Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center(FSWC) is pleased to see justice being served for the victims of antisemitic harassmentin Kitchener.

On Monday, Justice Gregory Pockele sentencedRalph Boeck to 18 months in jail for targeting a local rabbi and members of thecommunity with hateful phone calls and emails. Boeck is a member of the NewConstitution Party of Canada which openly invokes Adolf Hitler in its mandateand refers to the “Nazi Holohoax” on its website.

Rabbi Nevo Zuckerman, of BethJacob Congregation in Kitchener, said the threatening messages from Boeck,which included statements like “Hitler was right”, began in late 2016 and lastedfor more than a year. He said the first few emails didn’t bother him, but hegrew concerned once they started to become consistent.

Zuckerman said he contacted Waterloopolice who handled the case with “amazing” skill.

“Antisemitic harassment has no placein a civilized society like ours,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “FSWCcommends the victims for coming forward and thanks local law enforcement fortheir vigilant response in helping bring this case to justice.”

Zuckerman expressed feeling “saddened”by the ordeal but said he continues to feel very safe in the community.

FSWC is committed to countering racism and promoting tolerance through its numerous educational and outreach programs. The organization calls on members of the Jewish community to be on alert and report any similar incidents directly to police.