The World Union for Progressive Judaism unequivocally condemns the shooting at Temple Emanu‑El in North York, Ontario on the night of March 2nd — the very evening its congregation had gathered in joy to celebrate Purim.
No one was physically injured, but the emotional impact on congregants and neighbours is profound. Shooting at a synagogue is not merely an attack on a building — it is an attack on Jewish people’s fundamental right to gather, to pray, and to live freely without fear.
We stand in full solidarity with Rabbi Debra Lansberg and the entire community of Temple Emanu-El. WUPJ Governing Board member Pekka Sinerva is a proud member of Temple Emanu-El, and we extend our personal support to him and his fellow congregants at this deeply troubling time.
Our tradition teaches that we must raise an outcry in the matter of communal distress. (Mishneh Torah, Ta’anit 1:1) Antisemitism must be named, condemned, and confronted wherever it appears. The persecution of any religious or ethnic group is a danger to the freedom and dignity of all citizens. We call on Canadian authorities to pursue this investigation with the full force of the law.