TORONTO — Students resumed classes at a Toronto Jewish school on Friday morning hours after police said it was the target of an apparent overnight shooting for the third time this year.
Police said they began investigating after officers were called to Bais Chaya Mushka in North York at around 2:30 a.m., where they found "evidence of firearm discharge."
No injuries were reported, police said in a social-media post on Friday morning. In a statement, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the school had sustained "some damage."
"Enough is enough. Antisemitism and antisemitic attacks have no place in Toronto," Chow said.
"Every single antisemitic act is one too many in Toronto. The students and community of Bais Chaya Mushka have the right to learn and teach in a safe environment, free from hate and violence."
The school was shot at overnight twice before, in May and October.
A 17-year-old boy and 20-year-old man were arrested in the October shooting. Police said at the time they were working to find out if the two shootings were linked.
Police did not immediately respond to questions on Friday morning. In a follow-up post on X, they said an update would be provided in the afternoon.
A local Jewish community safety group said students had been welcomed back to the school despite the overnight shooting.
"As we assess the implications of these latest incidents for the security of our community, we are updating Jewish institutions across the (Greater Toronto Area) about the situation and the critical need for vigilance," read an update from Jewish Security Network, a group launched by the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto in response to a reported spike in antisemitism since the outset of the Israel-Hamas war.
The group's update said the school had been struck by gunfire and damaged.
The investigation comes a day after a synagogue in Montreal was the target of an alleged firebomb attack for a second time in just over a year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2024.
The Canadian Press
