“Counting Passports” by Brian Henry

It was a tough week. Canada’s Jews could use some help from our leaders.

This is what antizionism looks like. Within the space of a week, three Toronto synagogues were shot up. In the same week, antizionist gangsters also shot up the Old Avenue Restaurant in Thornhill, owned by Esther Bakinka, a well-known Jewish activist. Their message couldn't be clearer: speak against Jew-haters at your peril.

But it’s 2026. Here in Canada, shooting up a Jewish business because it’s a Jewish business, isn’t sensational enough to make the mainstream news. Only the Jewish press even noted the Old Avenue Restaurant and also YEDI, another Jewish business, were both hit the same night as Temple Emanu‑El. (here).  

Such outrages aren’t new. Since Hamas started its war against Israel on October 7, 2023, antizionists have shot up a Jewish girl’s elementary school here in Toronto three times (here) and a Jewish school in Montreal twice (here).

Beyond that, countless synagogues and Jewish businesses have been vandalized or suffered arson attacks. In fact, antizionists vandalized the Old Avenue Restaurant once before in January 2024 at its Toronto location, where I sometimes eat (here).

As always, what starts with the Jews doesn’t stay just with the Jews. A couple weeks ago, the gangsters fired 17 shots at the Saliwan Gym in Thornhill – an Iranian-owned business where Toronto-area Iranians gather to plan anti-regime rallies (here).

A pair of antizionist gangsters also recently fired shots at the American Consulate on University Avenue in downtown Toronto. That's an attack the police are taking seriously. All the other attacks, not so much. After all, this has been going on now for two and a half years. And what’s been done?

Not much.

Yet day by day, a mass casualty terror attack grows more and more likely. Recently, in Michigan, a man armed with a rifle and a car full of explosives rammed into a synagogue with 100 children inside. Fortunately, synagogue security shot him before he was able to murder anyone.

And no one has forgotten the attack on a Hanukkah celebration this past January at Bondi Beach, with 15 murdered and 40 injured – in Australia, a peaceable country very like Canada.    

We’ve also seen ISIS-inspired terrorists sexually assault and attempt to abduct Jewish women in two separate incidents this past May and June in the Toronto area (here), and Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre has been warning for the past year that a terror attack against the Jewish community “remains a realistic possibility” (here). 

Yeah, we didn’t actually need an official government agency to tell us that.

In response, the Carney government has added $10 million to the Canada Community Security Program. Ten million sounds substantial, but Canada has hundreds of synagogues, schools and other Jewish institutions that need protecting. Not to mention the thousands of Iranian, Muslim, and Sikh institutions that also have a claim on this cash.

Bais Chaya Mushka

This bit of money will buy a few more security cameras, walls and gates, bollards, steel doors, and reinforced windows. But you know what? The Bais Chaya Mushka Girls School already had all that and it didn’t stop the antizionists from shooting it up three times. 

Plus, while security hardware is pricey enough, the real expense is salaries for guards. Beth Tzedek, a synagogue I know well, already spends $400,000 a year on security. With the rise in antizionist gangsterism, it will spend more (here).

What about businesses? No grant money has been set aside for the Old Avenue Restaurant nor for our friends at the Saliwan Gym. Nor for countless other Jewish and Iranian businesses at risk.

And what about my friend who doesn't wear her Jewish star anymore? Will the feds supply her with an armed escort so she can walk her dogs and go about her life assured that she won't be harassed, sexually assaulted, or kidnapped?  

What about Jewish households with mezuzahs on their doorposts who don’t want to see them stolen as happened at some 120 apartments in December (here) or families who have taken their mezuzahs down, not wishing to be so visibly Jewish? Will our government assign a Mountie to every Jewish home in Canada?

If the feds are simply going to play defence, they need to up the budget to $10 billion, not $10 million. Even then, it's a losing strategy. 

Antizionist protesters blocking
the Gardiner Expressway
in downtown Toronto

I suppose I need to repeat the obvious: The police policy of hands-off antizionist protesters has encouraged them to express their hatred ever more violently. Blame for this lies with our police chiefs who give the orders, but also with our mayors, our premiers and our prime minister.

None of them has said, enough! Enforce the law. Arrest people who block the trucks that deliver food to our grocery stores from entering the Ontario Food terminal (here), who block streets and highways (here), who block ambulances (here), who block entrances to synagogues, and hospitals (here), who block Jewish community centres and seniors’ home (here).

