The Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Thornhill, Ont., which was targeted with gunfire just before midnight on March 6. The Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in Vaughan, north of Toronto, was also targeted soon after.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The York Regional Police has taken the unusual step of releasing photos of a youth suspect they allege was involved in back-to-back shootings at two synagogues in the Toronto area earlier this year.
A suspect allegedly fired gunshots at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Vaughan, north of the city, on March 6 just before midnight, according to news releases from the York Region and Toronto police forces. The releases said that when officers responded, the front doors of the building had bullet holes and two people were inside but remained unharmed.
Just after midnight, police said they responded to another report of gunfire at the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in Toronto. Nobody was injured during the shooting.
Police have identified a potential suspect, who they believe is a teenaged male.
In most cases, the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents images or other identifying information about offenders under 18 from being released to media, but York police said that it received a court order this week to release surveillance camera images as they asked the public for information to identify the suspect.
The news release also said the Toronto Police Service’s recently created counterterrorism unit is involved in the investigation.
Toronto is among several cities across the country that have reported an increase in alleged hate crimes and extremist violence, particularly since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which was followed by Israel’s invasion of Gaza. In Toronto, those incidents have included shootings targeting Jewish schools, synagogues sites and businesses, as well as bullets fired in April at the U.S. consulate.
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Daniel Korobkin, a Rabbi at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue, said the problem is only getting worse.
“I was very sad that the current culture in Canada is that antisemitism has risen to this level,” said Mr. Korobkin.
“In the name of free speech, there has been a tolerance of hate speech within Canada that has been festering and growing ever since Oct. 7, 2023. Unfortunately, the haters are becoming more and more emboldened, and this is the manifestation of that.”
Mr. Korobkin said the attack in March is one of many that have made the Jewish community rethink their safety in Canada. He said since the attacks, the synagogue has tightened their security and have recently received funding to get more cameras and protective barriers.
Mr. Korobkin said no matter what happens, the community will stick together and remain resilient.
“We are an extremely dedicated community, we have very strong convictions in our faith and we’re not going anywhere,” he said.
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The investigation is one of the first cases that has involved Toronto’s counterterrorism unit, which was created in March in response to the growing number of violence perpetrated on businesses, schools and places of worship. The unit works in collaboration with the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police.
Toronto police announced last month that the counterterrorism unit was involved in arresting a suspect after a shooting that targeted a Jewish-owned restaurant. In that case, officers were already in the area as part of the force’s increased presence in Jewish neighbourhoods.
On Monday, Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith released a report that said there was a record number of antisemitism incidents across Canada in 2025.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the location of the two synagogues