A Jewish advocacy group is condemning the use of the “Palestine” label for certain ancient artifacts at the Royal Ontario Museum.

“We were made aware that the label had been in place for some time,” said Tafsik CEO Amir Epstein in a statement to National Post. “This does not excuse the responsibility to correct errors. While we are willing to give the benefit of the doubt that this was an unintentional mistake, we simply ask that the information be corrected to reflect archaeological and historical facts.”

The artifacts in question have been on display at the ROM since 2012. The museum says revisions have already been underway for several months, which is prior to the online discourse that began when Tafsik posted about it on X in late December. The museum did not immediately respond to National Post’s request about what the new labels would be after its revision.

“The @ROMtoronto (Royal Ontario Museum) is rewriting history. Welcome to Canada 2025,” Tafsik posted on X last month. The group also shared a photo of

a swirled marble mosaic bottle

that is located in the museum’s Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of Rome and the Near East.

It is dated 25 to 50 AD. It is labelled as being from Syria or Palestine.

The @ROMtoronto (Royal Ontario Museum) is rewriting history. Welcome to Canada 2025.

During 25AD – 50AD the land of Israel was called “Judea” by the colonizing Romans and “Eretz Yisrael” (Nation/Land of Israel) by the Jews. 100 years later, the Romans colonized the entire land… pic.twitter.com/NAc3eZsFkP

— Tafsik Organization (@Tafsikorg) December 30, 2025

“From approximately 25–50 AD, the land was known as Judea by the Roman authorities and as Eretz Yisrael by the Jewish people. After the colonizing Romans killed and expelled much of the indigenous Jewish population, they imposed the colonial name ‘Palestine’ with the explicit intent of erasing Jewish history and connection to the land,” Epstein said.

“Historical revisionism is not new to the Jewish people. The Nazis used it to justify the genocide of Jews in Germany, and more recently, Palestinian religious and political leaders have employed similar tactics to justify the genocide committed against our people on October 7, 2023.”

He said that, throughout history, the erasure of Jewish identity has led to violence and genocide, driving the Jewish people to “meticulously” document its history “for thousands of years” — “documentation that has been corroborated through archaeology and, more recently, through recorded testimony.”

Tafsik has been in touch with the ROM and it is optimistic that the museum is taking the matter seriously, he said.

Another example from the ROM,

as reported by the Free Press

, shows blue glass pieces, including a jug, flask, bowl, aryballos (small, spherical flask) and flagon (large drinking container) in the same gallery of the museum.

The items are dated AD 25 to 125. They are labelled as being from Syria or Palestine.

In an emailed statement to National Post, the ROM said its curator has identified displays within the gallery “as requiring several label revisions.” The gallery was originally installed between 2011 and 2012.

“This work has been in process for several months, and related label updates (including for the swirled marbled mosaic bottle) are underway,” the statement said.

“Any changes to labels at ROM are informed by dialogue between curators, interpretive planners, and sectoral peers. Labels use the date of the object as the fixed starting point and, where known, indicate the location as it was named at the time of production. Contemporary place names are also included to aid visitor understanding. The location often includes multiple current place names if the exact area of production within a geographic region is not known, as is common curatorial practice for centuries-old objects.”

Carl Ehrlich, a York University professor of history and humanities, told National Post that labelling artifacts is “very, very complicated,” especially when words take on different meaning in the modern era.

“Until very recently — when Palestine and Palestinian became both the name of a country in preparation, as it were, and of a new ethnic group — Palestine was viewed as a very neutral geographic term, an amorphous term, for the area we could call the southern Levant or southern Canaan,” he said.

“That’s the reason why Palestine is, at least in the scholarly world, a designation that is used for a general geographic territory without necessarily being specific about ancient borders, territories or ethnicities, because there were a number of different ethnicities and a number of different peoples living in that territory.”

Judea was a “relatively small area and kingdom,” he said. “Under Herod the Great, for instance, who ruled in the last few decades BCE, it managed to expand its borders a bit…It moved out of the area of modern-day Israel into the territory of what is now Jordan, the West Bank, etc. It was a little bit larger at that time.”

Christian scholars started archeological investigations into the ancient Near East mostly in an attempt to establish a foothold in the region and look into “the biblical roots of Christianity.”

