Montreal's Jewish community is grappling with the aftermath of a deadly attack in the predominantly Jewish neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges that left three people dead, including a police officer and a civilian bystander. The alleged shooter's manifesto, described as displaying hallmarks of involuntary celibacy (incel), also contains antisemitic and anti-capitalist passages, raising questions about the motive.
Community Leaders Urge Caution
Yair Szlak, chief executive officer of Federation CJA, a Jewish organization in Montreal, expressed the community's shock. "It was obviously a horrible, horrible attack and really unfortunate," he said in a phone interview. When first informed, Szlak noted, "of course your mind immediately goes towards antisemitism." However, he warned against jumping to conclusions given the early stage of the police investigation.
Daniel Benlolo, a reverend at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, received "a slew of people sending messages that it was antisemitic." He agreed with Szlak's cautious tone, acknowledging the natural inclination to connect the attack to antisemitism due to the neighbourhood's Jewish character.
Context of Rising Antisemitism
Szlak highlighted the vulnerability felt by Montreal Jews, especially after high-profile antisemitic incidents since October 7. "The Jewish community that's been under attack with various antisemitic incidents — whether it's shootings at schools, the infamous Jew in a noose paraded down Sherbrooke Street — we know what antisemitism looks like," he said. Despite this, he emphasized, "I'm not willing to jump ahead and say this was antisemitism."
The Alleged Manifesto
The suspected manifesto, attributed to the shooter, references "the situation of terrible loneliness, isolation, and social degradation that is now a stark reality for many men of varying ages across our societies." It contains rhetoric typical of the incel movement, a misogynistic ideology, alongside anti-capitalist and antisemitic passages. One passage states: "The influence of Zionist Jews upon the western bourgeoisie is in fact so strong that in my other works I sometimes refer to the western ruling class itself as the Judaeo-bourgeois class."
The document lists "valid potential class A targets" with antisemitic undertones, including "slumlords," "elite bankers," "influential Zionists," and "all corporations with ties to Zionism are fair game: IBM, Microsoft, Boeing, etc." It also targets oil CEOs, plastic surgeons, cryptocurrency leaders, and pickup artists. Szlak acknowledged awareness of these themes but reiterated that "jumping to a conclusion at this particular point would be too early for us."
Impact on the Community
The attack has left the community mourning. "We've lost a member of our community," Szlak said, referring to the civilian victim, identified as Michael Mizrahi. The police officer killed has not yet been named. As the investigation continues, Montreal Jews remain on edge, balancing grief with a cautious wait for official findings.
