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A man with a long record of antisemitic hate speech stabbed an elderly Jewish woman last week in a grocery store in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.
Police said the victim was attacked on Wednesday while shopping with a friend at Loblaws, a supermarket with a large kosher food section. The assailant, identified as 71-year-old Joseph Rooke of Cornwall, Ontario, stabbed her without warning. After the stabbing, officers arrested him immediately, and police charged him with aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Following the incident, the woman went to the hospital for treatment and later returned home. Authorities confirmed she had no prior connection to her attacker.
Antisemitic Writings Linked to Suspect
In addition, posts from a social media account allegedly tied to Rooke reveal explicit antisemitism. In a July entry, he wrote: “I am antisemitic and atheist,” calling Judaism “the world’s oldest cult.”
Furthermore, other posts accused Jews of controlling governments, businesses, and the media while spreading “propaganda” and “lies.” One post declared: “So over time Jews have become insidious in governments, businesses, media conglomerates, and educational institutions in order to do what they do better than anyone else. Jews are the world’s masters of propaganda, gaslighting, demonization, demagoguery, and outright lying. Using their collective wealth they have become masters of reprisal. Anyone accused of antisemitism is hunted and hounded in public, the media, and academia.”
Then, on October 12, 2023, just days after Hamas’ October 7th massacre in Israel, the same account shifted blame onto the Jewish state. It claimed that Israel had “forced Hamas’ hand” by rejecting a two-state solution.
Political Leaders Respond
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he spoke with the victim’s family and local Jewish leaders. He called the stabbing a reprehensible act of violence that has shaken Ottawa’s Jewish community.
“We must stand together against violence and hatred in all its forms,” Sutcliffe wrote. “Ottawa must remain a safe and inclusive city for everyone.”
I joined @JewishOttawa CEO Adam Silver at the Loblaws at College Square today to thank the store manager and his team for acting so quickly in response to the violent attack on a Jewish woman this week. I also spoke with members of the Jewish community who are determined to keep… pic.twitter.com/j0ohgcHzh6
— Mark Sutcliffe (@_MarkSutcliffe) August 29, 2025
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa said police considered a hate motive and confirmed it was working with both OPS and Loblaws on security following the attack. Moreover, the federation stressed it would continue pressing officials to improve protections for Jewish Canadians.
Jewish Groups Warn of Escalating Threat
B’nai Brith Canada condemned the stabbing in stark terms. “We are living in a Canada where strangers stab women while they are shopping for groceries, seemingly targeting them because of their religious beliefs,” the group said.
The social media posts made by Joseph Rooke, the suspect in the unprovoked stabbing of a Jewish woman in Ottawa yesterday, leave little doubt as to the motive behind the attack. "jews have become insidious in governments, businesses, media conglomerates, and educational…
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) August 29, 2025
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also warned that antisemitism was becoming normalized. It pointed to demonstrations that singled out Jews and rhetoric that excused violence. Consequently, CIJA demanded urgent action from Canadian leaders.
“We are at a tipping point in Canada,” CIJA stated. “Inaction in the face of antisemitism is complicity. Condemnations are not enough — concrete steps must be taken to protect Jewish Canadians and stop the spread of violent antisemitism.”
It is now clear that the individual who carried out the stabbing of a Jewish woman at the largest kosher grocery store in Ottawa, proudly and publicly posted virulent antisemitic and anti-Israel content online.
For two years, we have witnessed the continued normalization of…
— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) August 29, 2025
A Growing Pattern of Hate
The Ottawa attack highlights the growing threat to Jewish safety across Canada. While officials issued condemnations, Jewish leaders stressed that unchecked incitement, both online and in public spaces, continues to embolden violence. They warned that without decisive government intervention, such attacks will only escalate further.
Moreover, just weeks later, a Jewish father in Montreal suffered a violent antisemitic assault in front of his children, and his kippah was callously thrown to the ground. That incident, caught on video, shocked the nation and intensified calls for meaningful protective measures at all levels of government.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
