Local News
Jews from Ukraine who have settled in Winnipeg offer conflicting opinions about the Russian invasion
By BERNIE BELLAN With the war in Ukraine still raging, its effects are being felt especially closely by individuals who have relatives or friends in that country.
Such is the case with several newer members of our own Jewish community in Winnipeg, who either came to Winnipeg directly from Ukraine, or who emigrated first to Israel, then to Winnipeg.
Wanting to learn more about the attitudes of former Ukrainians who are now members of our Jewish community here, I contacted Dalia Szpiro, who is the GrowWinnipeg Director at the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, to inquire whether she could put me in touch with one or more of those individuals.
Subsequently, I spoke with two men of Jewish Ukrainian origin on Tuesday, March 22. The first, Alexey Guider, was quite willing for me to use his name, but the second individual asked me not to mention his name. The reason for that, as you’ll see if you read on, is that he was not totally unsympathetic to the view that Russian-speaking Ukrainians would not be opposed to seeing a part of Ukraine transferred to Russian control. He was worried that taking a position that might not be all that popular here was something that he didn’t want to lead to potential backlash against him or his family.
My primary purpose in speaking with both men was to try and find out what they are hearing from friends and relatives still in Ukraine. Further, I wondered what their attitudes were toward the war that is currently going on in Ukraine.
Alexey Guider explained that he and his wife (from whom he is now separated) came to Winnipeg 11 years ago, directly from Kiev, which is where he and his wife lived for 10 years before emigrating to Winnipeg. He noted that they were both planning on making aliyah to Israel, but they “decided to come to Canada instead.” Their two children were both born in Winnipeg, Alexey noted.
Alexey said that he’s a business analyst working at New Flyer Industries. He added that he has “a small business as well.”
I asked Alexey how many family members he still has in Ukraine?
His parents were living there until quite recently, he answered – in a town close to Kiev called Irpin . His “siblings live in Israel,” Alexey said.
I asked whether Irpin was under attack?
“I’m not sure at the moment,” Alexey answered. “It was captured, liberated, and captured again,” he said. “I’m not 100% sure what’s going on right now –but it’s not suitable for life at the moment.”
“Have you been in touch with your parents?” I asked.
Alexey explained that his parents were able to leave Ukraine shortly before Russia invaded, and go to Germany, where his grandfather had been living. “They went there in the middle of February – just before he died,” Alexey said. “They were able to say good bye – and then the war started…they were lucky.”
Alexey added that his mother-in-law is still in Ukraine – in the western part. “There’s no heavy fighting there,” he noted, “although at least twice a day there’s an air raid alert – so she has to run for safety.”
The rest of Alexey’s family, other than his siblings in Israel, live in other parts of Europe, he said.
“But what about your friends?” I asked. “You must still have many friends who remained in Ukraine?”
“Yes, I have lots of friends,” Alexey said. “Some of them escaped before the war. Some of them went to Poland. I have one friend who went to Spain with her kid. She was able to get her parents there too. I talk to her every day. She’s very anxious. Her husband is still in Ukraine. A man can’t leave Ukraine. “ (Men between the ages of 18-65 are not allowed to leave and must report for military duty.)
Alexey mentioned that he and his parents had been very involved with the Jewish community in Ukraine. His father, he said, was director of a Reform congregation in that country, while his mother was a program coordinator for the congregation.
Even though they’re in Germany now, “they have been helping members of the Jewish community to get out of Ukraine to Poland…not just Jewish people,” Alexey added.
I said to Alexey that I had read that most Ukrainian Jews who are able to leave that country prefer to go to Germany, rather than Israel.
“People are hesitant to go to Israel because it’s a similar situation there (as Ukraine),” he suggested. “There was shelling all over Israel.”
Something that Alexey told me though which took me somewhat by surprise was when he said that “most people who have left Ukraine (and who are still leaving) “are planning on returning when the war’s over.”
Yet, notwithstanding the desire of most Ukrainians who have left the country to be able to return home – and apparently the preference of most Jews who have left to move to Germany, I wondered whether Ukrainians would be eager to come to Canada if they were offered the opportunity?
