Laya Witty, a member of the security team at the Beth Avraham Yosef of Toronto congregation that was attacked last Shabbat, says the attack was meant to intimidate the Jewish community - but insists worshippers will not be driven away from their religious life.
“I was walking up to the building and saw a police car parked right at the door," she said in an interview on the Canadian Jewish News NorthStar Podcast. “I asked our security head what was going on, and he told me, ‘We got hit last night.’"
Authorities had already taped off the entrance as a crime scene. Inside the building, partitions were placed to block congregants from seeing the damage near the doors. Her first concern was whether anyone had been injured. She was relieved to learn the shooting caused only property damage.
“‘Gunfire,’ they said," she recalled. “And I thought, well, that’s almost a worst-case scenario."
The attack comes amid heightened concern about antisemitic incidents in Canada. According to Witty, even her family in Israel has grown worried about safety for Jews in the country. “I have children living in Israel, and when we visit them, they’re always asking if we’re okay in Canada," she said. “When they heard about this, they were the ones calling to check on us."
Local officials have also expressed concern. The mayor of Vaughan visited the synagogue following the shooting and voiced support for the congregation, but some members of the community have reportedly begun questioning their future in Canada. “There is a feeling of asking, ‘What exactly are we waiting for?’"
Despite the fear, she said the synagogue intends to continue its normal activities. “Our president reminded everyone that what the attackers want is for us to stop living our lives," she said. “The best revenge against terror is to continue doing the normal things - going to synagogue, taking your kids to the playground, shopping in stores."
Witty, who also volunteers as part of the synagogue’s security team, said Jewish institutions have already invested heavily in protective measures, including extensive surveillance systems and volunteer guards. Still, she said, attacks like drive-by shootings are difficult to prevent entirely. “I can check bags and watch the door," she said. “But how am I supposed to protect someone walking past a kosher bakery down the street?"
Police have not yet identified suspects in the shootings or said whether they are linked to a specific group. For Witty, however, the message behind the attacks is clear. “They want to scare us," she said. “They want us to believe the government and the police can’t protect us - that they can get to us whenever they want."
Her response, she said, is simple: the community will keep showing up. “Many generations of Jews had to live in fear," she said. “This generation doesn’t."