Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt said people were inside the Schara Tzedeck synagogue on Vancouver含羞草研究社檚 Oak Street after services around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday when they heard a 含羞草研究社渂ang含羞草研究社� outside.

But it was a passerby who alerted them that their building was on fire, before a member of the synagogue put out the flames with his jacket, said Rosenblatt while pointing to the scorched front door on Friday morning.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver said the fire was an arson attack, caused 含羞草研究社渂y an individual who poured fuel on the front doors and set them on fire.含羞草研究社�

It earlier said the damage was due to an 含羞草研究社渋ncendiary device.含羞草研究社�

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attack a 含羞草研究社渄isgusting act of antisemitism.含羞草研究社�

Vancouver police said the case was being investigated as an act of arson and a possible hate crime.

There was a strong smell of burning inside the synagogue Friday, but the charring did not appear to have made it far inside the front doors.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e glad we didn含羞草研究社檛 wake up to a pile of ashes,含羞草研究社� Rosenblatt said outside the building.

He said he was told the flames reached the second storey of the synagogue before being put out.

Rosenblatt said he was struck that there was no attempt to make the attack 含羞草研究社渃landestine.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淪omebody decided it was OK to just walk up these stairs,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淵ou could have picked a spot on the back of the synagogue.含羞草研究社�

He said the attack showed there was a 含羞草研究社渘ew permission structure含羞草研究社� about how Jewish people were treated in Canada.

含羞草研究社淢y grandfather was the cantor of a synagogue that burned down on Kristallnacht,含羞草研究社� he said, referring to the 1938 pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany.

含羞草研究社淚 thought he was the last rabbi in our family to have to deal with a synagogue that was going to be torched. I guess I was mistaken.含羞草研究社�

The federation said in a statement posted online that the damage to Schara Tzedeck synagogue was minor and no one was hurt.

It called the incident a 含羞草研究社渄eliberate act of hate含羞草研究社� and an 含羞草研究社渁ttempt to intimidate含羞草研究社� the Jewish community.

Trudeau said on social media platform X: 含羞草研究社淎 synagogue in Vancouver was attacked last night in another disgusting act of antisemitism. We cannot let this hate or these acts of violence stand. This is not the Canada we want to be.含羞草研究社�

Canada含羞草研究社檚 special envoy for combating antisemitism, Deborah Lyons, called it 含羞草研究社渉orrible news含羞草研究社� and said on social media that 含羞草研究社渋ncendiary rhetoric leads to incendiary violence.含羞草研究社�

The Jewish federation said the Vancouver Police Department and a fire inspector searched the building before declaring it safe to be reopened.

Vancouver police said in a statement that authorities have 含羞草研究社渕obilized additional officers to Jewish community centres, schools, and religious institutions.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭his fire was intentionally set at a place of worship for the Jewish community,含羞草研究社� Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement. 含羞草研究社淲hile we collect evidence to identify the person responsible, we含羞草研究社檙e also working closely with faith leaders and community members to ensure everyone含羞草研究社檚 safety.含羞草研究社�

She added: 含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e doing everything in our power to solve this crime, while providing reassurance, comfort, and safety to the community.含羞草研究社�

A police car and officers were outside the synagogue on Friday morning.

The federation said extra police patrols were being put in place at local Jewish institutions.

The incident comes after bullet holes were found at two Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto in recent days. Nobody was hurt in either incident.

Lyons said on social media that it is 含羞草研究社減ast time to stand up含羞草研究社� against the incidents.

含羞草研究社淭hree Jewish institutions in three major cities this week have been attacked, and more over the months since Hamas含羞草研究社檚 horrific massacre on Oct. 7. There is no excuse for silence or inaction,含羞草研究社� she said.

She said the law must be enforced and 含羞草研究社渋ncidents of hate含羞草研究社� could not go unanswered.

含羞草研究社淚t means that incitement and violent rhetoric must be met with consequences. It means that capitulation to unreasonable or threatening demands must end.含羞草研究社�

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, an outspoken voice against antisemitism, called on his party to change the Criminal Code in response to the rash of violent incidents targeting Jewish gathering places.

含羞草研究社淎t this point, condemnation is not enough,含羞草研究社� Housefather said in a speech to the House of Commons Friday, citing the incidents in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.

含羞草研究社淎ll levels of government need to do more, immediately.含羞草研究社�

He suggested creating safe zones around schools and places of worship where protests are not allowed, just as the government did for hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The idea was also floated in Toronto months ago by a local city councillor.

Housefather also called for the group Samidoun and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran含羞草研究社檚 military, to be labelled as terrorist groups.

The foreign affairs minister has asked Public Safety Canada to explore the possibility of listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization, but Trudeau raised concerns it would punish Canadians who were drafted into Iran含羞草研究社檚 military by force.

Housefather含羞草研究社檚 comments were met with a standing ovation in the House.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a statement saying it was 含羞草研究社渁ppalled by last night含羞草研究社檚 violent attack against a Vancouver synagogue.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭his marks the third such incident in the past six days in Canada, following shootings at Jewish schools in Toronto and Montreal. This comes as the country continues to experience surging anti-Jewish incidents since the Hamas atrocities in Israel last October.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淎bsolutely appalled by last night含羞草研究社檚 violent attack against a Vancouver synagogue,含羞草研究社� centre president Michael Levitt said on X, adding, 含羞草研究社渨hen is enough, enough?含羞草研究社�

B.C. Premier David Eby issued a statement condemning the incident, which he described as an 含羞草研究社渁rson attack.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭his disguising act of antisemitism is reprehensible (and) has absolutely no place in B.C.,含羞草研究社� the statement said, adding Eby was relieved to hear no one was hurt.

Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed said on X that he was 含羞草研究社渇urious含羞草研究社� to hear about the incident in his riding, which encompasses the synagogue.

含羞草研究社淭here is no justification for a synagogue to be attacked. None,含羞草研究社� he said.