Local News
Valedictory speech delivered to graduating medical students sets off storm of controversy

By BERNIE BELLAN A valedictory speech delivered to the 2024 class of medical school students graduating from the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba on Thursday, May 16, has set off a storm of controversy.
During his 10-minute speech, Dr. Gem Newman, who described himself as a “pasty-faced white man,” veered into a strongly worded criticism of Israel toward the end of his approximate 10-minute speech.
Here are the comments he made with respect to Israel’s war in Gaza:
“I call on my fellow graduates to oppose injustice -and violence – individual and systemic. I call upon you to oppose settler colonialism, both at home and abroad. I call upon you to stand in solidarity with Indigenous people everywhere, here in Treaty One Territory, where an Indigenous man can expect a life ten years shorter than mine – and in Palestine (ed. note: loud cheers erupted at that point from among the students), where Israel’s deliberate targeting of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure has led to more than 35,000 deaths and widespread famine and disease.
“Many medical organizations, including the W.H.O. and Medecins sans Frontiere, and countless unions, including the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union, have repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while there has been deafening silence from the Canadian Medical Association, Doctors Manitoba and PARIM (Professional Association of Interns and Residents of Manitoba), and so I call upon you to join me in calling for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Join me in calling for unrestricted humanitarian and medical aid in Gaza. Join me in calling for an end to the targeting of medical facilities, medical staff, and journalists.
“I’m sure that some of you here today are worried that you may face censure for speaking out against the genocidal war that Israel is waging upon the people of Palestine, that it could jeopardize your career before it’s even begun. I understand that fear…”
Dr. Newman’s speech was greeted with a standing ovation from his fellow graduating doctors.

The next day, the dean of the Rady College of Medicine, Dr. Peter Nickerson, issued a strongly worded criticism of Dr. Newman’s remarks:
Yesterday, we celebrated the convocation of 106 new physicians. We came together with our friends and family to celebrate a diverse group of individuals who are beginning their career as doctors.
Part of our convocation tradition in the Max Rady College of Medicine is to hear an address from the class valedictorian. This has historically been an encouraging, congratulatory message and not a political platform. The speech is an honour and is meant to highlight, showcase and celebrate the academic excellence, resiliency and determination of every student, no matter their background.
I have heard from individuals who were present yesterday and who were disappointed and alarmed by the political message in the valedictorian’s address. I share these concerns. I, too, am disappointed that the address was delivered in a way that didn’t represent all students and that was disrespectful to some audience members who were there to celebrate and be celebrated. This isn’t the purpose of a valedictorian address and the speech should have better reflected shared experiences, successes and a commitment to serve all communities.
The valedictorian was expressing his own views, and this was not a message vetted or endorsed in any way by the College.
The University of Manitoba is steadfast in its commitment to freedom of expression; both speech and counter-speech are equally protected. However, freedom of expression has limits and comes with responsibilities. It is my view as Dean that a convocation address is different than a classroom setting, different than an opinion piece in a newspaper – it is an academic celebration for a diverse community. Statements made in this address were divisive and inflammatory. They should be taken as the views of one student, and do not reflect the views of the College nor the diverse perspectives of its students.
As we continue our convocation events, may we be mindful of the diversity of our community, our common humanity, and the purpose of these celebrations.
Dr. Peter Nickerson
Vice-Provost (Health Sciences)
Dean, Max Rady College of Medicine
Dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Manitoba

On Monday, May 20, Ernest Rady, who made a donation of $30 million to the University of Manitoba in 2016 – the largest single donation to the university in its history, and whose father, Max Rady, now has his name on the “Rady Faculty of Health Sciences” and the “Max Rady College of Medicine,” sent the following email in response to Dr. Newman’s remarks:
Via Email
University of Manitoba
Dr. Michael Benarroch, President and Vice-Chancellor
Dr. Peter Nickerson, Dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Re: Max Rady College of Medicine Convocation Speech by Valedictorian
Michael and Peter:
I write to you today because I was both hurt and appalled by the remarks the valedictorian, Gem Newman, gave at last week’s Max Rady College of Medicine convocation, and I was extremely disappointed in the University’s inadequate response. I have been fortunate in my life to be able to support the causes close to my heart, including the University of Manitoba. As you know, when Evelyn and I donated $30 million to the University’s Faculty of Health Sciences in 2016, that gift was in honor of my parents, and in particular, the gift to the College of Medicine was in honor of my father, Maxwell Rady. Newman’s speech not only dishonored the memory of my father, but also disrespected and disparaged Jewish people as a whole, including the Jewish students who were in attendance at that convocation – some of whom I’ve heard from.
