BURST
A Toronto synagogue was hit and damaged by gunfire Monday night in what police are investigating as a “targeting incident” and potential hate crime.
Toronto Police Service officers were dispatched to Temple Emanu-El on Old Colony Road in North York just before 11 p.m. on reports of gunshots and located “evidence of gunfire” at the scene.
No injuries were reported, but the police said the building suffered undisclosed damage.
While no suspect description is available, a police spokesperson told National Post the investigation is being led by the TPS integrated gun and gang task force with assistance from the hate crime unit.
“We have also increased patrols in the area,” media relations officer Stephanie Miceli wrote in an email.
On Saturday, after conflict erupted in the Middle East, York Regional Police said it would also be increasing its presence “ near faith-based institutions, community centres, schools and other public gathering places.”
“These patrols are proactive and are intended to deter any potential criminal or hate-motivated activity prompted by events overseas,” YRP wrote in a press release.
National Post has contacted Temple Emanu-El for comment.
The latest attack on a Jewish site in the city drew condemnation and calls for swift action from advocates and leaders.
Michael Levitt, president and CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies in Toronto, said he was “horrified waking up” to the shooting, which he said is clearly “antisemitic violence.”
“For months, the warning signs have been there. The threats. The normalization. The excuses. When antisemitism is tolerated or minimized, it escalates. It always does,” he wrote on X.
“This is not just an attack on Jews. It is an attack on who we are as a country. On the promise that people of every faith can gather openly and safely.”
He said there must be legal consequences and all levels of government have to start treating antisemitic violence “as the serious national threat it is.”
Deputy Conservative Party of Canada Leader Melissa Lantsman was more critical of government leaders.
“Who could have possibly seen this coming after years of governments at every level doing absolutely nothing while hate festered openly in our streets for more than two years,” the Toronto-area member of parliament posted on X.
“Inaction is a choice and it has consequences. Restore safety. Do your jobs. Find these thugs before someone gets hurt.”
Liberal MP Maggie Chi was also “horrified” by the news.
“This violence and antisemitism is disgraceful and has no place in Don Valley North,” she shared on X.
York Centre councillor James Pasternak, meanwhile, wrote on X that he was “shocked by the growing violence and hate” in the city and urged police, the RCMP and the province to restore “civility and safety.”
“The Jewish Security Network of Greater Toronto is advising the community to exercise heightened vigilance and awareness at this time,” the UJA Federation in Toronto stated on Facebook .
“As we continue to liaise with law enforcement, community members can expect to see increased security measures.”
Avi Abraham Benlolo, president and CEO of Abraham Global Peace Initiative, said on X that the organization also condemns the attack.
TPS urges anyone with information on this incident to contact them or Crime Stoppers.
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