'Disgusting' antisemitic flyers distributed in Belleville weeks after synagogue shooting
Police continue to investigate a shooting outside of Belleville's Sons of Jacob Synagogue, Tuesday September 22, 2026. Photo by Peter J Thompson/National PostArticle contentNot even two weeks after a hate-motivated attack on a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., antisemitic flyers were distributed in the city’s east end, according to police.
Norman Weddum, the president of the synagogue that was targeted, called it “disgusting.”
“It was so soon after the shooting,” he said. “What’s going on here?”
The Jewish community in the area is still recovering from the Sept. 20 shooting at Sons of Jacob Synagogue, which left Const. Jeff Smith seriously injured. He was stationed outside the building on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when 29-year-old Sean Ward opened fire.
Bullets holes are seen in a window at the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ont., after a shooting on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. Photo by SuppliedArticle contentWeddum was inside with around 25 congregants for the evening prayer service. Doug Lobel was also attending that service when dozens of shots rang out.
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“Just over a week ago, I was there that night of the shooting, and like many in our community, I had only begun the process of trying to heal and regain a sense of safety,” he told National Post.
“Seeing these flyers posted around the east side of Belleville near the synagogue yesterday has brought that night and all those emotions rushing back. Yesterday was a very difficult day.”
Weddum said he’s not sure how many people were involved with handing out the flyers, or if it was only one person, but there were “a lot” distributed.
Copies of the flyers shared with National Post showed messaging that promoted conspiracy theories blaming the Jewish community for the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion, gun control and mass immigration.
The synagogue shooter reportedly “spouted” a theory that blamed Jews for COVID and was discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces due to his refusal to receive the COVID vaccine. After the attack, police shared a video where Ward could be heard shouting “You are going to die for the Jews” before shooting at Smith.
Sean Ward, the suspect in a shooting at a Belleville, Ont., synagogue. Photo by Doug Ward/FacebookArticle contentPolice said the shooting deliberately targeted the Jewish community and Ward had the “means, the motive and the mechanisms” to carry out a bigger attack.