My father, born Avraham (Hebrew for Abraham) Radiskevich, immigrated to Manitoba from Russia in 1893. He, like so many other Jews, fled religious persecution, seeking a better life in Canada. He was lucky. Millions of others – whether during the Russian pogroms, the Holocaust, or the countless other purges of my people throughout history – were not so fortunate. Those horrors were made possible because of a set of beliefs (stereotypes and tropes) so entrenched and pervasive as to be taken as fact.
That same set of beliefs allowed the University of Manitoba to justify its decision to impose admissions quotas to keep Jews out. Despite those quotas, my father was one of the very few of his faith to be admitted to the University’s medical school, which is now named in his honor.
And yet, the University allowed the Max Rady College of Medicine’s valedictorian to spew these hateful lies to a captive audience, and now posts that antisemitic rhetoric on its website for all to see. And the University’s only response is a lukewarm message posted elsewhere on its website about differing opinions and appropriateness of setting for expressing such “opinions.”
Having seen where this kind of speech (and the excuses made for it) have led in the past, I cannot be silent. When I make a gift to an institution, I do it because I believe in that institution and I trust its governing body to do important, significant, and good work with that money. I therefore make it a point not to intervene or tell an institution what it should or should not do. But in this instance, by remaining silent, I would be complicit. So I am speaking out now because I must. Because so many like Gem Newman and the students cheering in the audience and the University itself, whose response to what is happening on its campus has been inadequate, may not even realize all the realities of the situation. The issues are far too complex for a mere letter, and I should not have to be the one to point this out; nonetheless, apparently it bears emphasizing. It is very easy for individuals like Mr. Newman to spout slogans and quips like “settler colonialism” and “genocidal war,” but if they do not take the time to understand the very long, complex, and nuanced history behind what is happening in the world today, then not only are they intellectually dishonest, but they are perpetuating the same harms that have existed for centuries. Those words are not political opinion. They are hate speech and they are lies. They espouse the same age-old prejudices about Jewish omnipotence and thirst for domination that have been used for centuries to justify the atrocities committed against this religious group, which makes up less than 0.2% of the world’s population and 1.4% of Canada’s.
By failing to call out Gem Newton’s words for what they are, the University is no better.
Having failed to vet the valedictorian’s speech in advance (despite the patent risk that something like this would likely occur, given what has happened at other universities), I beg that the University of Manitoba step up and finally do the right thing. Take down the convocation video and do not repost it unless the valedictorian’s entire speech is removed. Post a revised letter from the dean, not only on UM News, but on the same page as the edited video. Condemn, in no uncertain terms, Gem Newman’s remarks. Acknowledge that they were not only inaccurate, but flat-out lies, that they were hurtful to the University’s Jewish students and all people of the Jewish faith, and that the remarks do not have a place in any setting at the University. Denounce antisemitism in all forms it takes, even in its latest iteration as espoused by your valedictorian.
Advocating for the protection of one group of people, while in the same breath calling for the destruction and elimination of another, is not advocacy. It is hate. It is the very opposite of the words that your graduates spoke last week when they recited the Physician’s Pledge, vowing not to permit considerations of creed and ethnic origin to intervene between their duty and their patient.
Be as bold as you tell your students to be. Do the right thing: Speak out unequivocally. Take action. Do not be like all of those who came before you, acquiescing to prejudice and hatred because you do not want to ruffle feathers, or worse, because you believe it is justified.
Ernest Rady
Cc: Anne Mahon, Chancellor
Local News
From Broadway to Berney: Winnipeg Jewish Theatre Opens Season with Razor-Sharp Thriller

By MARTIN ZEILIG The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (WJT) launches its 2025–26 season with a bold and timely production: JOB The Play, a psychological thriller that probes the fragile boundaries between truth, technology, and identity.
Written by Jewish American playwright Max Wolf Friedlich, the play arrives in Winnipeg fresh off its Broadway run, bringing with it a reputation for intellectual grit and emotional intensity.
Running from September 11 to 21 at the Berney Theatre, JOB is a two-hander that unfolds in the aftermath of a viral workplace incident. Jane, a high-strung tech employee, f inds herself on mandatory leave. Her return hinges on therapy sessions with Loyd, a calm but enigmatic practitioner who suspects her job may be more harmful than helpful. What follows is a taut, 80-minute battle of wits and wills—no intermission, no easy answers.
For WJT Artistic Director Dan Petrenko, the decision to open the season with JOB was immediate and instinctive.
“I came across this play as it was finishing its Broadway run, and I was immediately struck by how of-the-moment it feels,” Petrenko said. He and the play’s director, Jack Grinhaus, agreed to an email interview.
“It’s a play about work, technology, and the way we always question truth in this hyper-connected world,” Petrenko continued. “As a Jewish theatre, we are always looking for plays that ask big moral and ethical questions, and JOB does exactly that. It’s sharp, unsettling, and even funny at times.”
