B’nai B’rith Canada demanded legislative changes permitting synagogues to hire armed, qualified security guards alongside the allocation and funding of law enforcement resources to ensure a sufficient police presence at every Jewish institution in Canada, last Thursday.
The organization issued the demand following an incident on Yom Kippur when a gunman exchanged fire with a police officer outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, leaving the officer seriously injured.
B’nai B’rith described the event as an attempted mass killing targeting congregants observing the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
In an interview with CTV News last Tuesday, B’nai B’rith Canada’s CEO Simon Wolle emphasized that the Jewish community can no longer wait for authorities to secure vulnerable locations.
“In the wake of these harrowing events, Canada’s Jewish community cannot wait any longer for the government to act,” Wolle said.
The advocacy organization’s proposals include legislative changes to permit synagogues and community centers to hire armed, qualified security guards, noting that most Jewish institutions in Canada lack the protection afforded by a dedicated law enforcement presence.
B'nai Brith pushes for dedicated funding for police presence at Jewish centers
Additionally, B’nai B’rith is pressing governments to allocate dedicated funding for law enforcement resources to ensure a continuous police presence at every Jewish institution across the country.
Wolle stressed to CTV News last Tuesday that “the burden of providing police protection to Jewish institutions should not fall on the communities themselves. “It is a basic function of government to protect its citizens.”