Montreal synagogue firebombed for second time in a year

Police discover ‘incendiary device’ used in firebombing attack on Montreal synagogue.

By World Israel News Staff

A synagogue in Montreal, Canada, was damaged in an antisemitic arson attack overnight Wednesday, marking the second time in 13 months that the Jewish institution has been targeted.

No one was hurt in the attack.

At around 3 a.m., a fire was reported at Congregation Beth Tikvah in the heavily Jewish West Island neighborhood.

According to a New York Post report, the front window of the synagogue had been smashed.

Police were said to have found “some kind of incendiary device” inside the synagogue, which apparently had been used to start the fire.

A Montreal police spokesman said in a media statement that witnesses had seen a suspect running away shortly after the explosion.

Despite the damage and ongoing fires, the synagogue refused to turn away worshippers.

“We were able to recite the morning prayers in an abbreviated way,” Rabbi Mordecai Zeitz told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“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 center, in front of the charred doors of the synagogue,” he added.

In November 2023, the synagogue was targeted by a similar Molotov cocktail attack.

No arrests were made.

This most recent attack serves as a “terrifying reminder that Montreal is increasingly unsafe for Jewish people,” said Henry Topas, Congregation Beth Tikvah cantor and B’nai Brith Canada’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

“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,” Topas added.

“Let’s not mince words: This is a stark reminder of what happens when politicians fail to call out antisemitism and prevent the escalation of violence on our streets,” Federation CJA president and CEO Yair Szlak said.

“We call on Mayor Plante to act immediately to crack down on the unacceptable rise in antisemitism in Montreal. Our community is outraged and so should all Quebec citizens. We expect the authorities to treat this incident with the highest level of care and consider all likely motives. Enough is enough.”