It's not being considered a hate crime at this point, but Toronto Police confirm they are investigating after a photo of a Holocaust survivor was defaced outside of a synagogue near Bathurst and Sheppard in North York.
The photo - which is a UJA sign outside of Beth Jacob Synagogue at the corner of Overbrook and Wilmington - has been spraypainted with the words "ach tung," the German expression for 'attention.'
The graffiti was first reported on Saturday.
Over the weekend one of our lawn sings, featuring a Holocaust survivor, was vandalized with anti-Semitic hatred. UJA & our Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre are deeply disturbed by this cowardly & horrific act.Our advocacy agent @CIJAinfo is working closely with police. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/cvn8TwCRAH
— UJA Federation (@UJAFederation) July 22, 2018
"We went there [Saturday], but being a religious holiday it was closed. There was nobody there," Toronto Police spokesperson Gary Long told NEWSTALK1010. "We have gone back [Sunday] morning to investigate it [and] to review video."
"The investigation is ongoing and we'll be taking photos and checking video," Long added.
Police say it doesn't meet the criteria for a hate crime yet, but that could change.
In a written statement, Mayor John Tory calls the graffiti "absolutely unacceptable."
"This type of hatred has no place in Toronto," he said. "I stand with our city's Jewish community in condemning this cowardly act."
The Jewish community remains a frequent target of attacks throughout the GTA and Canada.