Stop the intimidation. Every week, antizionist protesters dressed up as terrorists and with their faces covered gather at the corner of Bathurst and Sheppard in Toronto. Why there? 

There's no Israeli or American consulate at the corner, no MP's constituency office, no political presence of any kind.  But it is the heart of Toronto's Jewish community, so that’s where antizionists choose to gather – to intimidate and to demonstrate their Jew-hatred. 

Protestor at Bathurst and Sheppard,
one of several carrying signs with
Nazi-style caricatures of Jews  

The police do make some arrests – 154 of them since Oct 7, 2023. A third of those cases are still pending, but out of the 96 cases that have been resolved, in 94 cases nothing happened: the charges were dropped or stayed, or the accused received absolute discharges (here). 

No wonder the police make so few arrests. Our courts have decided that antizionist thuggery is legal.

But beyond the obvious of enforcing the law, we need our leaders to speak out against incitement. Sure, Mark Carney posts a Tweet when someone shoots up a synagogue. But worldwide, we face the largest and the most organized anti-Jewish propaganda program since the Nazi era.

Undoubtedly, this program of vilification against Israel and Jews has succeeded. Just look around – this is the reason thugs are shooting at synagogues.

About this, Mark Carney has said Not One Word.

Jews in Canada aren’t leaving yet (mostly), but we’re counting our passports. I've got a golden ticket: dual American citizenship. We hear Alaska's friendly to Jews (and our dogs would love it). Most other states are good candidates, too.

But some people I know just have dual British citizenship, and unfortunately, the anti-Jewish hatred is even worse in the UK. Two days ago, on March 23, antizionists torched four ambulances in north London belonging to Hatzolet, a Jewish volunteer service that services Jews and non-Jews alike (here). In October, two Jews were killed in a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester Manchester, capping a record-high year for anti-Jewish incidents in the UK (here). And for visible Jews, central London has become a dangerous no-go area.

But there's also Israel. Yes, the Ayatollahs and all the terrorist organizations they fund, arm and train are doing their best to wipe the Jews off the map, but (a) the Ayatollahs are losing and (b) the Israeli government's actually on our side.

Not so here. Do you see Carney spending any political capital to come to our defence? Nope, me neither.

***

This piece will also appear this Sunday, April 5, on the Canadian Zionist Forum.

Read more of my pieces here (and scroll down). For pieces specifically of Jewish interest, see here. ~Brian

“The Wisdom of Lily and the Fishbowl” by Anne Louise Pittens

 

In the spring of 2024, I went on adventure and learned to let go. I was headed for a writing retreat in Port Carling, Ontario – Muskoka country – but with a few threads to pick up along the way.

Brian Henry, long time editor and writing coach, hosted the retreat at the lovely Sherwood Inn on Lake Joseph. To get there, I flew from my home in Whitehorse, Yukon, to Toronto. In a nostalgic moment, I stayed the night at what used to be called The Bristol Place Hotel, now The Westin, on the airport strip. For

ty-six years earlier, I had stayed there for my honeymoon. I was curious to see if the hotel had weathered the years any better than my marriage, which had not done well at all! When I entered the lobby, I discovered that I did not remember the place. A bit like that first marriage, I thought, as I settled into my room. All the best to let things go.

A luxurious bed looked inviting, but I had a terrible sleep, fretting about a dozen things that have long escaped my memory. Primarily, I was nervous about meeting up with my brother who was driving me to my destination early in the morning.

Beyond a few texts every year, I had not spoken with him in a long time. I hoped we might enjoy catching up in person, but I knew he was not in a great head space due to recent personal trauma. I was determined to stay positive.

At seven am, I gave up trying to squeeze out anymore sleep and made my way down to the lobby in hopes of finding a decent cup of coffee. After a minute of searching, I located the coffee shop crammed into the back corner of the lobby like an afterthought. 

The lineup was long. The food display case was next to bare, and the lone person working was run off her feet. Exhausted from travel, I zombied my way into line and waited my turn.

As I approached the order station, I spotted a goldfish bowl on the counter. Sad place for a fish, I thought. No choice but to endlessly swim in circles, never getting anywhere, never moving on.

Fortunately, there was no fish trapped in the bowl, just a jumble of cards. They were the sort of card you get at a florist shop to message the recipient of your floral thoughts. Beside the bowl was a jar of pens and a stack of blank cards.

Instructions read as follows:

Leave a happy thought!

Take a happy thought!

