‘Brazen antisemitism’: More mezuzahs stolen in Toronto, police probe potential hate crime
For the second time this month, mezuzahs affixed to the doorways of Jewish homes in Toronto have been stolen in what police say they are investigating as a potential hate crime.
Just after noon on Dec. 25, the Toronto Police Service was notified of four mezuzahs that were taken from door frames for four condo units in a building on Bayview in the suburban neighbourhood of North York.
A mezuzah is a small tube affixed outside and often within the home that holds a prayer scroll.
A spokesperson told National Post via email that an investigation is already underway and the TPS hate crime unit has been notified.
“This is the first time officers have been called to this location for this type of incident,” the spokesperson wrote.
In early December, a similar incident occurred at a nearby community housing building , where about 20 mezuzahs, mostly belonging to seniors from the Russian Jewish community, were removed or vandalized.
That incident is still under investigation. It’s not immediately clear if the two incidents are connected.
According to Councillor James Pasternak, the site of the latest mezuzah thefts is home to several Jewish residents, including Holocaust survivors.
In a statement on X, he said such acts are indicative of the fomented hate in the city, “often a result of the incitement from the mobs on the streets and online hate.”
“There must be a universal condemnation of these acts. And there must be consequences. The chants on the streets and the feeling of lawlessness is leading Toronto to the abyss,” he wrote.
Staff from the United Jewish Appearl Federation of Greater Toronto are said to be assisting residents and will father them together for an afternoon Shabbat service.
In its statement condemning both incidents, B’nai Brith Canada said their growing frequency reflects the increasing normalization of antisemitism and sends a clear message.
“The intent of the perpetrators is clear, Jews are not welcome and do not belong in our communities,” it wrote on X.
“When incidents like this are minimized or grouped together, the true scale of antisemitism is obscured.”
B’nai Brith Canada has been alerted to yet another incident of antisemitic hate in Toronto, where mezuzot were once again deliberately removed from the doors of Jewish residences.
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) December 26, 2025
The increasing frequency of such disgusting acts speaks to the normalization of antisemitism in… pic.twitter.com/G5HeaFKiA0
The Jewish human rights organization stressed that accurate reporting is essential to ensure cases are properly dealt with and touted the effectiveness of its anti-hate app, webform and hotline, which have “led directly to police action and charges being laid against antisemitic actors.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs also decried what it called “another brazen antisemitic act.”
“Law enforcement and governments at all levels must act with urgency to protect Canadians and ensure accountability for offenders,” it stated on X.
TPS data show that hate crimes against Jews made up the largest single group, with 177 reported incidents in 2024, 19 per cent more than 2023. It also found that the Jewish community, while representing less than four per cent of Toronto’s population, was the target of 40 per cent of reported incidents.
“Mischief occurrences” made up most of the hate crimes levelled at Jews, with 148 reported incidents, and anti-Jewish mischief-related hate crimes made up a third of all hate crimes in 2024.
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