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Raymond J. de Souza: In France, the armed forces protect synagogues. Perhaps they should here, too

In the wake of a narrowly averted massacre in Belleville, it may be that comparable measures are needed in Canada

During the decades I lived in Kingston, Ont., I visited Belleville countless times. It’s on the way to Toronto and was a favourite place for a road-trip milkshake. I often stopped at the imposing St. Michael’s on the hill, where a good friend was the pastor. It’s a friendly place.

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I doubt I ever passed the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, where the Yom Kippur shooting took place. It’s not far from the imposing churches nearby, but it is rather modest. It’s not a prominent synagogue in a prominent place. Which made the shooting rather more ominous still.

Raymond J. de Souza: In France, the armed forces protect synagogues. Perhaps they should here, too Back to video

The congregation that gathered on Sunday night was small, some 25 pious souls at prayer. This was not a grand, historic house of worship in Montreal or Toronto. There is a not a large Jewish population in Belleville. The congregation does not have a full-time rabbi. And yet, even here, antisemitic violence has arrived. And if it has arrived at a little synagogue in a quiet city, then the toxin has spread far indeed.

Columnist Jesse Kline........

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