‘No corner of the globe is immune’: Nazi-like graffiti found at Jewish summer camp on Gabriola Island

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A leader in Vancouver’s Jewish community says he’s shocked and saddened after the discovery of Nazi-like graffiti at a Jewish Summer Camp on Gabriola Island.

In the midst of a rise in attacks on the Jewish Community around New York, a caretaker at Camp Miriam discovered swastikas and lewd images spray-painted on some of the buildings on Dec. 17.

CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver Ezra Shanken says the fact this happened in a small community like Gabriola Island is telling of the discrimination Jewish people often face.

“It’s almost like no corner of the globe is immune. We’re talking about a camp sitting on an island in the Strait that has not so many people on it,” he tells NEWS 1130.

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“If you’re an avid Stats Can follower like I am, you’ll see the Jewish Community is one of the highest targetted groups in the country,” he says. “Many groups, ethnic or minority groups are also being targetted.”

Statistics Canada found in 2017, police-reported hate crimes against the Jewish Community in Canada rose by 63 per cent in a single year.

There have been numerous attacks on the Jewish community in New York recent weeks, including a stabbing that saw five people celebrating Hanukkah at a rabbi’s home injured on Saturday.

Local RCMP have been notified of the graffiti. The VPD Hate Crimes Unit is also working alongside the Federation’s security committee.