By MYRON LOVE Ed Calnitsky has recently added a notable entry to his resumé. At an age when most individuals—myself excluded—are contemplating retirement, the accomplished architect chose to return part-time to university and pursue studies in theology. About a year ago, he graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a Master of Arts in Theology and was honored with the Gawthrop Prize for achieving the highest grade point average in Theology at the University’s United Centre for Theological Studies.
Calnitsky, a graduate of the former Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, is only one of a select few of our Jewish community to earn an MA in Theology from the University of Winnipeg.
Calnitsky has been an architect for more than 30 years, and we have been friends since high school. In the fall of 1971, the two of us—along with a mutual friend—embarked on a trip to Europe. In London, our first stop, he secured a position with a British architectural firm, where he worked for three months. Afterwards, he traveled to Israel, where an opportunity arose to work for a leading architectural firm in Caracas, Venezuela. Calnitsky spent the subsequent summer working in Caracas for that company. “Working for architectural firms in both London, England and Caracas gave me the opportunity to understand how architecture is practiced in different countries,” he recalls.
Upon returning to Canada, he was hired to teach design at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. After three years, he returned to Winnipeg, where he met Linda, his future wife, and decided to return to university to earn a degree in architecture.
In 1986, he established Calnitsky Associates Architects Inc., a multidisciplinary architectural and interior design firm, focusing on commercial and institutional projects across Canada and in the United States.
Some of Calnitsky’s most prestigious projects have included the Canadian Embassy Reconfiguration in Kyiv, Ukraine and the Canadian High Commissioner’s Residence and CIDA Offices in Bridgetown, Barbados. Other notable projects include the new Gillam Town Centre with PSA Studio Inc. – which received a Canadian Architect Award; the Manitoba Law Courts Building renovation involving the restoration of all courtrooms and judge’s chambers; and a major retrofit and upgrade to Assiniboine Park Pavilion in Winnipeg.
Notably, Calnitsky was also the architect for the new Congregation Etz Chayim Synagogue on Wilkes Avenue. Working together with lead architect Carlos Schor and interior designers Bernice Chorney and Frances Winograd, they converted the former Khartum Shriners Temple into a beautifully functioning synagogue. Calnitsky notes that “I’ve never been a solo practitioner, I’ve always sought out a group. Designing the new Etz Chayim Synagogue epitomizes this approach.”
Among his clients are an increasing number of church groups, and in this regard, Calnitsky was recently invited by Ruth Ashrafi to speak to this aspect of his practice in a presentation to Winnipeg’s Catholic-Jewish Dialogue Group. The presentation was appropriately titled “Lessons from a Jewish Architect Designing Churches.”
“I designed my first church about 20 years ago for a Christian Reformed Church congregation in Northwestern Ontario,” Calnitsky recalls. “I had to design it from scratch and knew virtually nothing about Christianity or Church architecture.”
Determined to educate himself, he began researching these subjects and found his interest deepening. “I gained valuable insights into the relationship of Christian theology and church architecture. Church architecture is a reflection of Christian theology, and its understanding is integral to the design.”
Currently, Calnitsky is working on churches in Winnipeg for Coptic Christian, Ethiopian, Nigerian, and Eritrean congregations—the latter involving renovations to the former Rosh Pina/Congregation Etz Chayim building on Matheson Avenue.
What surprised him most, Calnitsky notes, is the significant influence of Judaism on Christian theology, as well as the historical animosity that Christianity has often held towards Judaism. He points to an example of this hostility in the placement of stained glass windows within churches. As worship is oriented east to the altar, stained glass windows are typically located in the north and south walls, with the south walls receiving more sunlight and therefore, appearing brighter. Consequently, scenes from the Hebrew Bible are often depicted in the windows of the darker north wall, while the New Testament windows bask in sunlight.
“While the Romans violently suppressed the Jewish rebellion in 70 AD, they largely tolerated Jews throughout the rest of the empire,” Calnitsky observes. “It was only after Roman Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman empire that widespread demonization of Judaism began.”
Calnitsky notes that “for centuries, Christian scholars and theologians perpetuated a distorted view of Judaism as a legalistic religion of “works-righteousness” filled with empty rituals and practices that earned one salvation through a merit-based approach. Christianity, in stark contrast to Judaism, was portrayed as a moral, universalistic religion of grace, love, and forgiveness. Generation after generation, Christian teaching of contempt towards Jews characterized Judaism as the perfect dark background against which Christianity could shine all the more brilliantly.”
He notes that it was only after the Holocaust that Christian theologians began to reconsider their views about Jews and Judaism. Pope John XXIII and the Vatican Council in 1963 began shifting Catholic attitudes towards Jews. However, the true turning point occurred in 1977 with the publication of Paul and Palestinian Judaism by New Testament scholar E.P. Sanders. Calnitsky highlights how Sanders’ research into Jewish scriptures debunked the long-standing misrepresentations of Jews and Judaism by Christians, often without ever engaging with Jewish perspectives.
His own master’s thesis examined Pauline scholarship and Jewish-Christian dialogue, emphasizing the need to read the Apostle Paul within a Jewish context. “Paul did not convert to Christianity, nor was he anti-Jewish,” Calnitsky asserts. “He understood his calling to be turning pagans from their own gods to the god of Israel through Christ; he didn’t believe the Jews needed saving.”
Recently, Calnitsky was invited to present a paper on the Apostle Paul at the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies at McGill University. His paper, entitled “The Architecture of the Apostle: Reconstructing Paul,” affirms the position that Paul was not a Christian, and should be understood within the framework of Judaism. Paul had no issues with Jews and Judaism, and his gospel was about messianic salvation for Gentiles and pagans, leaving the Jewish covenant with God intact, with no supersession of Judaism by Christianity and no end of days conversion to Christ.
Despite this evolving attitude among Christian theologians and scholars towards Jews and Judaism, Calnitsky remains cautious, expressing skepticism about whether the persistent scourge of anti-Semitism will ever fully dissipate.
As for architecture, Calnitsky has not lost his love or enthusiasm for his work, stating that “I believe that you should never stop doing what you love.”
 
