Toronto Synagogue Defaced With Anti-Semitic Grafitti

by Sheila Musaji

At this point all that is known is that someone spray painted swastikas and the words “Islam will rule” on the Beth Tikvah Synagogues walls.  The police are investigating and reviewing security camera film in the hope of being able to identify the perpetrator.

It is so sad that there are so many individuals who think that attacking synagogues, mosques, churches, or any places of worship somehow makes sense. 

Whoever did this, no matter what their political, religious, or ideological motivation - is a hateful, despicable, coward.  I hope the individual(s) are caught, and if convicted are given the maximum sentence allowed under Canadian law.

As someone who has been tracking this sort of crime in relation to mosques, I know that it seems as if such incidents are increasing.

Last month when the La Mirada, California mosque was vandalized, members of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths gathered in unison for a peace rally.  Last year, “Beth Shalom, located in Whittier, was also vandalized and the religious community also stood behind them.  Read more here.

I believe that such efforts are needed nationwide, not only after such incidents happen, but prior to such incidents.  We need to find ways to look after each other, and find ways to let those who carry out such acts know clearly that it is not acceptable behavior.

Update

It seems that more than one site has been vandalized, possibly by the same individual(s) B’nai Brith Canada has has called for vigilance and action following three incidents of vandalism in the Toronto area during the past three days. The incidents appear related, involving the use of stencils to spraypaint black and red swastikas, most recently at Beth Tikvah Synagogue on Bayview Avenue where a swastika and the words “Islam will rule” were spraypainted near the school entrance late yesterday afternoon.  http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/breaking_news/toronto_plagued_swastika_spree

A number of Islamophobic sites have published articles saying that this was done by Muslims without any evidence of that.