Local News
Greg Brodsky through the years in the pages of The Jewish Post & News
By BERNIE BELLAN The news of the passing of legendary lawyer Greg Brodsky has already been well reported in various news media.
But, aside from his numerous contributions to jurisprudence Greg Brodsky was someone who contributed a great deal of his his time to a myriad of Jewish organizations.
A scan of Jewish Post and Jewish Post & News archives reveals the many organizations to which Mr. Brodsky devoted his time. The very first mention of Greg Brodsky’s name in one of our issues was in the January 21, 1965 issue, when he was a young 24-year-od lawyer.
His name was listed as a vice-chairman of the 1965 Israel Histadrut campaign. (How long has it been since we’ve had any reference to Histadrut in this paper?) In succeeding years Mr. Brodsky’s name was regularly listed in Histadrut campaigns.
In 1968 his name was listed on the Pioneer Women’s Child Rescue campaign (another annual event that was at one time a staple of our community).
In 1976 Greg’s name was on the list of barristers backing the Combined Jewish Appeal campaign that year.
But, starting in 1980, the name Brodsky began to appear on a regular basis in Harvey Rosen’s sports column, “The Sporting Touch”. Here is what Harvey wrote in our June 7, 1980 issue, under the headline “These Runners Didn’t Stumble”. The occasion was the second running of what has since become an annual event: The Manitoba Marathon.
“I decided to scan the thousands of names and at random choose some of the ‘chosen people’ who realized their dream of one day running the equivalent distance of the Boston Marathon.
“Was Dr. Fred Shane’s name there? Do kids love Mickey Mouse?….
“Lawyer Greg Brodsky, upon whom Shane prevailed to join him this year in Boston, also completed the Manitoba race…According to Fred, ‘Brodsky has got incredible drive.’ Greg, who should now be capable of taking on a greater load due to his superb conditioning, began only a year ago to take the sport of running seriously.”
Freda Glow also wrote about Greg’s running hobby when, in 1993, she wrote about what had become another popular race, the Winnipeg Beach to Gimli 10-mile run.
Freda wrote this about Greg’s participation: “Avid runner Greg Brodsky has participated in the race 10 times. ‘It’s a good way to see where you’re at in your training. You can’t lie to the clock.’ He said it’s only too easy to find an excuse not to run. Despite four past injuries, he’s continued.
“The busy criminal lawyer, who is recuperating nicely from two operations on his Achilles tendon states, ‘We’re going to show those doctors. They told me I couldn’t run any more. “
In our July 24, 1980 issue Mr. Brodsky’s name appears on the list of newly appointed executive members of the Shaarey Zedek Board, something that was to be repeated several times in future years.
In 1986 Mr. Brodsky’s name appears on a list of newly appointed members to the board of Canadian Associates of Ben Gurion University.
And, although there wasn’t a story in our paper about his involvement with the Vaad Ha’ir (the body responsible for the supervision of kashrut in Winnipeg for a very long time), my first personal meeting with Mr. Brodsky occurred some time in the 1980s when he was part of a group of three men who came to our old office on Hutchings Street to discuss a matter that I’ve forgotten exactly what it was about.
All that I remember was that certain individuals were unhappy with The Jewish Post over something to do with kashrut. (Was it that we were carrying ads for “trayf” restaurants? I just can’t remember.) What I do remember was that Mr. Brodsky didn’t say a word during that meeting – and looked a mite uncomfortable even being there. (My impression was that he would have rather been anywhere else. I’m glad I wasn’t subjected to one of his famous cross-examinations.)
In 2002 Mr. Brodsky was a member of the cast of the Manitoba Bar Association’s production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.
In our February 9, 2011 issue Mr. Brodsky’s name is listed as a newly appointed director of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education.
In March of that same year, Mr. Brodsky delivered the eulogy at the funeral of another great member of Manitoba’s legal community, Harry Walsh, saying: “Mr. Walsh was a big part of my life. He is responsible for what I am today. He left me with 40 years worth of memories. I am going to miss him.”
