Canada’s image as a peaceful, stable, tolerant nation is being tarnished, if not shredded, by antisemitic lunatics.

The somber statistics tell the story.

From November 2023 until June 2026, no less than 18 Jewish schools and synagogues in this country were attacked in shootings, firebombings and vandalism, B’nai Brith Canada reports.

In the latest incident, the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, came under fire during Yom Kippur. The 29-year-old assailant riddled the building with bullets, breaking its stained glass windows, but he hoped to perpetrate a massacre.

From a historical point of view, the events in Belleville are very serious. When antisemitism in this country was at its worst in the first one/third of the 20th century, even antisemitic haters refrained from attacking synagogues.

Luckily, no one was killed or injured in Belleville. A tragedy was averted due to the bravery of Jeff Smith, a policeman who was stationed in front of the shul in an unmarked car. He was critically injured when he stopped the assailant, Sean Ward, from entering the synagogue, which has a membership of some 35 families. Before shooting Smith, Ward was heard yelling, “You are going to die for the Jews.”

A second officer, Mike McCurdy, arrived at the scene and assisted Smith in apprehending Ward, a former soldier in the Canadian forces. Ward, who lived in the nearby town of Quinte West, was armed with multiple firearms, ammunition and gasoline. He died in hospital after succumbing to his wounds.

“This was a deliberate attack directed at members of the Jewish community during one of the holiest observances of the year,” said Belleville’s police........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)