A threat was made against a Jewish high school in the North York district of Toronto on Friday, CityNews Toronto reported. Police said students at Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) were evacuated as a precaution after a bomb threat was received at the school around 11:15 a.m. local time on Friday. A large police presence, including the K9 unit, searched the building before determining there was no further threat to the community, according to the report. Dr. Jonathan Levy, the head of the school, said they had received an email with the subject line “Death by fire” which claimed “Multiple bombs have been placed in your buildings, and in your car lot. Many Jews will die today.” Levy said the building was cleared shortly before 2:00 p.m. and students were safely released for the rest of the day. The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said in a security update, “This incident is an example of the importance of Jewish institutions maintaining security protocols and a high level of readiness. We are grateful for the actions of TanenbaumCHAT and Toronto Police Service in addressing the situation quickly and with professionalism.” “We are concerned and outraged by this incident, which is just the latest in a growing number of antisemitic hate crimes in Toronto. Jewish institutions should ensure protocols are being followed, particularly access controls at building entrances. Voicemail and email in-boxes should be regularly checked, and any suspicious or threatening messages reported without delay,” added the statement. Friday’s incident marks the second time in a month that the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto has been hit by threats. In mid-October, two teens and a man were arrested and charged with making threats after a group of Jewish students were threatened outside the school. Antisemitism has been on the rise in Toronto since Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack against Israel and the fighting in Gaza which has ensued. These incidents include graffiti depicting the Star of David smeared with red paint to symbolize blood and words such as “Free Palestine” and “Soaked in Blood” above the symbol. In another incident, an anti-Israel rally targeted Café Landwer , a Jewish-owned restaurant chain, in downtown Toronto, with protesters yelling “boycott” and accusing it of being a “Zionist café.” Related articles: Toronto man charged with 29 offenses, including hate crimes Officers praise ‘positive’ impact of October 7 massacre on Islam Plane crash at airport injures 15, three of them critically York University to hold pro-Palestinian dinner Last week, an Indigo book store in downtown Toronto was vandalized with red paint and posters plastered on its front windows wrongfully accusing its Jewish founder and CEO, Heather Reisman, of “Funding Genocide.” Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) recently said it is deeply disturbed by the recent surge in antisemitic incidents in Toronto. (Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
