Men guilty of hate crimes for graffiti outside Hamilton synagogue avoid jail time

Two men who admitted to scrawling anti-Semitic graffiti outside Hamilton's Beth Jacob Synagogue in the fall of 2019 will avoid time behind bars.

Liam Greaves and Blake Trautman, who were both 19 at the time of the incident, were found guilty of hate crimes last May after Justice Bernd Zabel rejected their argument that the hateful messages were intended as a joke."

At a virtual hearing Sept. 11, Zabel sentenced both men to house arrest - Greaves for eight months, Trautman for six - followed by 18 months probation.

The conditional sentences were recommended in joint submissions between the Crown and defence counsel. They include more than 100 hours of community service with a religious organization and assessment counselling related to the equity and inclusion of Jewish and Black communities.

Zabel said the paramount principles he considered in imposing the sentences were denunciation and deterrence."

In order to send a strong, unequivocal message that hate crimes in our community will not be tolerated, we must let persons who are considering the commission of these types of offences know that, if they do, jail time will result - the only question is for how long," said Zabel.

But, in light of the joint submissions, and considering the lack of the accused persons' criminal records, the period of incarceration will be served in the community as a conditional sentence," he added.

Court previously heard Greaves, Trautman and two friends drank alcohol on a Friday night - Oct. 4, 2019 - at Trautman's family home. While walking to a pool hall, the group paused in the parking of the Aberdeen Avenue synagogue for about 90 seconds, as Greaves wrote the word Jews" with a line through it in red chalk, and Trautman a swastika.

Then, on nearby Kent Street, another in the group wrote sign heil" (misspelling a phrase associated with Nazism), while Greaves wrote a message attacking the Black community.

Synagogue employees arrived the next day before a Sabbath service and saw the graffiti. The Hamilton police hate crime unit investigated. Synagogue security cameras recorded the incident, but the men remained at large until Oct. 9, when one of the group gave police all of their names.

Greaves and Trautman turned themselves in on Oct. 10 and admitted drawing the graffiti. In court, they said it had been intended as a joke" that would shock people ... to get a reaction" and make their friends laugh.

The men's defence counsel argued for conditional sentences on account of their actions and remorse in the wake of the incident.

According to a pre-sentence report, Greaves, who lost both of his parents before the age of 20, sought out counselling for depression and other issues. His attempts to reach the synagogue and apologize to the congregation were rejected, said defence attorney John Abrams.

Trautman's pre-sentence report included a letter from a pastor detailing his involvement in a local church, as well as a quote from his probation officer who said he showed genuine remorse for his behaviour." It also noted Trautman read several books on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism to better understand the impact of his actions.

It's extremely important to recognize and encourage the kind of steps that were taken by these young men directly after the incident," said Abrams, pointing to their admission of writing the messages. It's a reflection of the depth of their remorse and recognition of the wrong they had done."

Justice Zabel read a letter from Rabbi Hillel Lavery-Yisraeli, penned on behalf of 300 Beth Jacob members, which said the synagogue had to significantly increase security after the incident. That included extra cameras, pre-registration and approval requirements for large gatherings, and the hiring of off-duty police officers to stand at its entrance during high holidays.

Hate has no place in Hamilton, in Canada or anywhere in the world, and wherever instances like these occur, swift, strong, decisive action needs to be done to send this unequivocal message: you cannot treat other human beings like this," Lavery-Yisraeli wrote.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com