MONTREAL, Canada — An e-mail campaign has been taking place in recent weeks to bring awareness about incidents of crime against the religious Jewish Lubavitch community in the Côte des Neiges area, to prompt more police involvement.
An e-mail from the organization Anshei Lubavitch, which has received numerous responses over several days, charges that police have been “passive” in reacting to several incidents, most recently the robbery of a 12-year-old boy.
Police to Discuss Crime Concerns with Chabad Community
MONTREAL, Canada — An e-mail campaign has been taking place in recent weeks to bring awareness about incidents of crime against the religious Jewish Lubavitch community in the Côte des Neiges area, to prompt more police involvement.
An e-mail from the organization Anshei Lubavitch, which has received numerous responses over several days, charges that police have been “passive” in reacting to several incidents, most recently the robbery of a 12-year-old boy.
“Were it not for a few volunteers that followed the perpetrators this would have been just another complaint to our police department, Station 26 which would have been swept under the rug,” the e-mail says. Other crimes are also said to have taken place, including the breaking of windows of six Jewish homes “without any arrests being made,” the glass doors of a study being shattered and the mugging of a pregnant Jewish woman in Vezina Park.
“This is happening with greater frequency and we have had absolutely no response from the police,” the e-mail says. “We ask the police commander, Simonetta Barth, why aren’t there police patrols when it gets dark yet in the morning there are more then enough patrol cars in our neighborhood ticketing us.” Readers of the message are encouraged in the e-mail to send their thoughts to Station 26 and the local council.
Contacted by The Suburban, Barth said she received a copy of the e-mail. “The only crime I was aware of was an event [a week ago Saturday] and that’s the only one that was reported,” she said. “A boy’s money was stolen, in the vicinity of Victoria. There were no other reports.
‘We’re planning two meetings with the community — I don’t have the dates yet, but we’re in the planning stages. I’m discussing it with my socio-community officer.”
Barth said the robbery that was reported was not considered by police to be anti-Semitic. “It was a random act of violence — we’ve had this occasionally in the sector — a little bit here and there — it’s randomly and it’s not all in one area more than another. It wasn’t anyone that was targeted more than anyone else.”
Rabbi Mendel Marasow, executive director of Beth Rivkah Academy in Côte des Neiges, said his school has a very good relationship with the police.
“Having said that, there are substantial amounts of increases of crime in the neighbourhood,” he added. “There’s just no doubt about it — it’s there.
It became a little more gangish — groups that walk around.”
Asked if he considered the attacks anti-Semitic or just violence, Rabbi Marasow said, “it’s violence, but Jews are very good targets.” He also welcomed the planned meetings between police and the Lubavitch community.
mother
thats so sad
Montrealer
This is very strange. I live in MOntreal, in the Lubavitch neighborhood and I have NO CLUE what this article is about. I NEVER heard any of this. WHen & WHere did it happen????
The facts
Concerning your article about the situation in the Montreal community of Cote Des Nieges and the lack of response from the police and political leaders I would like to mention some points: http://www.thesuburbannews….
Commander Simonetta Barth is being dishonest when she claims that this was the first reported incident that she was made aware of. I have attempted to contact her both via email (which I can supply) and voicemail to speak with her and she has shown a total lack of interest or concern.
Mendel Marasow was quoted in the article, he was not present by the meeting that we had with city councilor Lionel Perez and he is speaking without checking the facts by stating that these crimes are not targeted towards Jews. As I have made clear to Simonetta Barth, 8 Jewish home and community institutions have had their windows broken, is this just a coincidence.
As of today, neither Commander Simonetta Barth, Borough president Michael Applebaum or Marvin Rotrand has replied to the members of the community that have respectfully requested a meeting.
There is evidence that members of the police force at station 26 make it extremely difficult and almost impossible for victims of crimes to file police reports, I myself have experienced this.
In closing I would ask that you please post this on your news site and contact me if you would like a truthful and accurate account of the situation.
Montrealer
i agree with #2 i do not think that the police are that bad the way they appear to be in this ardicle it could happen that once in a blue moon they do not come right on time but hey thats like every other police department but generally the are very good and cooperative.
As a Montrealer...
The Police in Montreal are not bad. They are always very nice to the Jewish community. It could Lag Ba’Omer, Simchas Beis Ha’Shoeivah, etc.. However they don’t patrol and look out for gangs, (when people don’t call) but when we call they are there.
montrealer
to #5 i agree with u one hundret percent!!!