How the Rebbe Inspired Mayor Jeremy Levi to Influence Canadian Jewry

by Etti Futerfas – chabad.org

With the recent spike in antisemitism across Canada, one Montreal suburb has stood up against the tide: Hampstead, where Jews make up more than 75 percent of the population—the highest concentration in the nation. Jeremy Levi, who has served as the town’s mayor since 2021, has emerged as one of the country’s most passionate spokesmen for Jewish rights and a strong defender of the Jewish people against antisemitism.

A third-generation “Hampsteader,” Levi grew up in a household that respected traditional Jewish values and attended Jewish day school. His path towards increased observance began back in 1991, when Levi first stepped foot into Chabad-Lubavitch’s Montreal Torah Center in Hampstead.

“My relationship with Chabad is very strong and has been for a very long time now,” Levi tells Chabad.org in a recent interview, noting that he maintains a close friendship with the Montreal Torah Center’s director, Rabbi Moishe New. The rabbi officiated at the Levis’ wedding ceremony 12 years ago, and he and the mayor get together every week at town hall to study Torah.

When Levi first took office back in November 2021, one of the key issues he noted was just how many Jewish elected officials, no matter what their background might be, tended to shy away from their own communities, often in fear of receiving backlash from a perceived display of favoritism.

Not so Jeremy Levi. “I’m a proud member of the Jewish community of Montreal, and I always let it be known,” he says. “The decisions I make are unaffected by other people’s perceptions.”

“Jeremy is a unique politician, the kind of which I have never before encountered or heard of,” New explains. “He truly seeks no glory or honor and stands for whatever is right, no matter what the cost might be.”

In this vein, Levi has boldly used his position of power to advocate for the rights of the Jewish people of Hampstead, which—when it was first incorporated in 1914— did not permit Jews to take up residence there.

“Fast-forward to today,” says Levi, “and Hampstead now has the largest concentration of Jews per capita in any municipality outside of Israel.”

If Jews cannot proudly advocate for themselves there, then what would that mean to other, smaller Jewish communities, both within Canada and around the world?

Unafraid to Effect Change

As is the case in many other parts of the world, Oct. 7 was a real game-changer for the Jews of Montreal. The city experienced a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, and Levi and his fellow council members found themselves at the forefront of protecting the Jewish community of Hampstead.

When posters bearing the names of Israeli hostages kidnapped into Gaza by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7 were being shamelessly torn down in Hampstead, the town council moved to pass a new by-law that would subject anyone caught pulling a hostage poster down on public property to a $1,000 fine. In announcing the step, Levi added that 100 percent of the sums collected as a result would be donated to causes supporting Israel.

“After Oct. 7, there was a lot of talk about proportionate response in terms of what Israel should and shouldn’t be doing; we considered this to be a perfectly proportionate response,” affirms Levi.

The mayor is not afraid to use his pulpit to effect change or right wrongs outside his direct jurisdiction, either.

Last year the city council of Moncton, New Brunswick, voted against displaying a Chanukah menorah outside of its city hall, despite having always displayed one in the past as well as welcoming symbols of other holidays. When Levi found out, he swiftly took to social media to declare that Hampstead would be putting up an additional menorah outside of their own town hall, specifically in honor of Moncton. Levi’s statement sent a powerful message of unity and solidarity, and made waves all over Canada, so much so that Moncton ended up reversing their decision.

The whole exchange, Levi says, took only about an hour or so to come together. “Whenever such situations arise, our council is always at the forefront of dealing with it since we’re very small, and therefore able to cut through all the red tape and bureaucracy that other public offices tend to have,” he explains.

Most recently, the mayor vigorously spoke out against the Canadian government’s proposed regulations regarding animal slaughter, which would have functionally prohibited kosher meat and chicken production in Canada—an unprecedented attack on Jewish life in the country. Thankfully, the federal court ultimately ruled against the regulations, and as of now, kosher meat in Canada continues to be available.

