New University of Manitoba president has another claim to fame: Having coached the Gray Academy varsity boys' basketball team to a provincial title

By BERNIE BELLAN

The University of Manitoba plays a prominent role in the Nov. 27  issue of The Jewish Post & News.
Originally there was going to be only one story centering on that institution – about the Judaic Studies program and the interest that various individuals associated with that program have in bringing new life to it. (See next article.)
But then we received word that Michael Benarroch has been selected as the next president of the University of Manitoba (https://jewishpostandnews.ca/local/3040-university-of-manitoba-announces-michael-bennaroch-to-be-12th-president-and-vice-chancellor)

It was only two years ago that we bade a somewhat sad farewell to Michael and his wife, Kim Bailey, as Michael took up a new position as provost and vice-president at Ryerson University in Toronto.
As a member of the well-known Benarroch family here, Michael’s name has appeared in our paper quite frequently over the years but, to my surprise, one of the longest articles we have had about him was written by Harvey Rosen in 2011.
At the time Michael was the coach of the very successful Gray Academy varsity boys’ basketball team.
Following is an edited excerpt from that article:

The long saga how the Judaic Studies program at the University of Manitoba has gone so far downhill

By BERNIE BELLAN
Elsewhere on this website, we have a story about a new $100,000 donation made to the University of Manitoba by MaryAnn Lippay Kanee (https://jewishpostandnews.ca/local/3027-judaic-studies-program-at-university-of-manitoba-to-receive-100-000-donation-from-maryann-lippay-kanee). The donation will be used to create a new endowment fund in support of the Judaic Studies program at the university. Since first reporting that donation, I have spent a fair bit of time trying to understand just what is the current state of the Judaic Studies program, and what are its future prospects.
To that end I have been in contact with a number of individuals, all of whom have some connection to the Judaic Studies program to one extent or another, beginning with Prof. Haskel Greenfield, who has been the coordinator of the program for over six years now (even though Haskel is a professor in the anthropology department and does not teach any courses that are part of the Judaic Studies program).
I was also in touch with Marla Aronovitch, Director of Operations & Grants at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba; Prof. Jeffrey Taylor, Dean of Arts at the University of Manitoba; Dr. Jody Perrun, who is teaching a course at the U of M this year titled “The History of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust” (which had been taught in previous years by Catherine Chatterley); Retired Prof. Lionel Steiman (who, along with his brothers, recently made a substantial contribution to the Jewish Foundation in support of Yiddish language instruction in Winnipeg and who has long been involved with the Judaic Studies program; and MaryAnn Lippay Kanee herself.

Gifted teacher and chazan Avi Posen and wife Illana make aliyah

By MYRON LOVE
The departure of Avi Posen and his wife, Illana, right after yom tov this year, can be best summed up as “Winnipeg’s loss is Israel’s gain”. More than in most cases of Winnipeggers making aliyah (which should undoubtedly be celebrated), the son of Kinzey Posen and Shayla Fink making aliyah leaves a real void in our community.

Winnipeg Grade 12 student Lindsay Cogan earns spot at prestigious international debating competition to be held in Shanghai

By MYRON LOVE
Lindsay Cogan is going to Shanghai in April to compete in the annual World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC). The Balmoral Hall Grade 12 student will be one of 12 Canadian students who have earned a spot in the world championships next year.

Allan Finkel’s long path to his becoming the rabbi at Temple Shalom

By BERNIE BELLAN
Allan Finkel was formally ordained as a rabbi only as recently as late June in New York City, but there wasn’t much time between his ordination and his assuming duties as the new rabbi at Temple Shalom – which was July 1st.
Having known Allan since our childhood days, I had more than the usual curiosity about what led him to enter into the rabbinate at the relatively advanced age of 65.
I sat down with Allan in his office at Temple Shalom one recent day to ask him about his varied career path and how he has now ended up becoming the rabbi of Winnipeg’s only Reform congregation.

Former Winnipegger recounts experience of surviving triple Palestinian suicide bombing

By MYRON LOVE

More than 20 years after surviving a triple Palestinian suicide bombing in the heart of Jerusalem, Dr. Sherri Wise says that she still suffers the emotional scars of that horrendous experience.
“I still suffer from PTSD,” she says. “I am still troubled by any loud noise.”
But, despite what she went through, the former Winnipegger insists that she bears no ill-will toward the bombers who – that September 4 afternoon in 1997 on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem – killed five Israelis (including three teenage girls at a birthday party – and inured close to 200).

Susan Garfield launching Holocaust memoir on December 8 at Berney Theatre

By MYRON LOVE
Although just 11 years old at the time, Susan Garfield remembers as if it were yesterday the day that the Nazis marched into her native Budapest.
“It was March 19, 1944,” recalls the former Suzanne Loffler. “A group of us were rehearsing a play. “We were going to raise some money for the Jewish Agency. When we heard that the Germans had arrived, we all hurried home. I began telling people that the Germans were killing Jews. I knew because I had a girlfriend I had known since Grade 2 who was orphaned when the Germans killed her Polish Jewish parents.”

Marlaina Sommer starting up new program combining aspects of bothmental & physical fitness

By MEACHELLE BELLAN

When my husband asked me if I would like to interview Marlaina Sommer recently, I initially said that I was quite busy. Then he informed me that I might be interested because Marlaina had told him she was going to be starting up a new business where she would be creating a health and wellness program that would integrate aspects of both physical and mental health in a one-stop-shop experience. I started to think that what Marlaina might be doing meshes with my own past career in the fitness industry and my current career as a counsellor.

Young Winnipegger gearing up to volunteer with Magen David Adom in Israel

By REBECA KUROPATWA

Ari Glikman is getting ready to leave for Israel soon where, among other things, he plans to volunteer with Magen David Adom (MDA). Glikman has no medical-related career path in mind. For him, volunteering for MDA is all about helping out and saving lives.
“Israel is actually the only place in the whole world that has this sort of program, where you can be a volunteer medic,” said Glikman. “My friend told me, who did it this past summer, that she met people from all over the world who weren’t necessarily Jewish. They came to Israel to volunteer for MDA, because this was the only opportunity they had to do something like this.”

This winter come Celebrate Seasonal Affective Hilarity with Adam Schwartz

By ADAM SCHWARTZ

Many people in the Winnipeg Jewish community and the Winnipeg community as a whole suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I know I do. Yet, it’s not something we feel comfortable discussing. We feel like it’s some kind of personal failure when we struggle with depression. If anyone asks, most of us will point out the many great things going on our lives, and we will deny that we are depressed, thinking what right do we have to be depressed? The problem is depression is not something we can control, and no one would feel guilty about having a physical health problem the way we do about a mental health one.

Jackie Silverberg: like mother, like daughter

By GERRY POSNER

How much can a daughter be like her mother? Apparently, if you look at the life of Jackie Silverberg, quite a lot. Not only is there a physical resemblance and a vocal similarity, but Jackie has captured her mother, the late Laila Silverberg’s passion for running (and indeed beyond that). The parallels are striking.

Henriette Ivanans tells incredibly harrowing story of dealing with drug and alcohol addiction: “In Pillness and in Health – a memoir”

By BERNIE BELLAN
A few weeks back I was contacted by reader Debby Davis, who asked me if I would be interested in reading a new book by someone by the name of Henriette Ivanans. Debby added that Henriette is married to Kevin McIntyre, whom I know.
Without going into much detail, Debby told me that Henriette’s story is absolutely riveting. I responded to Debby that I would certainly be open to taking a look at the book – and soon thereafter I was contacted by Henriette herself, who told me that she could drop a copy of her book off at my house.