{
  "id": 8990983,
  "title": "Canada’s Jews shouldn’t need a fundraising campaign to pray safely - comment",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/canadas-jews-shouldnt-need-a-fundraising-campaign-to-pray-safely",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T19:46:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-909211"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Const. Jeff Smith of the Belleville Police Service was on patrol outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue on a Sunday evening when he received an unexpected visitor - a man armed with a shotgun. About 25 people were present inside to celebrate Kol Nidre, the opening ritual of Yom Kippur, but the synagogue's president, Norm Weddum, reported that they had never received a threat beforehand. The small Jewish community in Belleville, a city of approximately 55,000 people located about 110 miles east of Toronto, had no reason to expect an armed presence. Nonetheless, someone within the local police department decided that an armed officer should be stationed outside the synagogue on this particular night. Ontario Premier Doug Ford praised Const. Smith, calling him a hero who prevented a tragedy, and it left me wondering who was responsible for deploying Smith to this location.",
  "summary": "Const. Jeff Smith's presence is the main reason 25 people walked out of Kol Nidre unharmed. Ottawa and Queen's Park still write their security programs as though they were a temporary embarrassment.",
  "key_points": [
    "Armed officer stationed outside Belleville synagogue on Kol Nidre night",
    "Synagogue president Norm Weddum reported no prior threats",
    "Ontario Premier Doug Ford praised Const. Smith as hero"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Arutz Sheva - Israel National News",
        "title": "Hundreds of Jews pray on Temple Mount on Yom Kippur",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/hundreds-of-jews-pray-on-temple-mount-on-yom-kippur",
        "published": "2026-09-21T18:19:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}