After mezuzahs were ripped from apartment doors in Toronto for the second time in a month, this time, Nate Leipciger, a Holocaust survivor and victim of the attack, said he felt vulnerable again, more than 80 years after leaving Auschwitz, the International March of the Living said in a press statement on Sunday.
Leipciger, a 97-year-old survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau, who lives in the building, told the Canadian Jewish News: “I feel vulnerable, they invaded under my skin.”
The survivor said he was not at home by the time of the incident, but it has made him feel fear against the antisemitic events wave that has recently occurred around the world. “It's a different time, but the hatred is the same. And, living in Canada, I thought we were safe from this,” he said.
The statement provided additional information on the incident first reported on Friday by York Centre Councillor James Pasternak and the Toronto Police Service.
At the beginning of December, a similar incident occurred in the same Canadian city, when 20 mezuzahs were removed and stolen from another residential building, according to Canadian media reports.
This time, four containers of Jewish scripture were removed from several apartments during the Christmas holidays. The local police have opened an investigation to determine if the incident may be considered a hate crime.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said that as Christmas celebrations commence, Jews have been the continued target of hate crimes. The organization called for law enforcement and government action.
Second antisemitic incident of this kind in December
In an earlier incident, 20 mezuzahs were torn from doorposts in an apartment building on December 7, according to the Toronto Police Service.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said on X that the event also occurred at a seniors’ residence.
“This is an outrageous and vile act of antisemitism,” said Chow. “This is a public supportive housing building for seniors. They deserve to live in peace without fear of being targeted for being Jewish.”
Michael Starr contributed to this report.