Episode 211 - From Shadows To Spotlight: A Security Leader’s Fight Against Modern Anti‑Semitism

A bully changes targets when the target changes posture. That simple truth sits at the heart of our conversation with security leader and activist Aaron Hadida, who explains why he stepped out from the shadows and into the spotlight to protect Jewish life. We explore how deterrence is a form of communication, why visible pride matters on the street and online, and how coordinated community security reframes risk in a world shaped by algorithms.

Aaron breaks down “Hate 2.0,” where old prejudices get upgraded by social platforms that reward outrage and group performance. Before October 7, dance trends dominated feeds; after, Jew‑hatred surged because it pays in attention. Aaron’s answer is not retreat but readiness: layered, lawful, disciplined protection; clear messaging; and the courage to be seen. He shares the personal calculation behind going public, the cost of having every word scrutinized, and the payoff when predators realize a community will not stand alone.

Faith threads through everything. Aaron describes Bitachon—trust in God—as fuel rather than a reason to wait. He wakes with energy he cannot explain, then spends it on practical work: planning, training, showing up. We talk about burnout, boundaries, and the decision to measure success by inches moved rather than optics. Not everyone needs to stand on a line to be “tough.” Writers can lobby. Organizers can fundraise with diligence. Teachers can inoculate kids against propaganda. Trainers can build confidence within the law. The mission is shared, the methods are many.

We close with a look at Herut Canada and Magen Herut, where identity education meets self‑defence and professional protection. The takeaway is clear: we may stay small, but we can be mighty—unified, visible, and effective. If this sparked something, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a push toward action, and leave a review so more people can find conversations that strengthen courage and community.

Chapters

• 0:16 Meet Aaron Hadida And His Mission
• 2:12 From Undercover Work To Public Deterrence
• 4:28 Visible Pride And The Psychology Of Bullies
• 7:17 Defining Hate 2.0 And Social Media Amplification
• 10:35 Unity After October 7 And Renewed Commitment
• 13:10 Roots Of A Protector: Family And Early Training
• 15:56 Security Culture Gaps In Jewish Institutions
• 17:58 Faith, Fuel, And Relentless Execution
• 21:12 Becoming A Tougher Jew Through Strengths
• 23:45 Move The Ball: Effectiveness And Leadership

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:16

Hello and welcome to the Trust Factor Podcast, the only podcast that guarantees your success when you implement its divine age-old teachings. Today we're speaking with someone who has become a powerful voice in the fight against modern anti-Semitism, Aaron Hadida, known to thousands online as the Bear Jew, and author of the eye-opening book Hate 2.0. His work uncovers what most people never see: the ecosystem where hate is born, spreads, and evolves. And today we're diving deep into why this matters and what we can do about it. And with that, I want to welcome to the podcast, Aaron Hadida.

SPEAKER_00: 0:57

How are you, Aaron? I'm great. Thank God. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01: 1:02

Thank you so much for being here. I I want to let the audience know I've known Aaron for decades. Really, I mean, time flies. It's been decades, at least 35 years. And I think it's probably appropriate just to let people know that Aaron is on the front line and he's taken on a lot. If you haven't picked up his book yet, I suggest it. Because in there you will see just a glimpse into some of the things that Aaron takes on. And more recently, he's been involved in so many different things, like Cherut Canada, an organization that he heads up, or Magen Cherut, a security company for Jewish events and Jewish speakers that he founded, or the book that he's writing, or his his pro-Israel Zionist activism. The list just goes on and on and on. The difference is, Aaron, when you when when you were growing up, and when I knew you was a young guy, you were operating in the background. You were doing things in the shadows. You weren't really front and center in the spotlight. But today, that's all changed. I mean, today, you know, if you're a Toronto Jew, we know the name and we know the face. You're you're in the limelight. So I want to ask you, how did that happen? Was it difficult?

