A Jewish school in the Canadian city of Toronto came under fire on Saturday amid rising anti-Semitic attacks in the country since the violence in the Middle East began to intensify last year.
Local police reported in a statement that the Jewish school was targeted at around 4 a.m. (0800 GMT). No one was injured after shots rang out from a vehicle at the Bais Chaya Mushka girls school as the building was empty due to the school currently being closed for the Jewish holidays, according to Toronto Police Service Inspector Paul Krawczyk. There have been no arrests and police are not disclosing suspect information at this time.
The incident occurred as the Jewish people were celebrating Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted to the attack, saying he was “very disturbed” by the violence:
“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff and parents who must be terrified and hurting today. Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate – and we won’t let it stand,” Trudeau said in a post on X.
So far, this is the second time this year that a Jewish school has come under fire. In May, a similar incident happened at a school in Toronto’s North York neighbourhood, and police believe the two shootings have a connection. Earlier last November, the Jewish school in Montreal went under fire twice in the same week. According to the report released in May by the Jewish organisation B’nai Brith Canada, anti-Semitic incidents in the country more than doubled between 2022 and 2023.
