A 35-year-old Toronto man has been arrested and charged following a break-and-enter incident at a synagogue located in the city’s Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue East area.
According to a Toronto Police Service news release issued by 53 Division investigators, the suspect, Kayce Ranger, allegedly broke into the place of worship during the early morning hours on August 18. Police stated that once inside the building, the individual stole several religious items before fleeing the scene.
Following an investigation, authorities executed a search warrant the following day at a residence located near Lawrence Avenue West and Englemount Avenue. Police confirmed that all of the stolen religious items were recovered during the search.
Ranger was taken into custody and faces charges of breaking and entering, alongside failing to comply with a release order. He was scheduled to appear for a court hearing on August 20 at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre.
B'nai Brith Canada tells 'Post' Jewish establishments have become targets with alarming frequency
Richard Robertson, director of Research and Advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post, “This incident underscores why B’nai Brith Canada has supported MP [Garnett] Genuis’s bill, which would create a distinct standalone criminal offense for stealing religious property. With alarming frequency, synagogues in this country have become the targets of protests, acts of violence, and thefts. As a society, we must protect the sacred nature of our houses of worship. It is also essential, given the current climate and national crisis of antisemitism, that the authorities thoroughly investigate whether or not the theft was hate-motivated.”
The incident comes amid escalating threats and violence directed at Jewish institutions across the country, marked by incidents such as the recent suspicious arson that gutted Nöam, a popular kosher restaurant in Montreal, and a series of targeted attacks in Toronto where gunfire struck a branch of Kiva’s Bagel Bar while another location had its windows smashed.