SPEAKER_00: 2:13

So, yeah, that's a great question. It actually was very difficult for me to decide to come out of the shadows because for years we were doing all of our security, all of our patrols, all of our close protection was pretty much um, you know, it was undercover. It was plain clothes, it was sitting in parking lots of synagogues and just sort of watching. We had guys set up across the street with binoculars, just watching, and and it was just security from afar, but we were always there. And and to decide to come out was it took a while, I'll be honest. It took a while because I did I wasn't thrilled about becoming a person in the public. I wasn't thrilled about going into a spotlight and having my every word analyzed or my every move studied. So it it took a while, but the reason, more importantly, that I did it was because you know, our enemies needed to know that we had a very strong presence in our community that was protecting it. They always heard that we were there, and you know, there was whispers about how effective we were, but in order to be a hundred percent effective, I knew we'd have to be front and center, and and so that's when I made the tough decision to just, you know, bring myself out and all of the guys and everybody on our teams and say, guys, I know this is not ideal. I know a lot of you are gonna cringe at the thought of it, but we're going to have to go full public, front and center, and and you know, and stay there, because that's the only way that enemies understand. Look, any bully wants to go after somebody, if they see a guy standing in front of them, they're gonna go to the next person. If they hear there's somebody close by, they don't see him. They mean they still may attack that person.

SPEAKER_01: 4:15

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 4:15

But but under no circumstances, if they see a deterrent standing right beside him or in front of them, are they gonna decide, yeah, you know what? Let me take a shot. I gotta get rid of both of them. No way. They're going to an easier mark.

SPEAKER_01: 4:28

You know, Aaron, I was just thinking as you said that. Oftentimes, I'm the kind of guy where I see people getting attacked, I see Jews getting attacked on the street, and I'm like that, I'm that guy that says, Why wasn't that me? Why doesn't that happen to me? Because I'd be giving it right back full force. And the ones that we see are often not doing that. And I think that speaks to exactly what you said, because these predators, they're looking for people who are meek. They're looking for people who won't make eye contact. And the reason it doesn't happen to me and guys like you most of the time is because that's the exact opposite. We're making eye contact and we're proud of who we are, and we're not hiding from anybody. And so I think it plays to what you were saying that you have to be front and center. And I'm glad you did come out of the woodworks because it really sends a strong message to the people who want to bring us down.

SPEAKER_00: 5:18

Look, I uh a lot of people ask me everywhere I go. I've got, you know, Magindavids tattooed all over me. I've got the words Ami Israel Chai tattooed on me very visibly. Um, you know, I I I wear you know, Magendavid watch, I wear tons of bracelets that say, you know, Magindavides, they have Magindavids or Chai's or whatever. Anyways, the point is I'm visibly Jewish. And at the end of the day, there's a difference between walking through an airport trying to hide your Judaism, which screams to our enemies, look over here, versus somebody that's standing proud, Magindavids showing all over the place, not caring what anybody thinks or says. And and you know, I have a standing joke that, you know, God must not like me because he never allows me to be in those situations where people will say something anti-Semitic to me or or try to attack or whatever. So, you know, um, I'm constantly having to like, you know, hope it's gonna happen, but it never does.

SPEAKER_01: 6:24

Yeah, and and I think it's it plays to what we were just discussing. At the end of the day, the unfortunate part is listen, certainly in our Jewish history, we've had warriors. We've had some serious warriors who've stepped up and we commemorate them every year in our holidays. But by and large, Jews generally have not been warriors. The average Jew that you see on the street is not a warrior. You know, he's not a fighter. He's a guy who does business deals, he's a guy who who educates, who teaches, who learns. You know, we're we're always building and trying to improve society and bring light to the world. We've almost been forced, and not almost, we've all we're always, it seems, forced into a position of fighting in self-defense.

SPEAKER_00: 7:01

Yes, yes, exactly. We are always forced. Like I always say, you know, we've never started conflicts, but we sure as heck are gonna end them when they do start. Right. And and and at the end of the day, you know, we're not looking for trouble, but if trouble finds us, we have to deal with it. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01: 7:16

It's exactly what you said in your book. And so I want to get to that. Hate 2.0. What's hate 1.0? Was hate 1.0 where you started your book, where you were sitting in a restaurant and a guy comes over and and throws out an anti-Semitic slur. What's the difference between hate 1.0 and 2.0?

SPEAKER_00: 7:34

Look, it's just gotten a lot worse. Back in the day, it was um maybe somebody would say something about someone wearing a yarmulke on a bus. Maybe they would pass a Jewish day school and and you know, say something under their breath. But now, I mean, everywhere you go, everywhere you turn, regular everyday citizens are hating on our community because they think it's popular to do so. Back before October 7th, the worst day we've experienced since the Holocaust, the biggest thing on TikTok was dances. Right. It was there was all these dances every day, brand new dances and dances and dances. And since then, it all stopped. And what's replaced it is Jew hatred. Right. And and and if you want to get likes and follows and and be popular online, all you have to do is put on one of those rags on your head, say that you support that cause, uh, chat free, free, whatever, and uh, and you're good to go. And and your followers just went from 200 to 2,000 overnight. So it's amplified. It's amplified a thousand fold. And for me, that was the 2.0. And and now I'm writing 2.5 because it's gotten that much worse again. And and somebody asked me this morning, where do I think it's going? And it's a very complex answer, but the basis of it is simple. We've been here before. This is not a new show to us. This is a rerun. This is something that we're watching that we've already seen. And at the end of the day, we'll get through it. Like we always get through it. All we have to do is be who we are: strong, resilient, as unified as possible, and we'll get through it.

SPEAKER_01: 9:24

Yeah, you know, I I always say that the silver lining for us, every time we get through it, every time it's forced upon us, the silver lining is that it unites us.

SPEAKER_00: 9:34

It absolutely unites us. Look, there's only one thing that I can take away from that horrible, horrible day in history, that moment of time that we, you know, suffered such tragedies October 7th. And that is the fact that it woke a lot of people in our community up. I do, you know, security for a very high-profile individual who's, you know, very, very well known actor, famous. And he said to me, he said, look, he said, you know, I'm putting to fill in on every day. I'm going to Israel every month. I'm I'm connected to our community. I'm voting for the right people now, as opposed to the wrong people I used to think were the right people. Because my only, it's it's like how I live my life. My only job in life is to protect Israel and our community. I honestly don't have anything else in my brain from morning to night. Everything I do encompasses those two missions. Everything I do revolves around protecting our tiny sliver of a little beautiful country of Israel and protecting our community around the world. That's it. If you ask me what I'm having for lunch, I'd have to really think about it because my brain is consumed with what I'm doing next for Israel or and or for our community. And and but but the beautiful thing is it woke a lot of people up, and we've got we've gained a lot of extra advocates, extra fighters, extra riders, extra everything because they realized that we're such a small community, and and out of 15 plus million people around the world, of which six live in Israel, the rest that live out in the diaspora, there's a margin of there's a percentage of that. You know, they'll tell you they don't like Israel. They tell you that they don't identify as they're culturally Jewish at best. So to me, you know, the odds are stacked way up against us. So we need to really be strong. Like Hashem told us, we will always be small, but we will be mighty.

SPEAKER_01: 11:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 11:48

And and and the proof is in that.

SPEAKER_01: 11:52

Yeah, there's no question. The proof is that we still exist and that we've been through the we've been through the ringer many times, and we've had much worse, unfortunately, than even though October 7th was a huge tragedy and a massive loss. We've been through worse. We've had a a very rough history, and it goes back to biblical days and it goes back to days of the Holocaust. But like you said, at the end of the day, we come out better, we come out stronger, we come out more united. And I want to say, I as much as I knew you growing up, it really made a difference when I picked up the book and I read it and I understood where you got very you shared a lot. It was quite intimate. And I never really knew just how much time and energy and dedication you had to defending Jews from such a young age. It's not something new. This is not a new phenomenon for you. This is who you've been for as long as you can remember, no?

SPEAKER_00: 12:43

This is yeah, that's absolutely who I've been since I can since I can actually remember. Um, when my father was doing things for various synagogues that he was helping establish when I was, you know, very, very small, I would always watch the last thing that would happen was he would be setting up security and monitoring it. And my dad was, you know, he was a military man. He fought in in several wars and he knew security. So he was making sure that the security was good. And we're talking about, you know, not to date myself, but we're talking about the 70s. So, you know, when I saw that, I asked him, like, why is that guy standing there? What's he doing there? I don't get it. And he said, that guy is there to protect us when we pray, so that, you know, in case anybody comes in and tries to attack us, he can deal with it. And and that's why I'm always going out, you know, to make sure he's doing his job, and I try to uh try to help him with it. And so I learned at a very early age that sadly our community was always going to need protection. And I decided that if I was going to be a part of, you know, a very small part of protecting our community, that I would give it my all and I would ensure that I was capable of doing it to the best possible, you know, level that I could get to. And um, that's what I do.

SPEAKER_01: 14:17

So in your book, you mentioned that in the early days you were flabbergasted by the fact that you would go to these synagogues and talk to them, or at least want to talk to them, about their security efforts, and they would brush you off. You know, they really didn't put a lot of time or effort or thought into bolstering their security. Those were the early days. Is that changed today?

SPEAKER_00: 14:39

Yes and no. It's changed for the most part, but there are still the organizations, the synagogues, the daycares, the schools, um, the functions that believe that Hashem will save us, uh, that Hashem will take care of us. And and I'm constantly saying, don't you understand? He's telling us what to do, he's showing us that we have to protect each other. It's it's all because of Hashem that we do what we do. And if we don't do it, we're breaking one of the commandments, and that's don't stand on your brother's blood. And that's why I do everything for Israel that I can do.

SPEAKER_01: 15:21

You put that together perfectly. I was gonna ask specifically a question with regards to how you would tell somebody or how you would coach somebody, because I know you've done that before in the early days, coaching people to become a tougher version of themselves. But I want to kind of combine that question with you and your approach to Hashem, because you've brought up Hashem a couple times, and my podcast talks about trust in God, it talks about Bitachon. And there's no coincidence that the word Bitachon means security. What you do for a living is in the name of the podcast. You know, it's being secure by having trust in your creator at the end of the day. But you're the kind of guy who gets things done. You're the kind of guy who goes out and puts one foot in front of the other and doesn't just talk about it, but actually gets it done and recruits people and helps people to get things done in their own life. So I'm gonna make it a combined question, which is tell us a little bit about what your relationship with Hashem looks like on an intimate level. What point does Aaron Hadida stop the effort and give it over to Hashem to be able to continue with it to determine the outcome? And is that a fine line for you? And also, how would you talk to somebody who doesn't view themselves as a tough Jew, who doesn't have the same kind of outlook or fearlessness that you might have? How would you talk to them or convince them or give them some ideas of how to come out of their shell a little bit and become a little bit more of a tougher Jew?

SPEAKER_00: 16:51

Look, where Hashem starts, where he stops, where I start, where where I stop, there's no such thing. It's one and the same. I always say there's no logical reason. You just said it yourself. I I put one foot in front of the other, I'm everywhere, I do everything that I can possibly. I'm at multiple events a day, I'm with multiple people all the time. I do extremely high-level security. Uh, and you know, I do everything from you know, ambassadors, uh, prime ministers down to a poor party. So, what I tell people is there is no logical reason why I should be able to wake up every morning with the energy that I do. There is no logical reason. I should be in a fetal position on the couch, exhausted, not being able to move for the next four months. I should be so burnt out that I can barely lift my head off of a pillow. That is Hashem. He's putting all that through me, and he's allowing me to do what I do on a daily basis, and moreover, he's pushing me to do it. So as long as he's giving me the strength and the ability and the stamina and the know-how to do it, I'm going to keep doing it. So he's putting the fuel in the vehicle and I'm running the vehicle. It's not like it's not, it's not Hashem saying, you know, okay, this is what I need you to do today. Go do this and be over here and be over there. No, he gives me the fuel, he gives me the gas, and I go and I execute it. I go and do what has to be done. And as long as I have that power, as long as he's fueling me up to do it, I'm going to keep doing it. And and that's why I tell people, you know, when when they of my detractors, when they try to close my charities down, or try to shut me down in various forms, or try to get me banned from every campus in Ontario. I tell them, guys, first of all, I've never done any of those things you're saying I've done. You cannot provide one iota of evidence to support any claim you're making against me. Number two, you're never gonna stop me. So you might as well move on to different prey because you're never going to stop me. It's not going to happen. So just give up now. I have a job to do and I'm going to get it done. And I'm going to get it done each and every single time. And I treat those jobs the same way every single time. Like it is the most important thing I'm doing in my life. Whether, again, it's an ambassador or whether it's a pouring party. I treat it all like it's the most important detail I'm going to do. And what advice would I give other people? Look at not everybody can handle this type of environment. I don't expect everybody to. We all have our strengths, we all have our weaknesses, right? You ask me to argue a case in court and I'll tell you I can't do it. But then you ask that lawyer to go do my job and he'll tell you I can't do it. So we all have our strengths, we all have our weaknesses. I focus on my strengths. So what my advice is, is people need to focus on their strengths. If you're a good writer, write letters to the government. Write letters to lobbyists. If you're a good uh fundraiser, go to the right organizations and help them raise money for their causes. Make sure that the money's going to the right causes, first and foremost, always. Everybody can be a tough Jew. You don't have to be physically tough. You can be mentally tough, spiritually tough, you can be emotionally tough. Everybody has the ability to get there. Whether or not they want to put in the work and do it is another story. But it is work. You have to go and train. You have to go and learn. You have to go and, you know, do whatever it takes to get that version of toughness out of yourself. You can't just sit at home saying, I wish I was a tough Jew or I wish I could contribute to the community. There's no wishing about it. Just get off your butt and do it. We can all do something.