My final communication with Mr. Brodsky occurred in the fall of 2020. I received a phone call from him – much to my surprise, because I had never had a phone call from him any time previously. His speech was slurred and it was immediately apparent to me that he must have either had a stroke or was suffering from some other debilitating condition.
I should note that for years we had been running memoriams for both of Mr. Brodsky’s parents and were always paid with personal cheques from Mr. Brodsky.
This time – and although it was not easy for me to discern what he was saying, it became apparent that he was trying to schedule a memoriam for his late wife, Sylvia. I wasn’t sure how I could comply with his request without knowing more details, so I contacted Greg’s son, Dan.
As I recall, I did contact Dan, but unfortunately, I can’t remember the conversation I had with him. In the end, I didn’t schedule that memoriam – something I deeply regret, as I was told by an individual who took over responsibility for Mr. Brodsky’s affairs when he was no longer capable of doing so that Greg Brodsky so looked forward to receiving our paper each issue.
While Greg Brodsky will no doubt be remembered for the indefatigable energy he devoted to the law, I hope that by offering a smattering of other aspects of his life, as noted at various times within the pages of this paper, that I have offered a wider glimpse of a man who was so generous with his time to so many different organizations but who was, as evidenced by descriptions of his dogged determination to continue running even when he had so severely injured himself doing so – someone of incredible determination, drive, and zest for life.
Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service helped over 1800 families in 2025
By BERNIE BELLAN Jewish Child and Family Service will be entering the 75th year of its existence in 2027.
With a budget over $4,300,000, JCFS is also the largest beneficiary of funding from the Jewish Federation of the 12 Winnipeg Jewish community agencies that are beneficiaries of the Federation. (To see a list of the 12 agencies go to Funding for Beneficiary Agencies.)
Its impact has grown over the years as JCFS has expanded its horizon, continually adding to the many services it provides. During the JCFS’s Annual General Meeting, held in the Seniors’ Lounge of the Asper Campus on Tuesday evening, June 23, the important role that JCFS plays in the lives of so many members of the Jewish community – also a significant number of non-Jews as well, various speakers cited the many ways in which JCFS has continued to have such a huge impact.
With total revenues of $4,325,160 in fiscal year 2025 (which ended March 31, 2026), but slightly fewer expenses, JCFS not only delivered a wide gamut of services, it managed to deliver those services without incurring a deficit in 2025, despite some significant financial challenges.
As outgoing Board Chair Elana Grinshteyn observed, JCFS had to navigate some major reductions in funding, including a cut in funding from the federal government to the tune of $100,000, plus the loss of funding from the Claims Conference, which had provided support for Holocaust survivors.
Yet, despite those setbacks in funding, Grinshtein reported, “Together, we insured that services remained intact.
“We increased access to interest free loans,” she noted, “doubling” the amount that had been allocated in 2024.
And, amidst the ever-increasing demand for services, “JCFS has continued to navigate space limitations,” Grinshteyn noted. (I should note that as far back as 2019 I reported in an interview I had conducted with JCFS CEO Al Benarroch about the JCFS’s dire need for more space. Here is an excerpt from what Benarroch had to say about the JCFS’s need for more room back in 2019: “…we’ve been looking for roughly 3,000 more square feet of space. We have a footprint right now of roughly 5,000 square feet for over 40 staff. We’ve given up a board room here. It’s been taken over by older adult service staff. We have a conference room which is adjacent to the board room; we’ve moved two staff in there.
“Yesterday I gave up my office for the entire morning so that staff could interview clients.
“We need to relieve the pressure we’re facing right now – yet alone plan for expanding and growing.
“Whatever space we’d be looking at would be temporary. It’s now 22 years that we’ve been in this facility. The campus has taken over squash courts, it’s taken over a museum – internally, to accommodate the growth in services. Maybe it’s time now to look at growing outside this building…”
As the saying goes: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (That’s me, trying to impress.)
While I tried to take notes during Al Benarroch’s CEO report, I realized following his remarks that there was so much important information conveyed, also a slew of statistics, that it might be more helpful to reprint a good portion of what he said verbatim, so I asked Al to send me a copy of his remarks. (That’s one of the nice things about writing on a website. There’s an infinite amount of room to print the kind of stuff that nerds like me pretend to read.)
