Montreal police’s arson unit is investigating a fire at the Congregation Beth Tikvah, a synagogue located in the West Island, and the incident has drawn condemnation from Jewish community groups and elected officials.
According to police, a 911 call was placed just before 3 a.m. on Wednesday about a fire that had just started at a place of worship near the corner of Westpark and Roger-Pilon streets in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
The fire was minor and police officers put it out with a fire extinguisher shortly after arriving at the scene.
Police say one incendiary device was found at the scene and witnesses have told them they saw a suspect fleeing the scene. The damages at the synagogue — which also serves as a community centre — were minor. Police say there was some broken glass and some damage to the front door.
A window at the Federation CJA, a Jewish advocacy group located across the street from the synagogue, was also broken.
Police set up a security perimeter and officers were sent to the area to patrol.
It is the latest in a growing list of violent incidents involving Jewish people and institutions in Montreal. It also mirrors what happened last year at the same two locations.
In November 2023, Montreal police’s arson team was also deployed to that intersection. Remnants of molotov cocktails were found at the synagogue and a second small fire ignited at the back door of the Federation CJA building on Roger-across the street from the synagogue.
That same week, a Jewish school in the city was shot at twice in four days.
‘This is not an isolated incident,’ Jewish group says
In a statement, the Jewish Community Council of Montreal condemned the latest incident and described it as “deeply disturbing and a stark reminder of the persistence of anti-Semitic hatred.”
“This is not an isolated incident — it is a repeated assault on a cornerstone of our community that serves as a hub for education, faith and social services,” said Rabbi Saul Emmanuel, the council’s executive director.
“These repeated attacks are meant to instill fear, but our community remains resolute. We will not be intimidated.”
Isaac Herzog, president of Israel, called the attacks appalling in a post on X. He said it’s time for the Canadian government to act decisively and show that such hatred will not be tolerated.
He said the incident is “yet another example of the vile wave of violence, hatred and intimidation to which Jews in Canada — and all over the world — have been subjected in recent weeks and months.”
In the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the retaliatory bombing offensive in Gaza that ensued, the number of hate crimes and incidents targeting the Jewish community increased significantly, according to the Service de police de la Villle de Montréal (SPVM).
The SPVM says it has recorded 238 reports of hate crimes and incidents targeting Jewish communities between Oct. 7 of last year and Dec.11 of this year.
Jewish community groups have criticized elected officials for what they say has been a muted response in the face of rising antisemitism.
In a statement Wednesday, Federation CJA said the fire and damages serve as a “brutal reminder of what happens when politicians don’t denounce antisemitism and the escalation of violence in our streets.”
“Our community is outraged and every Quebec citizen should be as well,” said Yair Szlak, Federation CJA’s president and CEO.
“We expect the authorities to treat this incident with the utmost care and to examine all possible motives. Enough is enough.”
Several elected officials condemned the incident on social media.
On X, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said, “Antisemitic actions are criminal actions.”
“The SPVM will investigate and will find those responsible. It is not acceptable that Montrealers live feeling unsafe because of their religion,” Plante wrote on X.
Quebec Premier François Legault wrote, “This is not the Quebec we want,” in response to a post from François Bonnardel, the province’s public security minister, who also condemned the incident.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, also posting on X, described it as a cowardly, criminal and a “vile antisemitic attack.”
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre called it “another brazen act of semitic hate and violence.”
