Jewish man allegedly assaulted while walking dog in Toronto neighbourhood
A Toronto man says he became the target of an assault and anti-Semitic slurs while he was out walking his dog on Wednesday.
Sam Brody says he was walking his dog at around 9 a.m. near his midtown home when a man approached him.
“As we passed him, he stopped and body checked me into the fence here. I fell down to the ground," he said.
The 29-year-old man believes he was targeted because he was wearing a Jewish skullcap.
“This brazen assault comes amid an unprecedented surge of physical attacks on Canadian Jews,” B'nai Brith Canada writes in a statement. “A recent assault on a Jewish man near his home in broad daylight is just the latest in a disturbing trend of attacks on Jews stemming from anti-Israel sentiment."
Brody says the attack came out of nowhere, and he didn’t know what to do.
“I was scared, like I don’t know what he was going to do after that,” Brody said. “Someone to hit me like that out of the blue, knock me to the ground, say something like that … I don’t know what he was going to do next. I’m just scared, I’m still kind of scared now, shaken up.”
Brody now worries the man lives in his Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood where he recently moved to with his wife.
Brody complained to Toronto police and said officers came by to interview him.
“At this time we can confirm that we have a report on file for an assault which occurred in the morning hours of Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue area,” police told CTV News Toronto. “The investigation is active and ongoing”
Brody posted about the assault on Facebook and while he was speaking with CTV Toronto on his street, a woman named Eden Spodek recognized him from the posting.
“I think it is horrible. I can’t believe this is 2021 and this is happening in Toronto. I’ve lived here most of my life. I’ve lived in a smaller centre,” Spodek said.
“I know what it is like to really be a minority, and be Jewish. It is just very disturbing, distressing. All hate crimes are equally disturbing and distressing."
B'nai Brith Canada reports that in May alone there were 154 incidents of harassment, 51 incidents of vandalism and 61 incidents of violence.
B'nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn tells CTV News Toronto that the Jewish community is scared.
“It is not acceptable and that is why we trust that police will find the perpetrator that the person will be prosecuted under the law,” he said.
“There needs to be consequences and individuals need to know that there is a red line when it comes to hate, hateful acts, hateful rhetoric will not tolerated in this country.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.