Police Seek Suspect in Thornhill Synagogue Assault Probed as Hate Crime
The case highlights a surge in reported antisemitic incidents across Toronto since October 2023.
Overview
- Police say a man tried to force his way into the Sephardic Kehila Centre in Thornhill on Saturday morning and assaulted a congregant before fleeing.
- York Regional Police said the victim was not hurt, and their Hate Crime Unit is investigating the attack as hate‑motivated.
- Officers are searching for the unidentified suspect and are asking anyone with information or video to contact investigators.
- Vaughan Mayor Stephen Del Duca and Jewish groups condemned the assault, with B’nai Brith urging the most aggressive enforcement allowed by law.
- The UJA Federation said the Jewish Security Network alerted police and is assisting, in a city that logged a 2024 peak in reported hate crimes with Jews most often targeted.