Toronto Police Service’s hate crimes unit is investigating an incident in North York that Jewish organizations have condemned as “blatant antisemitism.”<\/p>\n
Police on Monday amplified a post from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) describing what the organization called “antisemitic hate speech” near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West. Police did not provide details about when the incident occurred.<\/p>\n
CIJA said it was seeking justice alongside B’nai Brith Canada and the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center.<\/p>\n
“Week after week, for nearly three years, the Jewish community has been harassed and targeted at Bathurst and Sheppard, the heart of a Toronto Jewish neighbourhood,” CIJA said.<\/p>\n
“And now, an individual … accusing Jews of using ‘black magic,’ raping, murdering, and eating children,” it said. CIJA also posted video footage appearing to show a man making the accusations against “Zionists.”<\/p>\n
“This cannot be allowed to continue without consequences,” CIJA said.<\/p>\n
Police are appealing to witnesses and anyone with information about the incident to contact investigators.<\/p>\n
Bathurst and Sheppard, an area with a large Jewish population, has been the site of frequent anti-Israel demonstrations since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. Some of the protests have featured violent anti-Israel chants.<\/p>\n
In November 2024, protesters were filmed<\/a> reenacting the final moments of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the organizers of the October 7 massacre.<\/p>\n Toronto police opened another investigation<\/a> in March after reports that antisemitic images had been displayed during a demonstration near Bathurst and Sheppard. Several days later, police announced<\/a> that protesters would no longer be permitted to demonstrate on residential streets in the area, citing \u201cincreased volatility and heightened fear” among residents.<\/p>\n The latest investigation comes amid a broader increase in antisemitic incidents across the Toronto area since October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n In March, gunfire was directed<\/a> at Temple Emanu-El in North York while members of the congregation were gathered for Purim. No injuries were reported, although the synagogue was damaged.<\/p>\n Within days, two Jewish houses of worship, Beth Avraham Yoseph in Vaughan and Shaarei Shomayim in Toronto, were targeted<\/a> in separate gun-related incidents occurring within hours of each other. Three suspects have been charged<\/a> in connection with those shootings.<\/p>\n In April, a man attempted to enter<\/a> an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill, north of Toronto, by force and assaulted an individual before fleeing. <\/p>\n The following day, a rock was thrown<\/a> through the window of a Toronto Judaica store, the third reported attack against the business.<\/p>\n Last month, two locations of a Jewish-owned Toronto bakery were attacked<\/a> within approximately an hour of each other.<\/p>\n