Jewish community center attacked with firebomb in Canada

Amidst escalating tensions in Canada over the Israel-Gaza conflict, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the firebombing of a Jewish community center in Montreal early on Monday. The incident was described as “vile and hateful.” Shortly after midnight, in Canada’s second-largest city, there were multiple shootings and another firebombing targeting Jewish schools and institutions. This incident coincided with the throwing of a Molotov cocktail through the building’s front door. Part of the carpet was burned when the weapon burst through the glass door and exploded in the hallway. Rabbi Saul Emanuel, the head of Montreal’s Jewish Community Council, said in a statement that “no one was present and minimal damage occurred.” “The rise in antisemitism in our city is frightening and the repeated violence and attacks on our community are abhorrent and condemned in the strongest terms,” he added. Trudeau said on X, formerly Twitter, the “continued acts of antisemitic violence are deplorable and unacceptable – and must stop immediately”. “We must all stand united against such vile, hateful acts,” he said. Earlier this month, two Jewish schools were fired on, twice in one case, and a synagogue was struck with a Molotov cocktail. There were no injuries. Police in Montreal and Toronto – both with large Jewish communities – warned of a recent spike in hate crimes, particularly antisemitic acts. Several countries around the word, notably in Europe, have seen attacks on Jewish targets increase amid the intense Israeli strikes on Gaza in response to the bloody October 7 attack by militants of the Palestinian group Hamas. (with inputs from agencies)