Real estate company RE/MAX says it’s no longer affiliated with a Vaughan-based realtor who appeared to make light of the Israel-Hamas war on his social media pages.
Vadim Vilensky of Realtron Vadim Vilensky Realty shared a message on Facebook, X and Instagram over the weekend above a photo of Gaza, which was bombed. The photo read, “Off market. 130 square miles, oceanfront lot. No utility. No power/water.”
Vilensky captioned it and wrote, “Coming soon to the market,” with two laughing-face emojis.
The social media post quickly garnered significant reaction online, with many calling for the realtor to be fired. Vilensky’s social media accounts, including LinkedIn, appear to have been deleted or disabled.
The death toll in Gaza since Israel declared war has risen to 3,785 Palestinians killed, including 1,524 children, 1,000 women and 120 older people, the Gaza Health Ministry said. In addition, 12,493 others have been wounded, including 3,983 children and 3,300 women.
A RE/MAX spokesperson said on Thursday it had completed an internal investigation and confirmed that Vilensky, who served clients in Woodbridge, North York, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, was no longer employed with the company.
“As an update to our earlier statement, please be advised that Vadim Vilensky is no longer affiliated with RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc.,” they wrote.
“The legal and operational changes to fully affect this decision are underway and are expected to be complete within 10 days.”
Vilensky has since issued a lengthy apology, calling his actions a “severe lack of judgment” and a “terrible mistake.”
“In a moment of misjudgment and overwhelming emotions due to the ongoing war in Israel, I carelessly shared a post on my personal social media pages that showed destroyed buildings in Gaza, along with inappropriate laughing emojis,” Vilensky wrote.
“I want to sincerely apologize for the pain and hurt that this post has caused. I deeply regret this, as this absolutely does not represent my true feelings about this extremely sensitive and horrible global issue.”
An online petition was created last week, demanding that the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) revoke Vilensky’s credentials as a real estate agent.
“Vadim’s post hurt too many Canadians and is not something that other realtors in the profession would appreciate…,” the petition’s description reads.