Tens of thousands of people took part in an annual fundraising walk for Israel in Toronto on Sunday.
Walk with Israel, organized by the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greater Toronto, was intended to be a demonstration of “unwavering support for the people of Israel, especially now as they continue living through conflict, evacuations, and significant unease,” organizers said on the walk’s website.
According to the UJA website, the event hoped to raise $780,000, which will go towards helping “meet urgent needs” in Israel. As of Monday, it had reached 85 per cent of its goal.
Adam Minsky, president and CEO of UJA of Greater Toronto, said the walk is a show of strength and a celebration of the Jewish community.
“The community has really faced a very difficult time this year and that’s what makes today really so special and so important,” Minsky said. “You can end up feeling very isolated at a time like this when there are repeated attacks on the community.”
Toronto police had promised an increased presence at the walk. In a series of social media posts on Sunday, Toronto police said a total of six people were arrested before, during and after the walk.
An estimated 60,000 people attended the event, according to police. An estimated 56,000 people took part in the walk in 2025.
The 3.9 kilometre walk, which started at 9 a.m. Sunday, began at Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto on Wilson Avenue, then travelled northbound on Bathurst Street and ended at UJA’s Sherman Campus where a festival had been organized.
While many marchers carried Israeli flags, some Iranian and American flags could be seen in the crowd.
Omer Antebi, who is originally from Israel but is volunteering in Canada, said the walk is “all about love.”
“Haters are always going to be there,” she said. “The only way to fight hate is to love. So that’s what we’re here to do, just to have fun, hug, dance, and just love.”
6 arrested during walk, police say
A woman was arrested for obstructing a peace officer at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue W. at 8:40 a.m., before the walk began, police said.
Less than two hours later, at around 10:20 a.m., a man was arrested for assaulting a peace officer at Earl Bales Park near the same intersection, police said. The 35-year-old allegedly left a designated protest area and spat on officers after refusing to comply with their directions, police said in a news release Monday.
Shortly after 11 a.m., police said a man was arrested for operating a drone in the same area and ticketed under Canadian aviation regulations.
Later, at 11:45 a.m., a woman was arrested for breaching the peace, police said. She had allegedly been taunting and “agitating attendees while displaying anti-Israeli signage,” escalating tensions that led to a verbal confrontation between people in the walk and protesters, police said Monday.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a 40-year-old man was arrested for assault after allegedly spitting at a protester in the area of Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue.
About an hour later, a woman protesting the walk was arrested for obstructing a peace officer after refusing to comply with directions to return to a designated protest area.
Counter-protesters also gathered nearby the walk to rally against Israeli military operations in the Middle East. At one point during the walk, participants and counter-protesters were hurling insults at each other, separated by dozens of police officers and barricades. Barriers were set up at major intersections along the route.
‘I’m asking everybody to stand up for Palestine’
Assia Akhdar, a demonstrator behind a barricade, said she showed up to protest the march because some of her family members recently died in Lebanon due to bombing.
Nick Shcherban, another demonstrator, said he came to protest because he is opposed to the war in Gaza.
“I’m asking everybody to stand up for Palestine, stand up for Gaza, stand up for humanity,” Shcherban said.
Shcherban said there was a large police presence in comparison to the number of counter-protesters. He said they were not allowed to set up on Bathurst Street, something they were able to do last year.
“They’ve got drones, they’ve got helicopters, they got buses all over the place,” he said. “We’re allowed to have peaceful assembly and peaceful speech. You have the right to be heard and seen, but they’re not giving us that right. Nobody can see us, they’ve got it all blocked off, nobody can hear us.”
Toronto police told CBC Toronto that Walk for Israel organizers obtained the necessary permits. Officers worked with the organization to support public safety, including road closures, traffic management and pedestrian safety.
“Toronto Police recognizes and respects the right to lawful protest and peaceful assembly,” Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said Sunday. “Throughout the day, officers facilitated demonstrations while taking steps to maintain public safety and prevent conflicts between demonstrators and event participants.”
Sayer added officers intervened where necessary to maintain “safe separation between groups” and to keep sidewalks and roadways accessible.
Police presence ‘very significant,’ chief says
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw, who attended the walk, told reporters on Sunday before the event that the police presence would be “very significant.”
“You will see obviously a lot of overt assets in place, wearing uniforms and many different types of uniforms, with different types of equipment. Of course, we also have many things happening that you will not see to ensure that we keep this walk safe,” Demkiw said.
“Our hope is that we have a peaceful march. It’s a permanent event and we hope it goes off without incident, no injuries and it occurs peacefully.”
On Friday, Toronto Police Service Deputy Chief Frank Barredo told reporters that police would have officers on foot, on bicycles and on horseback. He also said there would be officers with helmets and long guns, as well as hostile vehicle mitigation devices and undercover police along the route.
Barredo said police would have a robust plan at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue W., where protesters congregated last year.
Officers from York, Durham, Peel Regions and the Ontario Provincial Police were expected to be there.
The walk came amid a rise in antisemitic incidents in Toronto since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and subsequent war on Gaza.
This was the 57th year that the walk was held in Toronto.
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