The Canadian government has taken steps to expedite the immigration of Ukrainian refugees to this country, including dropping the normal visa requirement and allowing Ukrainians to obtain work permits immediately upon their arrival, although there will be a two-year maximum stay permitted for anyone coming here under the relaxation of the normal rules.
As a result, Alexey told me that he is in the process of bringing his parents here under the new provisions. They have family in Germany, he said, but this will be an opportunity for them to see their grandchildren again, so of course they’re eager to come, he explained.
In addition to his parents, Alexey will also be hosting two other friends who will be arriving within the next few weeks, he told me. “I’m going to have a full house,” he said.
He added that many Manitobans of Ukrainian heritage have been offering to take in refugees from Ukraine. (He said there’s been a Facebook group created for that specific purpose with a great many members already.)
Alexey added though that it would be great if the Jewish Federation here were to take the initiative and ask members of the Jewish community to volunteer to take in Jewish (and non-Jewish) refugees from Ukraine. I told him that I’d asked representatives of the Federation whether that is an initiative they will undertake and that I hoped the Federation would respond to my inquiry.
I did receive a response from Adam Levy, the Federation’s Public & Community Relations Director, to my query when I asked whether the Federation might want to ask members of the Jewish community whether they’d be prepared to take in refugees from Ukraine.
Here is what Adam wrote on March 25: “At this time, we are not making such an ask of the community, but continue to re-assess the situation on a daily basis as needs change and evolve. If community members wish to take Ukrainian newcomers into their homes, they can certainly do that.
“This is why we have settlement services in our community. Besides finding housing, there are many other vital parts to living in Canada that these services help to facilitate. We hope that they will utilize these resources so that their needs will be met and their transition to life in Canada will be as painless as possible.”
While Alexey Guider comes from Kiev, which is in the western part of Ukraine, and which is Western oriented in terms of its culture and politics, other Ukrainian Jews, especially those in the eastern part of the country, might have stronger connections to Russia.
Such was the case with Michael (not his real name), who told me he left Ukraine when he was 10, at which point his family moved to Israel for 20 years. He and his wife came to Winnipeg with their three-month-old baby eight years ago. (He wanted to thank the Jewish Federation for its help in bringing him and his family here. He specifically cited Dalia Szpiro’s assistance in that regard.)
Michael works in IT, having been involved in projects for companies both inside and outside Manitoba, he said.
When I asked Michael what part of Ukraine he came from, he said it was a town called Petrovsk, which is situated in the province of Luhansk Oblast. That area of Ukraine has been the scene of fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and, during Russia’s recent invasion it was taken over completely by Russian forces during the very first days of the invasion.
Two years ago, Michael noted, he was able to bring his parents and grandparents as well to Winnipeg, under a Federal sponsorship program. But, he added, “I still have a bunch of family in Ukraine.”
He said that another grandfather and an uncle of his are in Luhansk, while his wife’s mother and aunt are outside of Luhansk, in an area that has been subject to intermittent bombardment for the past eight years.
Perhaps somewhat ironically, Luhansk and the areas adjacent to it are now quiet, Michael said, as they are now totally under Russian control. “The people are working, shopping centres are open, so are restaurants,” he added.
As noted, an aunt of Michal’s left the Luhansk area with her two daughters (who are approximately the same age as Michael) eight years ago when the fighting first began there, and they moved to a town west of Luhansk.
“It’s quieter there,” Michael said. “You can’t compare to the other places, but still they have sirens in the middle of the night, they’re hiding, they’re getting some humanitarian aid – they’re volunteering in those centres. Basically, right now there is no active combat going on in that part, but there’s uncertainty where everything is going. The economy is stalled; they’re not working.”
What he’s been able to do though is send money to them through Western Union – which is “deposited directly into their bank account,” Michael said.
I asked Michael whether he’s in touch with his family in Ukraine. He said that he is, through a platform called “Viber” (which, interestingly, was developed in Israel).
But I was curious to know what life was like for his relatives who are now living in areas totally under Russian control. “From what you say, life is pretty normal,” I said to Michael.
