JCC CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE ATTACK ON BELZ SCHOOL
Montreal: May 29, 2024
The Jewish Community Council of Montreal (JCC) is horrified by the cowardly attack in the middle of
the night on the Belz school located at the Young Israel of Montreal synagogue. Fortunately, no one
was hurt.
We are calling for a rapid and comprehensive response by the Government of Canada, the Quebec
government and the City of Montreal so that Jewish Montrealers can once again feel safe walking to
school, attending synagogue and going about their daily lives.
Ever since the heinous terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th we have witnessed a frightening rise
in antisemitism as well as drive-by attacks on our institutions.
The JCC has repeatedly called on governments to do more. But our voices have been ignored.
We hope and pray that this latest attack serves as an alarm bell.
We have repeatedly called for changes to The Security Infrastructure Program (ESIP) so that vulnerable
schools and institutions that cannot afford to implement security measures are able to access it.
We are recommending that the Canadian Government adopt a sliding scale where a larger percentage
of the costs are covered in accordance with the size and capacity of the institution. This change would
ensure that smaller institutions can invest in the security cameras they so desperately need.
If the Canadian government had done as we asked, the school may not have been attacked.
The Quebec government and the City of Montreal are letting us down as well. There is no excuse for
not having an increased police presence in our community.
The bottom line is that we are calling on governments to initiate a host of measures and work with
us to protect and defend the inclusive Montreal we have built together.
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For more information, please contact: 514.739.6363 ext. 1218 – kalman@jccmontreal.org