Two Toronto-area synagogues were damaged by gunfire late Friday and early Saturday following an earlier shooting at another area synagogue last week.  

Officials are investigating a possible connection between the shootings, the latest of which occurred outside of Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue and The Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) synagogue over the weekend. No one was injured in either incident.

In a message to congregants, Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, senior rabbi of BAYT, called the shooting “an appalling and cowardly act of evil,” adding that it left damage to the building’s front doors. BAYT — one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in North America —  is located in the city of Vaughan’s Thornhill neighborhood, a heavily Jewish Toronto suburb. 

Korobkin praised several Canadian politicians, including MPP Laura Smith, Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca, MP Melissa Lantsman and Vaughan City Councillor Gila Martow, for “working tirelessly with all levels of government, the intelligence community, and York Regional Police, who are in the midst of conducting a thorough investigation.”

He told members that they should continue to “attend minyanim, shiurim and other communal activities with renewed vigor and resolve.” 

According to Toronto police, multiple shots were fired at the front doors of Shaarei Shomayim at 12:03 a.m. on Saturday — less than an hour after the BAYT shooting. Shaarei Shomayim is located in North York, about three miles from Thornhill. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney called the attacks “an assault on the rights of Jewish Canadians to live and pray in safety.”

The attacks come after another Toronto synagogue was shot at last Monday night, causing damage to the building’s exterior. Toronto Police Service said that there were several bullet holes in the front windows of Temple Emanu-El in North York. No injuries were reported, but some people were inside the building at the time of the attack, following a Purim celebration. 

At a press conference on Sunday, Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the advocacy arm of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, said that the country is “at a crossroads” following the three shootings. 

“This gunfire didn’t come from nowhere,” said Shack. “Over the last two years, our Jewish community has been subject to increasing incidents of hate, intimidation, harassment and violence.” 

Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism found a 670% increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada in 2024. 

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said at the press conference that there are ongoing investigations. He promised a “relentless” pursuit to hold suspects accountable.