On Thursday (9th November), two Jewish facilities in Montreal, Canada were attacked by assailants days after the violent confrontation between the pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups at Concordia University. Two Jewish schools Yeshiva Gedolah and Talmud Torah Elementary School were attacked by assailants who opened fire at the schools in a deliberate attempt.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 9, 2023
Terror attack in Montreal, Canada
Unknown assailant fires a gun at 2 Jewish facilities – Yeshiva Gedolah and Talmud Torah Elementary School.
🇨🇦🇮🇱pic.twitter.com/jfxFvwZlyj
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took cognizance of the event and condemned the attack. “The reports of overnight shootings at Jewish schools in Montreal are horrifying. I condemn these violent acts of antisemitism in the strongest terms possible – and I want to be clear: This hate has no place in Canada, and we must all stand united against it,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
The reports of overnight shootings at Jewish schools in Montreal are horrifying. I condemn these violent acts of antisemitism in the strongest terms possible – and I want to be clear: This hate has no place in Canada, and we must all stand united against it.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 9, 2023
According to the initial reports, the incident is said to have happened on Thursday (9th November). Earlier on Monday (6th November), a West Island synagogue and Jewish community center were targeted by firebombs.
Tensions have spiked since 7th October when more than 1,400 Israelis, many of them civilians, were murdered in an attack from Gaza by Hamas, which the Canadian government describes as a radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization.
Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas after the brutal terrorist attack has sparked reactions and violent protests all across the Western world, where pro-Hamas and pro-Islamist groups have been blaming Israel and condemning its bombing on Gaza.
Jewish communities seek government and public help
“Schools are a place where we send our most treasured possessions — our children. No child in Montreal should see their place of learning targeted by a weapon created to kill. It’s odious and evil. Our community has 250 years of history in Quebec. We are proud, we are Quebecers, we’re not going anywhere. This attempted campaign of terror against us will not succeed,” said Eta Yudin, Quebec vice president at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
The attack on the schools, according to Yudin, is all the more traumatic since it occurred on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, an outbreak of anti-Jewish violence in 1938 that signified the start of the Holocaust.
Meanwhile, Yair Szlak, the CEO of Federation CJA, another Jewish organization also commented on the issue and asked the government to help in the case. “If we don’t name what is wrong in society today, antisemitism will continue to fester, hate will continue to grow. We need everybody around us to say, ‘Enough is enough — we can no longer stand quietly as Jewish hate perpetuates in our streets,” he was quoted as saying by the Montreal Gazette.
Montreal Police searching for clues
The police officers are searching for clues at the Yeshiva Gedola-Merkaz Hatorah school after shots were fired at two Jewish schools Thursday (9th November). Montreal police say two Jewish schools in the city were hit overnight by gunshots. “Nobody was inside at the time of the shootings,” the officers confirmed.
Vincent Richer, the assistant director general of the Montreal police department further stated that the police officers have decided to increase their visibility at areas of significance for the targeted communities. “I wish to remind everyone that hateful acts are unacceptable and we take them seriously. They are prohibited by the Criminal Code. Montreal police are in close contact with representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities. Anyone feeling harassed or witnessing such acts should call 911,” the ADGP said.
Rise of Antisemitism in US and Canada
Anti-semitism has been surging in the US and Canada since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on 7th October. OpIndia reported last month how Jewish students in several countries including the US were attacked and harassed by Hamas supporters at various universities. On 30th October, a Cornell University student was arrested for circulating horrendous anti-Jewish death threats over the campus. Before this, on 25th October, Jewish students at Cooper Union College in the United States were kept locked in the library at night by a security team as a precaution against a pro-Palestinian mob that attempted to burst through the doors.
Recently on Sunday (5th November), a 65-year-old Jewish man was killed after an anti-Israeli protestor hit him on the head with a megaphone. The incident took place at a pro-Palestine rally in the Westlake Village area in North Los Angeles city in the United States.
Also, a Jewish woman was stabbed at her residence in Lyon city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. As per reports, the unidentified attacker stabbed the victim twice in the abdomen. He also drew the Nazi symbol (also called Hakenkreuz or hooked cross) on the door of the apartment. The assailant, who was wearing all black, managed to flee the crime scene.
Hate crimes up since 7th October in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, say Police
Earlier, on 3rd November, Ottawa Police said in a statement to CBC News that reports of hate crimes had gone up in several Canadian cities since 7th October when Hamas launched its brutal attack on Israel, including spikes of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Toronto and Montreal.
Police in Toronto, which has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Canada, said hate crime reports were over twice as high for much of October compared to the same period last year. Myron Demkiw, the city’s police chief, stated there were 15 noted antisemitic hate crimes from 7th October to 25th October, compared to seven in 2022 and three in 2021.
TPS is investigating two hate-motivated incidents involving mezuzahs. In one incident a mezuzah was stolen, in the second, hateful remarks were made. Call 4168082222 if you experience any intimidation, harassment, or hateful behaviour.
— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) October 24, 2023
Demkiw also stated that five Islamophobic hate crimes had been reported between 7th and 25th of October this year. There were none in 2022, and only one in 2021. Demkiw characterized what he found as “a very significant rise.”
For the same time period, Montreal police indicated 14 and 38 hate crimes against the Arab-Muslim and Jewish communities, respectively. In 2022, there were a total of 50 hate crimes targeting religion and 21 non-criminal hate “incidents” for the entire year.
In Ottawa, police recorded 29 hate-motivated instances between after 7th of October and the 23rd of October. They were unable to provide data from the previous year, but the majority of the 29 incidents “are somewhat linked to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza area,” Cailey Walker, the service’s spokesperson was quoted as saying.
According to Matt Messenger, Calgary police hate crimes coordinator, “11 files came in after just two weeks of the attack by Hamas. Situations that cause an increase in hate crimes usually only have a short-term impact. However, according to Messenger, these hate crimes do not appear to be abating.
“It’s been spread out since 7th October whereas in previous years … we’ve seen a bulk of files come in the first couple days and kind of fade away,” he said.
Anti-semitism and its history
Antisemitism refers to prejudice or hatred of Jews. The most extreme instance of antisemitism in history occurred during the Holocaust, which was the state-sponsored persecution and murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies between 1933 and 1945.
Pogroms, which were violent riots against Jews that were often incited by the government, were among the most prevalent examples of antisemitism throughout history. Blood libels—false rumors that Jews used the blood of Christian children for ritual purposes—were frequently used to incite pogroms.
The Nazi Party, established in 1919, gave political expression to racist theories. Propaganda against Jews played a part in the Party’s rise to prominence.
Following the Nazi party’s rise to power in 1933, anti-Jewish economic boycotts, book burnings, and legislation targeting the Jewish community were all enacted. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 established a racial hierarchy by classifying Jews according to their “blood.”
The Nazis demolished synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses’ storefronts across Germany and Austria on the evening of 9h November 1938, in what is now known as the Kristallnacht pogrom. This incident signaled the start of a destructive period when Nazi antisemitism concentrated solely on genocide.
