Richmond Hill’s deputy mayor says she was the victim of “blatant gender discrimination” when local Orthodox rabbis refused to shake her hand at a menorah-lighting ceremony last year, and at another event where Muslim men wouldn’t acknowledge her presence.

In addition to making comments to the media last week, Brenda Hogg, left,
also wrote about the two events in an article for this month’s Richmond
Hill Post, describing the incidents alternately as an “experience of
rejection” and something that “didn’t feel right.”

In a Feb. 7 National Post report, Hogg said the refusal by rabbis to shake her hand at a Chanukah event at York Central Hospital was a “shock,” and she called their actions incompatible with “Canadian laws and traditions… based on acceptance and inclusivity.”

Later that day, Hogg re-iterated and expanded on her feelings on AM640’s John Oakley morning radio show.

“I’m 55 years old this year. I’ve never experienced that kind of absolute rejection,” she told Oakley.

Hogg added that she’d once attended a “religious seminar” to educate herself about various cultural mores and was impressed with what one Muslim imam said about cultural respect for Canada.

“He said if you have come to Canada, your host country, and cannot respect their laws’ – and certainly gender discrimination falls withing those laws – then you do not belong here,” she recalled to Oakley.

“Shaking hands is a big part of [Canadian] culture. It creates an aura of equality,” Hogg told the host. “One older rabbi jumped back and looked at me with shock [when she stuck her hand out to shake his]. I didn’t know what I had done. Then a younger rabbi said to me, ‘Out of respect for you, we will not shake your hand.’ And I thought, there’s really something wrong here.”

Hogg continued: “If you want equality… the other side better be able to shake my hand or not invite me [or] don’t get involved in politics. They’re reaching out to us, you know? There’s something wrong.”

Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, the director of Chabad @ Flamingo in Thornhill, who attended the Chanukah event in question, said he couldn’t remember if he was one of the rabbis who met with Hogg and didn’t shake her hand, but he took issue with her assessment of the events.

“It’s a modesty issue, not a discrimination issue,” he told The CJN. “My wife doesn’t shake men’s hands either. [For Hogg] to make accusations or stir up the pot is irresponsible. It’s unfortunate that a deputy mayor in a city… with a vast Jewish population wouldn’t have the time or patience to do a little bit of research [on Jewish Orthodox modesty protocols] before she went around dropping accusations like that.”

Rabbi Kaplan was referring to the halachic principle of shomer negiyah, which forbids a man from touching a woman he is not married to.

On Monday, Hogg spoke to The CJN  after considering her comments and after having followup discussions with Rabbi Kaplan.

“That question of ‘touch’ never came up [at prior] Chanukah events I’ve attended,” Hogg said. “It would have been fine, except for how totally off-guard I was. I’ve dear friends for years who are Jewish, but I never heard of the touch thing.”

Although her talks with Rabbi Kaplan softened her position somewhat, Hogg maintained that there is inherent discrimination in Orthodox modesty practices.

“To me it’s discrimination. To him, it’s the laws of modesty. I can see the intent of the law is to strengthen monogamy. I understand that,” she said. “He told me not everyone practices it. But when all of my male colleagues have treatment that is denied me, that isn’t part of my culture.”

Hogg said she knew the rabbis never intended any embarrassment or harm, but she said she wished she’d been warned in advance of Orthodox protocols.

“I’ve never been a fan of… silence. But I do think we need to talk about [these events] and I think the community is grateful for the opportunity to have this discussion,” she said.

Last week, Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow told The Post his office would continue to foster understanding between cultural groups.