Subhead:Seniors in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto had mezuzahs — a small sacred scroll inscribed with Hebrew verses — stolen from their doors in an incident the Toronto police are treating as hate motivated.#
Toronto officials continue to ignore the city’s growing antisemitism problem, even when the victims are some of our most vulnerable residents.
Last Sunday, Jewish residents of 6250 Bathurst Street, a seniors’ building operated by the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC), discovered that the mezuzahs attached to their doorways had been torn down and stolen.
A mezuzah is a small sacred scroll inscribed with Hebrew verses from the Torah and affixed to the doorpost of a Jewish home. Toronto police confirmed that the Hate Crime Unit is investigating the thefts as a suspected hate-motivated crime.
Mayor Olivia Chow was quick to condemn the incident on X in a post that permitted replies only from accounts she mentioned:
This is an outrageous and vile act of antisemitism. This is a public supportive housing building for seniors. They deserve to live in peace without fear of being targeted for being Jewish. I will be reaching out to TSCH leadership to investigate this how this could happen.
Jewish Torontonians deserve to live in peace and safety. Thank you Councillor Pasternak for connecting residents to the police who are investigating.
But it was not Toronto officials or the TSHC who stood with the frightened residents. It was the Jewish community.
