(JNS) A kosher restaurant in Montreal is temporarily closed after it was vandalized on Sunday night, June 13, in what is believed to be a hate crime. According to B’nai Brith Canada, “unknown assailants shattered the front door of Chez Benny in Ville Saint-Laurent with a rock, then attempt to light a fire, which failed to catch due to a lack of flammable material. There was no evidence of any attempt to take money or valuables from the restaurant. No one was in the restaurant at the time of the incident.” Two other non-kosher restaurants are in the same plaza as Chez Benny; neither was damaged.

The vandalism comes amid a rising number of hate crimes across Canada since mid-May. According to B’nai Brith, the organization had recorded as many hate crimes in May 2021 as it had during the entire year of 2020. “It has been a difficult month-and-a-half for Jews across Canada, so people are naturally on edge following this attack,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, who expressed appreciation to local police for their “swift work” on the case.

Elsewhere, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs CIJA, the advocacy arm of the Jewish federation system in Canada, has created a “Fight It!” campaign to combat rising antisemitism across the country. It has also urged the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to convene an emergency summit to address the rising incidents of Jewish hatred in Canada. While the government announced late last week that it will convene a summit, no date has been set.

Main Photo: Flag of Canada. Credit: Pixabay.