Local News
Jewish population of Winnipeg shows slight increase in past 10 years – but 2021 census does not give definitive answers as to what the size of our Jewish population really is
By BERNIE BELLAN The number of individuals in Winnipeg who report that their ethnic origin is Jewish has declined somewhat from the number reported in the 2011 National Household Survey (which was the last reliable report on the ethnic and religious composition of Canada produced by StatsCan).
However, set against the decline in the number of Winnipeggers who reported their ethnic origin as Jewish was a marked increase in the number that reported their ethnic origin was Israeli.
The number of individuals who reported their religion was Jewish also showed a very slight increase from 2011 to 2021.
Those are some of the most significant findings from the latest release of detailed information from the 2021 census, which came on October 26, when StatsCan released a whole trove of documents about immigration and ethnicity – with statistics about religion at the very end of the document release.
According to the 2021 census, 11,745 individuals in Winnipeg reported their ethnic origin as Jewish. In 2011 the figure was 12,005. However, considering that 1,435 individuals reported their ethnic origin was Israeli (as opposed to a total of 340 in 2011), when you add the two figures together the total comes to 13,180.
As for religion, the number of Winnipeggers who said their religion was Jewish stood at 10,740 in 2011. The 2021 census reported the number as 10,835, an increase of 95.
We have been waiting anxiously for the results of the 2021 census ever since results from the 2016 census were so wildly inconsistent with all previous census results when it came to showing that the number of Jews, not only in Winnipeg, but everywhere in Canada, had declined precipitously.
As we have been reporting repeatedly ever since results of the 2016 census were published, the reason for what were considered aberrant results in the 2016 census was that, for the first time, “Jewish” was not listed among the 20 choices for ethnic ancestry in that census. Instead, one would have had to write in “Jewish” as an answer. As a result, even StatsCan conceded that the low number of individuals who responded that their ethnic origins were Jewish was unrealistically low.
In the 2016 census also, the likelihood is that a number of respondents who might otherwise have responded “Jewish” if it had been given in the list of examples of ethnic origin, instead likely chose “Canadian,” since Canadian was one of the 20 examples listed.
As a report from StatsCan noted, “After the 2016 Census, concerns were raised that changes to the list of examples of ethnic and cultural origins included as part of the question were affecting response patterns. Concerns were also raised about the wordiness of the question, which made it difficult for certain people to read and respond to the question.”
StatsCan went on to explain that “respondents were more likely to report an origin when it was included in the list of examples and, conversely, less likely to report an origin if it was not included in the list.”
As a result, StatsCan made major changes to how ethnic origin was tabulated in the 2021 census. The question that was asked was the same as what had been asked in previous censuses: “What were the ethnic or cultural origins of this person’s ancestors?”
That question was followed by a further explanation:
“Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, or origins that refer to different countries, or other origins that may not refer to different countries.
But the 2021 census, which was required to be filled out online, actually gave a link to “a list of over 500 examples of ethnic and cultural origins,” of which both “Jewish” and “Israeli” were among the choices.
One might well wonder though whether many recent immigrants to Winnipeg who might be considered ostensibly Jewish might also have filled in different ethnic origins, especially individuals with Eastern European roots. (There was only room for one answer to the question about ethnic origins.)
But then we run up against the issue of the relatively low number of individuals who said their religion was “Jewish” in the 2021 census.
The religion question that appeared in the 2021 Census, “What is this person’s religion?” was the same as the one that was asked in the 2011 National Household Survey and in the 2001 and 1991 censuses. It also had the same basic format: there was a write-in box in which respondents could report their religion, as well as a mark-in circle for indicating “No religion.”
Thus, while one might posit that a certain number of immigrants to Winnipeg might have Jewish roots, if they didn’t answer that their ethnic origins were either “Jewish” or “Israeli” and they also didn’t indicate that their religion was “Jewish”, is it fair still to consider them Jewish?
In an interview I conducted in August with Faye Rosenberg-Cohen, who is about to retire as the Jewish Federation’s Chief Planning and Allocations Officer, I asked Faye how many immigrants make up the Jewish population of Winnipeg now?
