Local News
Former Melfort Torah scroll donated to Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada
By MYRON LOVE As a result of the closure of the South Shore Jewish Community Congregaton in Montreal in December 2021, an historic Torah scroll which used to grace the ark of the former Beth Israel Synagogue in Melfort, in northeastern Saskatchewan, has been returned to Western Canada.
On Tuesday, June 25, about 60 former residents and descendants of the Melfort and District Jewish community gathered at the Berney Theatre to celebrate the donation of the Torah scroll to the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada.
At its peak in the 1950s and early1960s, the Melfort and District Jewish community numbered 40 to 50 Jewish families. The Jewish Heritage Centre’s new Torah scroll possibly arrived in Melfort by way of the Jewish farm colony in nearby Edenbridge (which was founded in 1906), where some of the Melfort Jewish families came from.
The gifted Torah was one of three that were at Melfort’s Beth Israel Synagogue, which was opened in 1952. After the shul closed in 1986, Melfort Jewish community member Anita Levitt Lefevre looked after the Torah scrolls until they could be placed in new homes. One was placed in a shul in Richmond, B.C. in 1986 and a second made its way to a synagogue in England. The third scroll – which was the one donated to the JHCWC had been given to the Montreal South Shore Congregation.
It was in the early 1990s, according to a story by Janice Arnold in the Canadian Jewish News on December 23, 2021 – reporting on the closing of the South Shore Jewish Community Congregation in the Montreal suburb of the same name – that the late Walter Lee, the founder of the South Shore community, drove to Saskatoon to pick up the third Melfort Torah to bring back to his new congregation.
David Vickar, who organized the two-day celebration of – and served as emcee for – the presentation of the Torah to the JHC noted that it was he who first learned about the location of the Torah through the article in the Canadian Jewish News in the course of researching Vickar family history for the family reunion in Melfort and Edenbridge last summer.
“Our Torah scroll was mentioned in the second last paragraph in the article,” noted the Edmonton-based radiologist. “I took the initiative of travelling to Montreal and arranging for the Torah scroll to be returned to Winnipeg.”
As reported by the Shaarey Zedek’s Cantor Leslie Emery –who is also a Torah reader – the Torah scroll was most likely written in the late 18th century somewhere in central Europe – either in southern Germany, Austria or what is now the Czech Republic.
“I have had a chance to look at this scroll,” she said. “Rabbi (Yossi) Benarroch (the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia’s spiritual leader) and two sofers (scribes) were shown images of it. The scribes considered the layout and style of script to determine the location in which the scroll was written. The date was determined by the faded Hebrew dedication written on the disc of the scroll, which included a date.”
She pointed out that this Torah scroll is different from modern Torah scrolls in that it pre-dates the more modern Vavei Ha’amudim style characterized by the letter “Vav”at the beginning of most columns. She noted some other differences as well.
“There are very few Torah scrolls like this in North America or the world,” she said. “So much of our heritage was lost in the Holocaust.”
David Vickar noted that the JHCWC was the appropriate place for the venerable Torah scroll as the organization was formed in 1998 as an amalgamation of the pre-existing Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada, the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre and the Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada.
The presentation was made by Marion and Ed’s children, Elaine Sharfe of Saskatoon and Dr. Garry Vickar from St. Louis.
In addition to Leslie Emery, there were presentations by JHC President Harlan Abells and Stan Carbone, director of Programs and Exhibits. Carbone spoke of the strong relationship between the JHCWC and the Vickar family historically and praised their generosity.
There were also comments from the Honourable Jacques Saada via zoom from Montreal. Saada, a former Liberal member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in the Paul Martin Government, had been the president of the South Shore Congregation since 2013.
While the Torah scroll can no longer be used in synagogue services due to imperfections that have developed over the decades, Leslie Emery observed that it can still be used for study.
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is the repository of our community’s history in Winnipeg and Western Canada. Its archives contain over 70,000 photos, more than 4000 artifacts and 1,300-plus recordings and oral histories in its archives. Its mission is to document, preserve and share information on the culture and historical formation of Jewish communities in Western Canada and also serve as an advocate for anti-racism and education on the Holocaust and Antisemitism.
Local News
Nakba exhibit at human rights museum set to open despite mounting criticism
By NOAH STRAUSS (posted June 25) The Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ Nakba exhibit is scheduled to open this Saturday, June 27, despite growing criticism and calls for it to be delayed or revised. The exhibit has sparked public debate in Winnipeg and beyond regarding how it presents the history surrounding the creation of the State of Israel.
Earlier this week, Mark Berlin resigned from the museum’s board. In his resignation letter, he expressed concern that the exhibit presents a one-sided narrative and does not adequately address the experiences of Jewish communities affected by the events surrounding Israel’s independence.
The Nakba, an Arabic word meaning “catastrophe,” refers to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1947–1949 conflict that followed the creation of the State of Israel. Critics of the exhibit argue that it focuses primarily on Palestinian displacement without sufficiently acknowledging the broader regional consequences of the period.
Some Jewish advocacy groups also point to the experiences of Jews who left or were expelled from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries in the decades surrounding Israel’s creation. Estimates suggest that between 850,000 and 950,000 Jews left or were displaced from countries including Iraq, Egypt, and Yemen, under a range of circumstances including persecution, expulsion, and confiscation of property.
In his resignation letter, Berlin, a faculty member at McGill University specializing in human rights law, wrote, “Telling the story with a one-sided perspective chosen by the museum serves to deepen division and contributes to further hostility toward Jews in Canada.”
Following his resignation, CIJA President Noah Shack released a statement saying, “The resignation of the museum’s only Jewish board member is a clear indictment of the museum’s handling of the controversial ‘Nakba’ exhibit.”
The exhibit’s VIP opening is expected to include invitations to representatives from all three levels of government. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham had initially been invited but later declined following discussions with representatives from the Jewish community, including CIJA Manitoba Vice President Gustavo Zentner and Jeff Lieberman, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
Members of Winnipeg’s Jewish community are also planning a peaceful rally outside the museum on Friday at 5 p.m., according to organizers.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is expected to release a formal statement ahead of the exhibit’s opening.
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.
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