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Montreal-area synagogue firebombed for the second time since October 2023
Congregation Beth Tikvah, in the West Island municipality of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, was hit by a firebomb early on Dec. 18, marking the second time this has happened since October 2023.
Police arrived on the scene around 3 a.m., responding to 911 calls, and found the remains of an incendiary device after putting out the fire outdoors with a fire extinguisher.
Arson investigators are at the site, which is also home to a Jewish day school and is nearby satellite offices of Federation CJA, also struck with minor damage.
There was no significant damage to the building apart from a broken door and window and smoke damage, according to Montreal police, who are examining local surveillance cameras. There are no suspects and no arrest have been made.
The synagogue and centre were also targeted by firebombs on Nov. 7, 2023, during the initial wave of antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel. Back then, when the adjacent community centre was also attacked, Mayor Valérie Plante famously condemned the “violent attack on a mosque” before her statement was corrected. Her office blamed a young, unexperienced staffer who posted on behalf of the mayor.
A swift reaction to a familiar crime
Beth Tikvah Cantor Henry Topas, who is also B’nai Brith Canada’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said in a statement, “It’s a terrifying reminder that Montreal is increasingly unsafe for Jewish people.” He called it the result of the failure of leaders at all levels to hold accountable “those responsible for the hate and violence that is infesting Canadian society. Specifically, Mayor Valerie Plante must act now to stop the exponential rise in hate and antisemitism which she has permitted to get out of control in Montreal.”
The attack, the B’nai Brith statement adds, is just the latest in a series of incidents targeting Jewish institutions across the country, “including an attempted arson in Vancouver.” In May, a fire was intentionally set on the steps of Congregation Schara Tzedeck in Vancouver while worshippers were inside.
On Wednesday morning, the Jewish Community Council of Montreal expressed grave concern and outrage. “This second attack on the same location is deeply disturbing and a stark reminder of the persistence of antisemitic hatred,” said executive director Rabbi Saul Emanuel. “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. Such acts of violence cannot be ignored or minimized.” Emphasizing the need for enhanced security measures at Jewish institutions to ensure the community’s safety, Rabbi Emanuel said, “These repeated attacks are meant to instill fear, but our community remains resolute. We will not be intimidated.”
West Island resident Lissa Albert woke up to the news, telling The CJN, “We’ve seen this happen before,” enumerating the attacks over the last year. In April 2023, Israeli flags outside the Hebrew Foundation School were set on fire, the perpetrators filming themselves and posting it on social media.
She walked up to the synagogue on the morning she heard the news. “It felt like going to visit a shivah, to be with family. Yes, I’m sad. Yes, it’s emotional. But I’m also angry and determined. These attacks always include the school or community centre, so it’s coordinated, and they know exactly what they’re hitting—they’re trying to terrorize us because they want us to cower in fear. But they will fail, because all they’re doing is strengthening our resolve.”
Mount-Royal MP Anthony Housefather grew up in that neighbourhood and had his bar mitzvah at Beth Tikvah. “This is the second time that someone has attempted to firebomb it,” he told The CJN. “I expect the police to make every effort to quickly arrest anyone responsible and for all leaders to denounce this deplorable attack.”
Quebec Security Minister François Bonnardel posted on social media, “Once again, completely unacceptable actions have been taken against the Jewish community in Montreal as buildings were set on fire yesterday.”
Israel’s Consul-General Paul Hirschson posted that he was “saddened to wake in the early hours to learn antisemitism continues unabated in Montréal. Encouraged by Premier Legault’s and others’ condemnation. Montreal Jewry, 100,000 strong, is proud of its contribution to building this city.”
Just a year ago, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre stood at the site of Wednesday’s attack to light a menorah in solidarity with Montreal’s Jewish community. On Wednesday morning, Senator Leo Housakos posted, “Political leaders who have turned their backs on Jewish Canadians fail not just a community but the values they claim to uphold. Empty words won’t protect against antisemitism—action will. It’s time to stand up, or step aside.”
Albert agreed and said, “Do I hold Justin Trudeau partly responsible? Well yes, I do. There’s very little control or action other than the symbolic naming of emissaries and advisors on antisemitism, two of them who can’t get the job done.”
