An Orthodox Jewish girls school in Toronto, Canada, was raked by gunfire early Saturday morning for the second time in five months.
The targeted assault came on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the year in Judaism, as Canada sees a rise in anti-Semitic attacks since the start of the war in Gaza precipitated by the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
AFP reports no injuries were sustained after shots were fired from a vehicle at around 4 am (0800 GMT) at the Bais Chaya Mushka girls school. The only damage was a broken window, according to authorities.
The school in the North York area of Toronto was targeted in a similar incident in May, as Breitbart News reported, and police believe the two shootings are connected.
A window with a visible bullet hole outside Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School. Toronto police are investigating after shots were fired at the Orthodox Jewish girls school in North York. (Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty)
Police are not releasing any details about suspects at this time, Insp. Paul Krawczyk told a media conference.
Krawczyk said the hate crime unit is involved in the investigation, adding that it is particularly concerning the incident happened on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, one of the most sacred days in the Jewish calendar.
“We understand this is deeply unsettling for the Jewish community,” he said.
Over the past several weeks, police have increased presence in Jewish neighbourhoods, Krawczyk added. He said the police presence will increase in the school’s neighbourhood as the investigation continues, and they will update the community as they get more details.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “very disturbed” by the incident, which came as Jewish people celebrated Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff and parents who must be terrified and hurting today,” Trudeau said in a post on X.
According to a report published in May by Jewish organization B’nai Brith Canada, anti-Semitic acts more than doubled in the country between 2022 and 2023.
In November 2023, a Jewish school in Montreal was shot at twice in a single week, with no one injured.
The rise in antisemitism across Canada has all been happening under Trudeau’s watch as prime minister.