Toronto synagogue hit by gunfire hours after Purim event, with rabbi still inside
(JTA) — A Toronto synagogue was hit by gunfire late on Mar. 2, just hours after a Purim celebration was held there.
No injuries were reported in the shooting, according to police, which targeted Reform synagogue Temple Emanu-El at around 10:49 p.m. The event had run until 9 p.m.
But Rabbi Debra Landsberg told reporters that she couldn’t sleep much that night: She was still inside the building when the shooting occurred, and could hear the gunshots.
“I’m a bit shaken up,” she said. “It is devastating that there are those in this society that want to shatter what we have here.”
Police did not confirm how many shell casings were found outside the building, but the synagogue wrote on social media that “20 shots were fired at our synagogue.”
“We are working closely with law enforcement and security partners,” the post read. “We remain united and resilient. Our building is damaged; our congregation is not. Chag sameach, everyone.”
The incident is being investigated by Toronto police’s hate crime unit, as well as the gun and gang task force; the suspect is currently unknown.
Police have upped their presence in Toronto’s Jewish neighborhoods since the war in Iran broke out, as well as around houses of worship and other Jewish institutions, deputy chief Robert Johnson said in a press conference on Mar. 3.
Spain rejects White House claim of US military cooperation against Iran
(JNS) — Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected a White House claim that Madrid had agreed to cooperate with U.S. military operations against Iran, underscoring a growing diplomatic rift over the war in the Middle East.
After Albares had announced on March 1 that Spain would not allow U.S. forces to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain for military strikes outside U.N. authorization, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States would “cut off all trade with Spain” over its opposition to the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Mar. 4 that Spain had shifted its position. “I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear,” Leavitt said. “And it’s my understanding, over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military.”
Albares rejected the assertion and told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser that “the position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reiterated Spain’s opposition, calling “for the war to cease and for negotiations to begin as soon as possible.”
Spain’s responsible conduct in opposing the Zionist-American coalition’s flagrant human rights violations and military aggression against countries, including Iran, shows that ethics and awakened consciences still exist in the West,” he wrote.
Poland returns 91 Jewish objects to Greece, decades after they were stolen by the Nazis
(JTA) — A trove of sacred Jewish objects from Greece that was stolen by the Nazis and displaced for decades in Poland is finally heading back home.
Poland returned 91 religious and ceremonial artifacts to the Greek government at a ceremony in Warsaw on Mar. 4. Among them were Torah scrolls, a Torah mantle and silver finials that adorned a scroll’s wooden rollers — fragments of a rich Greek Jewish heritage that was nearly wiped out.
This marks the first time Poland has repatriated cultural property held under its care that was illegally taken from another country.
The Nazis stole the objects from synagogues in Thessaloniki, a port city once known as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” These items were seized by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, a Nazi agency dedicated to looting Jewish valuables, as it plundered homes, synagogues, cemeteries and cultural institutions across Greece in 1941. The objects were transferred to Nazi depots in southwestern Poland and rediscovered at a castle in Bożków after the war. In 1951, the Polish Ministry of Culture moved them to the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.
This return follows years of advocacy and provenance research. The Greek government formally requested the collection’s restitution in 2024, and the World Jewish Restitution Organization coordinated with Greek and Polish authorities to facilitate it. Now, the objects are headed to the Jewish Museum of Greece in Athens.
Herzog to JNS: Jewish unity, resilience critical during Iran war
(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Mar. 4 called on Jewish communities worldwide to remain “vigilant and cautious” as Israel continues its war with the Iranian regime and its regional terror proxies.
“We’re very much aware both of the support and the challenges of the Jewish communities and the Jewish world at large,” Herzog told JNS.
“In these trying times, where there is war here, where we are in the shelters, we know that Iran doesn’t rest only on the fact that it’s attacking Israelis,” he said. “It’s also seeking for generations already to attack Jews around the world.”
Herzog added that despite the danger, the Jewish people “will always be as strong as ever,” citing the resilience found in Jewish history and tradition.
“The lessons of Purim and other Jewish traditions are that we never give up and we will grow from strength to strength,” he told JNS.
In remarks to the media at the end of the visit, he said that the war against Iran was at “a critical juncture,” adding that the U.S. and Israel had already achieved a great deal.
“It is important to say that nothing yields an immediate result. You see the results as they move on, and the results are very apparent,” he said. “The real results are that we are removing and mitigating the number of missile launchers and capabilities against Israel and the entire region.”
Macron calls for de-escalation in Lebanon
(JNS) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Mar. 4 called on Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and separately with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
“I reiterated the need for Hezbollah to immediately cease its attacks against Israel and beyond. This strategy of escalation is a major fault that is jeopardizing the entire region,” Macron wrote on social media.
“Likewise, I urged the Israeli Prime Minister to preserve Lebanon’s territorial integrity and to refrain from a ground offensive. It is important that the parties return to the ceasefire agreement,” Macron added.
He called the situation in Lebanon “very concerning.” Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on Mar. 2, violating the terms of a ceasefire it had accepted in November 2024 after two years of fighting with Israel.
Hezbollah did this in solidarity with Iran, which Israel and the United States struck on Feb. 28.
“Our solidarity with the Lebanese people and our commitment to regional stability remain at the heart of our action,” wrote Macron.
“France will continue, together with its partners, to support the efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces so that they can fully carry out their missions of sovereignty and put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah,” he added.