Federation CJA put out a statement late Wednesday morning saying the community “is again outraged and demanding justice and swift action after yet other cowardly acts of intimidation” noting there is damage to the exterior and interior of the buildings, but protective measures implemented by Federation CJA’s Community Security Network have ensured the damage was minimal.
“This is another cowardly act in the middle of the night to intimidate and harass the Jewish community,” said president and CEO Yair Szlak. “In the last 14 months, this is the SEVENTH instance where a Jewish institution has been targeted in Montreal and the SECOND time these institutions are targeted.
“Let’s not mince words: this is a stark reminder of what happens when politicians fail to call out antisemitism and prevent the escalation of violence on our streets. We call on Mayor Plante to act immediately to crack down on the unacceptable rise in antisemitism in Montreal. Our community is outraged and so should all Quebec citizens. We expect the authorities to treat this incident with the highest level of care and consider all likely motives. Enough is enough.”
Dollard-des-Ormeaux mayor Alex Bottausci did just that early Wednesday, stating “this cowardly act of antisemitism will not be tolerated. The safety of our residents is our top priority and any threat to stability and peace will be dealt with immediately.”
He acknowledged it is a mayor’s duty to ensure security of all residents, pledging to “all the members of the Jewish community feeling threatened by this heinous act, I want to assure you that an investigation is currently underway and that our city is invested in the safety of our community and is working closely with the SPVM and our municipal patrol to ensure your security.”
Federation’s Community Security Network is on site and coordinating with the SPVM, who will increase their presence and visibility around Jewish institutions in the coming days. Federation CJA says there is no indication of a specific threat to the community at this time.
Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on social media: “I strongly condemn the antisemitic attack on Montréal’s Beit Tikvah synagogue. This surge in antisemitism must not be tolerated! This is the second(!) act of arson on Beit Tikvah – the first synagogue attacked after October 7th. I call on the Canadian authorities to take the strongest possible stance against antisemitism!”
Others took issue with the lack of any comment by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Sameer Zuberi by press time, some eight hours after the attack.
Zuberi did send a tweet at 12:05 p.m.: “Places of worship are sanctuaries. Yet, for the second time, a synagogue in Dollard has been targeted by arson. Antisemitism has no place in our community. Police must act to bring those responsible to justice. None should live in fear because of their faith.”
Past-president of the synagogue Jamie Goren laid part of the blame at the feet of his MP who was involved in the anti-Israel movement at Concordia University in the past, including the 2002 riot that blocked then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from speaking at Concordia. Zuberi has been “just sitting on his hands and ignoring his own constituents’ sense of insecurity and fear. It’s the result of a slow and steady erosion of Canadian values.”
Another resident who lives walking distance from the local Jewish community campus told The CJN, “Life in the West Island is becoming more complicated. There is no other motive than to terrorize and make Jews uncomfortable. Kids go to school there. Where is the local MP?”
The post Montreal-area synagogue firebombed for the second time since October 2023 appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Egypt Purging Antisemitic Content From School Textbooks, New Report Says
Israa Ali, the founder of “Ahfad Al Zaytoun” Olive Trees Initiative, a volunteer-run program that offers Gazan children in Egypt educational and mental health support after school, walks beside a Palestinian flag hung on a wall, in Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Egypt has made significant progress in removing antisemitic and anti-Christian content from its school textbooks, and about 80 percent of Egyptian students in elementary or preparatory education are learning from the “reformed” versions, according to a new report published by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (Impact-se), an Israeli watchdog group.
The report, titled “Review of Changes and Remaining Problematic Content Egyptian Textbooks: Selected Samples 2023-2024,” explained that Egypt has been striving toward reducing antisemitism in its curricula for several years, having chosen to pursue a “year-on-year” process of reform which will reach higher grade levels over time.
The results so far have been promising. For example, 10 antisemitic passages identified by Impact-se researchers last academic year, including one in which Jews were described as “people of treachery and betrayal,” has been replaced with another “underlining tolerance and coexistence between Islam and Judaism.”
