Toronto police and mayor outline safety plans for upcoming High Holy Days
- Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw announced increased visible and covert police presence, including embedding officers with the Jewish Security Network and deploying Task Force Guardian with specialized tactical training, to ensure safety during the Jewish High Holy Days.
- Since October 7, 2023, Toronto police have made 573 arrests and laid 1,398 charges related to demonstrations, protests, and hate-motivated offences, with plans to maintain heightened security through anniversaries of the terrorist attacks.
- Mayor Olivia Chow condemned the rise in antisemitism, emphasizing the need for police presence to protect Jewish communities and institutions, and highlighted the expansion of the hate-crime unit to address recent attacks including the North York synagogue shooting.
- Similar safety measures are being implemented in Montreal, where police monitor threats during the High Holidays and anniversaries with no current specific threat, amid ongoing concerns over attacks on Jewish institutions since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023.
Toronto Chief of Police Myron Demkiw and Mayor Olivia Chow have provided an update on safety plans for the Jewish High Holy Days, with the police chief outlining a host of measures that will be in place this year.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon at Toronto Police Headquarters, Demkiw said the Toronto police would have “an increased presence, both visible and covert, in strategic areas to help keep people safe.”
This includes embedding Toronto police officers with the Jewish Security Network, an independent, professional agency launched in 2024 by the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto. There will also be command posts set up, including one at Bathurst and Sheppard.
Task Force Guardian, which was launched in the spring, will also be deployed, adding officers with specialized tactical training and access to patrol rifles.
“We have seen an alarming increase in hate-motivated incidents targeting the Jewish communities in Toronto and indeed in cities around the world,” Demkiw said.
He added that, since Oct. 7, 2023, Toronto police have made 573 arrests and laid 1,398 charges “in connection with demonstrations, protests and hate-motivated offences.”
After the High Holy Days, he continued, “we will maintain an enhanced presence throughout the anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks, to help ensure the safety of our communities.”
In her remarks, Chow said: “Jewish Torontonians should not need police presence to go to a synagogue or a community centre or simply to live proudly Jewish in our city. But they do.”
She continued: “In this moment of emboldened antisemitism, Jews, Jewish institutions and even Jewish neighbourhoods are being targeted. It is despicable.”
Chow added: “The Toronto police have also increased the number of officers in the hate-crime unit to investigate major incidents like the cowardly overnight shooting at North York synagogues, and to find those responsible and bring them to justice.”
Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the date in question. This year, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) starts on Friday, Sept. 11, through nightfall on Sunday, Sept. 13. This is followed by the Fast of Gedaliah on Monday, Sept. 14.
Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) begins on Sunday, Sept. 20, through nightfall on Monday, Sept. 21.
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) starts on Friday, Sept. 25 and runs through nightfall on Friday, Oct. 2.
The Toronto Police announcement follows similar remarks on Friday by the Montreal police (SPVM). They too said they were closely monitoring the upcoming High Holidays and events marking the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel, and that they will adjust operations as needed based on available information.
The SPVM said Friday that “there is currently no indication of a specific or heightened threat,” and described the measures being taken as part of the department’s “usual practices around major gatherings, religious holidays and other significant events.”
Jewish institutions in Montreal and Toronto have been targeted in several attacks since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, including shootings at Jewish schools, and firebombings targeting synagogues and community centres.