SPEAKER_01: 21:06

There's so much wisdom in such a short period of time. And I just want to connect that back before I let you go to the concept of that I've been sharing in the podcast, which is that we are only really, according to our sages, we are only really responsible for the start. So, like you get up in the morning and you said, Hashem gave me that energy today, I'm getting out of bed and I'm going to do everything that I need to do. And so, just like you said, we're not responsible for the outcome, but the start. So these guys may have talents in certain areas, but if they're sitting at home on their couch, their talents don't help them and they don't help us. So they have to get up and do something.

SPEAKER_00: 21:42

Look, every day of the week, you have to look yourself in the mirror. Every day, there isn't one person that doesn't wake up and look at themselves in a mirror. You're brushing your teeth, you're looking in the mirror. You're washing your face, you're looking in the mirror. You're getting dressed before you leave the house. You have a full-length mirror you're looking into before you step out of the house. Now, when I look and do that, I want that reflection looking back at me, saying, You've done a good job. You did good today. You did good yesterday. I don't want that reflection looking back at me saying, What the heck are you doing? What have you accomplished? I've been with organizations where we've done a lot of work, and at the end of the day, it wasn't effective work. And so I would move on because I need to be effective. I need to move that proverbial ball forward a little tiny sliver of an inch at a time, but at least I know it's moving forward because the only way for us to get to the goal line is to move the ball forward. You've never seen anyone score a touchdown by leaving a ball sitting on the ground. It just doesn't happen. It's got to move forward, an inch at a time, and that's what I do. I move things an inch at a time until I get to where we're going. And look it, I'm the national director of Hirut Canada, an amazing, amazing organization. You know, we teach Zionism, we help people with Aliyah, we do all kinds of self-defense courses. We do so much. It's unbelievable. And I've got an amazing team in Canada, I've got an amazing team worldwide, including in Israel, in our main office in Jerusalem. And we just do as much work as possible. Connecting to that, I founded Magan Hirut, which is, you know, what we do to protect the Jewish community. And and when just every day we just keep building and building and building. That's it. It's that simple.

SPEAKER_01: 23:29

Obviously, it sounds simple, but it's the difference between success and failure. And thank God you've had so many successes, and you should continue, God willing, for 120 years to continue to have amazing successes.

SPEAKER_00: 23:42

Thank you, Jesse. I appreciate it. I've got it, I've got to get going. I appreciate you and thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01: 23:47

I know you're a busy guy. Thanks again, Aaron, for being on the podcast. Have an amazing day.

SPEAKER_00: 23:51

All the best.

SPEAKER_01: 23:52

A huge thank you to Aaron Hadida for shedding light on his world, the world that he operates in, and reminding us that awareness and action are the first step towards strength. Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast. If you heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations that challenge, empower, and uplift. And if you're on social media, connect with us. Leave your thoughts, drop a quote that resonated with you. Hashtag the TrustFactor Podcast. Until next time, keep growing in your trust. Keep living with purpose. I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the Trust Factor Podcast. Thanks for listening.