Quebec

Quebec synagogues first shut down during the first thee months of the pandemic in 2020 and then again at the start of the first curfew in January, 2021.

“Today, the Minister responsible for the Fight Against Racism, Benoit Charette, and the Government of Quebec have taken a concrete step forward in the fight against antisemitism."

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a Jewish advocacy organization, said in a statement Tuesday that it was “deeply disappointed” by the ruling.

The 2019 law prohibits many civil servants, including police officers, from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs and turbans on the job.

The council noted that the filing of the claim was driven by the Quebec government's unwillingness to change the current curfew rules to accommodate religious communities.

"It is bewildering that the government would prize one faith community over the other," said a local rabbi.

The police had earlier said that they were on the hunt for a man dressed in medieval clothing carrying a bladed weapon, leaving "multiple victims."

The region's public health department noted that there have been 10 confirmed cases of coronavirus discovered among members of the Tosh Hasidic community.

Cote St. Luc, a Montreal suburb with the densest and most elderly Jewish population in Quebec, reported some of earliest cases and has declared a state of emergency.

In January, it was discovered that a farmer in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu included a clause refusing sale to Jewish people when he subdivided into lots and sold his property about 60 years ago.