the Liberal party following a motion in Parliament on the Israel-Hamas war that all but three Liberals supported, which initially proposed Canada unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state. But after a tete-a-tete with Justin Trudeau resulted in an offer of a new role helping Ottawa tackle antisemitism, Housefather chose to remain in government. He joins The CJN Daily to explain why the announcement took 13 weeks, what he can do about campus encampments, the controversial new Canadian Human Rights Commissioner Birju Dattani, and keeping Jewish schools and synagogues safer from protests and attacks.

What we talked about:

• Read the official announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office on July 5, 2024 appointing Anthony Housefather as Special Advisor on Jewish Community Relations and Antisemitism
• Why Anthony Housefather was thinking about quitting the Liberal Party over its stance on Israel-Gaza in March 2024, in The CJN
• Hear our interview with Anthony Housefather from April 8, when he outlined what his new role would likely be, on The CJN Daily

**Credits: **

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.