Anti-Semitism
Relations between the general community and the Jewish community in Kitchener-Waterloo were often more strained than in other communities because of the strong German background of the residents. Alec Orzy believes that anti-Semitism reached its height after Hitler came to power in 1933. He says that at Swastika Beach outside Kitchener, a sign read “No Jews or Dogs Allowed.” Yet he related that most discrimination was subtle, and that Jewish kids generally grew accustomed to being called names or gestured at rudely. Other people, like Lee Goldstein Shulman, had generally positive experiences in childhood: Lee remembers a kind group of girl friends who would save her the egg sandwiches at catered events, because they knew she could not eat the meat and cheese ones.
Though relations between the Jewish community and the wider community were generally amicable, by the late 1950s, the need for a formal public relations committee was recognized for the purpose of addressing issues of discrimination. Rabbi Rosensweig was active on this committee, earning respect as a representative of Jews in Kitchener-Waterloo.
The Jewish community appears to have been reluctant to ascribe acts of vandalism at their synagogue or cemetery to anti-Semitism. Even when three prominent Jewish citizens, including Kitchener Mayor Morley Rosenberg, received racist and threatening mail in 1980, none of them requested police intervention. On the other hand, the community has always been vocal in its opposition to the presence of religion in the public schools. Community representatives first wrote a letter to the Board of Education in the 1940s, protesting religious indoctrination; then in 1976 there were representatives on the Group Concerned About the Religious Practices in the Public Schools. In 1986, the youth of the community received national media attention when they succeeded in having Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice suspended from the high school curriculum for its anti-Semitic overtones.
In 1994, debate over participating in Kitchener’s popular Oktoberfest brought the Jewish community’s unease to the fore. Oktoberfest planners wanted to make the celebration more multicultural and they invited Rabbi David Levy to speak at an interfaith event. There was no opposition to interfaith participation, but the association of the German festival with Munich and the persecution of Jews there, was distressing to many. In the end, Rabbi Levy did take part. He very movingly spoke about the anguished conflict of his congregation, yet concluded that “Jews still feel that they should help fix the world,” and said his own tradition and religious training compelled him to participate.