The production stars Jada Rifkin and Dov Mickelson, two actors Petrenko describes as “incredible talents.” Mickelson, originally from Edmonton and now based in Toronto, was last seen on a Winnipeg stage in Royal MTC’s Indecent. Rifkin, also Toronto-based, recently performed in The Thanksgiving Play at Mirvish Productions.
“JOB is a two-hander, so the entire play rests on their performances,” Petrenko noted.
“Both bring immense precision and depth to these roles. After seeing them in rehearsal this week, I can already tell this is going to be an electrifying performance.”
Grinhaus is Artistic Director of Calgary’s Vertigo Theatre— Canada’s national theatre of mystery and intrigue. He is no stranger to Winnipeg, having directed a show for Prairie Theatre Exchange just five months ago.
“Feels like I didn’t actually leave,” he joked. “Winnipeg has an incredible theatre community and audience base. It’s an honour and pleasure to be here.”
Grinhaus was immediately drawn to the play’s complexity.
“I was amazed at how both intellectual and visceral the piece was,” he wrote. engagement and offers poetry and honesty without being instructive. It lays out its argument for audiences to puzzle over, asking the questions but leaving the answers for each viewer to determine.”
The emotional and psychological journey of the characters is central to the production’s impact.
“I saw this as a battle for truth between two very opposing perspectives, positions, and generations,” Grinhaus explained. “There’s not one line in it where the characters can agree on a single ‘right’ Jack Grinhaus, Director JOB answer. They are often as right as the moral and ethical positions the audiences bring with them.”
Grinhaus hopes audiences leave the theatre questioning their own relationship with the digital world.
“The digital sphere is a double edged sword,” he said. “The promise of it being a place where the world is united and connected has, somehow, also created one where we are more divided and isolated. The long-term implications of this tech life are still to be figured out.”
Petrenko sees JOB as more than just a provocative opener—it’s a signal of what’s to come.
“There are so many things to be excited about in our upcoming season,” he said. “Beyond JOB, we’re bringing you a range of productions and theatrical events that celebrate Jewish stories while opening doors to broader conversations with the community at large.”
Highlights include a staged reading this fall of local playwright Alex Poch-Goldin’s comedy-drama The Right Road to Pontypool, and the Canadian premiere of Ride The Musical in April 2026. The latter tells the story of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to travel around the world on a bicycle—a Jewish icon whose adventures captivated audiences in London’s West End and San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre.
“I am so thrilled to be bringing this story to our stage,” Petrenko said.
The season will conclude in May 2026 with another family musical rooted in Jewish storytelling—details to be announced soon.
“The best way to get in on all the fun this year is to subscribe to our season,” Petrenko added, noting that special promotion packages are available until September 21.
For Grinhaus, JOB is more than a play—it’s a mirror.
“This is a very theatrical piece of theatre,” he said. “It’s pure theatre, highly engaging and entertaining while also challenging our own views on modern society. Our hope is that audiences are drawn deep into this world and, only once it is done, begin the conversation the story and its themes bring up.”
With JOB, the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre sets the tone for a season of bold storytelling, ethical inquiry, and cultural resonance. From Broadway to Berney, this is theatre that doesn’t just entertain—it interrogates and enlightens.
Local News
New Jewish Heritage centre archivist has travelled an eclectic path

By MYRON LOVE The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada’s new archivist has come to her position from Rosser, Manitoba, by way of Israel.
Ava Garfinkel – the daughter of Harvey and Lee Garfinkel (and granddaughter of the late Irv and Shirley Garfinkel) – grew up on the family cattle farm just outside Winnipeg. “My family also raises horses and chickens,” she says. “I had a pony when I was little. I did my share of chores growing up.”
After attending rural schools in Rosser and Warren, Garfinkel moved on to the University of Manitoba, where she earned a B.A. in Art History. Her life journey then led he to Israel and Tel Aviv University, where she earned a Masters Degree in Archaeology.
She reports that she worked two summers on a site called Tel Azekah – an ancient community strategically located roughly half way between Jerusalem and Jaffa.
“Two years ago – in 2023 – Israel experienced its hottest summer in decades,” Garfinkel recalls. “The sun was unbearable. I realized that I preferred the paperwork, the research, and the documentation, rather than the digging.”
While Garfinkel says that she loved Israel – and had a job lined up at Tel Aviv University, fate – in the form of the terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 – intervened. It happened that she was home visiting her family when the attack occurred.
“I also love my family and my life here,” she says. “I found that I missed my family.”
Garfinkel finished her M.A. studies – with a particular emphasis on textiles in the ancient Levant – back in Winnipeg, and took up her new position at the JHCWC at the beginning of May.
