After a hard-fought campaign, the longest in modern Canadian history, the federal election is now just days away. It’s an exciting, and nerve-wracking time, for politicians and voters. Soon enough, we’ll all find out who will be Canada’s next prime minister, and which political party – or perhaps parties, should the results lead to the formation of a coalition government – will run Parliament. 

We couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to cap our election coverage than by offering the leaders of the three main parties the opportunity to speak directly to Canadian Jews. Over the last few days, I had the privilege to talk one on one with Stephen Harper, Justin Trudeau and Tom Mulcair (our interview with Green Party leader Elizabeth May was posted online on Sept. 25). 

It’s a testament to the vigorous political engagement of the Jewish community that the party leaders took time from their busy schedules to offer their thoughts on a wide range of issues, including domestic security, Israel, the Iran nuclear deal, poverty and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. (In the interest of fairness, I asked the same questions to each of the leaders, and all three interviews ran to nearly the exact same length.)

Many newspapers and media outlets across Canada have already announced their endorsements for prime minister, and in the coming days more publications will present their own official opinions as to whom they believe Canadians should vote for on Oct. 19. But you won’t find any of that in this space.

Of course, our columnists and editorial contributors have been offering their thoughts on the election throughout the campaign, and we have encouraged them to weigh in from any number of angles. Even so, this newspaper has a long-held tradition of non-partisanship, and, frankly, I think that’s the right approach. 

It’s not for us to tell you who to vote for. Our job is to present the facts as neutrally as possible, and I’d like to think we’ve done a good job of that. The rest is up to you. Good luck.

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Even as Canadian Jews are consumed with the federal election, we watch with trepidation the unfolding situation in Israel, where violent attacks by Arabs against Jews have erupted in recent weeks.

The stories are bone-chilling: parents murdered in front of their children; pedestrians stabbed to death as bystanders looked on and did nothing to help; cinderblocks hurled at automobiles, civilians and soldiers; and a spate of wild assaults involving rudimentary weapons. 

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas set off this wave of terror at the end of September when he accused Israel of scheming to change the status quo on the Temple Mount during a speech at the United Nations. There appears to be no basis for Abbas’ claim, but that hasn’t stopped some Palestinians from taking him at his word.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instituted a number of new security initiatives. He also banned Knesset members, Jewish and Arab alike, from visiting the Temple Mount. These are not long-term solutions, but then it’s hard to see how to move forward productively while the irresponsible Abbas remains an authority figure. — YONI