Toronto Police Services responded to a break-and-enter call from Kehillat Sharei Torah synagogue in Toronto, Ont. at 3:52 a.m. on Friday.
When officers arrived at the synagogue on Bayview Avenue and Fifeshire Road, they discovered five windows were damaged.
According to the police, there was no graffiti found and nothing was stolen from the location.
The representative said the police are still canvasing security footage to get the suspect’s description.
Individuals and organizations who are concerned with the rise of antisemitism took to X to weigh in on what they believe is another example of hate in the community.
Dr. David Jacobs in a post said “In happier times, they post funny messages on the sign out front. Today the sign reads, “Bring all of the hostages home.” For that, they got a rock through their window.
The Jewish rights group B’nai Brith Canada spoke out as well.
The group called the act of vandalism “callous hate” and said it was the result of the “emboldening silence on the part of our authorities.”
According to the TPS’ annual hate crimes report for 2022, antisemitism was one of the most reported hate crimes in the city, the Jewish community along with the Black community were the most frequently victimized groups for hate-motivated mischief to property.
Early this week accusations of antisemitism were levied after MPP Robin Martin’s office was vandalized by anti-Israel protesters, and B’nai Brith raised awareness of a surge in what they said was antisemitism following Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel.
A representative for the TPS told True North the motive for the incident is yet to be determined and the investigation is ongoing.