In response, he told this story about his uncle, who is still living in Luhansk: “He was going someplace, going shopping or something. He was stopped by two Russian soldiers…they were checking his passport and his papers. He took his hat off. He’s like 75. He’s like a traditional Jewish person – he looks Jewish. And they said to him, ‘Sorry father’– (a Russian expression, Michael explained) and they apologized. They said ‘You look like someone else.’ They were looking for resistance. They checked his paperwork and wished him good day, and off he went.”
“So this is fair and normal in the city of Luhansk,” Michael said.
I said I was surprised to hear what Michael just told me. I said, “So this means the Russian soldiers are behaving fairly nicely,” I suggested.
Michael agreed, adding, “The Western media. They are reporting just one side of the story. And, to be honest, I don’t know who is wrong, who is right. You know, you see all those terrible things on the TV, on Facebook, on Instagram, but on Viber – and I haven’t heard from my uncle for a week or so, he says that everything is stable, everyone is okay.”
“Isn’t that interesting?” I responded. I continued, asking Michael, “What would you say then if the Russians took over all of Ukraine, how do you think they would behave?”
Michael answered: “This is what the Western world really doesn’t understand. Ukraine is actually divided into two. The eastern part is truly Russian-speaking population. They share the same traditions, the same language – everything. Even myself, when I was in school, Ukrainian was like a foreign language. It’s like you learn French here. It’s as if Ontario and Quebec were combined together – and you called it Ukraine.
“For those areas where it’s mostly Russian-speaking people, the quality of life is not that great. They don’t really care who is in power, honestly. They just want to get to work, get paid, and feed their families. The people there are mostly farmers, miners (of coal). They don’t really have an agenda for politics. They don’t want war. They just want to lead a normal life.
“In the western part of Ukraine, it’s a different story because they’re more Polish in nature. They have stronger connections to Poland. There was always tension between Ukrainians and Russians. It’s not spoken of, but during the Holocaust the Ukrainians cooperated with the Nazis. (To which I said, “Yes, I know.”) More (Jewish) people were killed by Ukrainians than by Nazis. These days we don’t talk about that. But I don’t know who is better and who is worse (comparing Ukrainians and Russians). They both do the same.
“It’s not black and white, it’s sort of gray,” Michael suggested.
“But how do you react when you see what they (the Russians) are doing to Mariupol and to Kharkiv?” I asked Michael. “Mariupol has been destroyed.”
“Yes, absolutely,” Michael said. “How do I feel? I feel bad. How can you feel when the city is being destroyed, but the point is: Russia has its own agenda and Ukraine has its agenda. Someone is making a lot of money out of this.” (I didn’t ask him what he meant by that.)
I wanted to return to asking about Michael’s relatives who were still in Ukraine. I wondered whether any of them are trying to get out?
He explained that it’s all but impossible where his relatives are. “So,” I asked, “what can we as Winnipeg Jews do to help people like your relatives? We can help with money, I suppose,” I said.
“I guess so,” Michael said. “But he noted that the Russian army is not progressing to the centre of the country where his aunt and his cousins are living. His aunt is working part-time in a grocery store, Michael explained.
I remarked to Michael that I found his perspective totally different from Alexey’s and was rather unsure what to make of what he had told me.
Based on what he told me, I wondered whether the war could be brought to an end if Ukraine were to hand over the two eastern provinces (Luhansk and Donetsk) that are primarily Russian speaking, along with Crimea (which used to belong to Russia)?
“But,” Michael suggested, “they (the Russians) won’t stop. Sanctions mean nothing to them. What do you care about sanctions when you have nothing to begin with?”
He said that there should be “some kind of reasonable negotiations,” but when I suggested that Zelensky has been willing to engage in honest negotiations from the very beginning, yet the Russians are engaged in some kind of charade when it comes to negotiations, he said “I don’t know. I’m not a politician.”
But after listening to Michael, I felt that I had a better understanding how Jewish Ukrainians are not all on the same page when it comes to this terrible conflict. Yet, I don’t want what I’ve written in any way to come across as a defence of what Vladimir Putin has done – and I’m afraid that someone reading this could easily extract from some of Michael’s comments exactly that. Still, I wonder if perhaps, by understanding somewhat better the divisions that exist within Ukraine between Russian speaking and Ukrainian speaking Ukrainians, we might come to the realization that a compromise solution will have to take into account those divisions.
