Hasidim of Montreal Frightened by Recent Attacks

Every summer many people from the Hasidic community of Montreal make their way to a cottage area of Val David, 90 kilometres north of Montreal. Recently a string of crimes against these cottages has put these Hasidim on edge. The most recent crime had been having their water lines cut as well as several item missing. The police are also investigating a fire that engulfed a Rabbi's house earlier this month. Nothing was left to salvage after the fire ravaged through the structure.

The chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Victor Goldbloom, said he understands police must be cautious before calling the events hate crimes. But he said, "to any objective observer, it's hard to draw any other conclusion.""One has to conclude that this just can't be a coincidence and that there is a planned, systematic attempt to harm and scare the community," he said.Four young Hasidic men visiting the site of the fire said when their families returned to the cottage this spring, they found that the pipes to every single cottage belonging to Hasidic Jews in Val David and Val Morin had been cut.The mayor of Val David, Pierre Lapointe met with the Hasidic Jewish community in Montreal to discuss the situation.