The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says an “incendiary device” was thrown at the front doors of a synagogue in the city and police are investigating.
It said in a statement online that the incident occurred at the Schara Tzedeck synagogue on Oak Street at around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and that damage was minor and no one was hurt.
The federation called the alleged incident a “deliberate act of hate” and an “attempt to intimidate” the Jewish community.
Canada’s special envoy for combating antisemitism, Deborah Lyons, called it “horrible news” and said on social media that “incendiary rhetoric leads to incendiary violence.”
The federation said the Vancouver Police Department and a fire inspector searched the building before declaring it safe to be reopened.
Vancouver police said Friday (May 31) that it is investigating the incident as an arson, while also sending additional officers to Jewish community centres, schools and religious institutions. It is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
“This fire was intentionally set at a place of worship for the Jewish community,” Const. Tania Visintin said. “While we collect evidence to identify the person responsible, we’re also working closely with faith leaders and community members to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Visintin said investigators believe an accelerant was used to light a fire at the front of the building, but it was put out by members of the synagogue before it could spread.
The incident comes after bullet holes were found at two Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto in recent days.
Lyons said on social-media platform X that it is “past time to stand up” against the incidents.
“Three Jewish institutions in three major cities this week have been attacked, and more over the months since Hamas’s horrific massacre on Oct. 7. There is no excuse for silence or inaction,” she said.
She said the law must be enforced and “incidents of hate” could not go unanswered.
“It means that incitement and violent rhetoric must be met with consequences. It means that capitulation to unreasonable or threatening demands must end,” she said.
Premier David Eby Friday (May 31) said Thursday’s attack on the Schara Tzedeck synagogue was a “hate crime” that aimed to “terrorize” people in a place of worship. He added that he and all British Columbia stand in “solidarity” with B.C.’s Jewish community following this “reprehensible” attack. “Our government will ensure police have all the tools they need to investigate and arrest those involved,” he added in a release.
The alleged Vancouver attack comes after incidents at a building housing a Jewish school and synagogue in Montreal, and at a Toronto Jewish girls school. Nobody was hurt in either incident.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center described the shooting in Montreal as “the latest in an unrelenting wave of antisemitic incidents in Canada since last Oct. 7,” the day the Israel-Hamas war was triggered by a deadly Hamas attack on Israel.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the Montreal and Toronto incidents and promised that law enforcement was working to ensure those responsible would be caught.
He said they were “vile and despicable acts of antisemitism.”
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– With files from Black Press Media
