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TORONTO — Even before she set foot in Israel, Erin Lehrer knew it was home. 

That's what her mother told her — though she hadn't been to Israel either — and what she was taught at the Jewish day school she attended in Montreal, Lehrer said. In prayer, she and her family referred to Israel as the homeland. 

"It was always just: you have to love Israel," said the 34-year-old. "You can question why they do what they do. But you have to, in the way that family does, you have to know they are looking out for you."

The close ties between Israel and the Jewish population in Canada have come into sharp focus since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war earlier this month. Canadians have sent tens of millions of dollars to assist Israeli civilians, including $50 million in donations to the Jewish advocacy group UJA Federation of Greater Toronto alone. 

Several Canadians who were in Israel when Hamas launched surprise attacks on Oct. 7 were reportedly taken hostage, and six have since been confirmed dead. The Gaza Health Ministry puts the death toll there at 3,785, while Israel is reporting 1,400 dead in that country. 

Lehrer said her relationship to Israel — she first went for a six-week pilgrimage in 2006 and has returned repeatedly, including for her master's degree — has made the last few weeks nearly unbearable.

She said a meme she saw on Facebook summed it up neatly. "It said, 'Are you related to anybody in Israel?' and the response was, 'Yeah, a few million,'" she recalled. 

There are only 15 million Jews in the world, and half of them are in Israel. In Canada, there are 335,000 people who identify as Jewish, according to the last census. There are also an estimated 35,000 Canadian citizens who live in the Jewish state, per Global Affairs Canada.

And while the Jewish population in Canada is diverse in opinion, the data suggests the majority feel connected to Israel. 

A 2019 report from the University of Toronto and York University that surveyed 2,335 Jewish people in Canada found eight in 10 had visited Israel at least once. It also suggested 48 per cent of Jews in Canada felt very emotionally attached to Israel, while another 30 per cent felt somewhat emotionally attached.

That same survey indicated that despite the common connection to Israel, the Jewish population in Canada was divided about the politics of the region. They were also divided about the belief that God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people. Forty-two per cent of respondents said they believed that, while 41 per cent said they didn't think that was literally true. The remaining 17 per cent didn't have an opinion either way.

"It's easy to get the impression from the news that Jews in Canada are monolithic in their support — unquestioning — and they're supportive of everything that Israel does," said Robert Brym, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto who co-authored that report.

"That's just not the case."

Still, the connection to Israel — if not loyalty to its leaders — is central for many Jews, said Steve McDonald, vice-president of communications at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

"If you look at Jewish culture and tradition, Israel is very much a big part of our culture. It's a big part of our holidays. It's a big part of Jewish religion, obviously," McDonald said. "It's also something that involves family ties, and personal connections to the country." 

But it's also history, he said. 

"Our ancestral roots are from that land," McDonald said. "You don't have to believe in the Bible to know this. This is a matter of archeology; it's a matter of DNA research." 

Throughout the 20th century persecuted Jews fled to Israel — both before and after the state declared independence in 1948 — aided by the Law of Return, which was enacted in 1950 and allows all Jews the right to settle in the country. 

The law is based on the experience of Jews during the Holocaust, McDonald said, which makes it even more culturally significant. 

"That policy has actually enabled hundreds of thousands of Jews from persecuted countries around the world where Jews don't have freedom to find freedom," he said. 

There are also concerted efforts to boost the relationship with Israel, including the charity-backed Birthright trips that allow young Jewish adults to travel to the country for a free 10-day tour.

"For many, it's been a very meaningful experience," McDonald said of the trips. "It's enabled them to discover aspects of their spiritual identity, aspects of their cultural identity, that they otherwise wouldn't." 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2023.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press