Westmount

Pro-Palestinians disrupt Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue in Westmount

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

A group of pro-Palestine and pro-Hamas protesters harassed, blocked and pushed attendees at an event at the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue in Westmount last week.They were masked, waved the Palestinian flag, chanted calls for intifada and support for Hamas, and called Jews baby-killers and genocide supporters. Police presence was significant but they arrived after the protesters and made no arrests.

The event was a talk by Eylon Levy, a former Israeli Government Spokesman and International Media Advisor to the President of Israel, and the Co-Founder of the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons’ Office. Levy is on a speaking tour that took him to Montreal. He spoke to a packed house of some 550 inside, while outside, according to Cantor Gideon Zelermyer, about 30 to 40 protesters gathered, with about as many police officers on the scene.

Zelermyer said that while protests at the nearby Israeli consulate have become a regular occurrence, “this was the first time we’ve had something like this at the synagogue.” The protesters were on the same side of the synagogue, not across the street, as per the court injunction mandating that they stay 50 metres away.

The Suburban asked the SPVM why the police did not enforce Criminal Code provisions that make demonstrations in neighbourhoods that are “tumultuous” illegal and also disallow demonstrations in front of religiousminstitutions specifically sections 63(1j and (2) and 176(1j and (2j. The SPVM’s Anik de Repentigny answered,”In general, the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) does not comment on specific operations. That being said, the role of our police officers during demonstration activities such as the one on November 5 is to ensure that they take place in peace, in good order, and with the safety of people and property. They must also be carried out in compliance with the laws and regulations in force. It should be noted that the SPVM management has been in regular contact with Jewish communities since the beginning of the conflict 13 months ago. We continue to meet with them and listen to them. Their concerns are important to us and we are sparing no effort to restore their sense of security.” The Suburban responded by asking if the SPVM is saying that these provisions were not broken? We did not receive an answer by press time.

Melissa Libman, an attendee, said the protesters were at two different entrances shouting at attendees, calling them baby killers and supporters of genocide. Libman says she wasn’t worried. “I was not intimidated by their words,” she said.

The shouting continued throughout Levy’s talk, and could be heard inside the synagogue. Levy acknowledged the protesters, but simply said not to pay attention to them. Libman echoed the sentiment. “These are not the people who want to talk to us,” she said.

Marc Miller, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, reacted to the protest, calling it “a disgusting display of vitriol and beyond the pale of any form of acceptable protest.”

Anna Gainey, Liberal MP for Nôtre-Dame-de-Grace–Westmount, posted on her X account that the protests “not only violate the current injunction protecting places of worship, but violate the peace and safety of residents and of our Jewish community members in particular. The hate speech and antisemitic chants filling the quiet residential street are obscene. It’s unacceptable and has to stop.”

Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP for Mount Royal, posted that he’d been in touch with Westmount Mayor Christina Smith, and had spoken with the police. “The location of this protest is meant to intimidate,” Housefather added. “It is appalling.”

A statement he put out the following day read “the police should have enforced the injunction and they did not. They did not, leaving many Montrealers confused, angry, and concerned about their safety. This is not acceptable.”

Mayor Smith agreed, saying she is “very disappointed with the SPVM’s decision to ignore the clear court injunction prohibiting protests within 50 metres of places of worship. This is unacceptable.”

Shaar Hashomayim’s Rabbi Adam Scheier put out a joint statement with Rabbi Reuben Poupko of Côte St. Luc’s Beth Israel Beth Aaron Synagogue, calling on Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and the SPVM “to more effectively protect our community.”

Attorney Neil Oberman who has won more than a half dozen injunctions protecting Jewish institutions said, “This week’s events in Westmount highlight the necessity for ongoing vigilance and effective leadership. Canada, once a respected nation and a symbol of hope, is now facing challenges from individuals who threaten its integrity. Current leadership appears to lack the vision and commitment needed to restore safety and security in our communities.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and Federation CJA also released a joint statement at the time of the protest, saying “this evening, radicals came to desecrate the tranquility of one of our community’s residential neighborhoods and houses of worship by calling for intifida in front of the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue in Montreal. That they should do so in violation of the injunction protecting our community’s premises from this kind of antisemitic demonstration, and all that in front of the SPVM, is revolting. We will raise concerns directly with the SPVM as to why protesters were allowed so close despite the injunction.” n

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Westmount appeals to Quebec to stop protests

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Westmount Mayor Christina Smith and Westmount-Saint Louis MNA Jennifer Maccarone have sent a joint letter to Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel demanding that something be done to quash antisemitic and anti-Israel demonstrations, particularly in the residential area around the Israeli consulate in Westmount Square. This is the first time a local Mayor has directly involved Quebec in an appeal for public security since these demonstrations started after the Oct. 7, 2023 barbarous Hamas attack on Israel.