During his CEO’s report, Benarroch enumerated the many challenges JCFS encountered in 2025.
Among those challenges, Benarroch noted, were:
• The rising and high cost of living
• Food insecurity
• Housing issues
• Our aging population demographics
• The complex needs of our newcomer families
• The increasingly complex needs in mental health & youth mental health
Yet, despite all those challenges, Benarroch said, “As always… we rose to meet those head on, and with the support of our community.”
In particular, Benarroch cited the support of the Jewish Federation, which contributed $948,800 to JCFS in 2025. (The largest portion of JCFS funding, by the way came from the Province: over $1,100,000.)
Fundraising also played a significant role in contributing to JCFS revenues, with almost $700,000 raised through that route, including direct donations of over $320,000 and bequests over $40,000.
As Benarroch noted, “Every year, we look forward with hope that it will be a quiet year.
“Well, if that’s the case, we are in the wrong business.
“We happen to be in the reflect, respond and pivot business.
“This is the nature of the human existence.”
Benarroch went on to add some more statistics about how JCFS played such a pivotal role in the lives of so many people. In 2025 JCFS:
• Served 1,800 client households – impacting almost 5,000 people.
• Assisted 15 foster children.
• Served 70 families in Child Welfare….
“But what is even more important is that we assisted 90 children that remained at home with their families,” Benarroch said.
The year 2025 also saw the inauguration of what is known as the “Asper Empowerment Program”, through which:
• 311 clients were assisted (including Passover Assistance)
• $80,000 was disbursed in financial assistance
• Over $20,000 was given out in interest-free loans.
• 6,500 kg of food were disbursed
In the area of mental health and counselling services, Benarroch noted that JCFS:
• Supported over 50 adults with mental health challenges
• Our Friday Mental Health Wellness Group participants took part in 22 group activities or outings
• We support some 20 individuals and families impacted by addictions through individual and group services.
• We delivered almost 1,100 counselling sessions, over half of which were subsidized on our sliding scale.
• We continued to support individuals, families, and partner Jewish organizations with the ongoing emotional impacts of the war in Israel and high levels of global antisemitism.
In the area of support for older adults, JCFS served over 250 seniors including:
• 70 newcomer seniors
• 50 seniors living with mental health differences
• 65 Holocaust Survivors (including celebrating “25 years of our Holocaust Survivor Drop-in Group, a partnership with the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.”)
In the area of settlement services, JCFS:
• Welcomed almost 80 new families
• Almost 50 families from Israel, seeking reprieve from the ongoing stresses and pressures of the war.
Benarroch noted that “These families are dealing with the deep trauma of displacement, having lived under constant stress, fear and the ensuing post-traumatic impact, family and parenting challenges as a result, emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and more.
“Thanks to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, we hired a trained specialized support worker, with a background in therapy, to help these families cope, adjust, and receive much needed emotional supports.”
Benarroch went on to describe many more initiatives in which JCFS was engaged in 2025, but I want to return to the retirement of Elena Grinshteyn from the Board of JCFS after nine years serving on the Board, including the last two as Chair. Grinshteyn will be succeed by Bradley Abells, who has been on the Board since 2021. In his remarks, Abells noted that he is an actuary at Canada Life and that he first joined the Board when his particular expertise as an actuary proved extremely helpful in helping to solve a problem that had arisen, and he found the experience so rewarding he decided to remain on the Board ever since .
Also on the Board is Michael Schacter, who is returning as Treasurer and who looks the way you’d expect a finance guy to look.
Local News
EXCLUSIVE LISTING – $399,900!
