Canada: Jewish seniors ‘shocked’ after mezuzahs pried off doorways

A number of mezuzahs were torn from the doorways of Jewish seniors’ homes in an apartment building in North York, Toronto, Canada on Saturday.

Toronto police’s Hate Crime Unit launched an investigation into the matter, according to CTVNews.

No leads about the culprits were communicated to the public.

Toronto City Councilor James Pasternak tweeted that the vandalism was “an act of hate directed at Jewish residents—seniors who deserve safety, stability, and dignity in their own homes. There is no excuse for targeting people because they are Jewish.”

He added: “Toronto cannot look the other way while seniors are intimidated in their hallways. We will continue working with residents, Toronto Seniors Housing, and police until safety is restored.”

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the incident “outrageous and [a] vile act of antisemitism.

“Jewish Torontonians deserve to live in peace and safety. Thank you Councillor Pasternak for connecting residents to the police who are investigating,” she wrote on X.

Speaking to channel CP24 later on Sunday night, Pasternak said that the Jewish elders in the residential building “were shocked and dismayed that this kind of antisemitism and hate would be in our city.”

They “always felt that their building was welcoming and safe. They chose that building because of its community,” Pasternak remarked.

He moreover noted that the Jewish tenants attend a small synagogue within the building on a daily basis, and have “always lived their lives openly, celebrated their religion, and their history. And so, this is a major shock that someone would go through the night ripping off or tearing off these mezuzahs, and they were fixed very strongly so it’s not an easy task to pry off.”

B’nai Brith Canada responded to the incident, stating on X that the Jewish organization has “engaged municipal leaders and the Toronto Police after being made aware” of the vandalism.

The historic NGO said that the act “is yet another example of the consequences of the antisemitic environment that has been allowed to fester.”

It further charged the city’s “permissive” response to the rising levels of incitement against the Jewish community, describing the “inability” to protect Jewish seniors as a “sign of the further decay of our society.”

B’nai Brith added that it will arrange this week an event for mezuzah donations for the seniors in the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation building on 6250 Bathurst Street.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs association in Canada remarked, “We’ve seen hateful conduct go from shouting in the streets to targeting Jews outside our homes to now in the hallways of our own buildings.”

CIJA urged Canadian leaders “at all levels” to take action that will protect the Jewish community.