Canadian Jewish leaders have renewed calls for stronger action against antisemitism after a man allegedly attempted to set fire to a Montreal-area synagogue.
Police responded shortly after midnight on June 5 to Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount, Quebec, after receiving a call reporting a break-in.
Authorities said a 38-year-old man broke a window and attempted to ignite a fire inside the synagogue before being arrested at the scene.
The building sustained minor damage and was unoccupied at the time.
“The safety of our residents, institutions and community gathering places remains a top priority for the city,” said Michael Stern, the mayor of Westmount mayor, following the incident.
In an email to congregants, Rabbi Lisa Grushcow urged community members to address the broader climate fuelling antisemitic violence.
“Responding requires being proactive, not reactive,” she wrote. “Naming the ways in which external conflicts are being imported. Recognising that while criticism of Israel can be legitimate, when the Jewish state and those who love it are libelled, violence against Jews is the result.”
Paola Samuel, B’nai Brith Canada’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, stated that she had been in touch with law enforcement partners, urging them “to investigate the incident as an act of terrorism”.
“Incidents such as this are why we have been calling on the federal government to recognise that Canada is in a national crisis of antisemitism,” she said.
“Hate-motivated arson, vandalism and attacks should not be normal, and yet, they are becoming a daily reality for Jewish Canadians.”
“Words alone will not stop these repeated, antisemitic attacks,” she added.
The alleged arson attempt came days after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the issue of antisemitism and announced the formation of a new advisory council that will investigate Jew-hatred in Canada.
Mark Miller, minister of Canadian identity and culture, who has been appointed chair of the new council, called the latest incident “horrific and shameful”.
“No Jewish person should have to fear practising their faith or attending their place of worship,” he said.
“I stand in solidarity with those affected by this vile antisemitic act.”
His response, however, drew criticism from some Jewish community members. Lior Bibas, president of the Quebec Jewish Physicians Association, argued that expressions of solidarity were no longer sufficient.
“Canadian leadership has become incredibly weak,” Bibas wrote. “I know Jewish university students who have shown more courage, leadership and moral clarity over the past two years than many of our elected officials.”
Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Canada’s oldest Reform synagogue, was vandalised with swastika spray painted on its exterior in 2025.
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