Sgt Moe Hurwitz
Deciding to fight Nazis overseas instead of playing for the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Boston Bruins, Sgt. Samuel Moses “Moe” Hurwitz’s story is one of courage, bravery, and leadership as he sacrificed his life for Canada in the Second World War while maintaining his Jewish identity.
Moe Hurwitz was the eighth child of thirteen, born on 28 January 1919 to Jewish immigrants who, in the early twentieth century, escaped ethnic persecution in Tsarist Russia in hopes of a better life. The Hurwitz family resided in the Quebec borough, Lachine, but moved throughout the island of Montreal where Moe became engrossed in the great Canadian game of hockey.
Moe Hurwitz playing hockey as a teenager. (Credit: Project 44)
In his teenage years, Moe played for an all-Jewish team, the Montefiore Red Wings, at the Mount Royal Arena, once home to the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Hurwitz proved to be an exceptional hockey player. He was able to play multiple positions including centre, right wing, defence, and was responsible for leading his team to numerous victories – which he would later emulate in battle. Moe’s name would become frequently highlighted in the local newspaper, once having made headlines in the Montreal Gazette for scoring four goals and an assist within a single game.
Eventually Moe’s skills attracted the attention of the Boston Bruins when the organisation offered Hurwitz the chance to tryout for the team. With incredibly few professional Jewish hockey players in the league, the opportunity for a young Jewish athlete to play in the NHL was immensely significant for Moe. However, with the advances of Nazi Germany within continental Europe increasing in 1940, Moe declined the Bruins’ offer and decided to join the Canadian Grenadier Guards instead. He was reported to have said to his family, “There’s no time to play hockey when millions of my brothers are getting killed in Europe” (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2026).
In October 1942, now a Sergeant in the armoured corps, Hurwitz arrived in England with the hope of seeing combat. Unfortunately for Moe, he would have to wait nearly two years before being deployed to the front lines.
Sgt. Moe Hurwitz. (Credit: Unknown)
In his debut battle, from 8-10 August 1944, Moe was part of Operation Totalize – an offensive launched to break the German defensive positioning at Caen, France, to facilitate an advance towards the city of Falaise. This was the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.
Being part of the armoured corps, Moe rode in a tank he nicknamed Geraldine and was continuously under fire from enemy machine-guns and anti-tank weaponry. Despite the constant bombardment, Moe proved courageous and brave in battle, often exiting Geraldine with nothing but a Sten (British submachine gun) and/or pistol to pursue German forces on foot. His leadership and gallantry both motivated and inspired his fellow men as other Canadian soldiers would later follow Moe in his assaults. At the Battle of the Scheldt (early October 1944) the determined Hurwitz jumped out of his tank and rushed two German machine-gun nests. In this instance, he was joined by two other Canadian soldiers. Led by Moe, the three men subdued the two positions and captured 25 German soldiers.
In late October 1944, Moe and his crew were part of the advance towards the town of Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands. The plan was to surprise the Germans and quickly take control of the area. However, the town was protected by Germany’s infamous 6th Parachute Division who fiercely resisted against the Canadian advance. Despite knocking out the other tanks in the assault, the Germans were unable to stop Moe’s tank as his crew reached their objective. Isolated, Moe continued to fight but was eventually wounded and captured as an unofficial prisoner of war.
It was not until 19 March 1944 when the Germans confirmed that Moe succumbed to his injuries on 26 October 1944 while in their possession. Moe died at the age of 25 and is now buried at Bergen op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery.
Grave of Sgt. Moe Hurwtiz in Bergen op Zoom Canadian Military Cemetery. (Credit: Canadian Grenadier Guards)
For his heroic efforts on duty overseas, Hurwitz became one of the most decorated Jewish-Canadian soldiers of the Second World War, receiving both the Military Medal and the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Sgt. Moe Hurwitz’s decision to give up a possible career in the NHL to instead take up arms and help defeat the Nazi regime was a personal one, as it was for many other Jewish-Canadian soldiers. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, numerous anti-Semitic policies were enacted that sought to not only suppress Jewish peoples, but also to exterminate them in the Holocaust. Moe’s story, exceptional and courageous, was one of 17,000 Jewish-Canadian soldiers who served in the Second World War to help preserve both the Canadian values of freedom, democracy, and liberty, as well as their own Jewish heritage.
Main photo: Sgt. Moe Hurwitz in Holland. (Credit: CBC News)
Sources:
22nd Canadian Armoured Regiment (CGG), “A Tribute to Samuel Moe Hurwitz from Bergen op Zoom.” Canadian Grenadier Guards (CGG), 2024. https://cgg.ca/a-tribute-to-samuel-moe-hurwitz-from-bergen-op-zoom/
Bessner, Elin and David O’Keefe. “Sergeant Samuel (Moe) Hurwitz, DCM, MM.” Project 44, n.d. https://sgt-moe-hurwitz.project44.ca/
Bessner, Elin. “Sgt. Moe Hurwitz – Part 1: 17 Handkerchiefs.” Project 44, n.d. https://www.project44.ca/intelblog/2020/10/31/sgt-moe-hurwitz-part-1
Brewster, Murray. “Saving Sgt. Hurwitz.” CBC News, 2021. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/moe-hurwitz-second-world-war-jewish-1.6242792
England, Anna. “Samuel Moses “Moe” Hurwitz. Defining Moments Canada, 2020. https://definingmomentscanada.ca/veday75/virtual-exhibit/the-journeys/6-soldiers-stories/
Veterans Affairs Canada. “Samuel Moses “Moe” Hurwitz.” Government of Canada, 2026. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/samuel-moses-moe-hurwitz