Police in York Region are looking to identify a suspect following a weekend assault at a Vaughan synagogue.Investigators say just after 9:30 a.m. on April 25, a man attempted to enter the Vaughan Sephardic Kehila Centre at 7026 Bathurst Street, and when he was denied, he attempted to force his way inside.“The suspect threw a stack of papers at security personnel, who prevented him from entering,” police said in an updated release on Wednesday.Police say shortly after that incident, a victim contacted them and reported that while they were walking on the sidewalk near the synagogue, the same man blocked their path and when they attempted to walk around him, they were allegedly assaulted.Police say the victim sustained facial injuries.Investigators are looking for a male with a dark complexion, approximately five feet eight and between 25 and 35 years of age. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a beige jacket with a hood, a beige scarf and white running shoes.Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.At the time of the incident, Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca called it “deeply disturbing” in a social media post, noting that antisemitism and hatred of Jews are on the rise.According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, hate crimes against Jewish people increased by 71 per cent between 2022 and 2023 for a total of 900 crimes reported by the police.Files from Denio Lourenco were used in this report