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The Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, received antisemitic flyers overnight, weeks after a thwarted mass shooting attack on Yom Kippur. Police are actively investigating.
The Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, has been targeted with antisemitic flyers, weeks after a thwarted mass shooting attack on Yom Kippur. Norman Weddum, the synagogue president, said he woke up Thursday morning to find antisemitic flyers distributed to the synagogue and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Weddum said four different flyers blaming Jewish people for everything under the sun were distributed overnight to the synagogue and throughout the city east end. He said the number of flyers littered throughout the area suggests it could not have been done by one person. Police said they are aware of the flyers and are actively investigating the distribution.
Thwarted Attack and Shooter Details
Weddum called the flyers particularly disturbing in the wake of the September 20 attack, which police have described as a thwarted mass killing of Jewish worshippers at the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Police have said the shooter, 29-year-old Sean Ward, had multiple guns, large amounts of ammunition, gasoline and the motive to carry out an extended attack when he opened fire on an officer stationed outside the synagogue.
They said Constable Jeff Smith suffered multiple gunshot wounds but stayed engaged with the shooter. Soon after, a second officer arrived and joined the shootout. No one inside the synagogue was hurt, but Smith is expected to undergo multiple surgeries. Ward was fatally injured and died in hospital the next day.
Security and Community Recovery
The Canadian Armed Forces have since said that Ward was a former soldier who served for about five years before he was released from the military at the rank of corporal in 2022. The shooting was widely condemned by politicians and prompted synagogues and Jewish institutions elsewhere to review their security measures. Weddum said Sons of Jacob has held some services since the attack and will hold another Friday evening.
We are trying to get people back into the building, and I think it is helping, he said in a phone interview Friday. They were traumatized, and it is going to be a long healing process. But we are working on it, and we are not going to be stopped by it. This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 2, 2026.
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CTVNews:'Disturbing': Belleville, Ont., synagogue receives antisemitic flyers after shootingThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Ontario/Quebec Religion Belleville Antisemitic Flyers Sons Of Jacob Synagogue Yom Kippur Shooting Sean Ward Ontario Hate Crime Investigation
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