Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time

A Jewish school in Toronto was hit by gunfire on Saturday for the second time this year, according to police, amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Canada following the onset of the war in Gaza.

Shots were fired from a vehicle at around 4 a.m. (0800 GMT) at the Bais Chaya Mushka girls’ school, causing only minor damage with a broken window, but no injuries were reported.

Authorities said the school, located in Toronto’s North York area, was also targeted in a similar shooting in May, and they suspect that both incidents are linked.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed deep concern about the shooting, which took place as the Jewish community observed Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.

“As we await further details, my thoughts are with the students, staff, and families who must be feeling scared and distressed,” Trudeau said on social media platform X. “Anti-Semitism is a vile and dangerous form of hatred, and we will not tolerate it.”

A report by the Jewish organization B’nai Brith Canada, published in May, indicated that anti-Semitic incidents in the country more than doubled between 2022 and 2023.

In another instance of violence, a Jewish school in Montreal was fired upon twice in one week in November 2023, though no injuries were reported.