Police probe vandalism at Fredericton synagogue on Holocaust Remembrance Day

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This article was published 28/01/2024 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FREDERICTON – Members of the only synagogue in New Brunswick’s capital city are reeling Sunday from a recent act of vandalism that felt all the more painful for taking place on a global day to honour victims of the Holocaust.

Ayten Kranat, the vice president of Fredericton’s Sgoolai Israel Synagogue, said the city’s Jewish community is in a state of shock after seeing shattered windows at the synagogue’s front doors.

“We don’t know whether it was intentional or not, related to the international Holocaust memorial day,” Kranat said in a telephone interview.

“But for us, as a Jewish community, for it to happen on that day, it brings flashbacks. It hurts… It’s scary.”

Kranat said seeing shattered glass at the synagogue reminded her of Kristellnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass.”

Kristallnacht refers to Nazi attacks on Nov. 9 and 10 in 1938 against Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues. It resulted in many deaths and 30,000 Jewish men arrested and sent to concentration camps.

The Sgoolai Israel Synagogue posted a statement to the Facebook page Jewish Fredericton late Saturday night decrying the timing and nature of the vandalism. It noted there doesn’t appear to be any damage to the inside of the synagogue, and the smashed windows have been boarded up to allow for services to continue on uninterrupted.

“To the credit of the rabbi and community, Shabbat morning services proceeded,” read the statement.

Sonya Gilks, public information officer with the Fredericton Police Force, issued a statement Sunday saying officers are investigating whether damage to the synagogue was the result of “targeted hostility” or other circumstances.

“The investigation remains ongoing, and the Fredericton Police Force is actively pursuing all leads and information related to this incident,” Gilks said.

A vigil in support of the synagogue took place Sunday afternoon.

Kranat was in attendance, and said it was comforting to see “a few hundred” people come together to support the city’s Jewish community.

“I am asking for our community and our friends to stand by us,” she said.

Some New Brunswick politicians, including Premier Blaine Higgs, have described the damage to the synagogue as antisemitic vandalism.

A social media post from Higgs on X, formerly Twitter, said he will always stand with the province’s Jewish community “against all forms of antisemitic violence and hate.”

Susan Holt, leader of the Liberal Opposition party, extended a public invitation via social media to attend the afternoon vigil at the synagogue and “stand against hate.”

As of 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon, a fundraiser set up on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe has raised more than $7,200 for synagogue repairs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2024.

— By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.