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Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., was attacked during Yom Kippur services. The gunman was killed, a police officer was injured, and the congregation vows to rebuild.
The Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, is repairing two dozen bullet holes after a gunman opened fire during Yom Kippur services on Sunday evening. The attack left a police officer critically injured and shattered the calm of the small Jewish community in this rural stretch of mid-eastern Ontario. The gunman, identified by investigators as Sean Ward, a former member of the Canadian military, was killed in a fierce exchange of gunfire with Belleville Police. Constable Jeff Smith, who was on-duty and assigned to protect the building, was critically injured.
Gunfire Interrupts Yom Kippur Services
At sundown on Sunday, the congregation of Sons of Jacob was settling in for Yom Kippur services when gunfire erupted outside. Norman Weddum, the synagogue's volunteer president, initially thought the noise was firecrackers or a car backfiring. He went into the lobby to look at the street. Realizing what was happening, he ran back inside, slammed the doors behind him, and told everyone to get on the floor of the sanctuary. Bullets flew over their heads as police engaged the gunman.
Investigators said Ward had come prepared to carry out a mass-casualty attack, armed with multiple firearms, ammunition and gasoline. He was caught on video shouting that the worshippers were going to die for the Jews. The gunman was killed in the firefight.
Three days later, board members of Sons of Jacob gathered for the first time since the shooting. They shared hugs and got back to the business of running their synagogue during what is normally the holiest time in the Jewish calendar. Though shaken by questions about what would have happened if the gunman had breached their door, they say they will continue to gather to celebrate their faith, just as they always have.
Mr. Weddum, semi-retired at 70 and managing the synagogue in between shifts as an usher at the local hockey rink, now faces the grim task of fixing the large, technicolour stained glass window depicting the 12 Tribes of Israel. He said he needs to find a craftsman who knows how to repair that type of work. The building is a mess, he added, and he needs to clean it up.
He also said the threat of violence has become a reality for Jewish organizations in 2026, even in the smallest communities in Canada. With no paid staff, there is little money in the Sons of Jacob budget to hire off-duty police or private security, but those things have become essential.
Antisemitic Incidents Escalate Across Canada
Sunday's attack is a dramatic escalation of antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish people in Canada, and has fuelled calls for a national response. More than two dozen reports of gunfire, arson, window-breaking and other types of vandalism have been documented at synagogues, Jewish schools and institutions across Canada in the past three years, according to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. While most of those have happened in larger urban centres, the Belleville shooting casts a spotlight on the vulnerability of the country's smallest Jewish communities.
Mr. Weddum said police protection is always present during the high holidays. Every synagogue in North America on the high holidays has police protection, he said. They have been doing it for years. Whenever there is a large gathering of Jews in a synagogue, there is police protection. That is just a sign of the times.
Constable Smith was on-duty Sunday and assigned to protect the building as part of a long-running partnership with the Belleville police. While officers surveyed the crime scene on Monday, a police vehicle nearby had a windshield pocked with bullet holes. An officer stationed outside the synagogue was critically injured.
On Thursday, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said federal funds will be used to improve security at the synagogue, but did not elaborate. The synagogue has also started a $90,000 GoFundMe campaign to help rebuild and protect the building.
Community Vows to Rebuild and Carry On
The members of Sons of Jacob say they are reflecting on their past this week, and the determination of previous generations of Jewish people who resettled in the Belleville area. Shima Viggoda, Sons of Jacob's vice-president, said that when you are Jewish, you look to the history of your people. The people who came here were Holocaust survivors, she said. They escaped Czarist Russia. They came to make a better life in this country, just as every Jewish community across this country.
Belleville's tiny Jewish community has persevered for well over a century. In the late 1800s, this railway stop halfway between Toronto and Montreal attracted Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, who faced barriers in traditional professions and trades but found work as furriers and peddlers. That legacy of resilience continues to sustain the congregation today.
Mr. Weddum said there has been some trauma from this. But we are going to pick up the pieces and we are going to start over and we are going to carry on. We will not be stopped by this person, or anybody else.
The congregation is determined to move forward, even as they clean up the damage and prepare for the security challenges ahead. With the help of federal funds and community donations, they hope to rebuild and protect their synagogue for future generations.
Sons Of Jacob Synagogue Belleville Shooting Yom Kippur Attack Norman Weddum Sean Ward Constable Jeff Smith Antisemitic Incidents
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