Faye responded: “I can honestly say when I look at those numbers it’s somewhere around 1/3 of the community.”
JP&N: “So you’d say it’s somewhere between 4-5,000?”
Faye: “I think it’s more than that.”
If what Faye said was true then the Jewish community would number at least 15,000.
I indicated my skepticism at that time, saying “You know that I’ve always been skeptical about the numbers that have been used by the Federation for the population of the Jewish community. I think though that it’s always been more of a case of identification – who identifies as Jewish?”
In the final analysis, there is nothing in what StatsCan has just reported that would back up the notion that our Jewish population here is over 15,000. Yet, there is one more possibility that might allow the Jewish Federation to argue that our population is closer to 15,000. That will require a more detailed analysis comparing the results for respondents who said their religion was “Jewish” but their ethnic origin was not.
Following the 2011 National Household Survey, which was the first census that showed a sizeable drop in the size of our Jewish population, I entered into an email exchange with a statistician from StatsCan as to whether it was possible that our Jewish population was much larger than 12,010, which was how many respondents indicated their ethnic origin was Jewish back in 2011.
That statistician did a much deeper analysis of the data than was available to me. He showed that of the 10,740 individuals who said their religion was Jewish, only 7,885 reported that their ethnic origin was Jewish. That was a difference of 2,885. (Clearly there have been a lot of converts within our community). If you added those respondents who said their religion was Jewish, but not their ethnic origin, to the number of respondents who said their ethnic origin was Jewish, you came up with a figure of 14,885. That figure would have been much closer to what the Federation was saying was the size of our Jewish population in 2011.
Is it important? Well, as I’ve been arguing for years, if our Federation is basing its plans for the future on a notion that our Jewish population is much bigger than what is really the case, then those plans are misguided.
Gray Academy has far fewer students than was the case just ten years ago. Brock Corydon, the only other school that offers any sort of an exposure to a Jewish curriculum, also has fewer Jewish students than used to be the case. The Simkin Centre has a very high proportion of non-Jewish residents. Our synagogues have lost huge numbers of members. None of these changes would be reflective of a growing Jewish population.
However, as I’ve just noted, there is a very real possibility that our Jewish population is closer to the figure of 15,000 – which is the figure commonly cited by spokespersons for the Federation. In order to find out though whether that is the case, we’ll need someone at StatsCan to do a similar analysis of data that was done at my request following the 2011 National Household Survey. I’ve already sent a request to StatsCan for a more comprehensive analysis of the answers to the questions about ethnic origin and religion, similar to what was done for me by a StatsCan analyst following the 2011 National Household Survey. We’re hoping to have further answers to the question of how many Jews there are in Winnipeg in a future issue – if we hear back from someone at StatsCan.
Local News
Federation mission to Poland mix of heartbreak and celebration
By MYRON LOVE For Sheila Rabb, her first visit to Poland was “both heartbreaking and heartwarming.”
The 90-year-old Rabb was one of 34 participants in the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s first ever organized Adult Mission to Poland. The group toured Poland from Wednesday August 26 – Monday August 31, with an entourage of Israel and Polish tour guides, a security guard ,and two bus drivers.
It was Jeff Lieberman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg (and whose late father, Aron Lieberman, was a Holocaust survivor who was originally from Poland) who initiated the trip. “In 2023,” he recounted, “shortly after I was appointed CEO, I learned we had never organized an adult mission to Poland. Given the passage of time since the Holocaust and the tragedy of October 7th, I thought there would be interest in offering this meaningful trip to our community.“
The six-day journey,” Lieberman continued, ”taught us about the 1,000 years of mostly good and impactful Jewish life in Poland before 1939, as well as what happened during the Holocaust. We visited several sites including the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, the Polin Museum, synagogues, the Krakow Jewish Community Centre, the Lodz Ghetto, Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, and the Chelmo death camp.
Lieberman noted that the group bonded very quickly. ”We learned so much,” he said. “We cried together and we celebrated together. Many of the people that went on this mission have said how life-changing this trip was for them.”
In particular, the Federation CEO singled out the presence of Sheila Rabb. He describes her as “incredible”. It was a difficult tour with much walking and standing at sites, he noted.
