‘The flood is coming': Threatening pro-Hamas graffiti left near Calgary synagogue

Threatening pro-Hamas messages were graffitied near a Calgary synagogue and Jewish day school on Saturday night, Canadian Jewish organizations announced on Monday and the Calgary Beth Tzedec Congregation told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“The flood is coming,” read black graffiti photographed by the Calgary Jewish Federation near Beth Tzedec Congregation and the Calgary Jewish Academy.

“Al-Aqsa Flood” was the Hamas operational name of the October 7 Massacre. The Calgary Federation said on social media that the reference emphasized an “insidious” intent to intimidate the community.

As 1000s gathered amongst the graffiti, Calgary's Jewish community & our allies showed we will not back down in the face of hate. Thank you @CalgaryPolice & @RCMPAlberta for ensuring that our community was able to gather safely in the face of these disturbing threats & Jew hate. pic.twitter.com/8GYEh2sQcu

— Jewish Calgary (@Jewishcalgary) July 29, 2024

Next to the phrase was an inverted red triangle, a symbol often used and popularized by Hamas propaganda videos to denote the targeting of enemies.

The red triangle appeared in two more locations along a wall near the Jewish sites. The phrase “Free Palestine” accompanied one, while the graffiti “for Hind Rajab” accompanied the other.”

Rajab was allegedly killed by IDF fire during fighting in the Gaza Strip in January, and her memory has served as a rallying call for pro-Palestinian activists.

Graffiti appeared during pro-Israel demonstration

On Sunday, thousands of community members participated in the Calgary Jews Stand United Walk With Israel, where they saw the graffiti displayed along the route. No graffiti was visible on synagogue property, the congregation said.

“Images of Jewish hatred and public death threats to Calgary’s Jewish community were on display this weekend near a synagogue and Jewish day school as a means to intimidate the local community and its allies as they walked for Israel and against antisemitism,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on X.

Member of Parliament Shuv Majumdar said that the incident was an act of intimidation but that it would not work against the locals.

“We must always defend the freedom of all Canadians to worship in peace and protect innocents from monsters trafficking in violent ideologies,” Majumdar said on social media. “We will call out anti-Zionism and antisemitism at every turn. We choose freedom over fear.”

Beth Tzedec Congregation CEO David Inhaber said that Sunday’s march was successful. He thanked the police and security for their work to protect the event.

The removal of the graffiti has begun.

Meanwhile, there is no evidence that a fire reported at a Toronto Jewish day school on Tuesday morning was motivated by antisemitism, the Toronto Police Service announced on Tuesday.

A shed next to the Leo Baeck Day School parking lot was set on fire under unclear circumstances, but police noted that it was also being used as a shelter by homeless persons.

The school said on Tuesday morning that there were no injuries. The United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto extended its sympathy to the school following the damage.