A Jewish man was assaulted on Friday with his two young daughters at his side in Montreal, in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.
Montreal police launched a probe into the incident, after responding to a 911 call about a physical confrontation at the corner of l’Épée and Beaumont avenues at 2:45 p.m., CBC News cited police spokesperson Constable Caroline Chèvrefils as saying.
The assailant fled before police officers arrived at the scene. No arrests have been made.
“When weak left-wing governments in France, Britain and Canada reward the barbaric gangs that carried out the massacres and rapes of October 7, the message is clear: It is permissible—and even effective—to harm Jews; this is the way to achieve results,” Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister of Diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, told JNS on Sunday.
Chikli was referring to last month’s announcements by the leaders of the three countries of their intention to recognize a Palestinian state—a move the Israeli government condemned as rewarding terrorism.
“They will, of course, condemn the violence, but such condemnation is nothing more than an empty lip service,” he continued.
“This is nothing new. The same happened after the bloody riots during the British Mandate (1920, 1921, 1929, 1936–1939). Every wave of violence led the British authorities to concede further to Arab demands, culminating in the closure of the gates of the Land of Israel to Jewish immigration on the eve of the Holocaust,” added Chikli.
Another violent act on Canadian streets—this time in Montreal.
— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) August 8, 2025
As we head into the Sabbath, our community is shaken. An unprovoked attack on a Jewish father, in front of his own children, must not go unanswered.
No more 'thoughts and prayers.' Authorities must hold the attacker… https://t.co/lB8L0otu7y
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told JNS on Monday that the footage of a Jewish father being brutally assaulted in front of his children is “vile.”
“Since Oct. 7, 2023, the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, antisemitism around the world, and in Canada, has exploded,” she continued. “Canada must wake up and act now to stamp out this dangerous wave of antisemitism. I hope the perpetrator is brought to justice as soon as possible.
“My thoughts are with the children, the victim and his family. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery,” Haskel said.
Chèvrefils confirmed that a video circulating online shows a 28-second portion of Friday’s incident. It starts with the victim, 32, laying on the ground as the attacker strikes him several times with his fists. The attacker then stands up and walks away, grabbing several of what are apparently his belongings, after which he tossed the Jewish man’s kippah into a shallow fountain.
One of the Jewish man’s girls is seen clinging to him as he gets up on his knees.
The motivation for the assault was not yet known, the police spokesperson added, according to the report.
The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, she relayed.
“This is beyond deplorable—it is an outrage against basic human decency,” said Jeremy Levi, the mayor of Hampstead, a suburb on the Island of Montreal bordering the city of Montreal.
“In the heart of Montreal, a Jewish father is savagely beaten in front of his children. This is the Canada that [Prime Minister] Mark Carney has allowed to fester—a place where weakness in leadership has emboldened brutality,” the mayor continued.
“Hampstead made a different choice long ago. We refused to bow to complacency. We increased our Public Security budget by 50%, ensuring we are ready, capable, and unwilling to depend on politicians who lack the courage to protect their own citizens. We will defend our people—every time, without apology,” Levi added.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) responded to the incident, condemning the “violent act on Canadian streets—this time in Montreal. As we head into the Sabbath, our community is shaken. An unprovoked attack on a Jewish father, in front of his own children, must not go unanswered. No more ‘thoughts and prayers.’ Authorities must hold the attacker accountable, and leaders at all levels of government must confront this dangerous escalation.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the footage of the incident “shocking and stomach-turning,” in a statement issued after Shabbat in Israel.
“These are images reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish persecution. This is appalling,” Jerusalem’s top diplomat wrote on X. “The Canadian government must do more to fight antisemitism!”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney subsequently condemned the assault as an “appalling act of violence.
“Everyone in Canada has an inalienable right to live in safety,” Carney tweeted. “My thoughts are with the victim and his family as they recover, and my support is with law enforcement as they work to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
In 2024, Canadian authorities opened an investigation after Beth Tikvah, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Montreal, as well as a Jewish community center in the city’s suburbs, were targeted with firebombs on Dec. 18, 2024, in the second such attack on the congregation since the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
