'Pro-Palestinian' Antisemites Targeting Canadian-Jewish Sites

"A lot of stuff had been  happening, but it's worse for the schools. I think we should focus on that more."

"The scariest is the shooting at the [Jewish parochial] schools. I don't want to comment on my end or put any more attention on myself or businesses."

"I would rather let it pass, and have all the eyes focused on schools and synagogues [targeted by the hate-mongers]."

Montreal shop owner, anonymous for security reasons 

"Every effort will be made to find and punish the culprits."

"The Quebec nation is a peaceful nation."

"Let us not import the hatred and violence that we see elsewhere in the world."

Quebec Premier Francois Legault

"I don't want to make a public statement because I'm not looking to incite any sort of negativity toward my business or my family."

"It's a very unfortunate reactionary cause to what's happening in the Middle East, and it's something that Jewish people have dealt with for a long time."

"I just want my kids to be safe and to live in a safe environment."

Owner of another Jewish business

A young student enters the Medicoff-Schneiderman Elementary School, part of Yeshiva Gedola of Montreal in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, on Monday November 13, 2023.  Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

In Montreal, businesses owned by Jews are being targeted for boycotts and vandalism. And it is not only Montreal, since Jewish-owned businesses in Toronto are also seeing themselves targeted by mobs, and being harassed online. The businesses have been subject to vandalism, their owners too intimidated to speak publicly, much less lodge complaints with police. On social media, mostly Tik-Tok, lists are being circulated, identifying such businesses, urging people to boycott restaurants and other establishments.

 

Jewish business owners, or businesses judged to be supportive of Israel are placed on these circulating lists. For the most part for boycott purposes, but some are also being vandalized. A chain of local coffee shops owner described to the media discreetly that last weekend, "they put swastikas on the ... menus downtown and they wrote "F--- THE JEWS". Protesters scrawled "Free Palestine" in permanent black marker on one of his restaurant's plates. 

A student walks past a bus shelter where pro-Palestinian posters were taped outside the University of Montreal metro station in Montreal, on Nov. 14.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press

One of his vehicles had the windshield smashed. The entrance to a synagogue in Dollard-des-Ormeaux last week was firebombed. A Jewish day school in Cote-des Neiges had gunshots fired overnight at its doors, for a second time. All provincial political parties have condemned these attacks against Jewish institutions in Montreal. The results of these ongoing attacks have placed Montreal's 90,000 Jewish residents on high alert.

Fears abound that these attacks are escalating. Authorization is sought to enable the hiring of off-duty armed police officers to guard Jewish schools. Appeals have been made to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for an emergency meeting with federal intelligence and law enforcement officials to determine the worrying threat level faced by the Jewish community. Along with what measures can be put in place to ensure safety of Jewish institutions.

"This is very troubling and distressing. These lists of [Jewish businesses] that they're distributing -- listen, there's not a Jew with even a superficial knowledge of history who doesn't see a list of businesses to boycott who doesn't remember when this was employed against Jews in [Nazi] Germany and elsewhere."

"This is  highly disturbing and it gives lie to the assertion that they are only anti-Zionists and not antisemites."

Rabbi Reuben Poupko, Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation, Cote-St.-Luc, Quebec

An Aroma espresso bar location is pictured in downtown Toronto Monday, November 6, 2023. (Joshua Freeman /CP24) Aroma did not comment on the protest targeting some of its stores.