Fredericton’s only synagogue considering security measures after weekend vandalism

The snow was still packed with hundreds of footprints outside Fredericton’s Sgoolai Israel Synagogue on Monday.

It was the remnants of the hundreds of people who came out Sunday afternoon and linked arms as a show of support for the Jewish community, sparked after the synagogue’s windows were found shattered Saturday morning — on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Synagogue executives say they’ve scheduled a meeting to discuss if possible security measures like cameras or unbreakable windows should be added.

“To me, it was not something that was unexpected considering the challenging times in which we live. I think it was just a matter of time. It's happened everywhere else. It can happen here. And the question is when,” said the Synagogue’s past president Marilyn Kaufman.

Kaufman is also the co-chair of an anti-Semitism committee, created two years ago to educate and spread awareness on the issue.

She says there have been additions made to New Brunswick’s school curriculum that focus on Holocaust education — some additions made as recently as this past school year.

“I think we have to examine the safety measures and security measures that must be taken to protect us, to prevent something from this happening again,” she said. “And I think it's an unfortunate learning curve, not for just us, but for everyone.”

The vice-president said her and her family moved to New Brunswick to escape such safety concerns.

“Systemic anti-Semitism is growing. It was growing all around and has gone out of control in Europe already. The reason that we moved here 15 years ago because we were scared to live there, we would as a family go to synagogue and people will yell at us on the street,” said Ayten Kranat. “We need support. We need people to come forward and to stop the hate and anti-Semitism.”

Fredericton police said Monday the investigation is still in the early stages. On Sunday, the force said it was too early to tell if it was a hate crime.

“We can’t ignore the possibility. At this point, we’re early in the investigation and we’re just trying to get as much information as possible,” said Sgt. Justin LeBlanc.

Kaufman says she’s holding onto the foundation of her faith.

“Our national anthem of Israel is ‘Hatikvah,’ which means hope. So we're a hopeful nation and we're an optimistic nation,” she said. 

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