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JCFS AGM: Jewish Child & Family Service reports hugely expanded case load due to Covid
By BERNIE BELLAN Jewish Child & Family Service took on 66 new older adult cases during its 2020 fiscal year (which ended March 31, 2021). That compares with a usual average of 15 new cases a year.
The increase in caseload was a direct result of Covid, reported Al Benarroch, Executive Director of JCFS, during the Annual General Meeting of JCFS on June 24.
While Covid had a huge impact upon the day to day operations of JCFS – with staff working from home and contacting clients either by phone or over a computer, Al said that JCFS successfully met the challenges imposed by Covid.
Some other notable points made during Al’s presentation included:
• the creation of a new “concierge” position in September, filled by Danielle Tabacznik. As we reported back then, Danielle described her role as “reaching out to seniors in the Jewish community who may or may not be isolated and who may not be connected to services. I’ll be checking in with them to make sure they’re doing okay…to see whether they do need referrals to services. I’ll also be asking them whether they’re feeling isolated, what programs or services might help them.”
• a 40% increase in cases where addictions played a role
• the welcoming of 40 new families to Winnipeg’s Jewish community as part of JCFS’ settlement program, despite the difficulties Covid presented in terms of immigrating to Canada. (Altogether JCFS has welcomed 200 new families since the program began and continues to assist those families.)
• the launch of a feasibility study of a new addictions centre
• a tremendous response from the community in terms of donations. Al Benarroch said “We had our most successful fund raising year ever”.
In his treasurer’s report, Al Shpeller noted that JCFS ended the year with an $11,343 surplus. Revenues for the year were $3, 496,076 – up from $3,382,215 in 2019.
Expenses were also up: $3,340,943 in 2020, compared with $3,353,868 in 2019. Of the increased expenses, by far the largest component was in the area of family assistance, which saw an increase of $92,999 from 2019 to 2020.
With respect to the revenue situation, I had reported in our June 23 issue that JCFS will be receiving quite a large increase in allocation from the Jewish Federation as of Sept. 1.
I wrote that JCFS will be receiving an increase of $65,5300 from the Federation over what it had received in 2020.
I also wrote, however, that JCFS will be receiving an additional $256,681 as a result of “designated funds” received from donors who were able to specify where they wanted their donations to the Combined Jewish Appeal to be directed.
In response to that article, Al Benarroch wrote, saying that he wanted to correct some of the information I had reported.
Al wrote: “The monies you indicated (i.e. $256,000) coming from Federation are separate and apart from the Allocations process, which will provide $880,000 for our general operations and another $54,000 for Chaplaincy services.”
Of that $256,000, approximately $71,000 would have come to JCFS in the form of designated gifts from donors who has previously been designating that their CJA donations go to JCFS.
Still, that leaves a healthy increase of $185,000 in new designated allocations. Al explained that a good chunk of that $185,000 came from Jewish Federations of North America, which established a one-time program this past year to allot funds to help Jewish human service agencies throughout North America.
According to Al,” JFNA received some very large donations from several of their top supporters and foundations to help support Jewish human service agencies across the Federated communities in Canada and the USA. It was a 50% matching program to be applied to any new money received by Federations – up to a certain amount, based upon the size of each federation.
“New money” could be in the form of brand new CJA gifts or increases to previous CJA gifts. Each community was allotted a proportional amount of matching funds for their respective campaigns.”
As a result, JCFS received an additional $76,000 from that JFNA matching program, which was matched by donors. In addition, there were several new donations from donors that brought the total received in designated donations to $256,000.
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
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Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”

