'Enough is enough,' say Jewish groups after rock smashes synagogue window in London, Ont.
CBC
Jewish groups are condemning an act of vandalism at a London, Ont., synagogue calling it deeply troubling and demanding action from police and politicians.
The London Jewish Federation posted a photo on social media Friday of a hole in a window at the Beth Tefilah Orthodox synagogue, located along Adelaide Street North near Kipps Lane, where a rock had smashed it.
"This attack on a place of worship is deeply troubling and an affront to the Canadian values of respect and community," the group's post reads. "This incident is not isolated; it follows a disturbing trend of rising antisemitism and vandalism against synagogues across Canada. Such acts of hate and intolerance have no place in our society."
London police launched an investigation after the incident was reported Friday morning, and later confirmed the damage happened sometime between midnight and 8 a.m. the same day. Police spokesperson Sandasha Bough said a rock had been located nearby.
Rabbi Lazer Gurkow of Beth Tefilah said he learned of the damage around 8:45 a.m. Friday, noting the window was intact as of midnight. He declined to comment further, citing the investigation.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre (FSWC), a Toronto-based Jewish human rights organization, said it was disturbed by the incident, saying "this is not the Canada we know and love."
"Our public leaders vow 'never again,' yet attacks on Jewish institutions happen again and again. Enough is enough!" the group said in a social media post.
"It doesn't seem that there's any place that is safe from the wave of antisemitic hatred ... washing over us here in Canada," said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, FSWC's senior director of advocacy and policy.
"The kind of ferocity of hatred that we're seeing is surely linked to the war taking place in the Middle East, which has not much to do with the Jews that live here in Canada," she said.
The group, she said, was grateful to learn police responded quickly and are investigating, but called on political leaders to take concrete action to address the issue.
"We've heard a lot of nice words from politicians at all levels about how they stand against hatred, they stand against antisemitism, and that's great, but it's been clear for a while now that the problem is escalating."
Incidents of graffiti, broken windows, assaults and threats have been reported at synagogues over the last several months in cities including Fredericton, Kitchener, North York, Toronto and Vancouver.
In other incidents, Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto have been targeted by gunfire, while in March a Toronto councillor's office was hit with antisemitic threats. In January, a Jewish-owned business in the city was spray-painted and set on fire.
Police departments across Canada, including in London, have reported rising hate crime rates.
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