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PARIM Board forces out principled president-elect who called out Dr. Gem Newman for valedictory address to U of M med students
By BECKY CHISICK Past Secretary and President-elect of the Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Manitoba (PARIM), Dr. Matthew Bzura, is a man of courage and admirable ethics. I spoke with Dr. Bzura and gained insight into what led him to voice his concerns and then file an official complaint against Dr. Gem Newman, valedictorian for the class of 2024 at the Max Rady School of Medicine.
Dr. Bzura detailed his time working with a senior internal medicine resident who asked him if he was Jewish (due to his “look”). When Dr. Bzura inquired why the senior resident asked that question, the response he received was “All Jews want to do internal medicine in Manitoba”, just one example of the many false assumptions made about Jews.
He explained to me that as the son of Roman Catholic immigrant parents from Poland, the feelings of discrimination, disrespect, and alienation resonated with him. He did not speak up at that time and said, “It still haunts me”. Dr. Bzura feels strongly that it is important to denounce voices that divide and alienate.
On May 23, 2024, Dr. Bzura spoke out on social media, expressing his disappointment over the valedictorian address at the Max Rady College of Medicine’s 2024 graduation ceremony, and exposing Dr. Gem Newman’s antisemitic social media posts – dating back to 2018. Dr, Bzura then lodged a formal complaint against Dr. Newman with the college’s office of professionalism.
While Dr. Bzura was flooded by supportive comments from the Jewish community, the weeks that followed became more and more concerning. Following Dr. Bzura’s complaint, a complaint was filed against him. The complaint came from Dr. Matthew Thiessen, president (now past president) of PARIM -the same colleague and friend that sent him messages encouraging Dr. Bzura to run for president of PARIM…. the same colleague who sent him supportive messages following his post on May 23!
Dr. Bzura’s decision to communicate via social media and written letters arose from his own will and interest, which resulted in many people reaching out to him, offering support.
He went on to note that “I then reached out to the Jewish community and spoke with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). “They gave me the support I needed and some history of what the Jewish community has been going through. I was not aware of the magnitude of antisemitism right now. CIJA is well organized and equipped to assist in these circumstances.”
Dr. Bzura became the president-elect of PARIM in March 2024, effective July 1, 2024. In the June 24 board meeting called by PARIM leadership, the decision was passed to strip Dr. Bzura of his duties as secretary (his board position at that time). PARIM’s legal counsel was present, yet Dr. Bzura was denied the right to have his own counsel there. Paul Edwards, Dr. Bzura’s lawyer, said that “he was treated very poorly” and referred to PARIM’s actions as “a relentless effort to remove him”.
On July 9, 2024, Dr. Bzura wrote An Open Letter to PARIM Members and Stakeholders formally announcing his resignation as president and detailing the events that led to his decision.
I asked him why he chose to resign rather than fight the decision? Dr. Bzura said there were simply more important topics for PARIM to resolve, and dragging out the appeal process would have infringed on valuable time.
After a short nine days as president, there was no hint of resentment in his voice, which speaks to Dr. Bzura’s character. “If I made one resident in our (Manitoba residents and interns) community not feel alone, then I have done my job.”
Dr. Charles Bernstein, president of the newly created Jewish Physicians of Manitoba (JPAM), said, “Jewish and non-Jewish physicians are bewildered as to what evolved with Dr. Bzura and PARIM.” Dr Bernstein added that “actions taken by PARIM seem appalling and need to be addressed. As physicians it is our role to not make others feel uncomfortable”.
PARIM has done the opposite in this case – by not allowing Dr. Bzura the right to have his counsel present, and providing no credible explanation as to why he was being stripped of his duties as secretary – six days before his term was set to expire.
Following the valedictorian speech on May 16, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, in partnership with CIJA have been in communication with leadership at the University of Manitoba and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Earlier this year, we started working with Jewish physicians to support the launch of their organization (JPAM) and to elevate their advocacy efforts and reach. This is a sign that the community must get involved against rampant and systematic discrimination against our community and the Jewish values we embrace,” said Gustavo Zentner, Vice-President of CIJA, Manitoba & Saskatchewan.
Jeff Lieberman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, stated, “The Jewish Federation and its advocacy agent, CIJA, are constantly engaged at all levels in fighting against Jew-hatred and the singling out of the state of Israel. Having launched the CIJA role five months ago, we are seeing pivotal support to community organizations and allies across Manitoba as we fulfill the federation’s mandate to protect Jewish life in Winnipeg.”
A joint release by CIJA and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg was emailed to the community on July 11 stating:
The Jewish community has a long history of building and contributing to the medical profession in Manitoba. This has been recorded in history and recognized by the government and medical institutions in Manitoba, across Canada, and around the world.
It is concerning to see that PARIM has allowed a process against someone taking a moral stand that highlighted how deeply divisive a speech like the one given was and how profoundly it affected a minority community.
We thank Dr. Bzura for his decision to stand up and speak out against such a one-sided speech.
Gustavo Zentner added, “There is hard work ahead of us. We are fighting an evil and organized global movement designed to single out and intimidate the Jewish community. This is the time to undertake meaningful actions and engage in open dialogue with people at work, school, and social circles. We are working with our governments, universities, business groups and allies to ensure we are well represented. We will not accept being boxed and shunned from living freely and expressing our Jewish identity in all aspects of life in Canada.”
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
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Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”