Is a compromise possible? It would seem so, but Vladimir Putin and his generals seem determined to punish Ukrainians terribly first, and for expatriate Ukrainians like Alexey and Michael, they can only watch and wait – and hope that their relatives and friends still living in Ukraine don’t become casualties.
Postscript: Several days after I interviewed Alexey and Michael, I was troubled by the message that I discerned from what Michael had said to me. He was quite sanguine about Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, I thought.
So I decided to look further into his claims that Russian-speaking Ukrainians feel quite differently about the Russian invasion than do Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians.
According to an article in the Washington Post, “most Russian-speaking Ukrainians feel Ukrainian.” The article went on to say that “In Ukraine, the language people speak cannot be equated with ethnic identity. A larger representative study from 2013 examining the identity of Ukrainians living in various regions of the country found that the vast majority consider their ethnic identity as Ukrainian – the lone exception was in Crimea….strong Ukrainian identification can be found in predominantly Russian-speaking parts such as southern, eastern Ukraine, and even Donbas – where 70 percent or more identify as Ukrainian.”
I thought about Michael’s relative acquiescence to the Russian occupation of that part of Ukraine where he lived – until he was 10. But that was 28 years ago. Even though he says he is in touch with relatives in that area, including his grandfather and uncle, I wonder just how much Michael’s views were shaped by his experience growing up in a country that was under Soviet occupation until1991. According to what he told me, Michael would have left Ukraine for Israel in 1994. One can well imagine how much the country has changed in the past 28 years.
But to say that “But I don’t know who is better and who is worse (comparing Ukrainians and Russians),” as Michael said; “they both do the same”, would seem to be a distortion of the reality that now exists in Ukraine.
Local News
Former Winnipegger Ezra Glinter wins Canadian Jewish Literary Award
By BERNIE BELLAN (with files from Myron Love)
Former Winnipegger Ezra Glinter, the New York-based son of Nancy and Harry Glinter, is the winner of one of this year’s Canadian Jewish Literary Awards in the category of biography. This will be the 11th year that Canadian Jewish Literary Awards will have been handed out. There are a total of nine award altogether.
According to a press release issued by the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards, the purpose of the awards is to “recognize and reward the finest Canadian writing on Jewish themes and subjects. Winners have been selected in fiction, biography, memoir, poetry, Yiddish, Jewish culture, scholarship, books for youth, and the third Irving Abella Award in History.”
Here’s what the press release announcing the awards had to say about Ezra Glinter’s biography of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe: “Last October, former Winnipegger Ezra Glinter published ‘Becoming the Messiah: The Life and Times of Menachem Mendel Schneerson,’ the first biography of Rabbi Schneerson to combine a nonpartisan view of his life, work, and impact with an insider’s understanding of the ideology that drove him and that continues to inspire the Chabad-Lubavitch movement today.
” ‘Menachem Mendel Schneerson: Becoming the Messiah’ (Yale University Press: Jewish Series) is a highly readable, non-partisan biography that allows the reader to understand the gifts, the accomplishments and perhaps the limitations of a man admired by Jews and non-Jews alike. It places Schneerson within the intellectual context of Hasidism and the historical context of Eastern European Jewry. It follows him through his educational journey, surprisingly, in secular institutions in Berlin and Paris that continued alongside his religious studies. It delves into the politics of leadership and succession within the Lubavitch Hasidic movement and Schneerson’s role in establishing Chabad/Lubavitch in America. Its distinctive ideology is at the centre of a worldwide Jewish outreach program with the Rebbe as its sage and sometimes messianic figure. The photograph on the cover has become a meme signifying both the Hasidic movement that Schneerson led as Rebbe and the messianic beliefs and aspirations of his followers, including arguably of himself.”
This past March Myron Love wrote about Glinter’s book in anticipation of Glinter’s appearance here at the Limmud Festival of Learning.
Love wrote: “The New York-based son of Nancy and Harry Glinter has had an interesting life journey of his own – a journey that has included his own immersion for several years in the Orthodox world – making him an ideal individual to explore the Rebbe’s life and work and impact on Judaism.
“ ‘It was helpful that I could apply the skills that I learned in Yeshiva to the research,’ Glinter notes.
