TORONTO — Two synagogues attacked in the Greater Toronto Area were listed in an online database compiled by the Canadian publication The Maple that maps Jewish institutions associated with Canadians who served in the Israel Defense Forces, according to a report by NGO Monitor.
NGO Monitor said both synagogues appeared in The Maple’s December 2025 “GTA to IDF” database. The project documents institutions in the Toronto area that the publication claims are associated with Canadians who served in Israel’s military.
According to NGO Monitor, the two synagogues were the only religious congregations among seven institutions listed in that database.
The database is part of a broader set of projects by The Maple that track individuals and organizations connected to Israel or to Canadians who served in the Israel Defense Forces.
NGO Monitor has criticized the initiative, saying it raises security concerns for members of Canada’s Jewish community.
The watchdog group says The Maple previously published a database titled “Find IDF Soldiers,” which listed more than 200 individuals linked to the Israeli military. The database included names and personal information, according to NGO Monitor.
The organization argues that publishing such data could expose individuals and their families to harassment or threats.
“The individuals behind this campaign are clearly obsessed by Israel and Jews, while promoting the barbaric Hamas party line,” NGO Monitor President Gerald Steinberg told the Toronto Sun in August.
“By publishing personal details, they are inviting attacks on and endangering the lives of hundreds of people and their families,” Steinberg said.
NGO Monitor also said The Maple expanded its tracking efforts through the “GTA to IDF” project, which mapped Jewish schools, synagogues and summer camps in the Toronto area.
The group says this mapping has drawn particular concern among Jewish community leaders because it publicly identifies institutions connected to the Jewish community.
The Maple, a Canadian independent media outlet that focuses on investigative reporting and foreign policy issues, has defended its work as journalism aimed at documenting links between Canadians and the Israeli military.
Critics, however, say the databases could contribute to an atmosphere of hostility toward Jewish institutions.
NGO Monitor also highlighted statements by individuals associated with The Maple that it says demonstrate strong political views regarding Israel and the Middle East conflict.
The watchdog group cited social media posts by contributors and editors that included calls for Canada to send weapons to Hamas, statements alleging that Zionism has a stranglehold on Canada’s political system, and posts celebrating the killing of a Jewish civilian using imagery associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The organization said such rhetoric has intensified during the current war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The conflict began on Feb. 28 after U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iranian targets, triggering a broader regional confrontation.
During the early stages of the conflict, NGO Monitor said one of The Maple’s editors posted on social media urging Canadians to stand with Iran against the United States and Israel.
The watchdog group argues that such statements contribute to a highly polarized online environment during periods of geopolitical crisis.
Jewish advocacy organizations have repeatedly warned that tensions in the Middle East often lead to spikes in antisemitism in diaspora communities.
Security experts note that synagogues and Jewish institutions in North America have frequently increased security measures during periods of heightened conflict involving Israel.
The attacks on the two Toronto-area synagogues are under investigation by local authorities.
Police have not yet announced whether the incidents are being treated as hate crimes or whether investigators believe they are connected to the online activity cited by NGO Monitor.
Community leaders say the incidents have heightened concerns about the safety of Jewish institutions in the region.
Jewish organizations across Canada have called for stronger protections for synagogues, schools and community centers, particularly during periods of international tension.
Experts on extremism say online rhetoric can sometimes contribute to real-world incidents if individuals interpret digital campaigns as encouragement to target specific people or institutions.
NGO Monitor says its report is intended to highlight what it describes as the risks associated with publishing detailed databases of individuals and institutions connected to Israel.
The organization has called on media outlets and online platforms to consider the potential consequences of such publications for the safety of Jewish communities.
