Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday called on the Canadian government to take action after a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Montreal and a Jewish community center in the city’s suburbs were targeted with firebombs.
“The appalling antisemitic attack against Congregation Beth Tikvah and Federation CJA in Montreal, Canada, is yet another example of the vile wave of violence, hatred, and intimidation to which Jews in Canada—and all over the world—have been subjected in recent weeks and months,” tweeted Herzog.
“The world must wake up, words are not enough: synagogues burned, Jews attacked—NEVER AGAIN IS NOW. Following this terrible attack especially, I call on the Canadian government to act decisively, and show that such hatred will not be tolerated,” the president added.
According to the Montreal Gazette, police were called to the synagogue on West Park Boulevard around 3 a.m. after receiving a report of a fire at the building, which houses several Jewish institutions.
Officers doused the flames and discovered the remnants of a crude firebomb. Glass was said to have been smashed, and smoke caused minor damage to the building.
Véronique Dubuc, a spokesperson for the Montreal City Police Service, said witnesses had seen a suspicious individual at the site, adding that CCTV footage was being examined to identify a suspect in the case.
The house of worship, located in the predominantly English-speaking suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, was also the target of a firebomb attack in November 2023.
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged Ottawa to “take the strongest possible stance against antisemitism” following the attacks.
“I strongly condemn the antisemitic attack on Montréal’s Beit Tikvah synagogue. This surge in antisemitism must not be tolerated! This is the second(!) act of arson on Beit Tikvah—the first synagogue attacked after October 7th,” he said.
