An incident of antisemitism occurred in Vancouver, British Columbia, where an incendiary device was thrown at the front doors of a synagogue, as reported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the act, labeling it as a 'disgusting act of antisemitism.'
The Vancouver police are investigating the case as an act of arson and a possible hate crime. The incident took place at the Schara Tzedeck synagogue around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the damage was minor.
The federation described the incident as a deliberate act of hate and an attempt to intimidate the Jewish community. Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt recounted that individuals inside the synagogue heard a loud noise around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday. A passerby alerted them to the fire outside, prompting a member of the synagogue to extinguish the flames with his jacket.
Following a search by the Vancouver Police Department and a fire inspector, the building was deemed safe to reopen. Additional police patrols have been deployed to safeguard local Jewish institutions in response to the incident.
This incident comes in the wake of recent occurrences where bullet holes were discovered at two Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto. Prime Minister Trudeau expressed his dismay over the Vancouver synagogue attack, emphasizing the need to combat hate and violence, stating, 'We cannot let this hate or these acts of violence stand. This is not the Canada we want to be.'
