(1/2) Belleville Police Announce Attack Against Sons of Jacob Synagogue as Hate Crime Targeting the Jewish Community Today, authorities confirmed that the attack against Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue was a hate crime targeting the Jewish community. In response, Noah Shack, @nshack CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, issued the following statement: If not for the extraordinary bravery of Constable Jeff Smith, Canadians would have experienced the type of mass-casualty terror attack our security services have warned is a realistic possibility. We continue to pray for his full and speedy recovery. Today, Belleville Police released the name of a second officer that deserves our unending thanks. Constable Michael McCurdy quickly responded to shooting attack and saved countless lives. Constable Smith and Constable McCurdy’s heroism represent the very best of Canada. Their courage must now serve as a rallying call to elected officials at every level of government and to Canadians across the country to confront this growing threat to our national security and way of life. Police confirmed that this was a deliberate attack targeting members of the Jewish community and released video footage of the attacker stating, “You’re going to die for the Jews,” before the shooting began. Federal threat assessments have warned that “over the longer term, an environment in which the targeting of the Jewish community as a group frequently occurs and becomes more normalized will likely influence some susceptible individuals towards violent extremist pathways.” Extremists, like the gunman in Belleville, are being radicalized by conspiracy theories and libels about Jews to target Canadians.