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Montreal synagogue targeted in antisemitic attack for second time in a year

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A man was arrested in Montreal for allegedly attempting to set fire to a synagogue, marking the second such incident at the same location within a year.
  • The suspect reportedly broke a window to start the fire, but emergency responders contained the damage and no one was injured.
  • The incident occurs as Canada grapples with a rise in antisemitism, with the Prime Minister recently establishing a council to combat the issue.

Montreal police apprehended a 38-year-old man Thursday night on suspicion of attempting an arson attack at the Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount, Quebec. The incident, reported Friday by Canadian media, involved the suspect allegedly breaking a window to start a fire inside the synagogue around midnight.

Responding requires being proactive, not reactive. Naming the ways in which external conflicts are being imported. Recognizing that while criticism of Israel can be legitimate, when the Jewish State and those who love it are libeled, violence against Jews is the result.

— Rabbi Lisa GrushcowIn an email to her congregation following the attempted attack.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene after receiving a 911 call. While the building sustained minor damage, no injuries were reported. This attempted attack follows a similar incident last year when the same synagogue was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

Politicians need courage. Law enforcement needs support. Neighborhoods need good neighbors.

— Rabbi Lisa GrushcowIn an email to her congregation following the attempted attack.

Rabbi Lisa Grushcow addressed her congregation after the incident, emphasizing the need for proactive measures against antisemitism. She stated that external conflicts are being imported and that violence against Jews can result from libeling the Jewish state. "Politicians need courage. Law enforcement needs support. Neighborhoods need good neighbors," she wrote in an email.

crisis of antisemitism

— Prime Minister Mark CarneyDescribing the state of antisemitism in Canada in a speech introducing a new federal advisory council.

The attempted arson occurs amid heightened concerns about antisemitism in Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently launched a federal advisory council to combat the issue, describing Canada as facing a "crisis of antisemitism" that has surged to unprecedented post-war levels. Government data indicates that approximately 70% of religion-based hate crimes reported in 2024 targeted the Jewish community, despite it comprising only about 1% of Canada's population.

surged to levels not seen in the post-war period

— Prime Minister Mark CarneyDescribing the surge in antisemitism in Canada.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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