Nöam, a Kosher restaurant in Montreal, after a fire on Aug. 1 (B’nai Brith Canada).
Aug. 1, 2026
MONTREAL – The suspicious fire during Shabbat that destroyed Nöam, a prominent Kosher restaurant, may be linked to an emerging trend of antisemitic violence in Canada, B’nai Brith is warning.
“The community is shaken, and many are concerned that this attack may have been hate-motivated,” said Paola Samuel, B’nai Brith Canada’s Regional Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, who was at the scene of the incident Saturday, after Shabbat concluded.
Above all, Samuel said, it is imperative for police to communicate with the Jewish community and treat this incident as urgent and important.
“What we want is clarity and transparency,” she said. “The Jewish community must be informed throughout the investigative process.”
Writing after Shabbat, Samuel posted on X that “B’nai Brith stand[s] with the owners, staff, and patrons of Noam as they confront the aftermath of this tragic loss…
“We are grateful for the swift response of the fire department and call on the [police] to conduct a transparent and prompt investigation to determine the motive behind this abhorrent and devastating act, including whether it constitutes an act of domestic terrorism or hate-motivated violence.”
In the context of recent attacks on Jewish institutions around the world, Samuel said, a national security incident “cannot be ruled out.”
Security footage from the early Aug. 1 morning incident appears to show a single, masked individual discharging an accelerant before igniting the fire and fleeing the scene. Media reports indicate police are treating it as an arson attack.
The alleged arson at Nöam comes as Montreal is experiencing a wave of antisemitic violence. During July, several Hasidic Jewish men were assaulted and robbed as they returned home from Shabbat services. Two days ago, a woman was filmed in a Montreal park harassing a Jewish person with what appears to have been an antisemitic invective.
Arson, specifically, has been used repeatedly during recent months and years to target Jewish institutions in Canada. In June, a 31-year-old man attempted to set fire to Temple Emanu-El in Westmount. He will be in court later this month.
The fire at Nöam, located in a neighbourhood with a significant Jewish population, has raised questions in the context of a national crisis of antisemitism. During the past few months, B’nai Brith has issued multiple, unprecedented interim special reports on the scale of violent incidents, specifically. The total figure stood at 27 as of mid-July, surpassing data collected during every past year apart from 2023, when B’nai Brith documented 77 violent antisemitic incidents, many of which occurred in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.
Recent antisemitic incidents throughout North America appear to follow a pattern that may be tied to the Islamic Republic of Iran, its proxies, and hired criminal associates, according to Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy. A recent Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre report highlighted concerns about Canada’s national security, noting the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States could contribute to violence in Canada as well. Canada has already disrupted several Islamic State (Daesh)-linked terrorist plots targeting the Jewish community since 2023.
In April, U.S. officials charged an Iraqi commander who is alleged to have directed several attacks, on behalf of the Islamic Republic, targeting on Jewish institutions in Europe and North America. He is also believed to have hired local criminals to shoot at the U.S. consulate in Toronto.
“Across the country, antisemitism is spiraling out of control,” said Simon Wolle, B’nai Brith Canada’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is heartbreaking and intolerable. This is a total breakdown in Canada’s social contract.
Although “jumping to conclusions” would create an “industry of fear,” he said, and the motivations behind the alleged arson must be investigated, the “undisputed fact” that a Jewish business was burned to the ground demands an immediate response.
“The latest attack on Nöam, combined with other recent incidents, has reinforced the impression that Jews are unsafe and unwelcome in Canada. This horrific incident must be investigated, but immediate steps are needed to protect Canadians and reassure Jewish communities.”
Wolle said the Government must respond to the crisis impacting Jewish communities by adopting eight specific actions, all of which are outlined in a policy guide available on our website.
“This is the time for Canada to establish a National Task Force on Antisemitism and conduct a thorough inquiry into its nature, scale, and causes.
“Our leaders must take accountability. Acknowledging that Canada has an antisemitism problem is not enough.”