Images of Hitler affixed to Guelph, Ont. synagogue door, police say

Guelph police are asking anyone who has information or recognizes the man in these photos to contact them. (Submitted/Guelph Police Service)

Police have initiated a hate crime investigation after antisemitic graffiti, including stickers bearing the image of Adolf Hitler, were found on the front doors of a Guelph, Ont. synagogue.

On Tuesday, Guelph police released photos of a man they’re looking to identify in connection to the incident at Beth Isaiah Synagogue on Surrey Street West.

In a statement, the synagogue said a community volunteer found the stickers on the door of the building on Friday morning.

“We are saddened and angered by this act of hateful vandalism toward the Jewish community,” Beth Isaiah Synagogue said in part.

“Unfortunately, antisemitism is a reality in Canada; according to B’nai Brith’s 2021 audit and Statistics Canada, there has recently been an alarming increase in antisemitic crimes in Canada.”

Police said surveillance video showed a man arriving at the synagogue on foot around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Police say he placed the stickers on the doors and then appeared to photograph himself with the stickers in the background.

The man was wearing a dark jacket with a sweater hood pulled up over his head, black pants, black boots, black gloves, a dark-coloured backpack and a balaclava-style mask over his face. He was last seen walking northbound on Dublin Street South.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Guelph police.