MONTREAL — Jewish leaders called on Montrealers to denounce attacks against Jews, after a synagogue in a suburb was allegedly firebombed early Wednesday morning — the second apparent arson attack on the house of worship in a little more than one year.
Across the street, a window and glass door were smashed at the offices Federation CJA, a Jewish community group — also the second time that building was targeted in the last 13 months.
No injuries were reported in either incident in the on-island suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, and the overall damage to the buildings were minor, police said, but the fire and smashed glass represent the latest in a series of violent acts aimed at Montreal's Jewish community since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October last year.
"This vile act of violence … is a direct assault on the Jewish community as well as a stark reminder of the alarming rise in antisemitism and hate crimes targeting Jews across Canada," Michael Levitt, president and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, a Jewish human rights activist organization, said in a statement.
"Such attacks cannot be ignored or dismissed as isolated incidents, nor can we allow these attacks to become the new normal."
Early Wednesday morning, shortly before 3 a.m., Montreal police received a 911 call about a fire at the Congregation Beth Tikvah in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, police spokesperson VĂ©ronique Dubuc said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found an incendiary device at the scene. Dubuc said one window of the synagogue was smashed and the door to the building was damaged.
“Witnesses told us that they saw one suspect that was leaving rapidly shortly after the fire started,” she said, adding that the building was damaged by smoke but the overall consequences of the fire were minor.
Dubuc said police have not yet determined whether the fire constitutes a hate crime.
The neighbourhood features several Jewish institutions, with the synagogue located in the same building complex as Hebrew Foundation School, which educates students from preschool to Grade 6.
At around 7:20 a.m., officers at the scene of the fire noticed a smashed window and a damaged glass door of a nearby building belonging to the Federation CJA. Dubuc said police did not find an incendiary device at the second location and are investigating a possible link between the two incidents.
“It looks like it could be related,” she said.
Yair Szlak, Federation CJA president and CEO, said hateful incidents targeting the city's Jewish community have "skyrocketed" since the Oct. 7, 2023 start to the war between Israel and Hamas. With the Jewish festival of Hanukkah one week away, Szlak said in an interview he has been assured that police will step up their presence around the city's Jewish institutions.
On X, Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said such "acts have no place in Quebec." He confirmed Montreal police will increase their presence in the neighbourhood to try to put the community at ease.
And while Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante took to X saying, "it’s intolerable that Montrealers live in insecurity because of their religion," Szlak said the mayor needs to be more active in calling out antisemitic attacks in the city, especially during protests.
The repeated targeting of synagogues and other institutions important to Jewish life must be condemned by Montrealers of all backgrounds, he said.
"I think that's an important message that needs to be given to the Jewish community today and to those who are perpetrating these cowardly attacks in the middle of the night to create intimidation and hate against the Jewish community," Szlak said.
In November 2023, Congregation Beth Tikvah and the offices of Federation CJA were hit by incendiary devices, causing minor damage. No one was injured in the attacks, and Dubuc on Wednesday said police have not made arrests in that case.
Also in November 2023, two Jewish schools were struck by gunfire, one of them twice in one week, while the Jewish Community Council was firebombed later that month, according to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. In May 2024, a building in the city housing a Jewish school and synagogue was also fired upon.
Altogether, Montreal police count a total of 318 crimes and hateful incidents toward the Jewish and Arab-Muslim communities since Oct. 7, 2023 — 237 against the Jewish community and 81 against the Arab-Muslim community.
Also on X, B’nai Brith Canada said, "This repeated targeting of Jewish institutions is a direct result of a permissive environment where antisemitism is allowed to fester unchecked." The group called for “stronger enforcement of hate crime laws” as well as “action to combat antisemitism in education and on university campuses."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the targeting of the Jewish institutions on Wednesday, saying on X, "This vile antisemitic attack against Montreal’s Jewish community is cowardly and criminal."
"I trust the perpetrators behind this hateful act will be quickly brought to justice."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2024.
Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press
