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Or sign-in if you have an account.Police are seen near a kosher restaurant in Montreal after a shooting nearby which left three people dead, on June 22, 2026. The bloodshed occurred in a largely Jewish neighbourhood but police declined to comment on what the motive might have been and whether the incident amounted to a hate crime or act of terror. Photo by Daphné LEMELIN/AFP via Getty ImagesMontreal’s Jewish community was still struggling to understand Tuesday whether antisemitism was the motive behind a deadly attack in the predominantly Jewish neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges that left a police officer and bystander dead.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Accountor“It was obviously a horrible, horrible attack and really unfortunate,” said Yair Szlak, the chief executive officer of the Federation CJA, a Jewish organization in Montreal.When he was first informed of the attack, “of course your mind immediately goes towards antisemitism,” Szlak told National Post, in a phone interview while he was just down the road from the site of the shooting.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againDaniel Benlolo, a reverend at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, got “a slew of people sending messages that it was antisemitic,” he told the Post. “The news started putting two and two together. It’s a Jewish neighbourhood: it must be antisemitic.”However, Szlak warned against news reports and social media chatter that framed the attack as antisemitic, given the early nature of the police investigation, and Benlolo agreed with his cautionary tone.Szlak appreciates why many Montreal Jews feel vulnerable, particularly in light of high-profile antisemitic incidents since October 7. “The Jewish community that’s been under attack with various antisemitic incidents — whether it’s shootings at schools, the infamous Jew in a noose paraded down Sherbrooke Street — we know what antisemitism looks like,” Szlak said. “I’m not willing to jump ahead and say this was antisemitism.”The suspected manifesto of the alleged shooter references several factors he attributed to “the situation of terrible loneliness, isolation, and social degradation that is now a stark reality for many men of varying ages across our societies.” While rhetoric in the document has been described as displaying the hallmarks of involuntary celibacy (incels), a misogynistic movement, it also contains several anti-capitalist and antisemitic passages.“The influence of Zionist Jews upon the western bourgeoisie is in fact so strong that in my other works I sometimes refer to the western ruling class itself as the Judaeo-bourgeois class,” the alleged document reads.The manifesto’s list of “valid potential class A targets” exhibits antisemitic undertones, such as references to “slumlords” and “elite bankers” as well as overt references to “influential Zionists” and “all corporations with ties to Zionism are fair game: IBM, Microsoft, Boeing, etc.”Szlak said that he is aware that the alleged manifesto contains antisemitic and anti-Zionist themes, but said that “jumping to a conclusion at this particular point would be too early for us.” The 104-page document also lists other targets, including oil CEOs, plastic surgeons, cryptocurrency leaders and pickup artists.Szlak said that he was in touch with the son of Michael (Michel) Moshe Mizrahi, the Lebanese Jewish man who was killed during the firefight, and mourned his passing. “We’ve lost a member of our community,” the Jewish community leader said.Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler grew up in the neighbourhood and represented it as an MP. He is also international chair of the nearby Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. “I also knew the Jewish victim, Moshe Mizrahi, a kind man with a ready smile who would greet me warmly whenever we met,” Cotler said in an email. He offered condolences to the victims’ families and commended Montreal police “for their rapid arrival which prevented further tragedies.”Jimmy Pardo, a member of the Montreal Jewish community, called Mizrahi “a wonderful man” who was “very well known in the community.” Pardo said he had seen Mizrahi at synagogue this past weekend and that the latter had been called up to the Torah, a special occasion known as an aliyah in Judaism.Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, representing Mount Royal, told the Post during a call on Tuesday afternoon that he had just visited the site of the shooting and said the experience was deeply moving. “To see the solidarity, the spirit of defiance, the sentiment of we’re not going to let hate win,” he said. “I was really gratified to see that.”Housefather acknowledged and highlighted the sacrifice of slain Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, “who’s Muslim, who grew up in our community and who was a wonderful police officer that many people knew,” the parliamentarian said.“He accompanied us on marches. He protected us on parades. He was a great guy and he died a hero.”Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.