‘A threat to all’: Community leaders call for more support after synagogue shootings

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This article was published 08/03/2026 (206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO –  

Jewish community leaders in Toronto are calling for more support after two Toronto-area synagogues were struck with gunfire this weekend.

Sara Lefton of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto said the shootings represent “a threat to all,” not just Jewish Canadians.

Standing in front of the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue with other Jewish leaders on Sunday, Lefton called on all levels of government to provide rapid funding to secure Toronto’s Jewish communities.

The synagogue was struck by gunfire shortly after midnight on Saturday, Toronto police say. 

Bullet holes were still visible on its doors as community leaders, police officials and federal, provincial and municipal politicians gathered at the synagogue’s doorstep for a news conference. 

The gunfire comes as Israeli and American bombs rain down on Iran, including at an oil depot near Tehran. Iran is retaliating by widening its targets in the Middle East, hitting desalination plant this weekend in Bahrain. 

Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Toronto’s Jewish communities have faced rising incidents of hate and violence in the last two years. 

He’s calling for more funding dedicated to “building up the security infrastructure” in vulnerable communities. 

Shack urged the federal government last year to substantially increase funding available through the Canada Community Security Program, which provides money for eligible organizations to hire third-party security if they are at risk of hate-motivated incidents. 

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said during the news conference that the federal government will look to change requirements for funds that are “critically important to support Jewish and other community infrastructures,” as well as strengthen hate laws.

The shooting at Shaarei Shomayim synagogue on Saturday came just minutes after York Region Police responded to gunfire at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Thornhill.

Toronto police and York Region Police say they have stepped up patrols around Jewish neighbourhoods and places of worship as they continue to investigate the incidents.

The two shootings came less than a week after a third reported incident at Temple Emanu-El, another Toronto-area synagogue, where evidence of gunfire was found on Monday night.

No injuries were reported at the synagogues. 

News of the shootings drew widespread condemnation on Saturday as politicians labelled them as antisemitic attacks. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney said federal agencies and the RCMP will use every resource available to help local police identify those responsible and “bring them to the full weight of justice” — calling the shootings an “assault on the rights of Jewish Canadians to live and pray in safety.”

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow condemned the shootings as “disgusting acts of antisemitism, hate and intimidation”, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his support for the Jewish community.

“Our government will continue working closely with police to ensure that places of worship are protected and those responsible are held accountable,” he said. “Antisemitism has no place in Ontario.”

York Region Police Deputy Chief Kevin McCloskey said at Sunday news conference that officers are working closely with Toronto police as the two law enforcement agencies investigate the shootings.

McCloskey added there is no definitive evidence linking the shootings but investigators have not ruled out the possibility. 

Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said Sunday there is an obvious “time and space relationship” between the two shootings, but investigators will go where the evidence takes them. 

The shootings were reported within 20 minutes of each other and the synagogues are about 10 kilometres apart. 

Demkiw added that police are co-ordinating with provincial and national partners on the investigation and he has spoken personally with the commissioner of the RCMP. 

Shack said “serious action” needs to be taken to push back against the “glorification of violence,” which he believes inspired the shootings. 

“We have an opportunity to look forward,” he said.
”Not enough has been done over the last two years to prevent us from getting to this place. We can now come together and take concerted action to ensure that we don’t go any further.”

Police in Toronto and York Region are urging anyone with information or footage of the shootings to contact law enforcement. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2026.