Synagogue vandalism shocks Montreal, religious objects stuffed into toilets

Since the synagogue has been closed for months on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear precisely when the break-in and desecration occurred.

By World Israel News Staff

Last Wednesday, ahead of the Shavuot holiday, a congregant visited the Sepharade Kol Yehouda synagogue in Côte St-Luc, a Montreal suburb, with his son to retrieve ritual items for use at home over the Shavuot holiday, which began Thursday night. He discovered Torah scrolls dumped on the floor and other religious items shoved into toilets.

“B’nai Brith Canada is shocked and appalled by the violation of a local synagogue, one of the worst such incidents to take place in Canada in years,” the human rights organization stated.

Torah scrolls are considered extremely sacred in Judaism, to the extent that damaged scrolls are typically buried in a cemetery, rather than being disposed of in any other manner, B’nai Brith noted in a press release.

Since the synagogue has been closed for months on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear precisely when the break-in and desecration occurred, the organization said.

“This disgusting act of anti-Semitism comes on the eve of our holiday of Shavuot, a celebration of the Jews receiving the Torah, especially the Ten Commandments,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada.

“This brazen and shameful incident comes on the heels of the release of our 2019 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, in which over 2,000 incidents were reported across Canada for the fourth straight year,” he added.

The organization requested that police check other local synagogues as well, in case any damage was done while there are no services taking place, due to the coronavirus.