Sep 22, 2026

Jewish News Today: Yom Kippur Synagogue Shooting in Canada Dominates as Germany Warns Jewish Life No Longer Safe

A shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, during Yom Kippur services left a police officer and a suspected attacker seriously injured, drawing condemnations from Canadian leaders and the UK Chief Rabbi. The incident came as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Jewish life in Germany is no longer safe, and as an Argentine court ordered eight suspects to trial for the 1994 AMIA bombing — the deadliest terror attack in Latin American history.

Shooting Outside Ontario Synagogue on Yom Kippur

A gunman opened fire outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, during Yom Kippur services, according to reporting by the Forward, JNS, and the Jüdische Allgemeine. A police officer was seriously injured, as was the suspected 29-year-old attacker, according to the Jüdische Allgemeine. Congregants were forced to duck as the building was sprayed with bullets, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, "Canada's government will do everything in our power to support law enforcement in ensuring that the perpetrator is held accountable," according to JNS. The Forward reported that Canadian leaders broadly condemned the attack.

UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis "saluted the courage" of the injured police officer, the Jewish Chronicle reported. Separately, JNS reported that a 19-year-old man was arrested in Durham, east of Toronto, on "Threats Motivated by Hate" charges, on suspicion of threatening to carry out a shooting attack on a synagogue — a second, unrelated incident underscoring the threat facing Canadian Jewish communities during the High Holiday period.

Germany: Chancellor Merz Says Jewish Life "No Longer Safe"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sharply criticised antisemitism in Germany and specifically in Berlin, renewing a pledge to protect Jewish life "by all means," according to the Jüdische Allgemeine. His warning follows the recent Berlin state election, in which Die Linke emerged as the leading party — a result that has prompted an ongoing debate about antisemitism within the party's ranks.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also weighed in, telling the Jüdische Allgemeine that Berlin's new government must stand by its Jewish community, and that he was hearing from many friends concerned about antisemitic tendencies in parts of Die Linke. The president of the International Auschwitz Committee called on Die Linke to acknowledge its "misguided developments" and distance itself from antisemitic thinking, particularly as the party's lead candidate Elif Eralp seeks to become Governing Mayor, the Jüdische Allgemeine reported.

Separately, Green MEP Sergey Lagodinsky called on Die Linke to expel members holding antisemitic positions, the Jüdische Allgemeine reported. In a related institutional development, Daniel Neumann, chairman of the Association of Jewish Communities in Hesse, resigned his seat on the supervisory board of a Hessischer Rundfunk subsidiary, hr werbung GmbH, the Jüdische Allgemeine reported, without providing further detail on his reasons.

Argentina: Eight Suspects Ordered to Trial for 1994 AMIA Bombing

An Argentine court has ordered eight suspects — seven Iranians and one Lebanese national — to stand trial in absentia for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre, JNS reported. The attack remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Latin American history. The court ruling marks a significant procedural step in a case that has stalled for decades, and will be closely watched by Jewish diaspora communities who have long pressed for accountability.

FIDE Breaks Yom Kippur Agreement; Israeli Chess Teams Forfeit

Israeli chess teams were forced to forfeit matches at an international competition after the world chess federation FIDE breached an understanding that Israeli players would not be scheduled to play on Yom Kippur, according to JNS. The Dutch and Bulgarian men's and women's teams were awarded 4-0 technical victories over the Israeli teams, which chose to honour the holy day rather than play. The episode drew criticism as an institutional failure to accommodate Jewish religious observance at the highest level of the sport.

Iran Hangs Man Convicted of Spying for Israel

Iran executed a man named Hossein Pedaran, who had been convicted of spying for Israel, the Jewish Chronicle reported. The execution came amid an exchange of threats between Iran and the United States. Pedaran was convicted in connection with activities during the 12-day Israel-Iran war, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

Nazi Imagery at Orlando Event Linked to Crypto Casino

JTA reported that the crypto casino company Duel, which was linked to an Orlando fight event featuring swastika flags and Hitler salutes, has a documented history of using Nazi imagery — and that its owner met with Donald Trump Jr. shortly after the event, describing it as a "great chance to align on many things." The report adds to concerns about the normalisation of antisemitic symbols in commercial and public spaces in the United States.

Holocaust Memorial Day Music Competition: Judges Announced

Judges have been announced for the Holocaust Memorial Day music competition in the UK, the Jewish Chronicle reported. The winning composition will be performed at the flagship ceremony on 27 January. The competition offers an opportunity for diaspora communities to engage with remembrance through the arts.

Context and Diaspora Relevance

The Belleville shooting is the most serious of this year's High Holiday security incidents to reach public attention in the Jewish diaspora, and follows a broader pattern of threats to synagogues in North America during the holiday period. For Jewish communities in the UK, Germany, and North America observing Yom Kippur, the news that a congregation was forced to shelter while shots were fired outside — on the holiest day of the Jewish year — will be deeply felt.

In Germany, Chancellor Merz's acknowledgement that Jewish life is "no longer safe" is unusually direct language from a sitting head of government, and reflects the anxiety that has been building in German Jewish communities around the political consequences of the Berlin election result. The Argentine court ruling on the AMIA bombing, meanwhile, represents a rare moment of legal progress in a case that has defined the vulnerability of diaspora communities to state-sponsored terrorism for over three decades.