RIOT

90th commemoration

The Legacy

The legacy of the Christie Pits Riot can still be felt today. It has left a lasting impact on the collective memory of the Jewish community.

The riot lasted six hours. Remarkably, there were no casualties, however there were many injured. Three members of the Pit Gang were arrested but only one went to jail. The day after the riot, Toronto mayor William James Stewart banned the public display of the swastika. This act was one of Canada’s first policies prohibiting hate speech.

The response from the Jewish community to the events at Christie Pits was swift, with organizations gathering to respond to the rising antisemitism occurring in the city. Both the English and Yiddish Jewish press reported on the riot.

The Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), which was founded in 1919 to unite Jewish voices after the First World War, was largely quiet until the early 1930s. The CJC was revived in 1934, following the riot. This renewal produced a new era of advocacy for the Jewish community, providing a platform for their voices to be heard outside of the community.

“$50 or Two Months for Ball Park Rioter” . The Toronto Daily Star, 17 Aug 1933, pg. 2.
Front page of Der Yiddisher Zhurnal (Daily Hebrew Journal), Toronto, 17 Aug. 1933. Ontario Jewish Archives, MG9.
English translation of front page article, Der Yiddisher Zhurnal (Daily Hebrew Journal), 17 Aug. 17, 1933. Ontario Jewish Archives, MG9.
Continuation of article on the riot in Der Yiddisher Zhurnal (Daily Hebrew Journal), Toronto, August 17, 1933. Ontario Jewish Archives, MG9.
English translation of continuation of article, Der Yiddisher Zhurnal (Daily Hebrew Journal), 17 Aug. 1933. Ontario Jewish Archives, MG9.
Front page of the Globe, 17 Aug. 1933, pg. 1.

Note the reference to both Jewish and Italian involvement in the riot. This was one of the first examples of allyship against hate.
Issue of the Canadian Jewish Chronicle detailing the riot, 25 Aug. 1933. Courtesy of the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives.