Being a Jew in Montreal in Duddy's Time
(Gabrielle)
Despite what we would prefer the reality to be, Canada at its time was Anti-Semitic. It's even been going back a lot longer than you might think. Not to mention that most of the important events in Canadian history are concentrated in the province of Quebec. Indeed, at the very time when Quebec was still only one of the many colonies of the British Empire in the 19th century. Ezekiel Hart was expelled from the Quebec legislature. Although it may have been more about his political beliefs than his religion. The speech made by several members of the opposition parties including Henry Bourassa, for example, who mentioned extremely denigrating terms concerning the origins of Ezekiel qualifying him as a "parasite", "enemy of civilization" or " dangerous ”proves the contrary.
Later on, after World War I, there was certainly a feeling of relief but also of fear. During this war, the soldiers had seen and experienced things that we cannot even imagine. People found themselves with these horrible and hurtful memories and they needed to know that there was something better in this world, hope for humanity. Therefore, they turned to religion. Indeed, the priests had with their beautiful speech given meaning to all the sufferings that had been experienced and the impression that it was possible for the believers to control what could happen and therefore to avoid a new war. You and I know that a few years later a new world war will be declared, a war even more deadly. But for their time, the church's promises seemed to satisfy the public. In Quebec, a Catholic abbot gained popularity in the 1920s to such an extent that he influenced the elite of the province: his clerics, politicians, teachers and journalists. This is Father Lionel Groulx, in addition to his religious role, Lionel was also an intellectual, quite rare for the time given the contradiction between these two areas of expertise. But this will be Lionel's trump card, he will hold hate speeches on the Jews and given his influence, all Catholic newspapers will take up the matter and arbitrate this discrimination against the Jews. It will even influence the creation of a movement by the Catholic Church and the nationalists: "Achat chez nous", with the aim of boycotting all Jewish businesses. In addition, as a result of the anti-Semitic movement, Jews will be excluded for years from various schools.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/when-manitoba-s-beaches-were-forbidden-to-jews-1.5448883Furthermore, during those years leading up to World War II, people even started using restrictive covenants on their properties, preventing them from being sold to Jews. Many public institutions have also adopted warning signs such as "No Jews or dogs allowed" or even "Christians only!" It is unthinkable to believe that even before anti-Semitic thinking was promoted around the world thanks to Hilter's campaign, Canadians were already supporting such measures, but it is the reality. Worse yet, anti-Semitism has even spread to the upper echelons of the Canadian government. During World War II, as tons of Jews tried to escape Nazi-infested Europe, the prime minister in charge at the time, Prime Minister King embraced the idea that letting Jews in Canada would "pollute" Canada's bloodstream. Therefore, his government ensured that there were no more Jews. A remarkable event that resulted from the reflection followed by the Canadian government at the time was the Saint-Louis affair. This event refers to June 7, 1939, when 907 Jewish refugees were refused entry to Canada. The ship had to return and 254 of its passengers perished during the Holocaust. It was not until the end of the war, when Canada was now part of the Allies fighting against Germany, that the government passed new laws against anti-Semitic discrimination.
When the war ended, Jewish immigration increased exponentially. The opposition between French Canadians and Anglo-Canadians was still strong at the time, the Jews found themselves trapped between these two communities. It was probably very difficult for them to define their Canadian identity, especially in Quebec, when the very residents of their host province were already struggling to preserve their cultural heritage. French Canadians saw an increase in the Jewish population as a threat to their power of influence. Catholics still cultivated bitterness towards the Jews, whom they blamed for the death of Christ. In addition, Anglo-Canadians feared losing their monopoly on the country's economic sector. Therefore, although anti-Semitic movements have shrunk considerably since the end of the war, all of these factors have helped keep many prejudices about Jews alive.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jewish-canadiansAll these factors also illustrate the universe in which Duddy Kravitz evolves in the novel, but also the one in which the author Mordecai Richler grew up. We can better understand his bitterness towards the inhabitants of his host country, mainly French Canadians. Not to mention that these factors also caused Jews to congregate in exclusive communities like the community of St. Urban Street. The exclusivity of this community is reflected in the novel through Duddy's strong desire to acquire land, to leave Montreal and to become someone in the eyes of the Canadiens. It also explains why Richler seemed to hold some grudge against his own community, as I believe he holds them accountable in one way or another for the limited number of opportunities that have been presented to him. Basically, the socio-economic and cultural background of the time the novel was written gives me the impression that Mordecai is just one of many who wish that all of this prejudice was ended and that we could all contribute to the advancement of our country.
We hope that this section has been useful to inform you of the various elements related to the period of the novel. You will surely be in a better position to understand the motivations behind the characters' actions and decisions. Also, if you have any observations that weren't raised and you want to share, feel free to leave them in the comments!
- Also if you would like to learn more about Jewish history, we recommend that you visit the Museum of Jewish Montreal website, we have added the link below. They have an incredible inventory of authentic photographs from the era in their gallery and also offer oral histories and virtual exhibitions online for free!
- http://imjm.ca/
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