The demonstrations that have taken place around the consulate over the past year have made life increasingly difficult for residents who live and work in the area, say Smith and Maccarone. Many residents are senior citizens who are blocked from leaving or entering their homes, and businesses have suffered financial losses as customers avoid the area.

“The situation has become more and more volatile,” reads the letter. Last October 7, after a peaceful student vigil in downtown Montreal, near McGill University, masked pro-Hamas protesters marched from Concordia to McGill, where they smashed windows. McGill University confirmed that evening that a security guard had been assaulted.

In the letter, Smith and Maccarone ask that immediate and decisive measures be taken to prevent further disturbances. “Over the course of the past year we have been in regular contact with the SPVM.” Despite that, they say, “little has been done to respond to the rising concerns” of the residents in the area.

It’s time for the city and the province to intervene, the letter says. They are calling for an emergency plan, and the need for further resources, including the help of the Sûreté du Québec, to manage future demonstrations, either to redirect marches or implement a special intervention force to prevent further disturbances and threats of violence.

“This problem cannot wait,” the letter concludes, “and we hope that you act quickly to ensure the security and protection of all.” n

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Westmount pilot traffic project raises objections

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

A pilot project in Westmount has some residents concerned.

The closing of the Notre-Dame-de-Grace Avenue diagonal roadway around the Claremont triangle to cars reclaims 515 square metres for potentially more greenspace and safer passage on foot and bicycles, particularly around Marianopolis.

Forcing motorists right on Claremont to go south and then left on Westmount if heading east, that intersection is a major problem, says local Shona Godwin. “It’s poorly designed,” she said, noting the short block between NDG Ave. and Claremont is now two lanes, one way, and accommodating a bus stop where the stop sign is obscured when buses actually stop.

The diagonal still has a bike lane with a stop sign, but the stop on eastbound Westmount is gone. The Suburban witnessed several close calls as cyclists rode through their stop across Westmount while eastbound vehicles approached. Eastbound cyclists on NDG at Claremont are also pressured by impatient motorists forced to turn right. (A shockingly close call occurred with a public works truck reversing at the intersection, nearly striking some pedestrians. When alerted loudly by citizens, the driver expressed surprise, seemingly annoyed by the callout while waiting for them to pass).

Godwin says it’s a recipe for disaster. “They’re planning to completely redo Claremont and using this opportunity to try this,” she said, but questions “why now, and why wasn’t the neighborhood consulted?”

Westmount Mayor Christina Smith insists the project, running through October, is part of that process. “In 2025 Claremont will be reconstructed entirely from NDG Ave. to Sherbrooke. It gives us an opportunity to re-imagine how it should be. It’s long overdue.”

She says the city heard from citizens in the spring about crossings, signage and more, “but we did not come with a design of any sort. We’re really going with a blank slate. The major player is right here, where people walk from Villa Maria or Vendôme, how pedestrians move about.”

A final Claremont design will be tendered in winter, she said, adding the SPVM and Westmount Public Safety are monitoring the situation. “I understand it causes a bit of confusion and sometimes people take the wrong lane to turn east onto Westmount. We are constrained by space, but once we rebuild, we’ll have flexibility to address that…That’s the point of a pilot project, to see if it works. It doesn’t mean it will.” A public consultation is scheduled for September 25.

Godwin says NDG Avenue “is now a bicycle lane, bus lane, fire lane and traffic lane, which means it will back up to Décarie putting pressure on other roads. We’re just dumping traffic into NDG, forcing people onto Grey or Vendôme.” Councillor Elisabeth Roux opposes the project “but was in the minority” she told The Suburban. “Since it is a pilot project, it is now up to residents to voice their opinion. I truly hope the outcome of all this will be a design that is safest for pedestrians and most respectful for residents.”

Smith agrees traffic changes are difficult, “but I’ve also been around long enough to know that people adjust. If it doesn’t work, we will look at that in terms of overall design. I don’t discount that it impacts a family who has difficulty getting home. We will 100% listen to them. But we rebuild a road every 50 years and it’s not the same as before. We have 3,000 students walking around. The intent is all about pedestrian safety, how we can improve it. Nothing is off the table.” n

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