Toronto synagogue says it has been vandalized for the 10th time, police investigating

TORONTO – Toronto police are investigating vandalism at a north end synagogue in what its rabbi says is the 10th such incident over the past year and a half. 

Police say officers who responded to reports of vandalism at the Kehillat Shaarei Torah temple on Bayview Avenue early Tuesday morning found four smashed windows.

Joe Kanofsky, the synagogue’s rabbi, said the temple had built a steel fence with a locked gate around the building’s perimeter last year after several other acts of vandalism that included some of the temple’s signs being set on fire. 

“We thought we were OK, but apparently someone is even more clever than we are,” Kanofsky said of the additional security measures. 

The synagogue has received federal funding through the Canada Community Security Program to install security barriers and a CCTV system, among other measures. 

Kanofsky said nobody was physically hurt in any of the vandalism incidents, but the community is still shaken. 

“The community is a place where people come together as a faith community to thank God for the good life that we have and to pray for an even better world for everyone. This is obviously pretty far away from what we believe or what we hope happens around us,” Kanofsky said.

“We see that those who are determined to hurt other people seem pretty determined, so we have to double down on our commitment for good and for positive thoughts and prayer,” he said.

Kanofsky said police responded quickly and remained on scene well into Tuesday morning, but he wants to see more support from all levels of government. 

“(There’s) a famous statement of the Talmud that says silence is acquiescence, if you don’t say anything then people assume that it doesn’t bother you, so the silence that comes from a lot of different levels is a clear message,” he said. 

Police describe the suspect, who remains outstanding, as being in their late teens to early 20s with a thin build, short dark hair and wearing dark clothing. 

Police say they are investigating the incident as suspected hate-motivated mischief and have released an image of the suspect.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2025.