MONTREAL -- Jewish communities around the world are reeling after the latest string of anti-Semitic attacks in just a few weeks.
A man wielding a knife stormed a rabbi's home north of New York City and allegedly stabbed five people celebrating Hannukkah Saturday night.
Mayer Feig is from Montreal, but spending the holidays in Brooklyn. He said the community and authorities are on edge, as Jewish groups report a record year for anti-Semitic incidents in Canada.
"I can tell you, walking and going to synagogue over the weekend, there was a constant display of police with their lights flashing until late in the night due to the uptick in anti-Semitic attacks here," he said.
In Montreal, police have not increased security, but patrols are keeping an eye out for suspicious activity.
The Jewish advocacy group B'nai B'rith said there were more than 2,000 reported anti-Semitic incidents last year, which is the highest number in 36 years.
Quebec accounts for the majority of anti-Semitic incidents even though Ontario has the largest Jewish population in Canada.
"It's always underlying, but it seems to have become the new norm to be very open about it, and that leads to violent attacks like this attack yesterday," said Harvey Levine of B'nai B'rith.
Rabbi Reuben Poupko said he was shocked to hear that a rabbi was attacked in his own home.
"Never. None of us imagined anything like this," said Poupko adding that leaders need to strongly condemn these acts.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo called the attacks in his state an act of domestic terrorism.
Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump tweeted about the attack saying anti-Semitism and hate have no place anywhere in our world.
