‘Deeply troubling’: Jewish girls’ school in North York hit by gunfire for the second time

Toronto police are investigating after a Jewish girls' school in North York was hit by gunfire for the second time this year.

Just after 4 a.m., police received a report about a smashed window at Bais Chaya Mushka on Chesswood Drive near the area of Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue West.

Officers arrived and later learned that suspects in a vehicle discharged a firearm at the school.

“Shots have been fired from Chesswood Drive, which struck the window causing the damage to it and other parts of the building,” Insp. Paul Krawczyk with Toronto police’s integrated gun and gangs task force told reporters Saturday afternoon.

He said no one was inside the school at the time, and no one was injured as a result of the gunfire.

Krawczyk said there would be an enhanced police presence in the area as officers gather evidence and review video footage to determine what transpired.

He noted that police are not releasing any suspect information at this time.

The inspector called the incident “deeply troubling” and disturbing, given that it occurred as members of the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in their faith.

It is also the second time the school has been shot at. In May, two suspects got out of a vehicle in front of the school and discharged firearms. Police later found a bullet hole in a window and evidence of gunfire. Krawczyk said no arrests have been made with that incident.

“We understand the fear and pain that incidents like this cause, especially on a day as sacred as Yom Kippur. Our priority is your safety, and we are committed to doing everything we can to find those responsible,” the inspector said.

When asked if it is being treated as a suspected hate crime, Krawczyk said, “We have to follow the evidence right as it presents itself. So that’s most important and we will do that. But obviously we’re not ignoring this. It is Yom Kippur, and a Jewish school has been shot up. So that is why the hate crime unit is a big part of this investigation.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the incident “unacceptable,” describing it as a "disgusting act of antisemitism."

“We live in a peaceful society. We’ve never seen anything like this. We all grew up in Toronto,” Ford said on Saturday at an unrelated event. “These people need to be caught. They need to be thrown in jail.”

Speaking alongside Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the suspects need to turn themselves in.

“I reiterate that the students of Bais Chaya Mushka have the right to learn, and the teachers have a right to teach, in safety and without fear of antisemitic attacks. Jewish families and the Jewish community should not be made to fear for their safety. Antisemitic violence and threats are unacceptable,” the mayor said in a statement.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also responded to the incident, saying in a post on social media that he was “disturbed” to hear about the incident and that his heart goes out to the students, staff and parents.

“Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate — and we won’t let it stand,” Trudeau wrote.

At the Toronto Police Services Board meeting last week, police confirmed that there had been a 42.6 per cent increase in hate crime occurrences compared to the same time last year.

Police noted that the greatest increase has been against the Jewish community by 74.5 per cent.I’m very disturbed to hear that last night, as families marked Yom Kippur, there were shots fired at a Jewish school in Toronto.