A Winnipeg synagogue was defaced with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti, according to the Winnipeg Police and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, raising fears as a suspicious package was also found at the Canadian Jewish site.
Before dawn on Friday, an individual spray vandalized the Congregation Shaarey Zedek marble facade and door glass panels with graffiti that included swastikas and the word “hate,” the federation said on Facebook.
Police said the graffiti was removed, and the incident was placed under investigation by its major crimes unit.
On Sunday, police responded to a suspicious item at the site, recovering an item as evidence, but determined that it did not pose a threat to public safety.
Congregation executive director Rena Secter Elbaze told the community to report anything suspicious to security officers and staff, and assured that the police and synagogue were taking measures to ensure the community’s safety.
“In these difficult times, we must not be daunted by this act of antisemitism. We must, as we have always done, persevere, transcend, and go forward,” Eblaze said on Sunday.
An ongoing pattern of antisemitism in Canada
The federation said the incident was an act of antisemitism intended to intimidate the community, but the congregation showed its resolve by attending Shabbat services. However, the federation noted that the incident followed a pattern of antisemitic incidents in Canada that had become most pronounced in Montreal and Toronto.
“Governments and other authorities must take decisive action to hold perpetrators accountable and address sources of hatred. At the same time, political, business, faith, community leaders, and all Canadians who believe in our shared values have a responsibility to speak out clearly against antisemitism and all forms of hate,” the federation said on Sunday.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs condemned the incident, calling the vandalism a “vile anti-Jewish hate crime.”
“Words are not enough,” it said on X/Twitter. “Leaders at all levels of government and authorities must back up their condemnations with concrete action to hold perpetrators accountable and address the sources of hatred.”