Montreal Synagogue targeted in firebombing for second time amid rising antisemitism

A Montreal synagogue has been firebombed for the second time since October 7, amid rising tensions for Canada’s Jews.

The firebombing of Congregation Beth Tikvah, located in the Dollard-des-Ormeaux area occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with flames visible at around 3 AM local time.

No one was injured in the attack, but the damage was significant enough to cause shattered glass and smoke damage to the building's vestibule.

Police later confirmed the discovery of an "incendiary device" at the scene, and witnesses reported seeing a "suspicious man" fleeing shortly after the fire started.

Mordecai Zeitz, emeritus rabbi of the modern Orthodox synagogue, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the congregation gathered outside the building for morning prayers.

Despite the circumstances, he emphasised the resilience of the community: "We did not close even if we had to go outside to avoid the fires on the inside, but we had the fires of Jewish identity and Jewish pride very much front and centre, in front of the charred doors of the synagogue."

This latest incident is part of a troubling pattern of attacks on Jewish sites in Canada, which have spiked since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Canada, which has a Jewish community of a similar size to the UK, has seen an unprecedented rise in Antisemitism in the past 14 months.

Just weeks after Hamas's invasion, the same synagogue was firebombed in November 2023. Since then, there have been several other violent incidents, including shots fired at Jewish schools and bomb threats targeting institutions across the country.

The attack also follows a violent pro-Palestinian demonstration in Montreal in late November, during which protesters burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting the growing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite the damage, Zeitz reassured the community that services would continue. "We are never out of business," he said, adding that a solidarity Shabbat service would be held on Saturday morning. The synagogue's attached day school also remained open and fully operational.

The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) expressed outrage over the firebombing, calling it "a cowardly act" aimed at intimidating the Jewish community. CIJA reiterated its call for swift justice, noting that this attack marked the seventh time a Jewish institution in Montreal had been targeted since the Hamas onslaught.

B'nai Brith Canada joined in condemning the attack, with regional director Henry Topas describing Montreal as an increasingly unsafe place for Jewish people. "This is the result of the failure of leaders at all levels to hold accountable those responsible for the hate and violence that is infesting Canadian society," said Topas.

He specifically called on Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante to take stronger action against rising antisemitism.

In response to the firebombing, both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mayor Plante condemned the attack.

Trudeau called it a "cowardly and criminal" act, while Plante asserted that "Antisemitic actions are criminal actions," stressing that it was intolerable for Montreal’s Jewish community to live in fear.

Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, also weighed in, calling the attack "yet another example of the vile wave of violence, hatred, and intimidation" against Jews worldwide. He urged the Canadian government to take decisive action to combat the growing tide of antisemitism.