 

By MYRON LOVE Ophthalmologist Dr.  Lorne Bellan, Winnipeg’s first oculoplastic surgeon  has retired.  He stepped down at the end of June after a career spanning almost 35 years.
“One issue was that I was finding the physical aspects of my work becoming increasingly difficult,” he says.  “It was particularly hard on my neck and shoulders.
‘I also felt that it was time for me to make way for new people.”
Lorne Bellan is the son of the late Ruben Bellan, a greatly respected economist and University of Manitoba professor, and his equally accomplished wife, Ruth.   The future ophthalmologist grew up in River Heights.  He attended Ramah in his early years and, later, River Heights School and Grant Park.
“I did my Grade 12 year in England,” he recalls.  “My dad was on a sabbatical year  in England.”
In university (at the U of M), his interests were in Math and Science.  “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduation,” he notes.  “Some of my friends encouraged me to consider medicine.”
Berllan graduated from UBC with a specialty in oculoplastic surgery and, in 1991, joined the staff of the Health Sciences Centre as Winnipeg’s first oculoplastic surgeon.
He relocated to the Misericordia Eye Centre in 1994 when all surgical eye care in the city was consolidated there.  
“Basically, an oculoplastic surgeon deals with all structures pertaining to the eyelids and orbit,” Bellan explains -“conditions such as tearing issues, droopy eyelids, traumatic injuries and cancers.”
He shared an anecdote about one case that stood out.  “I had a patient who was deaf and mute,” he recounts.  “He communicated by writing. But his cataracts were so bad that he had to use crayons and his letters were really big.  After the surgery, when he returned to see me, he was using a fine pen and much smaller print.”
Bellan was not only a surgeon but also an educator  and leader in his field. He taught in the Maxwell Rady School of Medicine’s Ophthalmology Department for 33 years. In 2001 he became Department Head and served as the chair for 20 years. He was the driving force in establishing the Ophthalmology Residency Program in Manitoba. He also created and ran the undergraduate teaching curriculum. 
Bellan was recognized nationally for his research interests in Ophthalmology health human resources and wait times and was a leader in promoting ergonomics for ophthalmologists.
At the national level, he has served with the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS)  in numerous capacities over the years. He chaired the Council on Provincial Affairs and the COS Clinical Practice Guideline for Cataract Surgery committee. Bellan was the COS representative to the Wait Time Alliance where he was elected by the 14 medical societies to be chair and spokesperson. He served on the COS Board of Directors for 9 years and was the COS President in 2009-11. During his term he commissioned the first guideline for ethical charging for uninsured ophthalmic services. 
For the past six years, Bellan has been the chair of the Royal College Ophthalmology Specialty Committee and has served on that committee for over 20 years. He notes that he will be stepping down from that position at the next AGFM in June, 2025.
Last year, the COS recognized Bellan with its Lifetime Achievement award.
In retirement,  Bellan is looking forward to spending time reading, exercising and spending winters  in the south. For now, Bellan and his wife of 43 years, Dr. Bonnie Cham, are busy packing up their house for the move to their new condo.
Bonnie, he notes, was a pediatric oncologist who was also chair of the Canadian Association of Medical Ethics.  She retired a few years ago.
Bellan is proud to report that – as is often the case in families – two of the couple’s three sons have gone into the “family business”.   Eldest son, David, is an ER doctor in Vancouver while second son, Gary, is a family doctor at the St. Boniface clinic.  Youngest son, Jonathan, has chosen to pursue a career in engineering.
Lorne Bellan does have one regret. It is that the young doctor from England who was supposed to replace him bowed out two weeks before he was scheduled to arrive.
“There are efforts underway to recruit another oculoplastic surgeon,” he reports.  “There is an Israeli doctor in training whom we hope will be coming here soon.”

