Toronto-area Jews told JNS that they aren’t surprised that three Jewish-owned stores in heavily Jewish Thornhill, just north of the city, were attacked over Passover and that they suspect that antisemitism motivated the vandal or vandals.
On Saturday, on the second to last day of the holiday, the front doors of the Judaica shop Shainee’s Gift Selections, the kosher pizzeria My Zaidy’s Pizza and a pharmacy that is part of the chain Shoppers Drug Mart were smashed in. All three are Jewish-owned, and all are part of the Spring Farm Marketplace, which locals call the Sobeys Plaza, after the large supermarket chain anchoring the plaza at Clark and Hilda Avenues.
David Fleischer, a neighborhood local, wrote on social media on Saturday that “when I heard the plaza had been hit, I correctly guessed it was the two stores with Jewish names.” (Despite its lack of a Jewish name, Shoppers has a mezuzah on the door.)
“The Shoppers is a bit of an anomaly, but it is right next to those stores in the plaza,” he wrote. “I expect to soon be assured that this is not who we are as Canadians, and so forth.”
Fleischer told JNS that “when stuff like this happens, I don’t feel like giving the benefit of the doubt.”
“There’s a concern that it’s not just some break-in, and there’s a possible antisemitic subtext,” he said. “I hope it turns out it’s just some stupid kids robbing the registers or whatever, but it feels like it’s something all the time now.”
Arnie Gotfryd, who lives in the area and runs Maxi Mind Learning, which helps train children and adults to focus and learn better using lessons from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, told JNS that he was shocked to hear of the attacks.
“I hope that our antisemitism problem is finally addressed in some meaningful way, but this is horrible,” he said. “It keeps happening. Really, things are getting worse.”
Gotfryd suspects the attacker or attackers committed hate crimes.
“Why did they hit a pizza shop? There’s nothing that you’re gonna get from there. It’s pure hate,” he told JNS. “It’s not like there’s high-priced items from inside a Judaica shop. It can’t be anything but a hate crime.”
Ahead of Canada’s federal elections, slated for April 28, Gotfryd told JNS that the Conservative Party is the only one that “knows how to bring safety and security to our neighbourhoods.”
JNS sought to interview staff members at all three stores on April 21. Staff members at the Judaica store told JNS that the cash register was targeted, and an employee at the pharmacy said that shampoo bottles were taken. Staff at the pizza place wouldn’t comment, even anonymously.
The doors at all three stores had been boarded up on Monday.
Golden Chopstix, which is kosher and part of the shopping center, was not attacked, nor was Sobeys, which has a large kosher section.
Melissa Lantsman, a Jewish member of the Canadian Parliament who represents Thornhill, wrote that “three Jewish businesses, in the largest Jewish community in Canada, were attacked on a Jewish holiday. Call this what it is. A blatant attempt to intimidate and target our community.”
“My grandfather started one of these businesses when he came to Canada to give us a better life. Today, this country is unrecognizable,” Lantsman stated. “Since 2015, hate crimes are up 251%, while antisemitic hate crimes are up a staggering 405%. Jewish Canadians deserve to feel safe and secure in their homes, schools and businesses, but after 10 years of this Liberal government, it’s the exact opposite.”
The York Regional Police stated on Saturday that “cash registers were targeted in all three incidents.”
“There is no evidence to suggest that this is hate-motivated,” the police stated. “We are asking anyone with info or video to come forward.”
Steven Del Duca, the mayor of Vaughan, where the attacks occurred, stated on Saturday that the vandalism and thefts were a “clear attempt to intimidate our Jewish residents in Vaughan.”
“This is just the latest example of behavior that has been tolerated for far too long,” the mayor stated. “Leaders at all levels of government need to move beyond words and start taking action before this unbearable situation gets worse.”
Amir Epstein, co-founder and director of the Jewish civil rights group Tafsik, told JNS that My Zaidy’s Pizza has been “a beloved staple in the community for 40 years.”
“The level of antisemitism and intimidation we are experiencing has never been this severe,” said Epstein, who lives in the area. “Under the current government, we have witnessed an unprecedented rise in hate and violence.”
“The influx of extremists into our country has contributed to the alarming increase in attacks on our places of worship, schools and restaurants,” Epstein said. “The stores which were attacked will survive and thrive, but the fabric of our Canadian values has eroded and decayed under the Liberals.”
“They have allowed and in some circumstances encouraged this hateful behavior. What these hate-filled individuals fail to understand is that our community is among the most resilient in the world,” Epstein added. “We will continue to stand strong and unite in the face of adversity.”