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Members of a Saskatoon synagogue say they’re relieved that the man who defaced their place of worship confessed to police and are in discussions about how he can make reparations to the Jewish community.
“It’s certainly reassuring that we’re being told this was not a targeted incident. It’s also somewhat difficult to accept on its face,” said Mike Scharfstein, co-president of the Congregation Agudas Israel synagogue.
Jayden Clarke, 31, is charged with three counts of mischief under $5,000.
Clarke was charged last week after he was identified in a police-issued photo of a then-unidentified suspect seen on a surveillance camera throwing eggs at the synagogue and nearby parked vehicles.
The incident happened during a morning prayer service on Aug. 1. Clarke turned himself in at Saskatoon police headquarters on Aug. 13 and was released on conditions pending a Sept. 16 provincial court appearance.
Clarke confessed to police and maintains it was a “juvenile act” fueled by booze, not hate for the Jewish community, according to his lawyer Brian Pfefferle.
“He wanted to make sure that he let the synagogue and members of the Jewish community in a larger sense know that that’s not what this was about,” Pfefferle said.
“And unfortunately, alcohol was heavily involved in this incident, and that’s something that he’s taking responsibility for as well and plans to deal with.”
Pfefferle said he reached out to the synagogue’s leadership on behalf of Clarke, who wants to make “reparations” to the congregation.
Scharfstein said those discussions are ongoing.
“We just want to understand better, why us? If it had nothing to do with the fact that we were Jewish, then why us? What is it about this building or our community that was targeted?” Scharfstein said.
He said reparations might involve teshuva, the process of repentance in Judaism.
“We as Jews are called to forgive somebody who’s come and shown true repentance for what they’ve done,” Scharfstein said. “Of course, Mr. Clarke’s not required to follow Jewish law, but that’s the lens through which we as a community are approaching it.”
The Saskatoon police hate crimes unit was part of the investigation, but did not find sufficient evidence to lay hate crime charges. A Saskatoon police spokesperson told CBC last week that the charges laid by police were “based on the evidence available at the time,” but could be amended later by the prosecution “should they find the evidence supports it.”
The Criminal Code does contain a subsection that refers specifically to hate-motivated mischief committed against “a building or structure… that is primarily used for religious worship — including a church, mosque, synagogue or temple.”
For the synagogue, the incident isn’t just about an act of vandalism.
“It’s not really about the eggs at all. It’s about the fact that Jews — in the world we live in right now — feel very vulnerable and often targeted,” Scharfstein said.
“It’s not a concern about, well, what if somebody else comes and throws eggs? It’s, what if the next person throws rocks or something worse? That’s why we take this very seriously.”
According to Statistics Canada, 70 per cent of police-reported hate crimes targeting religious groups in 2024 were directed at the Jewish community.
B’nai Brith of Canada wants to see Saskatoon police continue to investigate Clarke’s motivations, said Richard Robertson, the group’s director of research and advocacy.
“Regardless of any potential mitigating factors, when you choose to target a synagogue, to deface that synagogue, it speaks generally to an intent to cause harm to the Jewish people,” Robertson said in an interview with CBC.
“So certainly we would hope that police are looking at the intent of the suspect and whether or not an additional charge is warranted to reflect any hateful motivation.”
Robertson said it’s up to the Congregation Agudas Israel congregation to decide if it wants to accept any reparations from Clarke.
“Just because Mr. Clarke is remorseful and wants to make amends for his actions doesn’t undermine the harm which he has caused,” Robertson said.
