Three Jewish sites hit with antisemitic graffiti in Halifax, Canada

Three Jewish sites in Halifax, Canada were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti overnight Saturday, an act the Nova Scotia premier called “disgraceful” and a local rabbi described as an “escalation.”

The two synagogues tagged were Shaar Shalom and Beth Israel. In addition, a Chabad-Lubavitch of the Maritimes Rohr Family Institute building was hit. The graffiti included a Nazi swastika and the words “Jews did 9/11.”

Rabbi Yakov Kerzner of Beth Israel synagogue told CBC News that the graffiti was discovered on Sunday morning, and that the vandalism is believed to have occurred while congregants were inside the building for Saturday evening services.

“We haven’t experienced this until now in Halifax,” he said. “But this is an escalation which does concern the Jewish community.” Kerzner added that “it’s antisemitism, it’s pure anti-Jew hatred.”

The Consulate General of Israel in Montreal, which covers Quebec and Atlantic Canada, condemned the attacks, urging authorities “to respond urgently and swiftly.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs also called for a quick response in a joint statement by its CEO Noah Shack and Atlantic Jewish Council Executive Director Yoram Abisror, which linked the vandalism with anti-Israel protests in the city.

“On the same weekend that extremists silenced fans from cheering on Team Canada, with protestors even publicly displaying the severed head of the Halifax mayor, a Halifax synagogue was defaced with hateful graffiti,” the statement said. “Whether intimidating sports fans, threatening elected officials, or targeting people at their places of worship, this is absolutely unacceptable in Canada—an assault on our core Canadian values.”

On Friday, hundreds of people protested against Israel’s participation in the Davis Cup tennis tournament as the Israeli side took on Team Canada, which was played inside an empty Scotiabank Centre due to security concerns.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wrote on Sunday that the “targeting of synagogues in Halifax with antisemitic graffiti is absolutely disgraceful. We are better than this as a province.”

He added: “I stand in support of our Jewish friends and neighbours who are shaken by this act of hate. This hatred has no place in Nova Scotia. I hope those responsible are caught and held accountable for their despicable actions.”

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre voiced solidarity with Canada’s Jewish community on social media, writing on Monday that the opposition party “will continue standing with our Jewish neighbours against the scourge of antisemitism and for their right to exist and worship freely.”

Kerzner confirmed to CBC News that the incident was reported to the local police and its hate crime unit.

“We are proud to be Jews ... this is not going to stop us ... We’re not going to hide,” Kerzner emphasized.