Toronto man arrested for breaking synagogue window as spate of attacks continue
Jonathan Szeftel, 33, is alleged to have approached a synagogue last Saturday before dawn and broke the front window with a rock.
A Canadian man suspected of throwing a rock through a synagogue window was arrested, the Toronto Police Service announced on Saturday, as the city and country at large continued to see a spate of vandal attacks against Jewish houses of worship and schools.
Jonathan Szeftel, 33, is alleged to have approached a synagogue last Saturday before dawn and broke the front window with a rock.
Szeftel was last Monday arrested and charged with mischief to religious property and failure to comply with a probation order. The suspect had his first court appearance on Tuesday at the Ontario Court of Justice.
"This investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offense," said the TPS.
Previous antisemetic incidents in the city
Toronto has seen a series of vandalism incidents against synagogues in recent months. A vandal smashed the Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue’s windows for the second time in a month on May 17, following the first incident on April 19. Another Bayview Avenue area synagogue had signs set on fire on April 26 and April 28.
On Wednesday, Toronto Crime Stoppers offered a cash reward of up to $25,000 Canadian for any information leading to the arrest of those involved in a shooting at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School on May 25. The shooting by two men did not result in any casualties.
There were also no casualties when a Montreal Jewish school, located in a synagogue, was hit by gunfire on May 27.
Last Friday, the front doors of a Vancouver synagogue were set on fire by an arsonist.
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