It was a moving moment when a mezuzah was affixed to the office door of a senior Canadian police inspector – just months after he handled a major, widely reported case involving dozens of mezuzos being torn down in a seniors’ building in North York, Ontario.

The 14-floor building is home to a long-running minyan led by Shluchim Rabbi Yirmi Cohen and his father, who have been running daily davening and programs there for close to 24 years.

The minyan takes place in a large main-floor party room, where residents from all fourteen floors come down each day. In addition to the daily minyan, the shluchim organize events, Yomim Tovim meals, and ongoing activities for the elderly residents.

The incident began just before Chanukah.

“I came to shul, and one of the mispallelim told me that his mezuzah was torn down,” Rabbi Cohen told Anash.org. “He lives on the second floor. I went upstairs to check, and I saw every single mezuzah was gone.”

All mezuzos from the second through the fourteenth floor had been removed overnight. Only the first floor remained untouched, due to security cameras. A police report was filed, and the case quickly became major local news.

Chief Inspector Paul Rinkoff of Toronto’s 32 Division – the most Jewish division in Canada – who oversees 300 constables, was involved in the report and remained closely connected to the case. A young, accomplished figure with a PhD, he is widely respected and seen as a possible candidate for Toronto’s Chief of Police.

“In the months after, I stayed in touch with him,” Rabbi Cohen said. “He’s a warm person and a proud Yid. At one point, I gave him matzah, and he told me he once had a mezuzah. I said, ‘The best way to answer what happened here is to put up a mezuzah by you.’ He told me he would think about it.”

This week, he followed through.

Together with Rabbi Cohen and fellow shluchim Rabbi Moshe Steiner, Rabbi Sholom Lezell, and Avi Azuelos, the inspector put up a new mezuzah on his office door. He recited the bracha himself, as many officers from the division – both Jewish and non-Jewish – came down to watch and take part.

“It was a huge Kiddush Hashem and a historic moment,” Rabbi Cohen shared. “You had all the officers there together watching.”

Rabbi Cohen shared with the officers the story of Antoninus and Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, where Antoninus gave a precious treasure, and Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi gave him a mezuzah in return. He explained how a mezuzah is a symbol of Hashem’s constant protection and watch over us, which aligns with the role of police officers to serve and protect their constituents.

The officers, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, loved the story and resonated deeply with the message.

The shluchim also took the opportunity to wrap tefillin with several Jewish officers present at the station.

“It was a beautiful closing of a circle,” Rabbi Cohen concluded.