“They continued using this terminology of Palestine for the southern area, Syria for the northern area,” he said.

Over the course of time, the terms have become more complex.

“Nowadays, the term Palestine and Palestinian is loaded with political implications, and therefore the modern day Palestinians, the ethnicity, has been essentially piggybacking on that term in order to establish an ancient historical tradition leading up to the modern people, that essentially also involves the erasure of the Jewish history and the Jewish connection to the land,” he said.

“So, it’s not a neutral term anymore.”

The entire labelling system could use an overhaul when it comes to presenting ancient artifacts to a modern audience, he said, as the “old scholarly labels” have not “kept up with the changing meaning of the words involved.”

As for the artifacts at the ROM pointed out by Tafsik and mentioned in the Free Press, they don’t include a specific geography in their online profiles that would definitively determine that they came from Judea, Ehrlich said.

“(The curators) don’t know exactly where, so they use the old scholarly designations,” he said.

It only becomes problematic if objects from the territory of modern-day Israel or ancient Judea are referred to as Palestinian “because that then is an erasure of Jewish history.” He said there is an ongoing battle between “modern day labels and imposing them anachronistically on ancient times to fight modern wars of legitimacy.”

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A Toronto man found not criminally responsible for killing his own father with a hammer a decade back has been approved for 14 days of international travel even though he “continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.”

Ari Da Costa, 30, had asked the Ontario Review Board for a 30-day leave to travel internationally so he could study mixed martial arts in Thailand. Instead, his psychiatrist suggested two weeks of travel might be a better bet.

“The treatment team would like to see some shorter ‘intermediate length’ trips prior to considering such an extended absence,” said a recent decision from the Ontario Review Board.

Da Costa’s psychiatrist “also agreed that it would be ‘preferable’ if any contemplated international trip be in the company of an approved person,” such as his mother.

The board “is unanimous in accepting that Mr. Da Costa represents a significant threat to the safety of the public,” said the decision.

“As submitted by (a lawyer representing the Attorney General of Ontario), this includes ‘the safety of the public everywhere.’”

The board acknowledged “that the terms of any disposition must be not only necessary and appropriate but at the same time, the least onerous and least restrictive.”

At some point in time it is necessary to “take the training wheels off,” Da Costa’s lawyer told the board.

The board “supports international travel on an itinerary approved by the person in charge while accompanied by an approved person for a period not exceeding 14 days,” said the decision dated Dec. 30, 2025.

Da Costa was found not criminally responsible on a charge of first degree murder in May 2019.

In December 2024, “Mr. Da Costa was ordered to be detained within the General Forensic Unit at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences with privileges up to and including residing in the community in supervised accommodation,” said the decision.

His psychiatrist told the board “it has been a good year for Mr. Da Costa. He has done well in the community and there have been no issues with his supported residence at Ballantyne House. He continues to work four days a week and is given (leave of absence) passes on weekends which he tends to spend with his mother.”

Da Costa called 911 on Dec. 18, 2015.

“He stated that he needed paramedics and police, that he had struck his father in the head with a hammer, and he believed that his father was dead. Mr. Da Costa was found covered in blood and he was arrested. His father, Richard Da Costa, was found dead in the basement, with a hammer beside him,” said the decision.

Da Costa had been thinking about killing his father for six months before he did it. “He reported that he had hidden a hammer in couch cushions. He knew that striking his father on the head would kill him. He stated that he hit his father from behind, while his father was carrying a television.”

Weeks before killing his father, Da Costa “agreed to attend the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Early Psychosis Program,” said the decision.

“He reported paranoid symptoms, including messages from the television and people reading his mind. He consistently reported that he did not enjoy living with his parents but refused to elaborate.”

Da Costa “met with an occupational therapist at the program,” four days before killing his dad, “apparently in an organized and cooperative fashion.”

Da Costa has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, cannabis use disorder, and alcohol use disorder, though the last two are in remission, said the decision.

“Da Costa’s risk for violence flows primarily from his underlying major mental illness, which, when active and under treated, has led to very serious violence. He continues to have some residual symptoms of auditory hallucinations, but these do not cause significant distress or impairment at this time.”

His psychiatrist told the board “Da Costa’s symptoms are nearly completely in remission,” but that he “continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.”