“I encourage everyone to buy and consume more kosher meat to send a clear message to [the] government that the Jewish community’s practices and traditions cannot be canceled,” Levi wrote on X.

A Journey to a Personal Answer

Despite the firm stance he holds now, Levi was not always so confident in his ability to effect change in his role as mayor. During the pandemic, when government-imposed lockdowns were at their peak, Levi found himself doubting the future of Jewish life in Canada. Owing to this and several other contributing factors, Levi and his family were seriously considering emigrating to the United States.

Following many lengthy discussions with his rabbi about the matter, the decision was finally made that Levi, along with Rabbi New and Rabbi Itchy Treitel, also of the Montreal Torah Center, would travel to New York City to visit the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. Levi had visited the Ohel several times before but never for a matter as pressing as this.

At first, when none of the flight schedules seemed to be working out, it appeared that the trip was not to be, but Levi and the two rabbis managed to catch a ride on the private plane of one of the mayor’s friends, who by Divine providence just so happened to be flying to New York that evening.

At the Rebbe’s Ohel, Levi and the two rabbis wrote their paanim [personal prayer note] and prayed at the holy site. The Ohel is the most visited Jewish holy site in North America, drawing people from all walks of life in a way similar only to the Western Wall in Israel. It is common for people to visit the Ohel to pray in proximity to a personal or professional milestone—whether a bar or bat mitzvah, wedding, anniversary, starting a new business or overcoming personal challenges.

In his note, the mayor wrote of his quandary and wondered whether a move to the United States would be beneficial for the Jewish education of his children.

Upon leaving the Ohel, New suggested that they spend a few minutes at the large screen playing videos of the Rebbe’s talks. After several minutes of watching and listening closely, New, who’d been deep in concentration, turned around to a surprise: There stood Rabbi Avrohom Glick, a Chabad emissary in Melbourne, Australia, since 1970, who spent decades as the principal of the city’s Yeshivah College. Not only is Glick a seasoned educator, but he’d been New’s teacher and mentor back in Melbourne, where New is originally from. The rabbi saw it as the perfect opportunity to introduce Levi to Rabbi Glick and ask him for his objective advice.

Glick promptly shared with both the rabbi and mayor that the Rebbe generally was not in favor of people leaving the communities where they were having a positive impact, even when they might have thought they’d have even more success elsewhere. Additionally, he emphasized to the mayor that, when it came to politics, one can never know how far one’s reach might go.

There and then Levi resolved to remain in Hampstead and continue working on behalf of the community.

‘No Intention of Slowing Down’

It wasn’t long before Levi was presented with another opportunity to make significant, lasting change. The effect of his stand would impact not only his suburban community, and not even just Canada, but Jewry worldwide.

Following the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel and her people, which saw close to 1,200 people murdered, and 250 taken to Gaza as hostages by Palestinian terrorists, many in the world turned their backs on the Jewish people. Whether in downtown Toronto, the heart of London or U.S. college campuses, antisemitic protesters and rioters telegraphed an unabashed hatred of Jews, while those in positions of power did little to stop, and in some places even condoned.

Not so in Hampstead. Shortly after the attacks, Levi and his fellow council members voted to display Israeli flags alongside Canadian ones all around the town. A resolution was also passed stating that the flags will be kept at half-mast until all the hostages are returned home once again.

It was Levi and the Hampstead council’s November 2023 decision to fine anyone caught removing hostage posters $1,000 that garnered the most press, but in the way that was just the beginning. Hampstead has since become widely recognized as a beacon of safety and unabashed Jewish life throughout Canada. A Sept. 2024 March for Jerusalem held in Hampstead drew approximately 20,000 participants—more than double the town’s population.

“For one day only, Hampstead became a tourist destination,” quips Mayor Levi.

Levi believes it is vital that he and his fellow council members continue using their voices, as well as their collective strength, in support of the social and political rights of Canadian Jewry. “Whenever there are situations that arise, we’re always at the ready to deal with them,” he says. “We have no intention of slowing down.”