Three synagogues in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were defaced with antisemitic graffiti over the weekend, following a contentious period in the Canadian city over an athletic match that included the Israeli team.
Beth Israel Synagogue and a building associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch of the Maritimes had the phrase “Jews did 9/11” written on them with spray paint. Another synagogue on the same street as Beth Israel, Shaar Shalom, had a swastika spray-painted on its signage.
“The targeting of synagogues in Halifax with antisemitic graffiti is absolutely disgraceful. We are better than this as a province,” said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston in a post on X.
The graffiti came days after hundreds gathered outside the Davis Cup tennis competition in Halifax to protest Israel’s participation in the match against Canada. The match was held Friday behind closed doors, with no spectators or media allowed due to safety concerns.
“Whether intimidating sports fans, threatening elected officials, or targeting people at their places of worship, this is absolutely unacceptable in Canada — an assault on our core Canadian values,” wrote Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs CEO Noah Shack and Atlantic Jewish Council executive director Yoram Abisror in a post on X.
Halifax Regional Police released a photo of a man suspected of writing the antisemitic graffiti in a post on Facebook Monday, adding that the individual had also defaced nearby sidewalks three separate times.
The incidents are being investigated as hate crimes, and police are conducting “extra patrols” at local synagogues and religious buildings, according to the post.
“Directing hate to an entire section of our community is against the law, but most importantly, it does not represent the views of our city,” said Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean in a statement. “The loudest voices are not always rooted in wisdom, fact or truth.”
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