“She was a real trooper,” Lieberman said. “Sheila was able to able to experience this meaningful journey with her children. It was truly special for us to have Sheila and her children, Ian and Irene (Zimmer), join us.”
“There was a wheelchair available for me if I needed it,” said Rabb, who looks much younger than her years. “I must admit that the heavy schedule of 12-hour days and late dinners was a challenge. But everyone was so nice and helpful and protective of me.”
Sheila Rabb’s connection to Poland was through her mother, Molly (Horn) Pitch. Fortunately, she was able to emigrate in the early 1930s. (Sheila’s father, Willy, came here from Russia about the same time.) Molly was able to bring one brother over but sadly, all but one sister were subsequently murdered by the Nazis.
The group began their journey in Warsaw with a visit to the Polin Museum which – Rabb noted – was built by Ron Lauder, president of the Estee Lauder Foundation. The museum recounts over 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland.
“We learned about Jewish life, how Jews contributed to Polish society and the rich communities that existed throughout the country,” Lieberman reported.. “You can’t talk about Poland without including the impact of what Jews did for Poland.”
Both Rabb and Lieberman have fond memories of a group of Israeli high school students that that they met at the museum, who were from Ulpanat Chorev High School in Jerusalem. “We joined them in singing Hatikvah and other songs and danced a hora with them,” Lieberman said. “We ran into them again at Mila 18 and Auschwitz, and their Head of School invited us to join them for Kabbalat Shabbat in Krakow.
“Our group had the amazing experience of celebrating Shabbat with them,” he continued. “The women were so joyous, and their enthusiasm helped us emotionally after what we had experienced during the first few days of the mission. Their presence and the sorrow they expressed at the sites we shared with them had a profound impact on all of us.”
The group’s time in Warsaw also included a visit to a Jewish cemetery with over 250,000 graves and a walking tour of the famed Warsaw Ghetto.
The next stop was Lublin and the Majdanek death camp.
“One can read the books, watch the films and visit the museums, but nothing prepares you for walking the grounds of the death camps and mass grave sites and the profound sadness and shock that accompany them,” observed Jewish Federation staffer Abby Flackman, who was also part of the mission. “Walking in Auschwitz, Majdanek and the forest graves of Chelmno, I felt, validated the lives that were taken. We take the memories of their experiences and assure that they will not be lost with time.
“But,” she added, “we also showed that we are still here. We are still laughing and feeling joy, supporting one another and proud of who we are.”
On the other side of the coin, the group witnessed the ongoing rebirth of Poland’s Jewish community. One site that Sheila Rabb recalled in particular was the reconstituted Lublin yeshiva. The yeshiva, which opened in 1930, was one of the largest in the world. The building was restored by the Jewish community in 2003 and reopened as a synagogue in 2007.
On the Friday of the tour, the group arrived in Krakow, where they toured the old Jewish quarter where, Ian Rabb noted, there are still many Jewish-owned businesses – also the Schindler factory museum. He reported that Krakow has a Jewish population of about 1,200, as well as home to the internationally known annual Krakow Jewish Festival.
Sheila Rabb spoke about a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor the group encountered, who told his story. Although he had lived in California most of his life, he felt the need to return to Poland two years ago.
While in Krakow, the group made a day trip to nearby Lancut, formerly a Hasidic stronghold, where the members of the group toured the synagogue that was built in 1761 and has been well preserved.
“The synagogue was unreal,” Ian Rabb commented. “It has an art deco design that exudes spirituality and kabbalah.”
The Winnipeggers finished their tour with a visit to the Lodz ghetto. Lodz was an industrial city and the last Polish city to be made “Judenrein” because the Nazis needed the Jewish factory workers to build tanks and sew German soldiers’ uniforms.
For Sheila Rabb, one of the most difficult moments was standing on the site of the mass grave in the forest near the Chelmno death camp, not far from Lodz, where up to as many as 300,000 victims of the Chelmno gas chambers were buried.
“We recited kaddish over the site,” she said.
Sheila Rabb hac high praise for the Winnipeggers’ Polish and Israeli tour guides, Janush and Mordechai. ”They were outstanding,” she said. “They really brought history alive for us.”
Ian Rabb reports that his cousin (and Sheila’s nephew), Alan Pitch, who was also part of the group, is working on a documentary of the trip.
The last word goes to Abby Flackman. “My biggest takeaway,” she said, “is that we will control how our story ends. The Nazis tried to end our story of the Holocaust. They failed. We went elsewhere, built communities and institutions, grew again in numbers and continue to strive to become stronger, more resilient and thrive.”
Local News
Gray Academy enrolment continuing steady upward trend
By MYRON LOVE Next year, Gray Academy of Jewish Education will celebrate its 30th anniversary – and Western Canada’s only JK-Grade 12 Jewish day school has much to celebrate.
For starters, enrolment continues to grow. Lori Binder, Gray Academy’s Head of School and CEO of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education, is pleased to report that this year’s opening enrolment stands at 521 – the highest number for September in 13 years.
For the third year in a row, Gray Academy is running three kindergarten classes, and all three are nearly full, as are the Grade 1 and 2 classes. While Early Years remains the main entry point for new families, the school also welcomed 37 new students to its elementary and high school this year – a total of 88 new students.
Lisa Boroditsky, the school’s admissions coordinator, points out that many kindergarten children are coming from the Kaufman Child Care Centre at the Rady JCC and Chabad-Lubavitch of Winnipeg’s Torah Tots early childcare program. At the high school level, she notes, Grade seven enrolment is also rising, with more students coming to Gray Academy after completing Brock Corydon Elementary School’s Hebrew Bilingual Program.
“From our parent surveys, we can report that parents are choosing Gray Academy not out of fear, but rather because they value the sense of Jewish community that is only available at Gray Academy,” Binder says. “The fact that so many current Gray Academy students are children of alumni also tells us that parents believe in the high academic standards and the positive Jewish experiences we offer.”
New for the school’s elementary School this year, Lori Binder reports, is a musical theatre program. Over the years, our community has produced a significant number of young performers who have not only graced local stages but have also made their mark in theatre and film throughout North America. (Incidentally, this school year, Gray Academy will present its high school musical production, “Mary Poppins,” in March.)
In addition to the annual musical, Binder reports, Gray Academy this school year will be hosting the annual Canadian Accredited Independent Schools national varsity boys’ basketball tournament. Students and staff alike are looking forward to welcoming participating team from independent schools across the country.
Students are also looking forward to the school’s 50th Yom Ha’atzmaut Song Festival. “We are excited for our current students to continue our long tradition of celebrating Israel through music,” Binder says. “We are also hoping for a lot of participation from past performers from the first five decades.”
Among newer programs for Gray Academy high school students are internship opportunities. One is with Drs. Lorrie Kirshenbaum and Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at St. Boniface Hospital – a great opportunity for students in Grades 11 and 12 who have an interest in pursuing studies in health sciences. The other program, which was piloted last year, is run in conjunction with the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre, and gives students in Grade 9 and up opportunities to connect weekly with Simkin residents for hands-on activities.
The corollary to that is a new program that focuses on the school’s relationships with grandparents. The Gray Academy Grandpals program encourages grandparents (and other special seniors in the lives of Gray students) to connect with and volunteer at the school. Since the program launched two years ago, Grandpals have attended special events and come into the school to volunteer for challah making, hamantaschen baking, and even with building projects such as at the new Hypedome by the ice rink, which will provide student skaters with shelter to warm up and change their skates in winter.
Lori Binder points out that, in addition to new programming, the school maintains a strong focus on affordability. “It is very important to us that no child is turned away because a family can’t afford to pay,” she says.
She notes that Manitoba is one of only a few Canadian provinces that fund independent schools such as Gray Academy, with the school receiving approximately 50% of the funding public schools receive per student. She adds that the school offers a robust Bursary Assistance program, strongly supported by funding from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Combined Jewish Appeal. “Over 60% of our families receive some level of bursary support,” she reports. “We work with every family to ensure that no child is ever turned away because of inability to cover the full parental contribution.”
The school also continues to play an integral role in helping families moving to Winnipeg from Israel, Argentina, Brazil and other countries to adapt to their new homes. Over the past few years, the school has expanded its EAL (English as an additional language) programming significantly to accommodate growing needs.