While waiting for my coffee, I picked up a pen and card and considered what I might write. I have never been good at this sort of thing – like writing a message in a greeting card. I never know what to say. At that moment, my coffee arrived and instead of leaving a happy thought, I took one.

Seeing my brother pull up, I stuffed the card into my back pocket and climbed on board. By the time we travelled for an hour, we had worn out our topics of choice and tumbled into silence.

On the upside, we were beyond Toronto and past Barrie. The further north we drove, lakes and rocks took over from urban housing and shopping malls. Ah Muskoka! As a child, I spent many summers embracing the chilly waters of Mary Lake at Port Sidney. Now, I could feel my lungs opening to the fresh air.

Over the years, I had all but forgotten the jewel green of springtime leaves and how sunlight sparkles on the water.  White clouds graced the sky and reflected across the glassy surface of the lake, a perfect mirror image. A spring breeze blew up, and watercraft tethered to docks bobbed in the surf, straining at their ropes like dogs’ strain at their leashes. Boat houses dotted the shore.

And of course, here and there, a Muskoka chair (Adirondak chair if you’re not from Ontario) sat perched on a lakeside rock looking to the horizon. All it needed was an occupant in the requisite Tilly hat, pen and paper ready. A cup of coffee and a resting hound would complete the picture.

Muskoka Chairs at Sherwood Inn

The Sherwood Inn was welcoming and warm. Nestled into a lovely, treed setting, it sat on the edges of Lake Joseph. I have a thing about older architecture and was not disappointed. Dark green shutters stood out against the white building and in the evening, the interior lighting cast a warm and welcoming glow. I could hardly wait to explore after checking in.

Tired from the journey, I went to my room where I was delighted to find a private bathroom, a writing desk, a comfortable bed, and a cozy seating area. The window looked over a large deck and beyond that to the lake.

With time before the retreat started, I changed into more comfortable clothing to have a snooze, hopeful I would awake feeling renewed and refreshed. As I dropped my jeans on the chair, the card from the coffee shop fell out of my pocket. This was the message:

Lily Elliot

You

Are

Lovd

Loved

Based on the writing, it was hand-printed by a child of six or seven years of age. I could imagine her standing there, elbows on the counter and her tongue held in just the right position to form the letters.

As we travel through each day, we never know how the little things we do or say are going to impact the world around us. Somewhere along her journey, young Lily left a note for a stranger to tell them they were loved.

My lucky day! I really treasure that she felt no need to get a new card and start over because of a spelling mistake. Lily knew. Mistakes are ok. Everyone makes them. We move on.

And in that moment, with Lily’s lesson in mind, I moved on. Three blessed days of writing in a beautiful place lay ahead of me. The food was delicious, beautifully presented, beautifully seasoned, and bountiful. Great service is always a pleasure, and it was in abundance. To be able to share this time with others who love to write – and Brian who loves to help and encourage – was the best tonic ever.

But a note to Lily; wherever your travels have taken you, I wanted to say a heart-felt thank you. I don’t know how I ended up at the same coffee shop as you and I don’t know how you came to write this card, but I have it now. It is tucked into my bedroom mirror.

Now, no matter what is going on in my world, every time I look at your card and your message, I feel lighter in spirit. I recall those beautiful spring days I spent at the Sherwood writing retreat in Muskoka, investing my time in the things that matter, and learning to let go of the things that don’t.

Anne Louise Pittens lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, with her husband Michel and Gryphon – a Swiss Mountain Dog who hates the cold.  With almost a full retirement recently upon her, Anne is spending her time writing, shovelling snow and shivering to produce a little extra heat.  Occasionally she can be found scrolling through old photos of Mexico and Costa Rica. The Yukon is a magical place and welcoming to every person who cares to give it a try.

See more pieces about or inspired by Brian’s retreats, workshops and classes here.

For more essays, short stories, and poetry by you fellow writers see here (and scroll down).

See Brian Henry's upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Join us for “How to Get Published”

Author Kristy Jackson with her first two novels

How to Get Published

An editor, an author, and a literary agent tell all

Saturday, June 13, 2026
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. Toronto time
Offered online and accessible wherever there's Internet

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on the process of submitting to an agent or publisher, and show you exactly how to write a query letter that will get a “yes.” Bring all your questions. Come and get ready to be published!

Special Option: Participants are invited to prepare a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don't need to prepare anything, but if you like, email me a draft of your query prior to our workshop. Ali and I will critique several queries, so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t and how to improve your query. Do remember that agents come to these events wanting to hear what you’ve got. ~Brian

Guest speaker Ali McDonald is a Literary Agent and Partner with 5 Otter Literary. Starting in June all three agents at 5 Otter Literary will be open to submissions. 

