Anti-Semitic Vandals Hit Ontario Region

Toronto Councilor, John Filion, speaks to the media at a press conference with regard to the recent spate of antisemitic incidents in Canada. PHOTO BY BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

Police in Ontario, Canada are investigating several instances of anti-Semitic vandalism that occurred during the recent Jewish holiday season. Hate messages were found scrawled on Beth Jacob Congregation of Kitchener-Waterloo on October 12th, including one that said “ZOG is the real racial supremacists 1488 Hitler did nothing wrong!” White supremacists use ZOG as shorthand for “Zionist occupied government,” while 1488 is a reference to a 14-word slogan on white supremacy and 88 is code for “Heil Hitler” as “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

James Thom of Top Power Washing volunteered to remove anti-Semitic graffiti from the back wall of the Beth Tikvah Synagogue in North York. PHOTO BY LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES