Jewish leaders in Ottawa call on community to stand together in face of war

Shira Waldman has felt on edge since the Hamas attacks on Israel over the weekend. A member of the Jewish community, Waldman has lived in Israel and has strong connections there.

"I have been walking around with a stone in the pit of my stomach. We have been tied to the news, watching news directly from Israel because I have a lot of family there, including my brother-in-law and his children," Waldman says.

"I myself lived there for five years, my daughter's schools friends are conscription age, so all of her classmates are doing their mandatory army service."

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Ottawa police have increased security at synagogues, some schools, and other places of worship.

"What occurred in Israel has raised the risk level to the Jewish community here in Ottawa and we are here to support the Jewish community and make sure that they are safe like all Ottawa citizens," said police chief Eric Stubbs. He added it isn't clear how long the heightened presence will last.

But Waldman says her two children have felt uneasy and stayed home from school Tuesday.

"My son, who is in Grade 12, didn't feel safe going to school," says Waldman, who says he has received threatening antisemitic messages. "We decided to keep him home. Then you start to feel, where can we go? And why do we always have to run? This is our one place to be safe, and it isn't safe either?"

The message from Jewish leaders in the community is to stand together.

"Providing leadership to my congregation, there is no separation in a way between be as a Rabbi, and me as a human being, and me as a Jew. Right now, it is about providing comfort in the face of the horrors we have been learning about," said Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton.

Bolton leads the Or Haneshamah synagogue and says the news has been shattering.

There have been special prayers session and Tuesday night members will come together to gather.

"There is a brief phrase in the Torah when Aaron, brother of Moses, learns of the death of his sons, and it just says it was silent. So in a way, what is happening, we don't have words to express what we are feeling," Bolton said.

Her message for the community, including those who aren't Jewish, is "to stand fast, stand together. Support each other in our grief."

• IN PICTURES: Scenes of devastation in the war between Israel and Hamas

Andrea Freedman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, says the connections to Israel are felt in Ottawa.

"It is too horrific to even describe what Hamas did to the Jewish people on Saturday," said Freedman.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa hosted a community solidarity gathering Monday night, grieving the lives lost, and praying for the people who are missing and injured just days after news of Hamas attacks in Israel. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, as well as Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe were in attendance.

"It was absolutely heartwarming, overwhelming to see 1,400 people gather at the Jewish community centre, an overflow crowd in the gym," said Freedman. "I think they came because they are in shock and they don't know how to process the horrors that they have seen in the Hamas terrorist, barbaric actions. They needed time to come together to grieve, to pray, and to mourn."