Two gunmen fired five shots at an Orthodox Jewish girls’ school in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, though police are hesitating to call the incident a hate crime.
The Canadian Jewish News reported:
Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School, located near the Finch and Dufferin intersection in Toronto, had shots fired in its direction on Saturday at 4:52 a.m. No injuries were reported. Police were called around 9 a.m. when bullet holes were discovered in the front door glass of the school. Evidence of gunfire was recovered at the scene in the hours following the incident, which was captured on at least one security video. Two suspects can be seen getting out of a dark-colored vehicle—which neither of them appeared to be driving—and firing rounds at the fenced-in building at 4375 Chesswood Dr., which serves local Hasidic Jewish community members who follow the religious principles of Chabad.
The security video was widely circulated online:
Two masked men OPEN FIRE on Jewish girls school, firing 5 rounds.
The gunmen fired the shots towards the windows of the Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School in Toronto.
Police said at this stage it’s too early to tell if the act was a ‘hate crime.’
No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/LIHNz2VFzF
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 25, 2024
Rebel News’ Ezra Levant criticized police for refusing to identify “antisemitism” as a motive:
The local Jewish federation, an umbrella group of Jewish community leaders, issued a statement Saturday evening (original emphasis):
This morning at around 5 AM, two attackers fired gunshots at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School, at Dufferin and Finch. We are grateful that no one was injured during this heinous act of hate, and we extend our steadfast support to the staff, students, and families of Bais Chaya Mushka. This was a brazen and deliberate attempt to intimidate our community. But in the face of antisemitism, our Jewish community is strong and resilient. We will continue to do what we have always done: live publicly and proudly as Jews. …Tonight is the beginning of Lag BaOmer. This holiday reminds us that, even as we exercise enhanced vigilance, our unity and pride as Jews is at the core of our strength. We must never cower or retreat from Jewish life—and we will never let antisemites stop us from living as who we are.
Lag BaOmer, the thirty-third day of the counting of the traditional “omer” measure of grain, is a celebration based in Jewish mystical traditions. It marks the end of a period of mourning and features bonfires, games, and barbecues.