“I am doing what I enjoy – preservation and documentation,” she says. “We are preserving Winnipeg’s – and Western Canada’s, Jewish history. “I am learning so much about our community’s rich history and cultural traditions.
“My colleagues and our volunteers are great. There is a lot to do. I couldn’t be happier.”
Local News
Gail Asper takes on new challenge as co-chair of major Hebrew University fundraising campaign

By MYRON LOVE Over the past 35 years Gail Asper has risen to the top ranks among Canadian philanthropists and as the go-to leader for high-profile fundraising campaigns. In her 30s, she notes, she chaired a successful Manitoba Theatre Centre fundraising campaign. In her 40s she was the youngest chair of our city’s annual United Way campaign. In her 50s she served for two years as chair of our Jewish community’s annual Combined Jewish Appeal. And, I am sure that most readers are aware of her herculean effortsbringing to fruition her father’s vision of a world class human rights museum in Winnipeg.
Now in her 60s, Asper has taken on a lead role in another major fundraising campaign – one of international scope – as co-chair of an upcoming Hebrew University campaign, which is set to launch in October.
“My dad (the late Israel Asper – Gail’s role model) always told me,” she recalls, “that when you are asked to do something, while you can’t guarantee success, you do the best you can.”
This year’s campaign will be a particularly significant one for Israel’s oldest and largest university. This year mark’s the Hebrew University’s 100th anniversary – and the Asper family has played a leading role in the university for almost 50 years.
Gail Asper remembers going to Jerusalem – with her father – and family – when she was in her 20s – when Israel Asper would be attending HU annual Board of Governors meetings. “I met the president of the university,” she recounts. “I got to see what the university was doing and got to know the people on the board. There were board members from all over the world, all accomplished and interesting people.. It was so glamourous.”
In 1989, her father – after more than 20 years on the board – told Gail that he was stepping down to spend more time building the still relatively new Canwest business – and suggested that she should replace him as a board member. Not only did she join the board, she also became one of the founding members of the newly formed Canadian Friends of Hebrew University Business and Professional Division, along with other now prominent community members Howard Morry and Murray Palay.
“I remember being on the phone, back in 1993, holding my baby Jonathan in one arm while going through my phone list selling tickets for our gala,” Asper says. “It was good training for being able to manage looking after my family, work and volunteering later in life.”
It wasn’t long after she joined the Hebrew U board that she moved on to join the board executive,” she notes. “We would have meetings in Israel three or four times a year. Thank goodness now for Zoom. But I really enjoyed meeting with fellow board members as well as university management and faculty.”
Asper says that she was really surprised to be asked to chair the new campaign. “Most of the major HU donors are American,” she explains. “I thought that an American chair would be more appropriate than a Canadian,” she says.
She agreed to take on the role, but insisted on having an American co-chair. The individual she chose is a prominent American trial lawyer from Los Angeles by the name of Patty Glaser.
“I have known Patty for years,” Asper reports. “We met through the Hebrew University. She is very well organized and a terrific fundraiser.”
Asper adds that she would also like to recruit an Israeli philanthropist as a third chair. “There are a lot more wealthy Israelis today,” she observes. “I think it is important to get an Israeli more involved. We identified a few prospects and narrowed it down to a HU alumnus who has been very successful.”
Asper officially takes up her new role in October 2025, coinciding with the investiture of the incoming president, Prof. Tamir Sheafer. “We don’t have many details about the 100th anniversary campaign,” she notes. “The target for the last seven-year campaign – which ended in June – was $1 billion. We co-chairs will have discussion with the new president as to our financial goal and how the funds will be distributed.”
One area that Asper suggests will be a focus of the new campaign will be Jewish philanthropists and foundations who had been supporting American and Canadian universities, but who have been told that since October 7, 2023, their donations are no longer welcome. “Others have pulled their donations because of anti-Jewish activity on campuses,” she points out. “We will be suggesting that their donations will be better spent supporting Israel’s leading universities rather than antisemitic universities in Canada and the US.”
She adds that she will be co-ordinating the Canadian contributions to the campaign with CFHU executive director (and former Winnipeg resident – while he was executive director of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University here) Rami Kleinmann. “In Canada, we always punch above our weight,” Asper notes.
She does admit to be disappointed that the HU’s 100th anniversary celebrations scheduled for last June had to be cancelled because of the war with Iran. “Anita Wortzman (the Asper Foundation’s executive director) and I were already in Israel,” Asper reports. “I had planned to attend every program on campus, meet the donors and scientists and scholars and learn what they are working on.”
She is looking forward to making up for some of what she missed in June with her upcoming visit to Israel in the fall and the kick-off to the campaign.