The fact that he is also self-taught in Yiddish was also helpful.”
“Glinter is a graduate of Talmud Torah. At the age of 16, Glinter chose to pursue a more religious lifestyle. With his parents’ support, he enrolled in Ner Yisroel in Baltimore.
In 2004, after four years in yeshiva, he enrolled at McGill, graduating with a BA in English (in 2008), followed by a year at New York University. Since then, he has pursued a career as a freelance journalist. For five years, he served as deputy arts director for the Jewish Daily Forward. Over the past eight years, he has contributed book, theatre and arts reviews and lifestyle stories to numerous prestigious American publications, as well as the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and the Paris Review.
“The Schneerson biography is his second book. In 2016, he published ‘Have I Got a Story for You’ – a compilation of 42 stories – published in Yiddish in The Forward over its almost 130—year history.
“The stories are an assortment of wartime novellas, avant-garde fiction, and satirical sketches about immigrant life in New York – with short biographies of the contributors. Glinter served as editor of the project – with the stories being translated into English by leading Yiddish translators who were able to capture the sound of the authors and the subtleties of nuance and context.
“Glinter notes that he spent four years doing the research for his current book. He reports that his Shneerson biography has been generally well-received – although, he adds, there haven’t been a lot of reviews.
“ ‘It seems that both followers of Chabad and secular readers appreciate the book,’ he comments. For the past two years, he has been working as the senior staff writer and editor for the National Yiddish Book Centre, which is located in Amherst, Massachusetts. ‘We have our own press and newsletter,’ he points out. ‘We translate newly published Yiddish works into English.’ ”
If you would like to receive a link to view the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards or if you would like to register to attend the awards or simply to obtain more information, go to https://cjlawards.ca/
Local News
Gustavo Zentner talks about his role as CIJA Vice-President for Manitoba and Saskatchewan
By BERNIE BELLAN Gustavo Zentner has played many roles since arriving in Winnipeg from his native Argentina in the late 1990s.
In a May 2022 article written for The Jewish Post & News by Myron Love, Love wrote this about Zentner, who had just become President of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg at the time:
“The new president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg – who originally hails from the city of Corrientes in northeastern Argentina – notes that his great-grandfather, among the earliest Jewish immigrants to the country, was one of the founding members of the organized Jewish community and its cemetery – and his mother was the first (and thus far still the only) female to lead the community.
‘My earliest memories are of my mother always chairing meetings of the Federation,’ he recalls.
Thus, it is no surprise that Zentner threw himself into volunteering with the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg very soon after he arrived in our community – among the wave of Jews from Argentina who immigrated here 20–25 years ago.
‘I was delighted to come to Winnipeg,’ the new Federation president said. ‘I found a warm and welcoming community and was happy to contribute in any way I could.’ Zentner added, ‘This is a wonderful community, and I believe that everyone counts. Every person has a story to tell and something to contribute. Let’s make sure everyone is part of the conversation.’
As a board member, Zentner has, over the past 15 years, chaired first the Human Resources Committee, followed by the Community Planning and Allocations Committee, and most recently served as Treasurer, chairing the Finance and Audit Committees. He has volunteered with many other organizations; no doubt that experience will serve him well as he builds bridges throughout the community.
In his business career, Zentner was the president of InterPOC, an international business consultancy, and Honorary Consul of Brazil in Manitoba. Zentner places a lot of emphasis on consultation and planning.”
It was during his term as President of the Federation, in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, that Zentner played a pivotal role in rallying not only members of the Jewish community, but also members of the broader Winnipeg community, in support of Israel. Zentner headed a Manitoba government secretariat dealing with economic diplomacy and worked with many organizations developing trade and investment relations.
That year, Zentner chaired three major rallies: the first at the Asper Campus in October, when more than 2,000 individuals gathered on the campus lawn; a second at the Manitoba Legislature; and a third in the Rady JCC gym, held in memory of the late Vivian Silver.
Each time, Zentner struck just the right chord, demonstrating eloquence and a sincere passion for Israel and the Jewish community. In 2024, he developed strong lines of communication with various levels of government to raise awareness about the surge in antisemitism that followed the October 7 attack. He was especially successful in forming a strong bond with then–Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth, along with other WPS members, to respond to and, where possible, prevent antisemitic incidents in the city.
