Suspected Arson Devastates Montreal Kosher Restaurant

A suspected arson attack severely damaged Nöam, a kosher restaurant in central Montreal, early Saturday morning, prompting police to open an investigation and Canadian lawmakers to demand that authorities examine a possible antisemitic motive.

The fire broke out at approximately 3:15 a.m. and caused extensive damage to the restaurant’s interior and an adjoining garage. No injuries were reported. The case was transferred to the Montreal police arson section.

Police obtained surveillance footage showing a person near the restaurant around the time the blaze began. Howard Szalavetz, the Jewish owner of the building housing Nöam, said authorities told him the footage appeared to show someone placing a container of gasoline outside the restaurant, setting it alight and fleeing.

Montreal police have not publicly confirmed those specific details or determined why the restaurant was targeted. Police spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron said investigators had not yet found evidence establishing a hate-crime motive.

“We have no indication of that at this point, but we will examine every possibility,” Bergeron said when asked whether the restaurant had been targeted because of its Jewish identity.

Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours. Szalavetz said the cost of repairs could reach hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars and potentially approach C$1 million if part or all of the damaged structure must be demolished.

There was no immediate indication of when the restaurant might reopen.

“It is not just about money,” Szalavetz said. “It is about the lives of the people who work there.”

Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather called the incident an apparent arson attack and urged police to investigate it as a hate crime.

“This attack on a Jewish-owned business must be investigated as a hate crime, and those involved in this criminal act must be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Housefather said.

Other Canadian political figures, including Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan, Quebec legislator Elisabeth Prass and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, also condemned the fire and expressed support for Montreal’s Jewish community.

The blaze follows several recent attacks against Jewish businesses and institutions in Canada. Toronto police last week opened a possible hate-crime investigation after gunfire struck a branch of the Jewish-owned Kiva’s Bagel Bar. Another branch had its windows smashed. No injuries were reported in either incident.

Canadian Jewish sites have also been targeted in repeated shootings, arson attacks and vandalism since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Previous incidents included gunfire at a Toronto Jewish girls’ school and firebomb attacks against Jewish institutions in Montreal.

Montreal police are continuing to examine the surveillance footage. No arrest has been announced, and authorities have not determined whether Nöam was targeted because it is kosher or Jewish-owned.