That big, big Walk for Israel

...was a big success.

May 25, 2025

More than 56,000 people - that’s a record, for a peaceful march within the city of Toronto.

The Raptors victory parade in 2020 allegedly attracted two million people. The SARS concert at Downsview in 2003 brought together a reporter half-million people. But for a march? The record for that seems to have happened on Sunday morning, when 56,000 Jews and Jewish allies marched along Bathurst Street to celebrate Israel and Canada.

The 56th annual United Jewish Appeal’s Walk with Israel is the largest event of its type in Canada, and is one of the biggest such events in the world. This year’s march exceeded all expectations, organizers said - the mid-afternoon downpour notwithstanding.

“This was a momentous day for our community,” said Ken Tanenbaum, who is the chair of UJA Federation for Greater Toronto. “The large turnout is a testament to our shared commitment to Israel and to the strength of our diverse community in Toronto. At a time when Jewish communities around the world face rising hatred, today we walked together with pride and purpose.”

And they did. The march kicked off at 9 a.m. with a singing of Canada’s national anthem at Temple Sinai on Wilson Avenue, and then travelled up Bathurst Street to the 270-acre Sherman Campus. There, families were treated to musical performers like rapper Kesha Dillz and a capella band Six13. Spotted in the crowd were notables like Minister of Emergency Preparedness Jill Dunlop, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, rumoured mayoral candidate Brad Bradford, and AM640 radio hosts Ben Mulroney and Alex Pierson.

Said Mulroney on X: “No masks, no anger, just pride, positivity and inclusion. Toronto’s Walk With Israel was a manifestation of what Toronto can be once again.”

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw, who has been strongly criticized by the Jewish community for an ineffective approach to a wave of antisemitic crime that has buffeted the city, also made an appearance. Demkiw waded through the crowd on Bathurst Street earlier in the march, and no one could seen shaking his hand or extending greetings.

Meanwhile, Adam Minsky, President of the UJA Federation said: “What we saw today was more than just a large gathering. It was a declaration. Thousands of Jewish Torontonians and allies came together to stand for democracy, peace, and the right of Jews to live safely—in Israel and here in Canada. We are grateful for every person who walked shoulder-to-shoulder with us today.”

A small contingent of pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protestors showed up, as well, but numbered only a few dozen. A phalanx of police kept the anti-Israel types boxed in to two small areas along the march route. The protesters tried to engage the marchers, but were mostly ignored by those walking by.

The October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel - in which 1,200 men, women, children and babies were slaughtered, and 250 people were kidnapped - was an important theme at the event. A survivor of the Nova Music Festival, where Hamas slaughter 350 young people on October 7, was also present.

Donations to the event were used to pay for organization and rentals, as well as programs sponsored by UJA in Bat Yam, Sderot, and Eilat/Eilot - three Israeli communities hit particularly hard by the atrocities of October 7.