Canadian synagogue lightly damaged in suspected arson

An incendiary device causes minor damage to the entrance of Schara Tzedeck synagogue in Vancouver, Canada.

The fire Thursday night, in which no one was injured, was the result of arson and a “deliberate act of hate” and an “attempt to intimidate” the Jewish community, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says in a statement.

Extra police patrols are being put in place at local Jewish institutions, the Federation says.

In a statement on social media, David Eby, the prime minister of British Columbia, whose largest city is Vancouver, calls the incident a “disgusting act of antisemitism,” adding it’s “reprehensible and has absolutely no place in B.C.”

The incident comes after bullet holes were found at two Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto in recent days.

“I was horrified to receive a frantic call from a community member that there was a fire burning at the entrance to the building,” Aron Csaplaros, B’nai Brith Canada’s British Columbia Regional Manager, says in a statement about the fire. “This is a serious and dangerous escalation of antisemitic activity in Vancouver, and it is outrageous and repugnant.”