MONTREAL – The Jewish community has been on high alert this week following the horrific shootings at a Jewish school in France.
Although the suspect has been killed by police, he has left his mark on a community on edge every time there is a terrorist attack.
As parents picked up their children from Jewish schools today, many were feeling overly anxious.
“Now we’re all afraid,” said Laurence Cohen, “I’m scared anybody can come in and kill all the kids here, God forbid.”
Another mother echoed this sentiment, “Yes, I feel the danger more than before but here in Montreal; I hope anti-Semitism is not as strong as it is in France.”
Their fear has been caused by this week’s terrorist attacks in southern France.
“We have to reinforce the security in all Jewish schools,” said Cohen. “It’s very important that our kids are safe.”
Last Monday, a man on a scooter drove onto the grounds of a Jewish school in Toulouse and killed four people, including three children at point blank.
Early Thursday morning, after a 32-hour siege at the gunman’s home, a police sniper shot and killed the suspect as he threw himself out his apartment window.
Montreal police confirmed that as soon as the attacks happened earlier this week, they immediately increased security and patrols around all of Montreal’s Jewish institutions, including synagogues, community centres and schools.
Parents have noticed that security has increased. Heidi Small’s three children attend two different Jewish schools.
“Security is much more on the alert I would say,” she observed. “Much less laissez faire. One of my kids goes to the Jewish Y and I noticed that there is always a security guard where there wasn’t before.”
Despite her concerns, Ms Small insisted life must go on as normally as possible. “Do you stop letting your children walk and roam the streets in the city that you have always felt comfortable doing these things everyday,” she said. “Or do you let this threat of terror take control and lock yourself up? You can’t. You have to go on living, go on day to day.”
However, B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy and community volunteer service organization, has confirmed that this week’s massacre has the community rethinking its options.
For now though, parents say the only option they do have is to be on heightened alert and extra vigilant.
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