No local bomb threats to Jewish organizations, says Waterloo rabbi

A woman holds a Star of David necklace. (Source: cottonbro studio/Pexels)

A Waterloo rabbi says he’s not aware of any local threats to Jewish organizations.

According to the B’nai Brith Canada, more than 100 Jewish groups received identical bomb threats early Wednesday morning. The emailed threats indicated there would be explosions at their offices in Toronto and Montreal. Other locations included synagogues, community centres and hospitals in Toronto, Montrealand Ottawa.

Moshe Goldman is the rabbi at Chabad Waterloo Region and the Jewish chaplain for the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

While no threats were received at Chabad, he said that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a local impact.

“These threats do cause some Jews to feel afraid,” Goldman said in an email to CTV News. “Yet most of us carry on with our lives and our practice of Judaism, and some have even transformed the hatred into motivation for enhancing their Jewish practice.”

He also expressed his frustration with the rise in anti-Semitic incidents.

“These attacks don’t do anything for global issues, they don’t make anyone change their mind, and all they do is cause lots of damage locally,” said Goldman. “There is simply no justification for these cowardly, dangerous acts. They are categorically immoral, wrong and evil, and any society that hopes to consider itself moral and just must reject such actions and hold their perpetrators accountable.”

CTV News also reached out to the Beth Isaiah synagogue in Guelph.

"We have not received any emails," they confirmed in an email. "Let's hope it stays that way."