Part of the close-knit, family feeling that prevailed during the early years of the Owen Sound Jewish community, may have been due to the need for Jews to stick together. Although Jewish merchants had a place in the city’s downtown, they were not allowed into its private clubs. Mistrust went both ways. In 1946, when the new synagogue building was inaugurated, a motion to invite several gentiles to the opening was defeated. In the decades following the Second World War, things changed. Jews took on increasingly active roles in the non-Jewish community and made important contributions to service clubs and organizations.
