The shooting outside of a synagogue in Belleville is prompting concern in Windsor’s Jewish community. Miriam Goldstein is the Interim Executive Director of the Windsor Jewish Federation and says there’s a real spike of fear when these types of incidents occur. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit says as many as 30 shots may have been fired near the Sons of Jacob synagogue - approximately two hours outside of Toronto. The shooting happened shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday night, at the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The SIU says dozens of bullet holes were found in the area, including on homes and vehicles, although it has not confirmed whether the synagogue itself was hit. A Belleville police officer and a 29-year-old man armed with a shotgun were seriously injured. She says increased security has already become part of life for Jewish communities during major holidays. “We’re very used to having police. We pay for extra security. In the last three years or so, maybe a little longer, we’ve really seen increased vigilance and an increased cost to our community to feel safe.” Goldstein says she was contacted by members of the local Jewish community on Monday who were fearful and asked if police patrols would be increased during their Yom Kippur events. “It really does increase fear and especially when you see in a city like Belleville, it’s a small city, it’s smaller than Windsor, the Jewish community is comparable. It starts to raise questions of are we actually safe or is it really just we’ve been lulled by the relative calmness that we’ve had here? I think we’re really lucky here and I think we’re a multicultural city and we always have been.” She says the response cannot be to stop gathering. “I think really the only way to combat this type of hatred is to be wholly yourself and to find moments of joy for yourself, for your family, for your community, and really come together. Truly the only way to start to feel secure in yourself is to find more community and more points of joy and contact, and it’s the only way through.” Goldstein says the Canadian Jewish community at large spends just over $40 million annually on security alone. The SIU says its investigation remains ongoing. This is one of many incidents against the Jewish community. In Windsor, a 31-year-old man was arrested in May after allegedly leaving a series of voicemail messages containing anti-Semitic and derogatory language at two Jewish community organizations. In April and May, an 18-year-old man in Toronto allegedly carried out two assaults against members of the Jewish community using a gel blaster imitation gun. In March, two Toronto-area synagogues were damaged by gunfire overnight. -with files from AM800’s The Shift with guest host Kristen Siapas