Other changes warrant optimism, according to the report. An 11th grade history textbook no longer teaches that Jews possess an inordinate “love of money,” and a third grade textbook on Islamic education no longer teaches that Jews cannot be trusted to describe the contents of their holy books, an accusation attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. Additionally, a sixth grade textbook now features what Impact-se described as a “rare specifically positive reference to Jews” in which the Constitution of Medina is said to be a shared accomplishment of Muslims and Jews while comparing it to the 1948 United Nations Declaration on Human Rights.
One reform the report strongly commended was the removal of some texts which encouraged jihad, martyrdom, and religious intolerance. Violence, one 11th grade textbook now says, was a measure of “last resort” in early Islamic conquests.
“Our report also found four problematic examples that have been removed, including a grade 5 Arabic Language grammar exercise teaching that Allah loves the jihad warrior, and a statement from the same textbook declaring that martyrs deserve a great reward,” Impact-se wrote. “A grade 6 Islamic Education textbook no longer glorifies the martyrdom of Muhammad’s Companion of Hamza for his jihad against many idolaters.”
Some concerning content in this vein remains, the authors noted, including the heralding of the martyr as “the most spectacular example of sacrifice” and a section of a grade 11 textbook in which Muhammad refers to “idolaters, Jews, and hypocrites.”
Alongside these lingering issues, however, Impact-se observed a softening of attitudes on gender roles, as evinced by the new curricula’s “promoting inclusivity and equality in gender roles” and “emphasizing the contribution of women in Egyptian society, politics, and Islamic history.” One sixth grade textbook even saidthat the Prophet Muhammad was an inveterate contributor to areas of household management thought to be exclusively the business of women, such as “sewing garments” and “mending sandals.” The new curricula also strongly condemns female genital mutilation, describing it as a desecration of “what God created” as well as cruel to women.
“We are delighted to see the ongoing reforms taking place in the Egyptian curricula, which mark significant progress,” Impact-se chief executive officer Marcus Sheff said in a statement announcing the findings of the report. “There are 25 million children in school in Egypt and around 80 percent are now studying this new material.The progress in revising materials for younger grades is extremely encouraging, especially in material regarding Jews and Israel.”
He continued, “We believe a similar evolution will be implemented in the curriculum for older grades. These changes in the most populous Arab country with a long-standing landmark peace agreement with Israel are of real importance to the region’s future.”
Impact-se’s research on school curricula in the Middle East has attempted in part to gauge states and other governmental entities’ intentions to foster peace and coexistence with the state of Israel, given that public education is the most active way in which countries manufacture the ideal kind of citizen.
In May, the group released a report revealing that Saudi Arabia has been quietly revising its school textbooks, scrubbing negative depictions of Jews, Christians, and homosexuals, and toning down rhetoric against Israel.
However, not all trends have been positive, and Impact-se has sometimes found disturbing trends.
Earlier this year, it issued a report describing the ways in which Palestinian curricula teach girls that women are inferior to men while demanding that they sacrifice their bodies and families for “jihad.” Coinciding with Women’s History Month, the report, titled “Gender Inequality in Palestinian Authority Textbooks,” revealed that Palestinian education materials deem women as a problem to be managed by the authority of religion and patriarchy, as valuable insofar as they contribute to the community’s population of terrorists and capacity to wage holy war.
Such ideas are ancillary to larger political goals, Impact-se explained. In denouncing women as transgressors of sexual morality and inherent sources of corruption, the Palestinian textbooks aim to rationalize subordinating women to men and limiting their role in public life. They also advocate dressing in accordance with Islamic law, women accepting fault for being sexually harassed and assaulted, and the notion that gender equality is a fiction. Palestinian schools also teach the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s saying, “Never will succeed such a nation that makes a woman” a head of state.
With all avenues for personal growth and achievement sealed off, what is left to Palestinian women is the option to commit violence, to become martyrs and the mothers of terrorists of the future, the report stated.
