Montreal is known as the city that accepts everyone of different race or religion; it is also a city known for peace with these different nations. It did not start off that way though discrimination against Jewish people was rampant in Canada but it was definitely at it's worst in Quebec. And the Jewish way of life was not that easy.
Education for Jews was a centre of confusion; protestant schools did not want any Jews in their school scared that it would affect the Christian influence. Many Christians were also opposed to having a Jewish community at their school. Many Jewish students were forced to join in on Christian prayers even if the school was 90 per cent Jewish. This relates a lot to the book Duddy Kravitz, although his school had been the first to be an all-Jewish school the first to be opened by the Jewish people's school and as you guessed it, it opened at 502 St-Urbain Street. The teachers at the St-Urbain school were volunteers and they were not paid, they were so poor most of them sold eggs for a living.
Believe it or not Canada was a racist country everyone was passively anti-Semitic, and everyone knew, but would not dare say it out loud, what the word "restricted" meant at the door of shops or tourist resorts. Jews who wanted to spend a nice relaxing week-end up In Ste-Agathe were splattered by signs like "Notice, Jews are not wanted here in Ste-Agathe, scram while the going is good" As you will later find out in the book Duddy Kravitz, Duddy goes up to Ste-Agathe to work there in the summer and all though it might not be as obvious clues in the book will show you the anger of people towards Jews.
Anti-Semitism was normal and tolerable until at least the 1950s. Times have changed but also people have changed and we accept more the people of different societies then we did back in the post war years. To think that Montreal is now such a peaceful and desirable place to live, it is a shame to have done what we did in the past but the past will be remembered even if to this day we have moved forward.
