Local Rabbi pleads for community attention after Nazi flag flown in Kitchener

Waterloo Regional Police say it has been investigating after a flag depicting a Nazi symbol was flown outside a home in Kitchener.

Police were notified earlier in the week that the flag was being flown, but the issue reached public attention after photos and video were posted to social media to platforms X and Reddit.

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic spoke against the action, saying offensive expressions such as this have no place in Kitchener, with Waterloo Regional Police releasing a similar statement – though no charges will be laid.

Rabbi Moshe Goldman with Jewish Waterloo, spoke with 570 NewsRadio about the ongoing incident, as he said it isn’t a new issue that the Jewish community has had to face.

“Here’s another idiot, that’s my reaction,” said Goldman. “My grandfather is a Holocaust survivor, he’s the only survivor of his family and Nazis killed every single one of my relatives. I don’t have any relatives named ‘Goldman’ thanks to everyone who believes in the swastika and Nazism, and here’s another idiot.”

Goldman said it shouldn’t be the victims of hate who should have to find a solution for problems like this, arguing instead it should be solved by the individuals who witness and the communities surrounding it.

“Just because one person has the right to freedom of expression, to wave a Nazi flag, what’s the freedom of expression for everyone around them,” asked Goldman. “What’s the freedom of expression for all that person’s friends and coworkers, what are they saying about it? Because you have to say something.”

He said bystanders are part of the larger problem in condoning public hate, adding that communities should think about what they would do if something similar happened in their neighbourhood.

“You don’t have to be confrontational, I’m not asking that, I don’t expect that. Nobody wants to be confrontational, no one wants to be the rude guy, but you’re totally within your rights to say, ‘hey buddy, what’s the deal with the flag?'”

Goldman said, if he had the chance, there is one key question he would ask the homeowner who flew the flag in the first place – as well as to others who would do the same.

“I would ask this person; do you know one real Jew? Can you name a Jew that you know on a personal level and have a real relationship with? If the answer is ‘yes’ and you’re still okay with waving a flag that essentially means, ‘kill the Jews,’ I have serious questions about your sanity, serious questions about your morality.”

At last contact with officials, Waterloo police tell CityNews they have not been able to speak with the homeowner to learn who was behind flying the flag.

Goldman added that flags like this being flown points to a larger problem of dehumanization of people and of others, but said it’s up to the individuals separate from both the problem and the victims to be the real change long-term.