The summer I spent living over a bakery on Bernard Ave., one of my favourite things to do was to sit on my front balcony overlooking the street each evening and people watch.

From my perch, I would observe the well-heeled denizens of Outremont sip rosé on restaurant terraces, crowds throng for ice cream at Bilboquet, and broods of children from the Hassidic community stroll down the boulevard on their way to play in the park. 

Even after dark, Bernard was always bustling along the stretch where Outremont melds into Mile End, along which synagogues and kosher delis are interspersed with posh boutiques and quaint eateries.

That view, etched in my memory, reflects Montreal at its best: a city where people of different cultures, beliefs and backgrounds have long coexisted peacefully; where the religious and the secular can share the same sidewalk and go about their business with respect.

But disturbing security cam footage recorded a few blocks east on Bernard last Friday night captured Montreal at its worst.

The snippet showed a Hassidic Jewish man being accosted between Parc Ave. and Hutchison St. by a light-haired assailant who sneaks up on him from behind and attempts to snatch his shtreimel. The owner removes his traditional fur hat, clutches it to his body, and backs away as the perpetrator lunges at him.

The hate crimes unit of the Montreal police is now investigating several incidents of Hassidic men being........

© Montreal Gazette