by JNS Staff
“Expressions of concern must now be accompanied by decisive action,” said Israel’s consul-general in Toronto.
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Israel’s consul-general in Toronto on Saturday urged the Canadian government to take “decisive action” after two Canadian synagogues were attacked within 24 hours.
The assaults on Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal and Congregation Mishkan Avraham in Toronto came “only days after Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly acknowledged that Canada is facing a severe antisemitism crisis and that Jewish Canadians are being disproportionately targeted,” Consul-General Idit Shamir wrote on X.
“These recent attacks demonstrate precisely why expressions of concern must now be accompanied by decisive action,” she added.
According to Shamir, the Jewish community has spent the past 2.5 years attending “countless announcements, roundtables, and consultations.”
“Yet synagogues are still being shot at. Firebombs are still being thrown,” she said. “Jewish schools, community institutions, and places of worship continue to require extraordinary security measures simply to function.”
The Consulate General of Israel in Toronto and Western Canada strongly condemns the antisemitic attack against Congregation Mishkan Avraham in Toronto, where an object was thrown at the synagogue, shattering a window and causing damage to the building.
— CG Idit Shamir 🇨🇦🇮🇱 (@ShamirIdit) June 6, 2026
Yesterday, in Montreal,… pic.twitter.com/Y1qhZELwQb
Montreal police arrested a suspect Friday morning after an overnight arson attack targeting Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom. Canada’s CBC public broadcaster identified the suspect as Steven Luu, 38.
There were no injuries in the attack on the synagogue, which suffered minor damage before the blaze was extinguished. A window was also smashed, local media reported.
Over the weekend, a window at Toronto’s Congregation Mishkan Avraham was smashed with an unidentified object, in what local police are investigating as a possible hate crime, authorities said.
“We commend law enforcement agencies for their swift response and ongoing investigations,” Shamir tweeted. “Those responsible for these attacks must be identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable.”
“A synagogue should never become a crime scene. A community should never have to wonder which Jewish institution will be attacked next. The time for symbolic gestures has passed. Canada must demonstrate, through concrete action, that antisemitic violence will be confronted with the full force of the law,” she declared.
Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed denounced the attacks as “appalling, alarming, disgusting and shameful beyond words.”
“There cannot be any misunderstanding: demonizing Israel, legitimizing Israel, dehumanizing Israel all lead to unchecked intimidation, to extreme violence and even to destruction,” he wrote on X.
“Words matter, but also—the lack of words! Silence is not an option. Speak up and call this hate out!! Stand up against antisemitism!!” Moed concluded.
🚩Appalling, alarming, disgusting and shameful beyond words! Today in Toronto, yet another Jewish community has been targeted!
— Iddo Moed (@MoedIddo) June 6, 2026
There cannot be any misunderstanding: demonising Israel, delegitimising Israel, dehumanising Israel all lead to unchecked intimidation, to extreme… https://t.co/E8G8UZSXNy
Moed told JNS in an interview on Tuesday that there is a connection between sustained, sharp criticism of Israel by the Canadian government and a rise in antisemitic incidents fueled by extremists.
“I don’t think this government is antisemitic, but I do think that continued criticism of Israel, along with neglecting to voice support in principle for the relationship, has an impact on antisemitism,” said the envoy.
Antisemitic hatred has surged in Canada since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, culminating in violent assaults, terrorist plots and shootings and firebombings targeting synagogues, schools, businesses and community centers.
A recent B’nai Brith Canada audit recorded 6,800 Jew-hatred incidents in 2025, about a 9% increase over 2024 and some 145% more than in 2022. The largest share of the incidents occurred in Ontario, per B’nai Brith’s statistics.
The Jewish organization has already recorded more incidents of violent antisemitism so far in 2026 than it did in all of 2025.
JNS Staff
Source: https://www.jns.org/news/antisemitism/israeli-diplomat-urges-action-after-two-canadian-synagogues-attacked-in-24-hours
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