Toronto police have opened a hate-crime investigation after multiple mezuzahs were torn from the doors of Jewish seniors living in a North York retirement building. Local officials, community leaders and the city’s mayor have condemned the incident as a deliberate and disturbing act of antisemitism, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The thefts were discovered over the weekend at a Toronto Community Housing Corporation residence in the Westminster area. Residents reported the missing mezuzahs on Sunday, although the exact time of the vandalism has not yet been established. Mezuzahs, which contain parchment inscribed with the Shema prayer, are placed on the doorposts of Jewish homes and hold deep religious and cultural significance.
City Councillor James Pasternak said that all mezuzahs at 6250 Bathurst Street had been “torn off” and that the attack specifically targeted elderly Jewish residents. He linked building management with Toronto Police’s 32 Division and stressed that “there is no excuse for targeting people because they are Jewish.” Pasternak later said he was “shocked and disgusted” by the thefts, estimating that between 15 and 20 mezuzahs had been removed overnight. He said many residents, including older Russian-speaking Jews who use the building’s small synagogue, now feel violated. He also noted that the mezuzahs had been firmly attached and would have required effort to remove.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow condemned the vandalism as “an outrageous and vile act of antisemitism,” emphasising that the seniors living in the supportive housing complex “deserve to live in peace without fear of being targeted for being Jewish.” The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also criticised the incident, stating that a mezuzah symbolises faith, heritage and identity, and arguing that the thefts form part of a wider rise in antisemitism. CIJA urged political leaders to take concrete measures to protect Jewish residents.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact the Toronto Police Service or Crime Stoppers. In response to the incident, the Combat Antisemitism Movement encouraged supporters to join the #MezuzahChallenge by displaying a mezuzah or sharing a photo online as a sign of solidarity.
Photo credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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