Allies and community leaders condemn Belleville shooting
Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) stands with Belleville’s Jewish community, Sons of Jacob Synagogue's congregants, and the family of Const. Jeff Smith
Sunday's shooting outside of a Belleville synagogue has sparked an outpouring of solidarity from leaders and allies
Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) stands with Belleville’s Jewish community and the family of Belleville Police Const. Jeff Smith, who was shot outside of the city's Sons of Jacob Synagogue Sunday evening. The shooting happened as many were observing Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward of Quinte West, was armed with a shotgun and opened fire at Const. Jeff Smith, who was stationed outside the synagogue on Sunday night, triggering a shootout that left him and the officer seriously injured.
Ward has since died from his injuries Monday night, while Const. Smith remains in critical yet stable condition.
Community leaders and allies have since taken to social media to speak out on the shooting
Political officials and community leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and others, have since spoken out against Belleville's tragic shooting on Sunday, voicing their support and solidarity with the city's Jewish community and the family of Const. Jeff Smith.
“Our thoughts are with the officer, their loved ones, and everyone affected by this horrific act. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and places of worship. Those responsible must be held fully accountable,” wrote Mark Baxter, President of the Police Association of Ontario.
“The City of Belleville has zero tolerance for acts of violence motivated by hate. Everyone has the right to feel safe in our community, including when gathering and practising their faith,” wrote Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis.
Other leaders have also condemned the shooting, including former MP Ryan Williams, US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, journalists Warren Kinsella and Brian Lilley, Fr. Luis Melo, Director of the Archdiocese of Toronto's office for ecumenical and interfaith relations, the Belleville Senators hockey team, and others.
To read more statements from allies, please click here.
To donate to the fundraiser, please click the above screencap
A fundraiser organized for the heroic Belleville officer has significantly gained traction, surpassing its initial target in less than a day.
“We reached out $18,000 goal in roughly 12 hours,” says the fundraiser's organizer Derek Kreindler.
“In Judaism, pikuach nefesh, the preservation of human life, is among our highest obligations. Const. Smith fulfilled that obligation not through words, but through courage and action. When members of a vulnerable community needed protection, he put himself in harm’s way.
We are organizing this fundraiser as members of Toronto’s Jewish community to express our profound gratitude to Const. Smith and to support him and his family during what may be a long and difficult recovery,” Kreindler wrote.
To donate to the fundraiser, which is currently at 66% towards its new target of $130k, please click here.
Click the above graphic to add your name to our letter and stand with Jewish students in this new school year
Belleville resident and Indigenous ally Barry Maracle has spoken out in a heartfelt message of support to Belleville's Jewish community, as published through our friends at the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem.
“This happened in my neighbourhood, in a place I drive past and a community that is part of our community," said Maracle, a member of the Mohawk Nation.
“[...] These are our neighbours. And Jewish people should NEVER have to be afraid to walk into a synagogue in Belleville, or anywhere in Canada. Whatever the investigation ultimately establishes about the motive and circumstances of this shooting, hatred and antisemitism must never be allowed to have a comfortable home among us.”
To read Barry Maracle's full statement, please click here.
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