Israeli President Speaks to Trudeau After Latest Montreal Synagogue Attack, Calls for ‘Decisive Action’

A police car sits outside Congregation Beth Tikvah, as police investigate alleged arson at the synagogue in the suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux in Montreal on Dec.18, 2024. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he expressed his “great concern” to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a phone call after the second firebombing of a Montreal synagogue in just over a year.

“I reiterated to [Trudeau] my great concern over the intolerable wave of antisemitic attacks against the Canadian Jewish community,” Herzog wrote in a Dec. 19 post on the social media platform X.

He said that “words would not suffice” and called for “firm and decisive action” to bring perpetrators to justice, stamp out antisemitism, and implement educational and legislative measures to protect the Jewish community.

Herzog’s discussion with Trudeau follows a Dec. 18 attack on the Beth Tikvah synagogue and the West Island Federation CJA building in Dollard-des-Ormeaux on Montreal’s West Island. The synagogue had previously been firebombed in November 2023, a month after the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel, causing an estimated 1,200 deaths and hundreds taken hostage.

The assault prompted Israel to declare war on Hamas and launch military actions in Gaza, where the terrorist group is based. This led to pro-Palestinian protests across Canada, the United States, and several European countries. In some cases, protesters were seen making threats and engaging in violence and vandalism.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement following Trudeau’s call with Herzog, saying that the two leaders “strongly condemned” the Montreal attack.

“The Prime Minister underscored that the Government of Canada will advance its fight against antisemitism and stand against all forms of hate. He stressed that Jewish Canadians deserve to feel safe, supported, and welcomed,” the statement noted.

Before his call with the Israeli President, Trudeau issued a statement condemning the antisemitic attack as “cowardly and criminal.” He added, “I trust the perpetrators behind this hateful act will be quickly brought to justice.”

The firebombing of the Beth Tikvah synagogue marks the seventh attack on a Montreal Jewish institution in the past 14 months, according to the Jewish advocacy group Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). While the recent incident did not cause any casualties, the group said that the attack was intended to intimidate and harass the Jewish community.

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A number of current and former officials have condemned the attack on the Montreal Jewish institutions, including Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who has sent a letter to Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, expressing “deep concern” about the continued anti-Israel protests in the city.

He voiced “frustration” with the approach adopted by the Montreal Police, which he said have “failed to adequately utilize criminal law measures and municipal bylaws” to prevent and deter what he described as hate-driven activities from recurring.

Plante condemned the attack in a Dec. 18 post on X, saying in French, “It is intolerable that Montreal citizens live in insecurity because of their religion.”

The Epoch Times contacted the Montreal police for comment regarding the recent firebombing and the November 2023 attack on the Montreal institutions. A response was not immediately provided.

Irwin Cotler, Canada’s former justice minister and attorney general, has called for stronger action from the government in a series of posts on X.

“What we are witnessing is the normalization, mainstreaming and indeed legitimation of Jew-hatred and, most disturbingly, indifference and inaction by our political and juridical leadership. Laws are being violated with impunity,” he wrote. “We need not only moral clarity in terms of tweets and statements made, but most importantly, effective action to combat rising antisemitism,” Cotler added.