Vancouver synagogue holding service after arson attack

A Vancouver synagogue is set to hold its first service after an arson attack charred the building's front door and left the Jewish community shaken.

A Vancouver synagogue is set to hold its first service after an arson attack charred the building's front door and left the Jewish community shaken.

Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt says he anticipates the Schara Tzedeck synagogue on Oak Street will be "fuller than usual" today for Sabbath and he's encouraging members of the congregation to turn out.

Rosenblatt says the arson attack in which someone used an accelerant to set a fire at the synagogue's front door on Thursday night was a "cowardly" act.

He says the more worshippers who fill the building, the better the deterrent against a repeat.

Vancouver police say they are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime and are mobilizing at Jewish sites around the city.

The fire, which Rosenblatt says was put out by a synagogue member with his jacket, blackened the door and left a strong smell of burning inside.

The attack comes after bullet holes were found at two Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto in recent days.