Multiple Jewish organizations across Canada receive bomb threats, police evacuating some buildings

Dozens of Jewish organizations, synagogues and hospitals in Canada woke up Wednesday morning to a mass e-mail containing bomb threats, prompting police in multiple cities and the RCMP to open investigations.

B’nai Brith Canada said more than 100 Jewish institutions received an identical e-mail at 5 a.m. ET threatening explosions, including at its offices in Toronto and Montreal.

Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s director of research and advocacy, said the e-mail warned institutions that black backpacks containing explosives had been planted and would be set off in a matter of hours.

“It’s incredibly disheartening and concerning for Jewish institutions across the country to wake up to a bomb threat saying an explosive device will be detonated at their institutions,” Mr. Robertson said.

With the investigation continuing, Mr. Robertson was unable to share the entirety of the e-mail but said a portion of it read: “You will all end up in a pool of blood, none of you deserve to keep living.”

Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of British Columbia, said his organization was among at least a dozen others in Vancouver that received the threat and that his local Jewish community is feeling on edge.

“The amount of ignorance and antisemitism is very worrisome,” he said.

Mr. Rosenfeld said because of threats like these and the rise in antisemitism, people are increasingly afraid to show their faith or publicly identify as Jews in places that have otherwise felt safe.

Antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in Canada since the war Israel launched in Gaza after Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7. Toronto’s deputy police chief, Robert Johnson, said in June that antisemitism accounted for nearly 45 per cent of 221 alleged hate crimes so far in 2024, more than any other category.

And in the space of a week in Montreal late last year, two empty Jewish schools were hit by gunfire, Molotov cocktails were ignited at a synagogue and the headquarters of a local Jewish non-profit. For many in the Jewish community, such incidents have left them shaken and fearful of their safety in places that should be a refuge.

Hôpital Montfort, one of the hospitals that received the e-mail, said it took the threat seriously and police were called in immediately. In a statement, the hospital said the police have determined that the risk is low and it was following all usual procedures, including a full inspection of the premises.

A similar incident occurred in India on Tuesday, when more than 100 malls and hospitals in Delhi received a bomb threat of the same nature, the Times of India reported. The English-language daily reported that police and bomb detection teams looked into the incident and deemed the threat a hoax. The e-mail contents are identical to those sent to Canadian institutions on Wednesday, Mr. Robertson said. However, there is no confirmed connection between the two incidents.

Mr. Robertson said when his organization received the e-mail, the research team began looking for further details online and came across the Indian media reports.

“That was the first time that we had heard of it,” he said, adding that he immediately flagged it to police.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a post on X Wednesday, said he was “disgusted at reports” that Jewish institutions across the country were the target of threats. “This is blatant antisemitism,” he wrote.

Mr. Trudeau said the RCMP are working with local law enforcement as part of their investigation to keep Jewish Canadians safe.

Synagogues, Jewish community centres and hospitals in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are among those that confirmed they received the threat. In a list obtained by the Globe, it appears that the e-mail was sent to at least 29 institutions in Ontario, 15 in British Columbia, 12 in Quebec, nine in Alberta, four in Manitoba, three in New Brunswick, two in Nova Scotia and one in Newfoundland and Labrador. Another six recipients are in the United States.

Mr. Rosenfeld said religious services remain unaffected and will continue to resume as normal on Shabbat on Saturday.

“I actually think we might see an uptick in attendance as these types of things wake people up,” he said.

In an e-mail statement, the RCMP said they are working with local law enforcement, who are engaging with faith-based leaders to ensure locations are safe and secure and that communities have the support they need.

“We want to reassure the public that the safety and security of Canadians is our top priority,” RCMP said, adding that the Federal Policing National Security Program, which responds to domestic and international threats, is investigating the source of the e-mails.

In a post on X, Toronto police said it was aware of the threats and has taken the precaution of evacuating a number of buildings in the area of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West.

“We are continuing to address the possible impact in Toronto,” the police service said in its post. The Globe and Mail has reached out for further details.

Ottawa police say they are on site at several hospitals in the capital, but indicated the RCMP are taking the lead on the investigation.

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he stands with the Jewish community in Canada.

“Threats like this are not only despicable and cowardly – but must be taken with the utmost seriousness,” he said in a post on X.

Mr. Robertson said although law enforcement became immediately involved to ensure the safety of the community, now is the time to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.

“It’s important that people understand the gravity of this threat. It’s incredibly callous in nature,” he said.

With reports from The Canadian Press