Eight attacks. That’s how many times Kehillat Shaarei Torah, the Toronto synagogue where I grew up, celebrated my bat mitzvah, and served as youth director, has been targeted. Once would have been too many. Eight times is a national disgrace.

I remember Kehillat Shaarei Torah as a place filled with warmth and community. Today, it stands behind a newly installed security fence, its windows repeatedly smashed and its property defaced with hateful messages — most recently just last week. This is the grim new reality for Jewish institutions across Canada.