Montreal Police are investigating two cases of attempted arson on Tuesday, one at Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue on the West Island, the other at the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a Zionist advocacy group affiliated with the Jewish Federations of Canada.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, Montreal police tallied 48 reported hate incidents against Jews and 17 against Arabs, compared with 2022, when Montreal police tallied 72 hate crimes against all groups in the entire year.
The Police reported that the incendiary devices caused minor damage to the front door of the synagogue, and the back door of the CIJA building nearby.
A spokesperson with Montreal police said: “During the night, an incendiary object was thrown through the front door” of the synagogue. As to the community center, she said, “There is minor damage. The investigation is ongoing.”
CTV News Montreal interviewed Henry Topas, B’nai Brith Canada’s Quebec regional director who is also a cantor at Congregation Beth Tikvah, who said: “We were shocked to find the remnants of what appears to be a Molotov cocktail thrown at the front door.”
B’nai Brith Canada said it was “outraged and concerned.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “The attempted arson at Federation CJA West Island and Congregation Beth Tikvah in Montreal is deeply disturbing. Antisemitism is completely unacceptable and must always be condemned – our government will continue to work with Jewish communities to combat this hatred.”
On October 17, PM Trudeau spoke about the significant rise in antisemitism in Canada following the Hamas attack on Israel, telling a conference on fighting antisemitism: “Since this conflict broke out, there has been a very scary rise of antisemitism here at home.”
But he also insisted that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, nor their legitimate aspirations. They do not speak for Muslim or Arab communities, and they do not represent the better futures that Palestinians or their children deserve.”
So, it must mean that some Hamas terrorists managed to sneak out of the Gaza Strip to plant those Molotov cocktails outside those two Jewish institutions. The sheer ingenuity of the thing!
