JCC Montreal

09/18/2026

"For the first time, Rabbi Saul Emanuel, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, participated in a joint meeting bringing together more than 50 officials from both the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."

For the first time, Montreal’s Jewish Community Council brought together more than 50 American and Canadian border officials to help ensure smooth crossings for travelers carrying lulavim and esrogim ahead of Sukkos.

09/16/2026

Rabbi Saul Emanuel met this morning with the heads of U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Alexandria Bay Port of Entry. Rabbi Emanuel showed them the daled minim, the four species, and shared how special and meaningful this mitzvah is.

We're so grateful for the hard work of the border guards and officers, and all they do every day to keep us safe. We're working together to help ensure safe travels over the Sukkos holiday, so you can cross the border with your personal lulav and esrog with ease.

Wishing everyone a chag sameach!

09/11/2026

09/11/2026

Rabbi Saul Emanuel addressed the crowd at the 9/11 memorial at the US/ Canadian border crossing this morning.

Each of us can be a tower of light and light up the world for the good.

We will never forget.

08/27/2026

Rabbi Saul Emanuel met with senior officers and border officials from both the
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and
U.S. Customs and Border Protection to discuss issues of importance to the Jewish community ahead of Sukkot.

The meeting included discussions about cross-border travel during the holiday, particularly for community members travelling with lulavim and etrogim, as well as a broader conversation about Jewish religious practices, traditions and community life.

We appreciate the opportunity for constructive dialogue with officials on both sides of the border and their willingness to better understand the needs and practices of our community.

07/02/2026

Monday morning. Sirens. Screeching tires. Snipers on our block. One man with one weapon — and the chilling truth we all felt: there was no way to stop it. It could happen on any street, any day.
And this time, tragedy struck — we lost a precious neshama, a fellow Yid, and a police officer, caught in the crossfire.
But here's the whiplash: it could happen every day… and it doesn't.
The danger is real and present — always. The security we walk around with isn't luck. It's His hand, holding it back, every single day.
Even here: the quietest hour, the park empty, the streets clear. His protection was in plain sight.
Don't take it for granted. Appreciate it. Thank Him — and ask for more. 🙏

07/02/2026

Monday morning. Sirens. Screeching tires. Snipers on our block. One man with one weapon — and the chilling truth we all felt: there was no way to stop it. It could happen on any street, any day.
And this time, tragedy struck — we lost a precious neshama, a fellow Yid, and a police officer, caught in the crossfire.

But here's the whiplash: it could happen every day… and it doesn't.
The danger is real and present — always. The security we walk around with isn't luck. It's His hand, holding it back, every single day.

Even here: the quietest hour, the park empty, the streets clear. His protection was in plain sight.
Don't take it for granted. Appreciate it. Thank Him — and ask for more. 🙏

06/23/2026

The Jewish Community Council of Montréal thanks Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Borough Mayor Stephanie Valenzuela for taking the time to visit our community in the aftermath of yesterday’s horrific shooting in Côte-des-Neiges.

While this was not an antisemitic incident, it occurred in the heart of a neighbourhood that is home to major Jewish institutions, schools, synagogues, and community organizations. In the wake of such a traumatic act of violence, many members of the community were understandably shaken. The Mayor and Borough Mayor recognized that reality and chose to stand with those affected.

Their presence sent an important message: every Montrealer deserves to feel safe, and no community should be left to navigate fear and uncertainty alone.

As our city mourns the deaths of Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and Michael Moshe Mizrahi, we are grateful for leaders who understand that public safety is a shared responsibility and a fundamental obligation of government. We extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones and continue to pray for the recovery of those who were injured.

We thank Mayor Martinez Ferrada and Mayor Valenzuela for their leadership, their compassion, and their commitment to a safer Montréal for people of every background, faith, and neighbourhood.

06/23/2026

Statement from Rabbi Saul Emanuel, Executive Director, Jewish Community Council of Montreal

The Jewish Community Council of Montreal was devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Moshe ben Miriam / ben Shlomo (Michael Mizrachi). We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this unimaginably painful time. May Hashem comfort them among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may Michael’s memory be a blessing.

The JCC also extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the SPVM officer who was murdered in the line of duty today.

This officer made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the people of Montreal. Our hearts are with his loved ones and with the entire law enforcement community as they grieve this profound loss.

We continue to pray for the complete recovery of all those injured in this horrific attack.

We wish to express our profound gratitude to the SPVM officers, paramedics, firefighters, and other first responders who ran toward danger while others fled from it. Their courage, professionalism, and swift action prevented an already terrible tragedy from becoming even worse.

As the investigation continues, there is another point that must be said clearly.

In recent years, Montreal’s Jewish community has experienced an unprecedented surge in antisemitic incidents, threats, vandalism, violence, and intimidation. The fear and anxiety this has created are real and justified. No one should dismiss them.

But fear cannot become an excuse for abandoning judgment.

Within minutes of today’s attack, some individuals rushed to declare with certainty that this was an antisemitic terrorist attack despite the fact that no such determination had been made by law enforcement and no evidence had yet been presented to support that conclusion.

This impulse is understandable, but it is wrong.

Our community’s fight against antisemitism is too important to be undermined by speculation or rumour. Every time people leap to conclusions before the facts are known, they damage the credibility of legitimate concerns and make it harder to persuade others when genuine antisemitic incidents occur.

We ask people to resist the urge to be first and instead focus on being accurate.

The facts will emerge. Investigators will determine motive. Until then, responsible leaders and responsible citizens should allow law enforcement to do its work.

Today is not about social media points. It is not about advancing narratives. It is about a police officer who gave his life protecting our city, Michael Mizrachi, whose life was tragically cut short, the other innocent people who were injured, and the families whose lives have been changed forever.

Let us honour the victims by showing the same seriousness, discipline, and respect for the truth that we expect from those investigating this terrible crime.

May the memory of the fallen officer and of Michael Mizrachi be a blessing. May the injured be granted a complete recovery. And may Hashem bring comfort, healing, and peace to all those affected.

04/13/2026

Today, on Yom HaShoah, we pause to remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and the countless others who suffered under the N**i regime and its collaborators.

We remember the victims not as numbers, but as individuals. Each with a name, a family, a future that was stolen. Entire communities erased. A civilization in Europe that was nearly extinguished.

We also honour the survivors who rebuilt their lives from the ashes, many of whom came to Canada and helped build the Jewish community we know today. Their resilience is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, and their stories remain our most powerful weapon against denial and distortion.

But remembrance alone is not enough.

This year, Yom HaShoah comes at a time when antisemitism is no longer a distant memory or a relic of history. It is here. It is visible. And it is growing.

In Montreal, across Canada, and throughout the Western world, Jewish communities are facing threats, harassment, and violence at levels we have not seen in generations. We have seen open displays of hatred, calls for violence, and even the glorification of the very ideology that led to the Holocaust.

The fact that Jewish institutions now require heightened security, that children must be protected simply for attending school, and that Holocaust commemorations themselves are treated as potential security risks, should alarm every Canadian.

It is a profound moral failure that, in 2026, Jews once again feel unsafe in cities like Montreal.

Yom HaShoah is not only a day of remembrance. It is a warning.

A warning of what happens when hatred is tolerated, when evil is rationalized, and when societies lose the courage to defend their most basic values.

We cannot allow history to repeat itself, not in its original form, and not in any new form it may take.

That requires more than words. It requires action. It requires leadership. And it requires a clear and unwavering commitment to confronting antisemitism wherever i