Investigators from the Toronto Police Service on Thursday responded to yet another incident of mezuzahs being torn from the doors of Jewish residents, this time at a condominium on Bayview Avenue near Finch Avenue in North York, The Canadian Jewish News reported.
Constable Ashley Visser confirmed police were called around midday Thursday, December 25, and spent several hours at the scene. Three condominiums were targeted, all on the penthouse floor.
Sources told The Canadian Jewish News that at least one mezuzah was ripped off and thrown on the ground. Police were contacted after a caregiver noticed the mezuzah missing from her client’s door. The victim is a Holocaust survivor, sources added.
Visser said the Hate Crime Unit has been notified of the incident. The condo is home to many Jewish residents.
The vandalism comes just two and a half weeks after approximately 100 mezuzahs were removed from the doors of Jewish seniors at a North York residence on December 7. Police labeled that earlier case, on Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue, a “hate-motivated theft.”
“This case of mezuzahs being vandalized, again, is another example of the hate that has infected our city, often a result of incitement from the mobs on the streets and online hate,” said Toronto city councillor James Pasternak in a statement.
“There must be a universal condemnation of these acts. And there must be consequences. The chants on the streets and the feeling of lawlessness is leading Toronto to the abyss,” he added.
Residents at Palace Gate received a notice from building management requesting witnesses to come forward. The letter suggested the vandalism may have been carried out by someone within the condominium, according to The Canadian Jewish News.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) condemned the vandalism, saying, “Yet another despicable act of antisemitic vandalism at a residential building in Toronto. Yesterday, for the second time this month, mezuzahs were torn from the doorways of Jewish residents, this time in the area of Bayview Avenue and Finch Avenue East. This is not activism or protest. It is a cowardly, hateful act targeting the Jewish community. FSWC is in contact with Toronto Police, which is investigating the incident, and we are urging a thorough investigation to ensure the perpetrator is identified, arrested and held fully accountable.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also responded, “As families from all backgrounds gather to celebrate the holidays together, Jewish Canadians continue to be targeted by hate crimes. For the second time in a month, seniors and Holocaust survivors in Toronto have been victims of another brazen antisemitic act, with mezuzahs torn down from their doorways. Law enforcement and governments at all levels must act with urgency to protect Canadians and ensure accountability for offenders.”
B’nai Brith Canada said it “has been alerted to yet another incident of antisemitic hate in Toronto, where mezuzot were once again deliberately removed from the doors of Jewish residences.”
The organization warned: “The increasing frequency of such disgusting acts speaks to the normalization of antisemitism in our society. The intent of the perpetrators is clear, Jews are not welcome and do not belong in our communities. When incidents like this are minimized or grouped together, the true scale of antisemitism is obscured. The accurate reporting and recording of antisemitic incidents are essential to ensure these acts are properly documented, investigated, and addressed.”
Toronto continues to deal with a sharp rise in incidents of antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
Data released by the Toronto Police Service in May found that the city experienced a historic high in reported hate crime incidents in 2024, with the Jewish community, once again, being the leading target.
A week before the first incident of mezuzah thefts, a Toronto model said she was forced out of an Uber ride-share vehicle after midnight when the driver learned she was Jewish.
Last week, a Toronto man was charged with willful promotion of hatred nearly a year after allegedly distributing antisemitic flyers in the city’s west end.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)