Two local synagogues among eight in Canada to get hate mail

B’nai Brith Canada now says at least eight synagogues across Canada have been hit with antiSemitic hate mail, including two in Montreal.

Montreal police announced earlier Tuesday that they had opened an investigation into “Jewry must perish” messages received this week by the Beth Ora and Shaare Zedek synagogues. The messages, sent during the celebration of Hanukkah, depict a bleeding Star of David covered by a swastika.

At a press conference Tuesday, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante confirmed the city is taking the threats seriously.

“It’s all our responsibility, from politicians to journalists to citizens, to pay attention to rumours, to be vigilant,” she said. “This is not who we are. We are a tolerant and inclusive city.”

A Toronto synagogue — Adath Israel Congregation — received the same message and local police have launched a probe of the incident. Synagogues in Edmonton and Hamilton also received the messages, B’nai Brith said. In a statement issued Monday, the group’s regional director for Quebec, Harvey Levine, urged Quebecers and Canadians to stand in solidarity with the city’s Jewish community “in the wake of this reprehensible activity.”

“It’s really unfortunate that, at this time of year, with the Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah ... you have a message of targeted hate that’s going out to religious institutions across the country,” B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn said.

“It’s sad to see and it’s actually quite terrifying for the individuals opening these letters with hateful genocidal messages.”

Police in all four cities confirmed they were investigating the letters.

Officers are “absolutely” treating the incidents as hate crimes, said Staff Sgt. Frank Partridge of 32 Division in North Toronto, where one of the targeted synagogues is located.

“This is something that’s happening in real time — today, yesterday — it’s happening in (other cities) so there’s a linkage there,” Partridge said.

“Starting tomorrow, I’m having my officers go out and pay special attention to the synagogues and other Jewish facilities ... You’ve got to be proactive about this.”

There were 1,728 anti-Semitic incidents reported throughout Canada in 2016, according to B’nai Brith’s statistics. That’s a 26 per cent increase from 2015 and the highest number of incidents recorded by the organization, which has been tracking anti-Semitism for 35 years.

B’nai Brith does not yet have anti-Semitism statistics for 2017.

Black Canadians were the group most targeted by hate crimes in 2015 — the most recent year for which Statistics Canada has published data.

Jews were the most-targeted religious group, followed closely by Muslims, according to StatCan.

“Unfortunately some (people) feel emboldened at this moment in history to express hate toward identifiable groups and Jews in particular,” Mostyn said, pointing to the high-profile neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this year, and a series of anti-Semitic posters put up on university campuses in Canada.