Thus, it was no surprise that shortly after completing his term as Federation President, Zentner assumed a new role as Vice-President for Manitoba and Saskatchewan for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
On September 25, Zentner spoke at the Remis Forum Luncheon, where he outlined his role with CIJA.
Zentner began by describing his firsthand experience with terrorism as a young Argentine Jew during the 1990s:
“I was there when there were two terrorist attacks – on March 17, 1992, and July 18, 1994. That forged my Jewish identity and my commitment to becoming more visible in terms of leadership in the Jewish community, while building a business or working for others or government. I understood that antisemitism shouldn’t define me; instead, it highlighted a path for my involvement in open society, celebrating the contributions of those who came before me – our leaders who built community and led countries.”
While much of his talk focused on the need for Winnipeg Jews to support Israel and engage younger generations, Zentner also explained CIJA’s mission and his particular role within the organization.
“Our main business is Canadian Jewish advocacy,” he said. “CIJA is the advocacy agent of Jewish federations across the country.”
The head office of CIJA is located in Toronto. Zentner noted that the organization’s President and CEO, Noah Shack, made his first official visit to Winnipeg shortly after assuming his new role.
“We met with Premier Kinew, Mayor Gillingham, MP Ben Carr, and with community organizations, funders, and allies,” Zentner said.
In addition to Winnipeg, CIJA has staff in Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver.
“Our core objective today is to combat antisemitism across Canada,” Zentner stated.
In addition, CIJA consults with other Jewish advocacy organizations worldwide in a group known as the “J7,” modeled after the G7 economic alliance.
“Canada’s is one of the seven largest Jewish communities in the world,” he explained. “Our counterparts include Argentina, Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. When the Prime Minister of Australia or Great Britain is considering a policy, we engage in discussion with our counterparts so we can anticipate and respond—not only to support another Jewish community abroad, but also to understand the implications for Canada.”
Zentner also noted that CIJA represents Holocaust survivors in Canada through the Claims Conference.
When it comes to combating antisemitism, he emphasized, it cannot be left to one organization alone.
“In Canada, antisemitism has to be confronted by society at large, not exclusively by the Jewish community,” he said. “Working closely with the Jewish Federation, other organizations, volunteer groups, and individuals is the only way forward.”
“The ideal scenario is one where we identify advocacy channels, messaging, and issues, and support organizations and individuals to advance our cause—protecting Jewish life and ensuring that Jews have access to all aspects of society, free from intimidation, harassment, or hostility.”
We are placing a strong emphasis on community partnerships and recently celebrated a meaningful example through the Asper Community Shabbat program. The Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre and CIJA co-hosted a special Shabbat gathering with members of Indigenous communities, including First Nations Elders, representatives from the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Inuit community, and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization.
As CIJA’s representative, Zentner described his approach to working with governments, the Winnipeg Police Service, and other law enforcement agencies:
“As the advocacy agency for the federation system, we support Jewish organizations and individuals when they need advocacy or policy change. Our work includes engaging with the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba, driving accountability and action when our community is attacked or discriminated against.”
He added that he has been direct in telling officials, particularly the police, to take concrete action against antisemitism.
“To do that, we consult and engage with law enforcement on an ongoing basis,” he said. “When it comes to defending Jewish members of the community, we look to law enforcement to do that for us. At the same time, the community can play an important role through volunteers and professional programs through the Jewish Security Network.”
Zentner clarified that asking governments to protect Jewish Canadians is not a special plea for the community:
“We’re not telling civil society to defend the Jews,” he said. “We’re saying: defend Canadian citizens, Canadian values, and minority groups under attack.”
A second objective, Zentner explained, is revitalizing partnerships with Israel so that governments can maintain “positive, healthy relationships” with the Jewish state.
“In my role, I’m responsible for ensuring that we have viable, credible, open lines of meaningful engagement with all levels of government. That is not easy. We hope that the U.S.-led peace plan will open opportunities to reimagine and strengthen Canada–Israel friendship and collaboration. A recent example was the official visit of H.E. Iddo Moed to Saskatchewan, advancing economic diplomacy, collaboration, and market diversification opportunities for both countries.”
