Toronto synagogue defaced with swastikas

Toronto Police are investigating several swastikas spray-painted around the city in recent days.

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(JTA) — Toronto Police are investigating several swastikas spray-painted around the city in recent days.

A red-and-black stenciled swastika was found on the wall of the school of Beth Tikvah Synagogue, a Conservative congregation in Toronto, last Friday morning. The words "Islam will Rule" were scrawled underneath the symbol.

Police are reviewing footage from a video camera to identify the vandals.

Two similar swastikas have been painted nearby this month, one outside a Korean-language church.

In a letter to congregants, Beth Tikvah’s rabbi, Jarrod Grover, wrote "This kind of hatred has no place this street, in this city, or in this country." He asked Muslim leaders "to speak out against anti-Semitism and vandalism."

“We will remain vigilant in the wake of this disturbing and offensive event,” said the CEO of the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, Shimon Fogel, in a statement. “We know that this outrageous act will be condemned by Canadian Muslims and members of all faith communities who share our commitment to security, peace, and respect for all faiths.”

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