By Howie Silbiger
Two synagogues in Toronto, one in Thornhill and one in North York, were struck by gunfire overnight, just days after another North York synagogue was also targeted. In less than a week, three Toronto area synagogues have now been hit by bullets. No one was physically injured in any of the incidents, but the attacks have left the Jewish community shaken and angry as police search for those responsible.
The first of the two latest attacks happened late Friday night at Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto, widely known as the BAYT, on Clark Avenue in Thornhill. York Regional Police say officers were called just before midnight after reports of shots fired. According to investigators, a dark sedan drove up to the synagogue and suspects opened fire, striking the front entrance of the building. Two people were inside the synagogue at the time but were not injured. Police say the suspects fled the scene in the vehicle and have not yet been identified.
Shortly after that incident, Toronto Police were called to Shaarei Shomayim synagogue on Glencairn Avenue near Bathurst Street. Police say multiple shots were fired at the front doors of the synagogue shortly after midnight. Investigators are asking residents and businesses in the area to review surveillance footage and dashcam video from the surrounding streets in hopes of identifying the suspects.
Toronto Police say the investigation is being handled by the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force.
The shootings came just days after another synagogue was targeted. On Monday night, Temple Emanu-El in North York was struck by gunfire. Toronto Police said that incident happened around 10:49 p.m., when suspects fired several shots at the front entrance of the synagogue. Officers recovered shell casings at the scene and found damage to the building, but no one was inside at the time and there were no injuries.
Deputy Chief Rob Johnson of the Toronto Police Service described the earlier attack as unacceptable and deeply troubling. He said that targeting a place of worship creates fear and anger within the community and emphasized that police are taking the investigation extremely seriously.
Johnson also pointed to the broader context facing the Jewish community. Since October 7, 2023, Toronto police have made more than three hundred arrests and laid hundreds of charges related to hate crimes. In the first weeks of 2026 alone, more than twenty anti Jewish incidents had already been reported in the city, representing the majority of hate crime reports.
Jewish organizations say the situation has reached a breaking point.
Sara Lefton of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said the community is shaken and deeply frustrated by what she described as a pattern of intimidation directed at Jewish institutions. She said Jewish leaders have been warning that hateful rhetoric can quickly turn into violent action.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and UJA Federation issued a joint statement calling for urgent action from governments and law enforcement. The statement said the Jewish community has learned all too well that when tensions rise overseas, Jews in Canada often face the consequences at home. The organizations warned that what happened this week is not simply a community issue but a national security concern and called for immediate resources and stronger action to confront the sources of violent hate.
Political leaders across the country also condemned the attacks.
Prime Minister Mark Carney described the shootings as criminal antisemitic assaults and said Jewish Canadians must be able to worship without fear. He said federal authorities would support local police in identifying those responsible.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a statement saying he was disgusted by what he described as targeted shootings at Jewish places of worship. Ford called the attacks cowardly acts of hate meant to terrorize the Jewish community and said they have no place in Ontario.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow described the shootings as disgusting acts of antisemitism, hate and intimidation. She said Toronto Police are devoting significant resources to the investigation and increasing patrols around Jewish institutions.
Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca also condemned the violence and warned that failure to respond forcefully to previous incidents risks allowing the situation to worsen.
York Regional Police issued a similar condemnation following the Thornhill attack. Deputy Chief Kevin McCloskey called the shooting despicable and said hate and bigotry have no place in York Region or anywhere in Canada.
Police have not yet confirmed whether the three synagogue shootings are connected, but investigators from multiple police forces are coordinating their efforts.
Security around synagogues, Jewish schools and community institutions across the Greater Toronto Area has already been increased.
For many Jewish families, the events of the past week have been more than unsettling. Three synagogues struck by gunfire in less than a week is something few in the community ever imagined would happen in Canada. Bullets have now been fired into Jewish houses of worship three times in one week, and the community is no longer interested in hearing statements of concern. What people are demanding now are solutions, real protection and real consequences, before the inevitable day when the next headline is not about bullet holes in synagogue doors but about Jews being carried out of one.