A third component of his work, he said, is “community mobilization”—educating and activating members of the Jewish community.
“This is where I spend a lot of time speaking with members of our community—those born here and those who immigrated from elsewhere, like me. There is a large South American Jewish community that began with the Federation’s Grow Winnipeg initiative 25 years ago, as well as significant Hebrew-speaking folks from Israel and Russia. These communities bring valuable lived experience in facing antisemitism and security challenges. Working with them and mobilizing their networks gives us greater access to the broader community.”
Zentner also highlighted CIJA’s ongoing advocacy efforts:
“We advocate for Jewish life, protecting synagogues, community centres, and schools, and influencing policy,” he said, citing the federal government’s recent passage of Bill C-9, which strengthens laws against hate crimes.
Zentner also addressed the federal government’s recent decision to recognize a Palestinian state, pointing to their communication with the PMO:
“Recognition cannot come without clear conditions for Palestinian statehood,” he said. “We have been communicating with Prime Minister Carney since he first signalled that intent in July, to ensure it was not a unilateral, pre-emptive gift to Hamas. CIJA advocates not only for Israel or the Jewish community, but for upholding Canadian values.”
Another aspect of CIJA’s work, Zentner added, is providing antisemitism training and Holocaust education.
“We support organizations qualified to deliver training for all levels of government and civil society. Currently, we are working with the provincial government, the Civil Service Commission, and others to increase training opportunities and accountability, ensuring anti-racism policies are in place and enforced.”
During the Q&A, Zentner discussed CIJA’s consultations with police during Folklorama, when regular pro-Palestinian protests occurred outside the Asper Campus.
“We reached an understanding to ensure that, whether through permits or other mechanisms, such protests would not take place immediately outside the campus in the future,” he said, adding that the Winnipeg Police Service has committed to a stronger presence and more effective action next year.
To advance these advocacy projects, he emphasized, CIJA works collaboratively with the Jewish Federation, Asper Campus, Rady JCC, and community representatives who share their perspectives with police leadership.
At the close of his remarks, Zentner returned to his personal story, recalling that his family left Argentina following two terrorist attacks against Jews in 1992 and 1994.
“We must not go into a dark space,” he said. “That’s my role every day—and it’s a difficult role. But I won’t let that define who I am or how we define our community.”
He noted that collective advocacy has already produced tangible results, such as the provincial government’s appointment of a hate crimes prosecutor, commitments to hate training across public institutions, and increased financial support for Jewish organizations in Winnipeg resulting from a first time ever pre-budget consultation held with the province earlier in the year. CIJA has also worked with the City of Winnipeg on measures to protect Jewish institutions from hostile demonstrations and to ensure that publicly funded cultural organizations do not engage in antisemitic programming.
“Our community is not alone,” Zentner concluded. “We have countless allies who actively support our right to exist—here at home and in Israel. The Jewish community has played a significant role in building this country and contributing to all aspects of life. We need to continue engaging allies to stand visibly and vocally with us today.
I believe we all have a role to play in improving Jewish life in Canada and supporting the relationship between our community, Canada, and Israel. There is truly no work I could imagine more meaningful or impactful than serving our community, advancing our advocacy, strengthening government relations, and expanding our partnerships.
We are resilient, strong, and proud of our Jewish identity, and our relationship with Israel, as the homeland of the Jewish nation.”
Local News
New play structure – “Gan Reut” (Friendship Garden) opens at Asper Campus
By BERNIE BELLAN It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon, October 3, when Lori Binder, Gray Academy Head of School (also Board of Jewish Education CEO) welcomed about 40 individuals to the opening of a brand new play structure on the Asper Campus – situated exactly where the old play structure (which had opened in 1997 with the opening of the campus) had been.
Most of the individuals who were there that day had played a role helping to see the new play structure built – either as donors, or as members of organizations that had participated in the planning and construction of the new play structure.
As Binder explained, “We wanted to call this the Friendship Garden. We wanted it to have a Hebrew name. ‘Reut’ – play, is the language of friendship and it’s also the language of learning. And so today for the very first time, as our kids were watching the structure be built – and that too was also an amazing learning tool, they began to learn to use the structure.”