“The characterization of women as inferior in Palestinian Authority textbooks reflects a broader and worrying narrative of bigotry in the curriculum, which is continuing to shape the outlook millions of Palestinian children,” Sheff said at the time. “Furthermore, it contradicts international treaties on gender equality that the [Palestinian Authority] itself has ratified. In particular, the emphasis on women’s participation in resistance activities as a warped form of gender equality sets a disturbing precedent.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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US House Democrats Demand Biden Administration ‘Suspend Offensive Weapons’ to Israel
US Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) hold a news conference. Photo: Reuters / Erin Scott
A group of 20 Democratic lawmakers in the US House on Tuesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging the Biden administration to “suspend offensive weapons” to Israel due to the country’s military campaign in Gaza.
The letter, signed by some of the most strident critics of Israel in Congress, called for the outgoing US administration to withhold critical offensive weapons from Israel, citing dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the Jewish state has been fighting Hamas terrorists for the past 14 months. The lawmakers said that Israel has “failed” to address “concerns over Gaza” and that the Biden administration should “reconsider” sending more weapons to the long-time US ally and lone democracy in the Middle East.
The message was spearheaded by Reps. Summer Lee (D-PA) and Greg Casar (D-TX), the incoming Congressional Progressive Caucus chair. Among the other signatories were some of the most outspoken critics of Israel in Congress, including: Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman (NY), Cori Bush (MO), Joaquin Castro (TX), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Veronica Escobar (TX), Jesús García (IL), Al Green (TX), Sara Jacobs (CA), Pramila Jayapal (WA), Hank Johnson (GA), Jim McGovern (MA.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ilhan Omar (MN), Mark Pocan (WI), Ayanna Pressley (MA), Delia Ramirez (IL), Rashida Tlaib (MI), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ).
“We believe continuing to transfer offensive weapons to the Israeli government prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and risks our own national security by sending a message to the world that the US will apply its laws, policies, and international law selectively,” the lawmakers wrote. “Furthermore, a failure to act will put Israeli lives in danger by prolonging [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s war, isolating Israel on the international stage, and creating further instability in the region.”
The letter also condemned Israel for allegedly blocking humanitarian aid transfers into Gaza, saying that an average of 42 trucks per day have entered the enclave.
Experts have rejected such claims, arguing there is no evidence suggesting Israel has blocked humanitarian aid into Hamas-ruled Gaza.
“The facts are that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has facilitated the delivery of more aid to territory controlled by the enemy than any military in the history of warfare, despite knowing with certainty that doing so is actually strengthening Hamas and making the IDF’s job harder,” John Hannah, former national security adviser to US Vice President Dick Cheney, recently told The Algemeiner.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said in October that Israel has delivered over 1 million tons of aid, including 700,000 tons of food, to Gaza since it launched its military operation a year ago. He also noted that Hamas terrorists often hijack and steal aid shipments while fellow Palestinians suffer.
In Tuesday’s letter, the lawmakers also criticized Israel over its polio vaccination drive in Gaza, asserting that the Jewish state contributed to escalating “violence” which forced delays in the vaccine distributions. The letter also claimed that Israel did not provide “access to northern Gaza” during the vaccination efforts.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 556,000 children under the age of 10 received two doses of the polio vaccine, representing 94 percent of the target population. The vaccination campaign was a “remarkable achievement given the extremely difficult circumstances the campaign was executed under,” according to the WHO.
Israel has insisted that the evacuation of northern Gaza was a necessary step to preserve civilian life as it continued its military campaign against Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that launched the war with its invasion of southern Israel last Oct. 7. Though critics have labeled the evacuation orders as “forced displacement,” Israel argued that these advanced warnings were evidence of the Jewish state’s commitment to protecting innocents.
Israel says it has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, noting its efforts to evacuate areas before it targets them and to warn residents of impending military operations with leaflets, text messages, and other forms of communication. However, Hamas, which rules Gaza, has in many cases prevented people from leaving, according to the IDF.
Another challenge for Israel has been Hamas’s widely recognized military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks.
However, the letter lambasted Israel for allegedly bombing hospitals, schools, and places of worship in Gaza without once mentioning Hamas or any of the terrorist threats that Israel faces.