(Oct. 12, 2024 / JNS) A “firearm discharge” from a car targeted Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School in Toronto at 4:05 a.m. on Yom Kippur, the Toronto Police Service said on Saturday.

“This is domestic terrorism,” wrote Canadian parliamentarian Kevin Vuong, who represents Toronto and who noted that this is the second time that a shooter, or shooters, targeted the Toronto Jewish school.

Police said that there were no reported injuries, and that evidence of gunfire was found.

“I’m very disturbed to hear that last night, as families marked Yom Kippur, there were shots fired at a Jewish school in Toronto,” Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, stated. “As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff and parents who must be terrified and hurting today.”

“Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate—and we won’t let it stand,” he said.

Pierre Poilievre, the Canadian opposition leader who is running against Trudeau, wrote that there were “more bullets fired at a Jewish school overnight in Toronto.”

“This is yet another shameful and terrifyingly common antisemitic attack in Canada in 2024. It is part of a 251% increase in hate crimes during the nine years of the NDP-Liberals,” he added. “I will ban the terrorists, secure our borders, lock up criminals and bring home safety for all.” (The NDP is the New Democratic Party.)

The Toronto Police Service added later in the day that it is “investigating the troubling firearm discharges at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School early this morning.” It asked anyone with relevant video footage to come forward.

“This sadistic intimidation of innocent children and families goes beyond any debates. This is terrorism,” wrote Amir Hart, a People’s Party of Canada candidate for office in Thornhill, in Ontario, which has a large Jewish community.

“We must come together as a community, regardless of ethnicity and religion, and unite against these sadistic extremists which are looking for an excuse to commit terrorism,” Hart said.

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that it is “deeply disturbed that a Jewish school in Toronto was hit with gunfire overnight, as the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.”

“Bais Chaya Mushka, a Jewish girls’ school, was the target of gunfire for the second time, following a similar incident in May,” it stated. “No one was injured, but windows were broken in this latest attack which comes amid a continuing surge in antisemitism in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada.”

“Tragically, the reality of life for Jews in Canada now includes gunfire targeting our schools, metal detectors and armed police outside our synagogues, ongoing harassment of Jewish students on university campuses and terror-glorifying hate rallies on our city streets,” stated Michael Levitt, the president and CEO of the nonprofit.

“This is not just a Jewish problem, and Jews alone can’t fix it. Condemnations are appreciated but they are not nearly enough,” he added. “Our leaders need to act decisively and urgently to address this grave situation before someone gets seriously hurt.”