Toronto police are searching for a suspect who stole around 20 mezuzahs from the doorposts of apartments in a Jewish seniors’ residence in North York. Authorities are treating the incident as a potential hate crime.
According to local reports, the thefts occurred early Sunday morning at a building on Bathurst Street that houses elderly Jewish residents.
Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak condemned the act in a post on the social media platform X. “All of the mezuzas at 6250 Bathurst Street (TSHC) have been torn off. We have spoken with the rabbi and connected the building with 32 Division," he wrote in the post. "This is an act of hate directed at Jewish residents — seniors who deserve safety, stability and dignity in their own homes. There is no excuse for targeting people because they are Jewish."
He added that: "Toronto cannot look the other way while seniors are intimidated in their hallways. We will continue working with residents, Toronto Seniors Housing, and police until safety is restored."
By Monday morning, volunteers from the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario had collected 175 mezuzahs and visited the building to help hang them. The volunteers knocked on every door, offering mezuzahs to all residents — whether they were affected by the thefts or not.
“We hope there will be more mezuzahs in the building now than there were before the incident,” said Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman, who oversaw the effort. Residents also received small gift boxes containing Hanukkah candles, a dreidel, lighting instructions and chocolate coins.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow joined other Canadian leaders in denouncing the crime, calling it an “outrageous and vile act of antisemitism.”
"This is a public supportive housing building for seniors. They deserve to live in peace without fear of being targeted for being Jewish. I will be reaching out to TSCH leadership to investigate how this could happen."
"Jewish Torontonians deserve to live in peace and safety," Chow wrote. "Thank you Councillor Pasternak for connecting residents to the police who are investigating."