President Isaac Herzog spoke on Monday evening with the Jewish Canadian man who was brutally assaulted in an antisemitic attack on the streets of Montreal, in full view of his children.
In the shocking footage that was published, the attacker is seen striking him repeatedly in the face and throwing his kippah into the water — all in front of his young children.
Joining the call was Yair Szlak, head of the Montreal Jewish Federation.
The victim of the attack thanked the President and told him of the attack and the aftermath.
President Herzog offered him comfort and strength and said: “We saw the horrific attack, and I want to send you, and your family, your beautiful children strength and comfort. May you have a swift recovery in body and soul from this terrible ordeal. We are with you and we are here for you. The whole Jewish people stands with you.”
The President invited him and his family to visit the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in the near future.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called on the Canadian government to do more to combat antisemitism in the wake of the antisemitic attack in Montreal.
Sa’ar on Saturday night shared the video of the attack to his X account and wrote, “The incident shown in this video is shocking and stomach-turning. A Jewish father was beaten in front of his daughter in Montreal, Canada, yesterday.”
“These are images reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish persecution. This is appalling. The Canadian government must do more to fight antisemitism!” he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to the incident and said, "The attack on a Jewish father in Montreal late yesterday, in front of his own children, is an appalling act of violence. Everyone in Canada has an inalienable right to live in safety."
"My thoughts are with the victim and his family as they recover, and my support is with law enforcement as they work to bring the perpetrator to justice."
Canada has seen a sharp rise in incidents of antisemitism since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the war in Gaza which followed.
Data released at the end of July by Statistics Canada reveal that hate crimes targeting Canadian Jews remained alarmingly high in 2024, with 920 police-reported incidents—making Jews the most targeted religious group in the country.
In Montreal specifically, Congregation Beth Tikvah was firebombed in November of 2023 and again in December of 2024. The suspect was arrested by Montreal police in early April of 2025.
In November of 2024, a man described as Arab entered a Jewish-owned business in Montreal and threatened to kill the business's owners as he went on an expletive-laden tirade against Jews and Israel.
That incident took place days after violent rioting broke out in Montreal during a pro-Palestinian Arab demonstration, in which demonstrators set fire to an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then threw firecrackers at the police, smashed the windows of stores, and set fire to several vehicles.
In July of 2024, a Jewish cemetery in the city was vandalized, with the vandals arranging stones over the graves into the shape of a swastika.