Oilers forward Zach Hyman takes a hard stance against rising antisemitism in North America 

By Cole Shelton

Modified Dec 14, 2023 16:48 GMT

Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman is currently celebrating Hanukkah.

Hyman is Jewish and is unhappy with the rise of antisemitism in North America, which. The NHL player knows he has a voice with his platform, and given that he's the grandson of Holocaust survivors, he says he's proud of being Jewish.

“I'm very proud of who I am. I'm proud of being Jewish. I'm proud of growing up in the Jewish community. … And I’m proud of where we come from,” Hyman said to Sportsnet.

During Hanukkah, Hyman is taking the time to speak out on antisemitism as he believes it has gotten worse and is in a scary place:

“As somebody that young Jewish kids look up to — not just an athlete, but as a proud Jewish person — I think it's important that when things are really tough, a community binds together. It sticks together and fights antisemitism. Antisemitism has been rising for years, and it's now reached the point where … it’s scary."

Part of the reason why Zach Hyman is speaking up is due to the fact his high school in Toronto recently had a bomb threat, due to them being Jewish.

According to Sportsnet, Toronto Police reported a significant increase in hate-related calls between Oct. 7 and Oct. 25, as there were 15 antisemitic incidents, which is worrying to the Edmonton Oilers forward. He said:

“It's very clear that antisemitism as a result of what's going on has been on the rise. Jewish people … don’t feel safe. There are attacks on synagogues. My high school [in Toronto] has had two bomb threats. This is just for being Jewish. It's just because you're Jewish. There's no other reason.

"We live in Canada, in the US, where these things shouldn't be happening. And we can’t turn a blind eye to it. Being a Jewish person doesn't feel comfortable right now, and that’s a scary feeling.”

Zach Hyman says this is 'a wakeup call'

Along with incidents near Zach Hyman's home, the presidents of UPenn, Harvard and MIT were asked if on-campus calls by some protesters for the genocide of Jews violated their schools’ code of conduct. None of the three gave an emphatic yes, which Hyman says should be a wakeup call to everyone:

“I went to the University of Michigan. I was a Jewish student athlete. If I was on campus and my president was not able to say that [a call for genocide] is not OK, I wouldn't want to be at that school. It’s outright scary.

“This is a clear wakeup call. The people who are going to those schools are the next generation of leaders in the United States. For representation to not be able to speak out against genocide, to say ‘This is not OK.' ... We need to protect not just our Jewish students, but all students against hate speech."

The hope for Zach Hyman is that other Jews with platforms will also speak up as he is getting worried about the state of the world.