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Toronto Jewish community sends message of pride with giant mezuzah

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JYN organizers say the mezuzah is meant to strengthen Jewish visibility in the community, particularly amid a nationwide rise in antisemitism post–Oct. 7.

By Jewish Breaking News

A Jewish community north of Toronto has unveiled one of the world’s largest mezuzahs ever built.

Surrounded by hundreds of community members at their Homecoming Gala this past weekend, the Jewish Youth Network unveiled a towering mezuzah at the entrance to their new Robbins Family Campus in Richmond Hill.

Standing at nearly 147 centimeters tall, the project took three years of work. Whether the mezuzah actually holds the world record remains to be verified.

Guinness World Records still lists a mezuzah presented on the roof of Jerusalem’s Aish HaTorah in April 2019 as the official record holder, measuring 143.3 centimeters long with an area of 1.15 square meters.

Regardless, JYN organizers say the mezuzah is meant to strengthen Jewish visibility in the community, particularly amid a nationwide rise in antisemitism post–Oct. 7.

According to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Canada’s Jewish community “was easily the most targeted religious minority,” making up roughly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes documented in the J7 Task Force’s first Annual Report on Antisemitism.

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Disturbingly, CIJA’s contribution to the report recorded 900 hate crimes against Jews nationwide in 2024, while Toronto alone logged 164 antisemitic hate crimes.

Founded in 2008 by Rabbi Shmuli and Chani Nachlas, JYN has grown from a small Thornhill outreach initiative into one of the most active hubs for providing a safe space for Jewish teens.

The organization now operates Hebrew schools, leadership programs, Shabbaton retreats, and volunteer networks serving hundreds of students each year. Its new 26,000-square-foot Robbins Family Campus—named for Toronto philanthropists Larry and the late Miriam Robbins—includes basketball courts, a music room, art studios, and multiple teen lounges.

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