Montreal Kosher Restaurant Torched In Arson Attack As Anti-Semitic Hostility Spills Across Canada

Police are investigating a suspicious overnight fire at Nöam, a kosher restaurant in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, as local leaders and community members urge authorities to treat the incident as a hate crime.

The blaze broke out around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday. While no injuries were reported, the building sustained major physical damage.

A kosher restaurant in Montreal, Canada, was burned to the ground in a suspected arson attack in the early hours of Saturday morning. Emergency services were called to Nöam restaurant at around 3:15 a.m. after a man was seen on video apparently starting the fire before fleeing… pic.twitter.com/8abdyivkBt

— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) August 2, 2026

Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) spokesperson Raphael Bergeron confirmed investigators possess security video showing an individual in a white T-shirt setting the fire before fleeing. Building owner Howard Szalavetz expressed heartbreak over the destruction, sharing fears that the business was intentionally targeted due to its Jewish identity. Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather and Provincial Representative Elisabeth Prass both visited the site, condemning the attack and demanding a thorough hate-crime investigation, CBC reported.

The arson attack reflects a wider, escalation of hostility directed at Canada’s 400,000-strong Jewish population. Over recent months, cities including Toronto and Montreal have experienced a noticeable surge in violent incidents: A Toronto Jewish girls’ school was targeted by overnight gunfire on three separate occasions; shots were fired at Kiva’s Bagel Bar in Toronto, two Montreal Jewish institutions faced firebombings, and multiple synagogues in Nova Scotia were defaced with hate-filled graffiti.

Other reported incidents include attempted abductions and the assault of a Jewish man in front of his children in Montreal.

Community advocates note that these events put 2026 on track to be one of the most violent years on record for the Canadian Jewish community.

Meanwhile, only hours after the fire, the hostility extended into professional sports during a Major League Soccer match at Stade Saputo. Israeli international forward Dor Turgeman, playing for the visiting New England Revolution against CF Montréal, was subjected to hostile chants including “Death to Israel” and “Free Palestine” from sections of the crowd throughout the game.

Turgeman answered on the field in the 36th minute, scoring to give New England a 2–0 lead. He  celebrated by running toward the stands with his arms outstretched, pointing to his ears as if to say he couldn’t hear the hostility.

That was quick ⚡️

Dor Turgeman makes it 2-0 for @NERevolution!

???? Apple TV: https://t.co/OHJW1JrVDJ pic.twitter.com/kgA8Z8TpUC

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

Spectators reportedly hurled beer bottles onto the pitch in response, and Montréal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza shoved Turgeman, triggering a brief altercation between players on both teams.