Antisemitic graffiti was discovered outside three Toronto schools on Wednesday, the latest in a string of disturbing anti-Jewish incidents taking place at Toronto schools.
Toronto police are investigating the reported graffiti found outside Central Technical School, Rosedale Heights School of the Arts and Malvern Collegiate Institute. Regal Road Junior Public School’s playground was also reportedly vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) decried the latest series of incidents and called for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to immediately address growing antisemitism at its schools.
“Toronto’s Jewish community continues to be targeted with antisemitism, continuing the disturbing rise in Jew-hatred that was recorded in 2021 in our city and across Canada. Sadly, Toronto schools have become the epicenter of this age-old hatred,” said Michael Levitt, FSWC President and CEO. “Combatting antisemitism at schools requires the joint efforts of school boards and educators, police and political leaders at all levels of government to not only respond to antisemitic incidents but also create measures that will help prevent these incidents from occurring in the first place.”
This vandalism follows other antisemitic incidents that occurred at Toronto schools this year, including three incidents of students giving the Nazi salute in front of teachers and classmates. Last week, a series of antisemitic incidents took place at Valley Park Middle School, where students performed the Nazi salute and shouted “Heil Hitler” at a Jewish teacher, prior to which antisemitic vandalism was discovered in the school twice.