Da Costa is now “using the lockbox at his residence for medication distribution seven days a week. In other words, he is now 100 percent managing his own medication compliance,” said the decision.

His treatment team said Da Costa “no longer requires the high level of support provided at Ballantyne House and will be able to be managed in a less supportive residence,” said the decision. “Having said that, the treatment team do not believe that Mr. Da Costa is ready for a move to fully independent living as this would represent an unnecessary risk enhancing step.”

His psychiatrist said “that the next move will be to housing operated by Durham Mental Health Services in a less supervised home.”

Da Costa was 20 years old and living with his grandmother when he killed his dad.

“He described a happy childhood but admitted to suffering from mood problems, gender identity issues and having bad thoughts in his mid-teens, which impacted his interpersonal functioning. He admitted to using marijuana and drinking alcohol heavily at times throughout his adolescence.”

Da Costa told the board he stopped using marijuana “because of its impact on his schooling. He was not passing his grades at Humber College as he left class ‘to get high all the time.’ He stated that cannabis also ‘…agitated the voices.’ Mr. Da Costa reported also having experimented with MDMA, using it twice at age 18.”

Da Costa studied fitness and health promotion at Humber. “He stated that he enjoyed his classes, but he did not want to put in as much effort as was required. He also acknowledged missing many classes because, as he stated, ‘I was too preoccupied with getting high.’ He left Humber College after failing half of his courses in his first semester and he did not return to school afterwards. He has a limited employment history. He reported that he eventually lacked the motivation to work and lived off credit cards and his parents’ support. He reportedly ran up a $2,000 credit card debt from the purchase of alcohol.”

Da Costa used a pass to travel to British Columbia last summer, said the decision. “He also makes use of indirectly supervised passes to travel to his mother’s home on weekends. There has been no indication of substance use while Mr. Da Costa has been on approved trips.”

His psychiatrist “agreed that it was possible that Mr. Da Costa would be eligible for a 30-day trip within the next reporting year.”

Da Costa is waiting for a bed at a Durham Mental Health Services home.

“There have been no issues with violence or threats at his current residence. There have been no command hallucinations bothering Mr. Da Costa. He is aware of the symptoms of his major mental illness,” said the decision.

Da Costa’s “insight has improved over the course of the past year,” said his psychiatrist. “There have been no breaches of his abstinence condition.”

The board said that “as Mr. Da Costa moves to more independent living, his risk of stressors caused by financial responsibilities, employment and substance use may exacerbate residual symptoms of psychosis (leading) to violent behaviour. It is noted that Mr. Da Costa has historically coped with psychosocial stressors through substance use.”

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Doug Ford said Monday that Ontarians should “stock up” on Crown Royal, as it will be pulled from the shelves of LCBO stores next month. The decision was made in response to British liquor company Diageo announcing that it would be shuttering one of its factories in Ontario and moving it to the United States.

But Canadian researcher and professor Sylvain Charlebois told National Post that Ford’s move could adversely impact jobs in the rest of the country.

Here’s why the repercussions of the Crown Royal boycott may be more complicated than what Ford is saying.

Who will the Crown Royal boycott affect?

There are many Canadians who will continue to work on manufacturing Crown Royal whisky outside of Ontario. There are 1.5 million barrels in the company’s distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, at the edge of Lake Winnipeg. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the Valleyfield Distillery produces 28 million litres of alcohol, which includes Crown Royal, according to whiskey.com.

“Canadian farmers out of Manitoba support the production at the Gimli plant. And the Crown Royal that is being consumed in Canada is bottled out of Valleyfield, Quebec,” Charlebois said. He is currently a visiting scholar in food policy and distribution at McGill University.

“When you lose a customer like the LCBO, it will likely impact jobs in both Manitoba and Quebec. The LCBO is probably the largest client for the Valleyfield plant in Quebec,” he said.

“I suspect the Gimli plant is already talking to farmers, encouraging them not to change their minds, for example. Because right now, we’re in January, the ban could happen in February, and the last thing Gimli wants is to see a growing number of farmers giving up on the Gimli plant and planting something else.”

He added that it was likely that Gimli is “already working at supply chain, encouraging them, encouraging farmers to grow the supply they need to manufacture Crown Royal.”

