A synagogue in Toronto was recently Zoom-bombed while hosting its daily prayer service. Zoom-Bombing is a trend circling the internet in which people will join a call uninvited in order to gain a cheap laugh at the expense of a participant. Normally, for nothing more than to entertain the person or people crashing the call.
Zoom-bombings have become more prevalent as the government continues to ask citizens to remain isolated at home, unless going out for necessities. This has led many people to look for entertainment wherever they can find it and for some, this involves trolling on the internet. Though Zoom has since added measures to try and decrease the amount of Zoom-bombing that is occurring, the ongoing security issues have led many people to change to different video conference applications and some companies to begin developing their own.
In a CBC interview, Chaim Strauchler outlined that like many other churches and synagogues, the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue had been using Zoom for its prayer services since the coronavirus outbreak began. While performing its daily prayers on behalf of front-line workers, and for the world as a whole to be rid of the virus, it was noticed that half a dozen additional accounts joined the Zoom call. They began streaming pornography from their screens and screaming slurs at the 20 participants, including a 13-year-old bar mitzvah boy and a Holocaust survivor. Though this is the first time this has happened to the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue, it has been a constant worry for users since Zoom became a mainstream form of communication. Members of the synagogue were disturbed by the incident, but have continued to hold daily services with new security measures put in place. These new measures include the use of the waiting room feature, which allows for the username to be checked before users are admitted to the call. This change along with security settings being changed by the synagogue will hopefully make sure this incident is a one-time occurrence.
Reactions From The Public
This incident caused for Marco Mendicino, the Member of Parlament for Eglinton-Lawrence where the synagogue is located, and the Immigration Minister of Canada, to weigh in with his thoughts on the matter. Mendicino used this incident to remind everyone that anti-Semitism must be guarded against, especially in its online forms. This Zoom-bombing is not being taken lightly as the incident was reported to Toronto police who are now working with the owners of the Zoom app to track down the Zoom-bombers. The investigation also includes looking at the incident as a possible hate crime.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to create the need for social distancing, and with the internet the anonymous space that it is, it is no surprise that events like this are happening. Though trolls were present before people were stuck at home, it is becoming a more common issue as people access the internet more on a daily basis. Issues like what occurred at the synagogue have led many people to begin to use other video applications or ban the platform outright. The biggest issue with Zoom-bombing is that it can occur in an instant like one man realized when defending his PHD digitally.
In a Tweet thread, Thorbjörn Sievert said that “as soon as the Tweet got live, the Zoom-bombing started” and finished the thread by saying that despite the bombing, he passed his defense but, for some the bombing would throw them off and could cost them their PHD. Though Zoom has added new security features, with the abundance of other video conferencing applications available after an incident like this many people won’t return to Zoom. For those who are still utilizing the app however, Zoom is constantly rolling out new security features and is offering a weekly privacy and security seminar. These features being rolled out, and how the Toronto police are handling the situation, give hope that an incident like what occurred at the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue will not happen again.
