Paul Rinkoff, Toronto’s top Jewish police community partnerships officer, has his hands full since Oct. 7

Insp. Paul Rinkoff was known to Jewish leaders in Toronto before Oct. 7, 2023 for his diplomatic, low-key approach to establishing good relationships between the Toronto police and the Jewish community. But since the Hamas attack on Israel last Thanksgiving, Rinkoff has been thrust into the very public spotlight–as the highest profile Jewish officer in charge of the police force’s community partnerships and engagement unit. While Rinkoff also oversees police outreach to Toronto’s other ethnic and racialized groups, including Palestinians and Muslims, what’s happened since Oct. 7 is obviously deeply personal- he’s also co-chair of the Jewish consultative committee for the police. The veteran officer was born to a Jewish family from England, raised in St. Catharines, Ont. where his parents are still active in the Niagara Jewish community, he reads Hebrew, he went on Birthright, he’s visited Auschwitz, and is a proud alumnus of the Chidon Hatanach, the National Bible Contest for Jewish students. Rinkoff, 44, says the Toronto police have had to manage over 340 protest rallies since Oct. 7, including last week’s targeting of the Mount Sinai Hospital, plus investigate an unprecedented number of hate crimes and graffiti, resulting in over 54 arrests and 117 charges to date. Rinkoff recently took The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner on a tour of one of the two Toronto police command posts erected in Jewish areas and then shared what it has been like for him to be the Jewish point person during this fraught, historic time.

What we talked about:

• Watch more about Inspector Paul Rinkoff and his advice for the Jewish community on safety in this webinar by UJA Federation Toronto’s Real Estate Division from Dec. 2023. He appears at 29:00
• Watch an upcoming live seminar from Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw speaking to B’nai Brith on Feb. 29, 2024.
• Read more about Toronto Police Services hate crime statistics since Oct. 7 in The CJN.

Credits:

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.