In fifteen years as an international literary agent, Ali has represented many award-winning and bestselling authors and illustrators. While 5 Otter Literary represents authors writing for both adult and children’s markets, Ali specializes in children’s and young adult literature. She works on projects ranging from concept and novelty books, to board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, and new adult – both fiction and nonfiction – to graphic novels for all ages.

Her specialization has always been science fiction and fantasy for underrepresented and marginalized voices, especially queer voices, but she’s open to almost anything!

Her list is focused on books kids actually want to read. That frequently looks like genre fiction: humour, romance, action/adventure, magical realism, thriller, mystery, horror, and speculative fiction of any kind. Really though she just wants great stories with great characters.

She’s particularly drawn to high concepts, atmospheric settings, gorgeous prose, a strong emotional core, an underlying social or political commentary, unforgettable characters, and distinctive voices.

She’d really like a “puzzle” mystery for either middle grade or YA; a contemporary realistic young adult novel centering incarcerated teens; five-minutes in the future speculative fiction for middle grade or YA; survivalist stories; stories centred on horseback riding; short young teen plot-driven novels for reluctant readers; and spooky picture books.

Guest speaker Kristy Jackson is the award-winning children's book author of Mortified (HarperCollins 2024), which was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award, a Forest of Reading Award and more. Her second novel, Touching Grass (HarperCollins 2025) won the 2025 Northern Lights Book Awards Middle Grade Book of the Year, was chosen as the #8 Indigo Best Kids' Book of 2025, and more. 

Her next two books will also be middle grade novels: December Vacation (slated for 2027) and an untitled novel slated for publication in 2028, both with Simon & Schuster Canada.

Kristy is represented by Olga Filina of the 5 Otter Literary agency in Toronto. Her work draws inspiration from her Cree and German background and her long list of embarrassing moments. 

Kristy's been a proud participant in many of Brian's classes and workshops since 2020. She lives in Saskatoon and is a mother of two boys, a communications professional, and an active volunteer. 

At the workshop, Kristy will talk about “What I wish I knew about getting published” and will answer all your questions. 

Note: 5 Otter Literary has taken on participants from previous workshops.  Besides Kristy’s book deals, 5 Otter Literary landed Matteo L. Cerilli a two-book deal with Tundra, the Penguin-Random House's imprint for kid lit, a middle grade novel to Harper, and a two book YA deal with Bloomsbury US; Karina Kaushal who’s working on rom-coms; and Sue Kelly co-author, with Greg Murdock, of A is For Ancestor. ~Brian

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.  

See reviews of and works inspired by Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $47.79 + 13% hst = $54 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: Get new postings from Quick Brown Fox delivered to your In Box as they go up. Subscribe to my Substack here. ~Brian

See all of my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here. 

“Time to Confess” by Carla Reid

Whenever my mother caught me trying to weasel my way out of something by lying. I was lectured on the sin of telling lies.  Mother was religious and often stretched the 10 commandments to 11 to include whatever point she was making. Lying, often made it to the top of her list.

I wasn’t convinced lying was so bad.

It wasn’t till the ripe age of 5 that I learnt that my mother and the gods played on the same team.

 I had discovered that if I had a cough at bedtime, my mother would bring me out of bed to sit in the living room. She would bundle me in a blanket at the end of the couch. Bring out the record player. Set our favourite album, Oklahoma, on to play. Then give me candy to sooth my throat.

It was terrific. The more I coughed, the more candy I got.  It was a great gig, and I mastered the art of coughing quickly.

Night after night I’d sit sucking candies and listening to records. I was perfecting the art so well that my poor mother took me to the doctor’s. Allergies, he said.

When we got home it was decided that my small bedroom across from the bathroom might be the cause of the problem.  The fragrance from the soap could be setting my cough off.  My older brother had the large bedroom at the back of the house and got shuffled to the little room I was in. I got the big one. I figured it was a score. Now I had room for all my toys.

Carla, age 5

After a couple of days, the lure of candies called and I started coughing again. Back to the doctor we went. The tonsils must come out was his solution. I was 5 and had no idea what he was talking about.  My parents looked grim, and I started to worry.  I knew I couldn’t confess that the cough was brought on by me. If I did, my mother would kill me.  But the way they sold it with the promise of ice cream and Jello, I figured it was a good trade off.

That morning came a After a couple of days, the lure of candies called and I started coughing again.

