Synagogue shooting in Belleville on Yom Kippur leaves Jewish communities in shock

A gunman opened fire at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville during Yom Kippur services, injuring a police officer. The shooter, Sean Ward, 29, later died in hospital.

Belleville synagogue attack on Yom Kippur shocks Jewish communities across Canada

Jewish communities across Canada are reeling after a gunman opened fire at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday night during Yom Kippur — the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, thewhig.com reports.

At approximately 7:10 p.m., shots rang out at the synagogue while congregants had gathered inside to observe the holiday. The gunfire pierced the stained-glass windows of the sanctuary. Fortunately, the service was running late and most congregants were still lighting candles in the vestibule at the time.

The shooter, identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward, was armed with a shotgun. He fired on the synagogue's glass window and on Belleville Police Service Constable Jeff Smith, an officer stationed outside the building. The Special Investigations Unit reported that approximately 20 to 30 shots were fired in total.

Both Ward and Smith sustained injuries and were rushed to Kingston General Hospital. Smith was last reported to be in critical but stable condition. Ward died at a Kingston hospital on Monday night.

'How could this happen, especially in Belleville?'

For Debbie Fitzerman, president of the Kingston Jewish Council, the attack has left many members of the community upset and angry.

"We're still in a state of shock. How could this happen, especially in Belleville?" Fitzerman said. "It's insulting on top of it all."

At the time of the shooting, Fitzerman said she had a friend inside the synagogue who messaged her directly to describe the scene — the entire congregation lying on the floor.

"It's bad enough when you read it in the news, but when you hear about it from somebody directly affected that you know, it was very distracting. Yom Kippur is a day of atonement, so you think back on how you can make yourself better and how you're going to improve and move on. It's a very contemplative day," Fitzerman said.

She noted that police routinely patrol synagogues during the Jewish High Holidays due to heightened security concerns. "How sick is it that you need armed police to enter your place of worship?" Fitzerman said. "But it's a fact of life."

Rabbi: community will not be divided

Rabbi Erin Polansky of Beth Israel Congregation in Kingston said she heard about the shooting while conducting her own Yom Kippur service. While the news was traumatic, she said it was, sadly, not entirely surprising.

"This is what we've been experiencing for the last, at least three years, but definitely has been compounded since October seventh," Polansky said, referring to the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — which fell on Shabbat and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

Polansky attributed part of the rising threat to media coverage she described as one-sided. "Most of the coverage about Israel is negative and spreading lies and libels about Israel and Jews, and people are getting radicalized because of it," she said.

She called for clearer language in public discourse: "I'd like to see Hamas people being called terrorists, not combatants or warriors. I'd like to see true accounts of the humanitarian efforts that are being waged for the benefit of the Palestinian people by the Israeli army, and not only unfortunate statements that some very right-wing members of the Israeli government have uttered, which do not represent the philosophy or the policies of the Israeli government or the IDF."

On Monday night, as Yom Kippur drew to a close, the Beth Israel congregation walked from the synagogue down to the lake — a show of unity that Polansky described as a strong turnout, joined by Kingston's Chief of Police and other officers.

"The Jewish people have survived thousands of years with similar opposition and similar attacks and we're still here," Polansky said. "We're not going to let anybody take our traditions away from us."

Political leaders respond

Polansky said she has taken note of statements from politicians, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney, but stressed that words must be followed by action.

"What starts with the Jews doesn't end with the Jews. We are the canary in the coal mine. We're the first ones to be hated and vilified, but then it extends to others and the ball keeps rolling until everybody is finding a scapegoat that's not them," she said. "That's how society in a democracy disappears and disintegrates."

Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson also expressed concern. "My thoughts are with everyone affected by the shooting near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville as members of the Jewish community gathered to observe Yom Kippur," Paterson wrote on social media. "At a time when people should be able to gather in their places of worship without fear, this incident is deeply troubling. I want to express my support and solidarity with the Jewish community here in Kingston, in Belleville, and across our region."

Polansky praised Paterson for following through on his commitments to the community. "We're very grateful for him," she said.

Dustin Atlas, director of Jewish studies and associate professor in the School of Religion at Queen's University, said any lasting solution to the threat facing Jewish communities would be multifaceted, according to thewhig.com's reporting. The investigation into the attack is being conducted by the Special Investigations Unit.

Source: Google News JM — Kingston