Police Investigating Gunfire Damage at Toronto Synagogue

Police tape cordons off a crime scene in Toronto on Jan. 14, 2023. The Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey

The hate crime unit of the Toronto police is investigating after gunfire hit a North York Jewish synagogue this week, resulting in damage to the building but no reported injuries.

The incident occurred at Temple Emanu-El in Toronto’s North York district, where officers arrived in response to a report of gunfire shortly before 11 p.m. on March 2. Congregants had been celebrating the holiday of Purim at the synagogue earlier that evening.

Toronto Deputy Police Chief Robert Johnson told reporters at a March 3 press conference that officers found bullet holes in the front windows of the synagogue and shell casings on the ground upon arriving at the scene.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the incident “an unacceptable act of anti-Semitism and intimidation” in a March 3 social media post.

“Toronto’s Jewish community has the right to practice their faith without fear, intimidation, or violence,” she said on X, adding that city police would increase officers’ presence in the area to keep congregants and community members safe.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also condemned the shooting on social media. He called the incident at Temple Emanu-El “a vile and targeted act of antisemitism,” while Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said on X that “we must stand together against Antisemitism and hate.”

The nearby Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue has also been targeted by at least 10 incidences of vandalism in the past several years, part of a rising trend of anti-Semitic harassment and violence.

“In 2026 alone, 22 anti-Semitic occurrences have been reported so far [in Toronto],” Johnson said at the press conference. “This represents approximately 63 percent of all reported hate crime. These numbers are not abstract. They represent real people and real harm.”

Johnson said investigators are reviewing video footage and do not currently have a description of a suspect or vehicle to disclose. He also did not say what type of gun was used to fire at the building. He said the investigation is still active and any members of the public with information are encouraged to contact police.

Response

Adam Minsky, president and CEO of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto, said it is the fourth time in the past two years that a Jewish institution in Toronto has been hit by gunfire, “in addition to countless threats and acts of vandalism.” He said stronger security measures are being put in place.

“Together with police, we have put into place robust security protocols and measures that are essential to ensuring Jewish community activities can continue over Purim and beyond,” Minsky said in a March 3 statement. “While this shouldn’t be necessary in a country like Canada, our community is well prepared.”

The shooting incident at Emanu-El takes place in the wake of Israel and the United States’ Feb. 28 attack on Iran’s regime, which Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs CEO Noah Shack said “poses a heightened threat to Jewish and Persian communities worldwide.”

Recently, Iranian-Canadian activist Salar Gholami’s boxing gym, Saliwan Boxing, was shot at 17 times on the night of March 1. Police said the investigation is ongoing and no suspects having been named.

Gholani has helped organize protests in Toronto opposing the Iranian regime, including a Feb. 14 protest attended by more than 350,000 people. He has said he believes he was singled out by people who “support terrorists and the Islamic Republic.” The gym was empty at the time of the shooting.

Johnson told reporters the police service has increased the presence of officers in the community since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. That presence has been boosted further following the military operation launched by Israel and the United States against Iran, Johnson said. However, he said it would be “speculation” to comment on whether or not the shooting at Emanu-El could be tied to the conflict. 

Johnson also said police “are not prepared to identify if there’s any links” between the shooting at Gholani’s gym and the shooting at Emanu-El.

Anti-Semitic Incidents

Shack said the threat of rising anti-Semitism affects all Canadians.

“This isn’t solely a threat to the Jewish community—it’s a threat to every Canadian who wants to live in peace and safety,” Shack said of the Emanu-El shooting. “When incitement goes unchecked and synagogues are threatened, we can expect to see mass violence and tragedies that could have been prevented.”

Canada has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents and violence since Israel launched military operations against Hamas in October 2023 in response to terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in southern Israel.

Jewish group B'nai Brith Canada noted that the 6,219 anti-Semitic incidents it recorded in 2024 are the most the organization has ever recorded in a single year since the 1980s when it first began tracking them. The figure represents a 7.4 percent jump over 2023.

In one incident, a Jewish man walking with his children last August was assaulted by 23-year-old Sergio Yanes Preciado in a Montreal Park. A Quebec judge ruled that Preciado was mentally ill and could not be held criminally responsible for the attack.

An elderly Jewish women was stabbed in a grocery store in Ottawa in another attack later that month, which police described as “hate-motivated.” Following the stabbing, 32 Liberal MPs released a statement condemning the increase in anti-Semitism in Canada.

The statement noted that despite Jews making up just 1 percent of Canada’s population, they were victims of approximately 70 percent of religiously motivated hate crime incidents in 2024.

Federal politicians including Justice Minister Sean Fraser vowed to do more to fight anti-Semitism in the wake of the stabbing.

The government has since introduced Bill C-9, also known as the Combatting Hate Act, which proposes to make it a crime to block access to places of worship or community spaces and toughens penalties around hate-motivated crimes. The bill also expands definitions and penalties around hateful symbols and conduct.

The bill has passed second reading and is currently being studied in committee.