Quebec, Canada – Jewish Hair Stylist Gets Backing Of Human Rights Commission On Civil Rights Complaint Against Montreal Shop Owner

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    Richard Zilberg (Courtesy Global News )Quebec, Canada – A Jewish hair stylist has received the backing of the Quebec Human Rights Commission in his civil rights complaint against his former Jewish employer who he claims prevented him from working on Saturdays.

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    MONTREALGAZETTE.com (http://bit.ly/1M8XlM2) reports that stylist Richard Zilberg is seeking some $17,500 in lost wages and damages from Montreal Spa Orazen and its Jewish owner, Iris Gressy, after Gressy suddenly prohibited him in July of 2012 from working on Saturdays—typically his busiest day—due to the observance of Shabbat.

    Zilberg claims he had been steadily working Saturdays and had built up an impressive client base at Spa Orazen for almost a year prior to Gressy’s decision.

    Zilberg was aided by the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR) in bringing the case to the Human Rights Commission, which has now decided that there is sufficient evidence for Zilberg’s case to move forward.

    “I come from a long line of Jewish people and I love my faith but it is 2015 and I can choose how I want to practise,” Zilberg said. “They took from me my choice to practice my faith as I see fit.”


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    11 Comments
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    anonymous613
    Trusted Member
    anonymous613
    8 years ago

    Baalei Teshuva business owners beware.

    Boochie
    Boochie
    8 years ago

    Why was the store open on shabbis it strikes me as a double standard

    Rivkah
    Rivkah
    8 years ago

    How sad that this guy has no idea there is no bracha in money he makes on Shabbas.

    PowerUp
    PowerUp
    8 years ago

    Not surprisingly, the human rights group is ready to defend a jew, but of course when its to bring down someone who is even more jewier.

    On a diffrent note, if its true that those are baalie tshuva owners, we ought to give them a lot of chizuk for what’s happening to them now.

    8 years ago

    Let him be and do his work as he sees fit. They hired him and allowed him to build his client base working on Shabbos. Now they want to change the rules and impose the owner’s hashkafah on him with the result he will lose much of his parnassah. Either pay him the lost wages or let him work.

    misslydia128
    misslydia128
    8 years ago

    Like the U.S., Canada has laws to protect all forms of religion, and one must not get involved in anyone’s belief system

    shvigger
    shvigger
    8 years ago

    I don’t understand. Isn’t the store closed on Shabbos?

    Oyvey
    Oyvey
    8 years ago

    VIN here only presented part of the story. I saw elsewhere that the owner works in the store on shabbos also. So that would make a difference. I’m sure that there’s even more to the storyI
    Too often media present only part of a story thereby distorting the whole story. This is an example of that.

    thikingjew
    thikingjew
    8 years ago

    Look at the actual story as reported in the Montreal Gazette. The owner has a bit of a different story. Incidentally, the owner works on shabbos, and his complaint is “If you can why can’t I ?”