Why was there a need for a new playground, some might wonder – when the old one was only 28 years old?
Binder cited several reasons for wanting a new play structure: “A lot of injuries were happening because there was pea gravel, and the pea gravel was surrounded by a border of wood. And if you did not have the ability to step over or walk through the pea gravel, you could potentially have an injury.”
She added that “pea gravel is only used in 3% of playgrounds today because you might skid and need a bandaid or have a cut.”
“But we also recognized that with the broken structure and the inability for all children in our community to play we wanted to begin to envision a new structure,” Binder added.
The actual project took shape in a relatively short period of time. Design and construction was handled by a company known as Playgrounds R Us. President of the company, Matt Lacroix, noted that “typically a playground of not even this size” would take much longer to plan and build.
“We typically work with schools probably three to five years, sometimes two. So, from start to finish, for us to start a year and a half ago to now is pretty phenomenal,” Lacroix observed.
There are many new innovations included in Gan Reut, including the resilient rubber foundation, the handicap accessible play structures (that can even accommodate children in wheelchairs) and, on an unexpectedly hot October day – something that proved to be most welcome: shade everywhere you went.
Getting the project done required cooperation among Gray Academy, the Rady JCC, and the Asper Campus. When Binder first approached the Jewish Foundation for funding assistance, however, she said that initially, “we got denied.” However, rather than that being an impediment to moving forward, Binder said “it turned out to be a blessing.”
The reason, she explained, is the Jewish Foundation “plays such an integral role in matching us with potential donors, helping us bring something to light or getting something started.”
In the case of the playground project, it was the Rich family, led by Gavin Rich, who stepped up as lead donors. There were many other donors as well. (You can see all the donors’ names in the accompanying photo.) Also, the Jewish Foundation did come through with a grant – for the rubber foundation.
Binder spoke of the important role that play serves in children’s development: “Diane Ackerman states that play is the brain’s favourite way of learning. And if you go into the daycare or into any of our early childhood classrooms, you will see that they learn through play. Dr. Stewart Brown notes that nothing lights up a child’s brain-like play. And I bet some of you will want to also play because even at as adults, we like to play.”
The blue and white colour of the playground was also a deliberate choice, Binder noted. “Blue and white,” she suggested, was “very purposely chosen to match the colour of the Israeli flag and give us a reminder every day of coming to this amazing Jewish community campus.”
When it came to planning what would go into the playground, Binder thanked Rob Berkowits from the Rady JCC and Curtis Martin from the Asper Jewish Community Campus, “who were along for the journey…We also have many of our educators, an occupational therapist, early childhood specialists, elementary specialists, student life coordinators, all coming together with all of the different ideas.”
“I have to say it is overwhelming,” Binder added. “I’ve not really been involved in such a renovation project; it’s hard to make decisions. You can have a million different kinds of playgrounds.”
Not only will the playground, however, serve as a major enhancement to be enjoyed by students at Gray Academy and the Rady JCC daycare during weekdays, it will be open to everyone in the community 24/7, Binder noted.
Following Binder’s remarks, attendees heard from Rob Berkowits, CEO of the Rady JCC, who acknowledged the key role Binder had played in bringing the project to fruition: “I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Lori Binder, Head of School at Gray Academy, for unwavering leadership in bringing this vision to life.”
Finally, Jill Winograd, who was representing the Asper Jewish Community Campus, offered remarks: “Spaces like this are more than slides or swings. They’re about belonging, imagination, and giving kids a safe place to grow together. So this project wasn’t about starting fresh, but renewal, taking something well used.
“So what makes this playground matter isn’t just the newer equipment or the safer surfaces, but the thoughtfulness behind it. Accessible roots, quiet corners. And spaces that welcome kids, parents and grandparents together. It’s built for inclusion and community. And I think grandparents is such a key word here because it’s really so lovely to see from our sponsors how many are in memory of grandparents and how special that time is at the playground for them.”
And, with that – and a ceremonial ribbon cutting by Gavin Rich and Marni Slonim, Grade 2 students from Gray Academy descended upon the structure – many with parents in tow, to demonstrate all the many features of the beautiful new playground.