Ottawa police investigate swastikas found drawn in chalk outside Rockcliffe home

A Jewish family in Ottawa is speaking out after finding swastikas drawn in chalk outside their home. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson reports.

A Rockcliffe father is speaking out after swastikas were found drawn in chalk outside his home in Rockcliffe Park, an incident he says has left his family feeling less safe in their own neighbourhood.

“It is very concerning it does impact how you feel in terms of safety in your own home or on your own property,” said Joe Addelman.

Addelman says his eight-year-old daughter had been playing outside their home in late April and left her chalk on the driveway.

When she returned, he says she found two swastikas drawn among her artwork of rainbows and a game of hopscotch.

“Someone targeted my family and came onto my property to leave those symbols for my daughter to find, to leave swastikas for my daughter to find,” he said. “People have to understand that this is very impactful. It is very intimidating, it’s very scary, it’s very upsetting to be deliberately targeted.”

The chalk has long since been washed away, but Addelman says the impact can’t be erased.

He says the discovery forced a difficult conversation with his daughter, one he didn’t anticipate having.

“There is no explanation as to why people do that other than getting into a lot of prejudice and hate and things like that and that’s hard to explain to an eight-year-old,” he said.

Addelman says what upset him most was the way the symbols were left for his daughter to find.

“The way it was left for my daughter to find with her chalk in her little game, I find it extremely upsetting,” he said.

Ottawa police say the Hate and Bias Crime unit is investigating the April 28 incident and are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who has information to contact the unit or crime stoppers.

The discovery comes amid growing concerns about antisemitism in Ottawa and across Canada.

According to community leaders, reports of antisemitic incidents have increased significantly in recent years, particularly since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

“We’ve reached the point where these are not isolated incidents, but they’re literally affecting everyone in the community,” said David Sachs with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. “It’s very difficult to explain this to our children, how much to explain. We hear over and over again from Jewish community members who are forced to hide who they are in public settings.”

Sachs says incidents like this one are about more than a symbol. He says antisemitism is increasingly showing up in places where people should feel safe, including schools, neighbourhoods and public spaces.

“I think it’s really important that our country understand that we are sliding away from the shared values of tolerance, a respect of peaceful dialogue, and that it is not going to end with the Jewish communities targeted,” Sachs said.

“We see the increase in small incidents like this, but we also see the other end of the spectrum where we’re seeing record number of hate crimes, attacks on synagogues in Toronto and Montreal repeatedly, attacks on Jewish schools.”

For Addelman, the incident is ultimately about what his daughter saw and what she learned.

A painful reminder that even on a quiet residential street, hate can find its way into a driveway.

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