For the third time, the Aleph Bet Judaica store on Bathurst Street in North York has had its windows smashed by rocks. Despite the repeated attacks, owner Moshe Joseph remains defiant: he will simply install a new window, just as he did after the previous two incidents.
Owner Refuses to Be Intimidated
“This is not going to scare me,” Joseph said. “I have been in Canada for 49 years.” He has operated the store since 1988 and insists he will stay open. Since immigrating from Israel in 1977, he said he never experienced antisemitism until October 7, 2023. Since that Black Sabbath attack by Hamas on innocent Israelis, being Jewish in Toronto has become increasingly difficult.
Joseph noted that synagogues have been shot at or set on fire, a Jewish school has been hit by bullets three times, and restaurants and businesses have been targeted. “Antisemitism is normal in Toronto in 2026,” he said. He warned that broken windows lead to broken trust and eventually to a broken Toronto. The Greater Toronto Area, he said, has become like the Middle East for Jews, who can be victims of terror at any time.
Community Leaders Demand Action
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) responded on social media, saying, “Another day, another attack. Words are starting to lose meaning when this keeps happening. We need urgent action from the authorities and all levels of government to safeguard communities and address the sources of the violence before lives are lost.”
On the same weekend, York Regional Police investigated what they called a hate-bias-motivated incident at the Sephardic Kehila Centre in Vaughan, where a man allegedly attempted to force his way into a synagogue and assaulted a victim before fleeing.
B’nai Brith Canada held a news conference on Parliament Hill, stating that antisemitism has become commonplace and accepted. Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy, said, “We cannot allow antisemitism to be rendered into mere statistics that we grow numb to. There was an immense and tragic human cost to the 6,800 incidents recorded in 2025.” He added that an assault on a Jewish man in a park in front of his children creates generational trauma and leaves an entire cohort questioning if they are safe in this country.
Police Response and Ongoing Concerns
In Joseph’s case, no arrests have been made in the three attacks. Police responded on Saturday but told him they cannot prove it is a hate crime. Joseph insisted it is. Toronto Police have not yet indicated if they are investigating or if suspect information will be released. Joseph worries that because his store was targeted with rocks rather than gunshots, it may not be given high priority.
Respected journalist on Jewish affairs, Ron East, commented, “Imagine owning a small business and wondering when the next window will shatter. For many Jewish Canadians, this is not abstract. It is the reality of rising antisemitism in real time. A country that values pluralism cannot allow stores tied to religious identity to become recurring targets.”
Joseph, a former Israeli army soldier, remains unshaken. “I was in the Israeli army; I am not afraid,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s only money.”