It takes hundreds of Canadians to produce the Crown Royal whisky that appears on LCBO shelves, said United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada’s national president Barry Sawyer in an emailed statement to National Post. The UFCW represents the workers in Manitoba and Ontario.

“The plan to pull Crown Royal from the largest liquor market in Canada threatens these livelihoods, and attacks Canadian workers in a time when we need to stand together as a country,” said Sawyer.

The union told National Post that Diageo has not informed it of any “potential job losses at the Manitoba or Quebec distilleries, adding that “if cutbacks are proposed, our union will fight back.”

How are other provinces reacting?

Manitoba MP James Bezan urged Ford to “tear down interprovincial trade barriers and put Canada First.”

“Every drop of Crown Royal is made in Gimli, Manitoba using Manitoba grains and pure Interlake water. Our farmers and Crown Royal employees in Gimli are proud of their award winning whisky, Canada’s number one spirits export,” he wrote.

“If you go ahead with your threats, don’t be surprised if Manitoba pulls Ontario wine from our liquor markets.”

Ontario MP Roman Baber

agreed with Bezan on X

and pointed out “the harm” of Ford’s messaging.

In response to Baber, Bezan

posted on X again

, in agreement on Thursday morning: “This is a terrible decision by Doug Ford and will only hurt Canada. Does Ford want to start a trade war with other provinces or will he finally put Canada first? I’m sure he doesn’t want to see Ontario wine taken off the shelves in Manitoba.”

Not only could pulling Crown Royal from LCBO stores cause a battle between provinces, Charlebois said, it could also dissuade major companies from wanting to do business with Canada.

“Diageo is such a huge player. If a premier in Canada, if a country, allows to this to happen, and considers that political retaliation is fair game when a company makes a decision that actually irks a politician, it won’t be a good signal to send to the rest of the world when it comes to growing our economy, especially the agri-food economy,” he said.

Why did Ford decide to pull Crown Royal from LCBO stores?

Ford made headlines in September when

he poured out a bottle of Crown Royal

at a news conference in reaction to Diageo’s announcement that they would be closing its Ontario plant. This week, he told reporters that as soon as the plant closes, which is expected to be in February, he would pull the Canadian-made liquor from LCBO shelves.

“They’re doing a little production there in Quebec, too,” he said, “but it’s all a bunch of BS.”

He said that the entire production was likely to end up moving to Alabama, and that Diageo did not follow through on its plans for a distillery in St. Clair Township, in southwestern Ontario. The township’s mayor said the plans were still on hold as of August 2025, the

Windsor Star reported

.

“We’re going to bring new products, new opportunities to that jurisdiction and we’re going to move forward. As simple as that,” said Ford this week. “The message to everyone else: Don’t try to hurt Ontario, especially if we’re your number one customer. You’ll be held accountable.”

Speaking on Thursday,

Ford defended his decision

.

He was asked whether or not it should be up to Ontarians to decide what liquor to buy and was told that he has been accused of weaponizing the LCBO.

“I call it protecting jobs in Ontario. That’s what I call it. And we’re going to do everything we can to protect jobs. Why don’t people try J.P. Wiser? Why don’t we try some great Hiram Walker? Why don’t we go get some Forty Creek Whisky? I hear that’s really good stuff, too,” he said.

“So, when you want to … basically go after Ontarians and ship it down to the U.S., make no mistake about it. You think it’s going to Winnipeg. You think it’s going to Quebec. It’s going down to Alabama to be produced. And I will fight all day long to protect the jobs for Ontarians.”

In a

September 2025 news release

, Unifor, the union for the workers in Ontario, said it was “concerned that once Diageo alters the made-in-Canada process for Crown Royal, it will continue to shift jobs south of the border.”

Ford also commented on a discussion he had with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.

“He understands I got to protect jobs here. But I also informed them this is all going down to Alabama,” Ford said. “Whatever we’re producing here in Ontario, they aren’t going to make up the difference in Manitoba or Quebec. So, I got to protect Ontario as he wants to protect Manitoba”

• Video shows Doug Ford pouring out a bottle of Crown Royal over decision to close Ontario plant
• With U.S. liquor stripped from shelves, here are 6 of the best whiskies to ‘buy Canadian’

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.