The missive represents the latest attempt by some Democratic lawmakers, particularly from the party’s progressive wing, to forcibly wind down the Israel-Hamas war by cutting off the Jewish state’s access to certain American arms. In the year following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, Democratic politicians have adopted an increasingly adversarial stance against the Jewish state. While the vast majority of Democratic officials expressed public agreement with Israel’s right to go to war against Hamas, many liberal lawmakers have nonetheless accused the Jewish state of “indiscriminately” bombing Gaza civilians or inflicting mass “starvation” on the beleaguered enclave.
Tuesday’s letter came days after a group of 77 Democrats in the US House sent a letter to Blinken and Austin demanding that the Biden administration provide an assessment of Israel’s “compliance with all relevant US policies and laws,” suggesting that the Middle East’s lone democracy and Washington’s closest ally in the region is violating international humanitarian law in Gaza.
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Palestinian Football Association Praises Norway for Urging FIFA to Investigate Israel Before World Cup Qualifier
Oscar Gloukh of Israel celebrates with teammates their first goal, an own goal scored by Hamidou Diallo of Mali during Paris 2024 Olympics – Football – Men’s Group D – Mali vs Israel match on July 24, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) applauded the Norwegian Football Federation on Tuesday for calling on FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, to investigate Israel ahead of the European qualifiers that are set to take place next year for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Israel and Norway’s national soccer teams are set to compete against each other in 2025 on March 25 and Oct. 11 as part of the qualifiers in Europe for the World Cup the following year, it was announced on Saturday. After the matchup was announced, Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, reportedly called on FIFA to investigate Israel for alleged human rights violations in the Gaza Strip during the country’s ongoing war against Hamas terrorists who orchestrated the Oct. 7 deadly massacre in southern Israel. Klaveness said it was “difficult” to see that Norway has been paired to compete against Israel in the World Cup qualifiers and expressed concerns over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, according to reports.
On Tuesday, the PFA commended Norway’s “recognition of the ongoing violations against Palestinian civilians and athletes.”
“President Klaveness’ remarks echo the sentiments of millions around the world who believe that FIFA and the international football community cannot remain silent while grave breaches of human rights persist,” the Palestinian association said in a released statement. “The PFA urges FIFA to act with transparency and urgency by launching a thorough investigation into Israel’s actions and ensuring that football remains a tool for peace and justice, not a platform for impunity.”
The PFA has made repeated efforts to have FIFA, the UEFA, and all national soccer associations ban Israel from all international soccer matches and reiterated the same sentiment in the statement on Tuesday. It also again accused “Israeli occupation forces” of “systematically targeting Palestinian sports, athletes, and infrastructure” in violation of FIFA regulations and international humanitarian law.
“The Israeli Football Association (IFA) systematically violates FIFA statutes by tolerating racism, serving as a tool for Israeli annexation of occupied territory, and encouraging the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the PFA claimed. “These attacks have resulted in the loss of countless lives, including hundreds of athletes, and the destruction of vital sports facilities, undermining the very principles that football stands for — fairness, respect, and unity.”
Norway, a longtime supporter of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, officially recognized a Palestinian state in May. The country has also been a harsh critic of Israel since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that began more than 14 months ago. In February, Joav Melchior, chief rabbi of the Jewish community in Oslo, said antisemitism in the Scandinavian country was at its highest level since World War II.
Klaveness said the Norwegian Football Association “stands with the Norwegian government in its demand for an immediate end to the disproportionate attacks on innocent civilians in Gaza,” according to Ynet. She explained that Norway is actively involved in pushing for Israel to be suspended from international soccer games and also commented on the Norway-Israel soccer games that are set to take place next year as part of the European qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The draw is difficult for us, beyond the purely sporting aspect. None of us can remain indifferent to the disproportionate attacks that Israel has inflicted on the civilian population of Gaza over a long period of time,” she added. “Israel is still part of UEFA competitions. We have to deal with that. We are following the situation closely with FIFA, UEFA, and the Norwegian authorities.”
Klaveness additionally pointed out that Norway has a longstanding presence in the Middle East. “We are also closer to the region and the Palestinian Football Federation than most other European federations, because we have been working there on the ground for more than 10 years, with coaches who create football activities for children in schools and refugee camps,” she reportedly said.
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