Outrage after Montreal synagogue vandalized with swastika

Canadian political leaders are condemning the vandalism of a Montreal synagogue with a swastika over the weekend.

Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount had a three-foot-wide swastika painted on the side of the building over Shabbat. The synagogue is the oldest Reform synagogue in Canada, incorporated in 1883.

“Antisemitism is rising in our city and beyond,” wrote the synagogue’s rabbi, Lisa Grushcow, in a post on Instagram following the attack. “The hate is painful, and so too is the silence of those around us.”

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante condemned the attack. “Such attacks are unacceptable in our metropolis and I can assure the rabbi, Lisa Grushcow, that the police are investigating,” she says in a statement. “We must all unite and denounce all forms of antisemitism.”

Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney, who is running to replace Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in next month’s elections, also responds, vowing to work to combat hate in the community.

Swastika painted on side of Montreal synagogue, police investigating https://t.co/suZbFkhEtJ pic.twitter.com/v8Kt5lTYs5

— National Post (@nationalpost) February 17, 2025

“It has to stop. As Canadian leaders, we need to say firmly and loudly that the Jewish community has the right to feel safe in Canada,” Carney writes on X.

“I continue to extend my full support to the Jewish community as we work to combat hate and ensure the perpetrators of these heinous acts are brought to justice.”

The Canadian Muslim Forum also denounces the incident, writing on X that “such acts of hate and intolerance targeting places of worship and communities are completely unacceptable.”