A Jewish real estate agent in Toronto was violently assaulted this week by a man who hurled bricks, metal debris and a wooden branch at him while shouting that Jews are "baby killers" committing genocide, in an attack Toronto Police are investigating as a suspected hate crime.
Joseph Bitton, 64, who wears a kippah openly and also works as a lawyer, was at a commercial property he manages near Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue West on Tuesday when a man approached and began throwing objects at him. Bitton said the attacker identified himself as a Shiite Houthi from Yemen before accusing Israel of "killing babies and committing genocide against Palestinians" and threatening to kill him.
Bitton called 911 as the attack began. "The first thing I told the dispatcher was that I was being attacked because I am visibly Jewish, and that this person was threatening to kill me," he said. According to his account, the assailant first threw a parking ticket dispenser, then bricks and stones left out ahead of garbage collection, followed by pieces of metal and a thick wooden branch.
"I dodged everything he threw and blocked what I could with my hands. I have scratches and scrapes on both arms," Bitton said. He later sought medical treatment. The attack lasted more than half an hour, and Bitton said the only person who tried to help was a retail tenant at the property who came outside as the attacker swung the parking sign toward him.
Bitton expressed anger at the lack of intervention from bystanders. "There were dozens of witnesses at the bus stop, on the bus, across the street and where it all started. Nobody lifted a finger to help," he said. He explained he deliberately avoided physical confrontation, saying that fighting back would likely have resulted in his own arrest while the attacker walked free, so he kept a distance of roughly three to five meters throughout the ordeal.
Toronto Police arrested a suspect at the scene. The Hate Crime Unit is investigating the assault as a suspected hate-motivated offense, and the suspect was scheduled to appear at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre this week. Under Canadian law, when a criminal offense is believed to have been motivated by bias or hate, the officer in charge may consult with the Crown to request that the hate motive be treated as an aggravating factor at sentencing if there is a conviction.
In a Facebook post following the attack, Bitton wrote bitterly, "This is not the Canada where I lived for the past 64 years." His words reflect a broader sense of shock among Canadian Jews over the shifting atmosphere in a country long seen as safe and welcoming.
The assault is the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents reported across Canada in recent months, following the October 7 massacre and Israel's ensuing war against Hamas. Just weeks earlier, Michael Mizrahi Hy"d was murdered in a shooting attack in Montreal, an incident that left his family navigating a difficult process to bring his body back to Israel for burial.
