Around 20 senior citizens living in Toronto woke up Sunday morning to discover that their mezuzahs had been stolen in a vile act of antisemitism.
By Rachel Avraham
The Toronto Police Service’s Hate Crime Unit is investigating the removal of mezuzahs from Jewish seniors’ doorways in a Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) retirement facility in the North York district over the weekend, the Combat Antisemitism Movement reported. Mezuzahs, which are traditionally placed at the doorposts of Jewish homes, contain pieces of parchment inscribed with the “Shema” prayer from the Torah. Jews believe having a mezuzah at the door brings a blessing to the whole home.
Last Sunday morning, around 20 elderly Jewish Canadians woke up in Toronto to discover that their mezuzahs were stolen in an act of vile antisemitism, but rabbis who work in the 389-unit, 14-storey building told reporters that they believe the real total was much higher. The building at 6250 Bathurst St. is located in the heart of a heavily Jewish neighborhood in North York, home to many Russian-speaking seniors, the Canadian Jewish News reported.
The disturbing antisemitic vandalism incident came just a week before Hanukkah, which starts on Dec. 14. But aside from the mezuzahs, it appears nothing else Jewish was stolen. A blue-and-white Hanukkah wall decoration with a Star of David on it and the message “Season of Miracles” in the lobby beside the building’s Christmas tree, was not disturbed, the Canadian Jewish News reported. According to Rabbi Yirmi Cohen, who has ministered to the Jewish residents in the building for decades, there are security cameras installed in the lobby, but none on the floors where the residents live.
York Centre Councilor James Pasternak condemned the act as “a hateful attack on Jewish residents, seniors who deserve safety, stability, and dignity in their own homes.” Speaking to CP24, he said most of the building’s tenants are older, Russian-speaking members of the Jewish community who “always felt that their building was welcoming and safe.” Pasternak added that the residents are “very upset about this targeting and this gross violation of private space and Charter rights.”
According to I24 News, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the incident “an outrageous and vile act of antisemitism,” emphasizing that seniors living in supportive housing should be able to live without fear of being targeted for their faith. I24 News added that the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also issued a statement, noting that mezuzahs represent faith, heritage, and identity. “We’ve seen hateful conduct go from shouting in the streets to targeting Jews outside our homes to now in the hallways of our own buildings,” the organization said, urging political leaders to take immediate action to protect the community.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement declared, “In response to the incident, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) calls on supporters everywhere to join the #MezuzahChallenge. Display a mezuzah at your home or share a photo on social media to stand in solidarity with Jews targeted by hate and show that Jewish identity will not be silenced.
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