I heard my mother and father in the kitchen eating breakfast. As I wandered in announcing I was hungry.   I was told I couldn’t have breakfast until after the operation.  I remember thinking maybe I should confess to the coughing fit.  But quickly thought better of it when my parents brought up the promised ice cream.

I don’t remember much other than fear starting to creep in at the hospital as my parents waved me off. The nurse took me into a ward filled with beds full of children. Some were crying, some were talking and others rocking and hugging stuffed teddy bears.

After that it was a blur till I woke up back in the ward. My throat hurt.  It really hurt and ice cream and Jello didn’t tempt me.  My parents took me home the next day and I was tucked in bed with the radio to keep me company. I really didn’t feel well and all I wanted to do was sleep.

That night I woke in pain with blood all over my pillow. Quickly my parents wrapped me up and whisked me to the hospital. I heard the word hemorrhaging as the doctor and nurse rushed me into a brightly lit room. The nurse started to pound on my arm with a little mallet looking for a vein. The doctor kept shouting at me to stay still and stop crying. I remember being terrified.

The next day I awoke in the ward again. That afternoon my parents came to get me. My throat hurt even worse than before. I was tired, I was cranky and ice cream still couldn’t tempt me. My parents were told if I wasn’t eating, I must swallow corn syrup.

 It was a real fight. They begged. They cajoled. Then they forced.

 I still hate corn syrup.

And so. At the age of 5 I learned two life lessons.

 1) Don’t lie. Lies can spiral out of control and get you into a lot of trouble.

2) God and Mom played on the same team.

***

Carla Reid is retired and living in beautiful Grimsby with her partner and cockapoo Mika. They say her career path went from womb to tomb. Starting in Early Education she wove life through cooking, opening restaurants, developing a clothing line and ended as an Executive in the Retirement Industry. Now settled steps from the escarpment and surrounded by vineyards she has time to enjoy the pleasures of cooking for friends, painting and writing. 

 For more essays, short stories, and poetry by you fellow writers see here (and scroll down).

See Brian Henry's upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Kudos to Tres, Janine, Glenn, and Kristy!

Hi, Brian.

I hope you are doing great! And the dogs, too :-)

I’m super excited to share that my debut picture book, Nahliya and the Lady (Plumleaf Press), will be released on May 28, 2026.

It is now available for pre-order at Chapters/Indigo here.

And direct from the publisher here.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and encouragement!

Treslyn Vassel

For information on submitting to PlumLeaf Press, see here.

  

Hi, Brian.

 So excited to share that my piece, “A Room Made for One” which was reviewed during an Intensive Creative Writing session appears in print in the 2026 Spring Issue of Queen’s Quarterly.

 Only the table of contents are available at this time, but here’s the link to the issue:  https://www.queensu.ca/quarterly/

 As always, my appreciation and thanks to you, the other writers, and my amazing writing comrades, The Scribbling Vixens, who are still together after meeting in one of your classes back in 2020.

 Take care,

 Janine Elias Joukema

Also appearing in this issue of Queen’s Quarterly are pieces by Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt, Susan Glickman, and Emily R. Zarevich – all of whom will be known to many followers of Quick Brown Fox.

For information on submitting to Queen’s Quarterly, see here.

 

Greetings, Brian:

I have been following your blog for some time, but have never corresponded with you until now.

I have been writing in earnest since 2020. (The imminent threat of death during a pandemic was a good motivator to finish writing projects as the ultimate deadline loomed large.)

I found out today that my article, “Hand Me Down Genes,” which I posted on Medium to commemorate Family Literacy Day in Canada, will be included in the Feb. Communique of the Canadian Authors’ Association.

You can read it here.

My writing has been supported by author Terry Fallis, who has been encouraging me to compile my nonfiction stories into a book.

Sincerely,

Glenn Niemi

You can read more of Glenn’s pieces on Medium here.

Hi, Brian.

Thought you might want to know that BOTH my books were nominated for categories in this year's Saskatchewan book awards. Three for Touching Grass (Book of the Year, Indigenous Peoples Writing, and Children's Book awards) and one for Mortified (Children's book awards).

Here's the site: https://www.bookawards.sk.ca/

Here's the list: 

https://www.bookawards.sk.ca/images/2026/2026-SBA-Shortlisted-Mar-6-26.pdf

Cheers,

Kristy

Touching Grass and Mortified are available from Chapters/Indigo here.

***

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

Note: If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. Email me at: brain.henry123@gmail.com