You will fall in love with this very cute 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom & over 1300 sq ft LAKE VIEW cabin in Gimli MB that has been well cared for by the same family since the 40’s. One of a kind & mid-century with thoughtful modern updates which exhibits a professionally redesigned interior that enhances both comfort & functionality. Adorable eat- kitchen with an 8 foot island, loads of cupboard space, high vaulted ceiling & open to the living room. You will spend plenty of time in the 3 season sunroom with windows all around to enjoy the incredible lake views & sunrises with your morning coffee. The primary bedroom has a king size bed and the two other bedrooms have queen beds. The walls in the cabin were updated with notty pine & indoor/outdoor carpeting throughout. The cottage includes a 4 piece bathroom, laundry/storage area with washer & dryer included, 200 amp service, electric baseboard heat, 2 wall AC’s & all the furniture/accessories included.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic LAKE VIEW opportunity where memories will be made. Call now for your private showing!
Mark Richard Meyers Personal Real Estate Corporation with Re/Max Executives Realty. 204-995-5496
Local News
Jewish Foundation’s asset base surpasses $200 million for first time
By BERNIE BELLAN The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba continues to show stellar growth – having achieved total assets over $200 million in the 2025 fiscal year (a 7.4% increase from the 2024 fiscal year), also having distributed $8.2 million in grants during the year.
Those were among the highlights reported at the JFM’s Annual General Meeting, held Wednesday evening July 18, in the multipurpose room of the Asper Campus.
JFM CEO John Diamond noted that one of the most successful aspects of the year just past was the launch of what is known as “Fund Match II” which, he explained, is “building on the success of the original FundMatch project introduced in 2012.”
Under the terms of the new Fund Match program 18 initial organizations that created endowments with a combined value of $689,388 at the JFM benefitted from matching funds of $178,000 that were added to those endowments, with an additional four other organizations having joined in the program during the course of the year.
Other highlights (which can all be perused in the JFM’s annual report, available simply by going to the JFM website) include the JFM having “awarded 72 scholarships and academic awards totalling $230,759.”
JFM Board treasurer Bruce Caplan also spoke of some other notable achievements of the JFM in 2025, including a 12.64% return on investments and $4.27 million in new contributions.
The AGM also saw a number of changes to the composition of the board. Most notable among them is the retirement of Dan Blankstein as Board Chair – after having served two two-year terms, to be succeeded by Dafna Shore.
Also, the current longest-serving member of the board, Bonnie Cham, is retiring from the board after having served on it for 13 years, including three terms as Chair.
One other significant retirement announced at the AGM was that of Chief Financial Officer Ian Barnes – who will be retiring in December after 26 years as CFO During his remarks to the audience Barnes noted that “When I arrived at the Foundation, the assets were $29 million.” As noted, that figure has now grown to $200 million.
He also noted that “Since the Foundation was established in 1964, total grants and
distributions are $113.6 million.”
Barnes paid tribute to the three Chief Executive Officers with whom he worked: David Cohen, Marsha Cowan, and John Diamond. With regard to Marsha Cowan, Barnes said that “Marsha taught me about business – and how to dress!” (Barnes will be succeeded as CFO by Lynda Joyal.)
One of the annual customs of the JFM AGM is to thank the JFM staff – and to announce how many years each staff member has served at the JFM. While there are a number of individuals who have been with the JFM for a fairly long time, no one comes close to Patti Boorman, Director of Administration, who has been with the JFM for 37 years.
Among the largest new grants given by the JFM in 2025 were: a grant of $122,000 to the Asper Jewish Community Campus, Gray Academy of Jewish Education and Rady JCC to support the construction of a “new accessible outdoor play structure, ensuring safe, inclusive play for children and families; a grant of $150,000 to the Simkin Centre for the hiring a Volunteer Engagement Specialist – a three-year project to modernize volunteer programs and enhance resident, family, and intergenerational involvement.
Among the leading recipients of distributions from donor-recommend endowment funds – all of which had received grants in the past were:
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada $149,618
Rady JCC 154,746
Gray Academy 168,535
Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University 163,488
Jewish Child & Family Service 447,471
Simkin Centre 858,654
Asper Campus 431,099
Combined Jewish Appeal 907,688
Jewish Federation of Winnipeg 531,076
Note: A number of the above organizations also received community impact grants – which are one-time grants given for special purposes.