In an increasingly troubled world, Gray Academy remains a beacon of light, offering Jewish students and their families a warm, welcoming environment, along with a top notch Jewish and general education.
For more information about what Gray Academy has to offer and application dates, phone 204 477-7425 or email admissions@grayacademy.ca.
Local News
Veteran actor Harry Nelken first recipient of new Winnipeg Jewish Theatre Chai Legacy Award
By MYRON LOVE The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (WJT) has introduced a new award – the Chai Legacy Award. The award recognizes individuals for their “artistry, craft and lifetimes commitment to Jewish performing arts in Manitoba” – and the first recipient is none other than Harry Nelken.
A WJT press release described the new award as “a historic first for the company.” In making Harry Nelken the first recipient of the award, the WJT says it recognizes Nelken’s “artistry, craft, and incredible dedication to Jewish performing arts in Manitoba.
“To know Harry is to know the ultimate mensch,” the WJT press release continues. “Whether he is lighting up a room with his infectious, ear-to-ear smile while cheering on his fellow cast members, or bringing profound depth to the stage, his generosity of spirit is unmatched.
In response, Nelken, a veteran of more than 45 years gracing Winnipeg’s stages as well as other performing venues across Canada, says “It was a complete surprise,” to be the first recipient of the award.
The award was presented on Sunday, September 13, during the cast party following the last performance of the WJT’s joint presentation with Rainbow Stage of “Fiddler on the Roof.” “Dan (Petrenko – the WJT’s artistic director) and Carson (Nattrass – Rainbow’s artistic director) were talking about the input of the Jewish actors in Fiddler,” Nelken recalls, “and then I heard my name. I never expected to be singled out for my acting like this. I know I mumbled something. I checked with (fellow cast member) Debby Maslowsky to make sure I said thank you. She assured me that I did.”
Nelken’s history with the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre goes back to the very beginning of the WJT. He recalls that he was cast in the WJT’s first production in 1987. Bev Aronovitch was the artistic director (and WJT founder) and the production was “Today, I am a Fountain Pen,” in which Harry played the role of the bar mitzvah’ boy’s father.
Over the years, he reports, he has appeared in 16 WJT productions. This most recent production of “Fiddler” was also the third time that he has appeared in a Rainbow Stage production of the show. His previous show performances were in 1984 and 1993. It’s also the second time that he has portrayed the rabbi. (He was cast as Lazar Wolf in the ’93 production.)
Nelken reports that he took the initiative to contact Carson Nattrass about the role of the rabbi after he learned about the planned joint production.
“I threw my shtreimel into the ring,” he jokes.
Every role, he notes, is a new learning experience for him. He prepared for the part this time by researching what life was like for a rabbi in a small eastern European shtetl.
“I realized that Jewish life has always been about resilience,” he points out. At the end of the play, after the Jews have been banished from Anatevka, when the rabbi’s son asks his father about how the Messiach will know where to find them, the rabbi replies that they will simply have to wait for him somewhere else.
“There is a great lesson to be learned here,” Nelken continues. “We don’t know what the future will bring. The question is do we put our faith in God or in man?”
Resilience is a primary feature of Harry Nelken’s career. He recounts a story about Abe Vigoda (“Fish” to some of us older readers who, when asked by Johnny Carson how he felt about becoming an overnight star, Vigoda’s response was that “I’m an overnight star but overnight was 25 years long.”)
In a much earlier interview I did with Harry for the Post, he recalled how his first acting gigs were in high school theatre. At the University of Ottawa, while studying criminology, he auditioned for and got a role in a play. From 1972 to 1979, he immersed himself in local amateur theatre.
He noted that even the busiest of working local actors – of which he has been one – barely scrape by and need a second source of income. For over 40 years, he supplemented his income by driving a cab.
”Particularly in my early years, when acting roles were sparse, driving a cab was my lifeline,” he recalls. “On occasion, even when doing a play at MTC, after the show, I would report for taxi duty for a night shift.”
In recent years roles have been fewer. In the last four years, he has been in five locally-shot film projects: two Hallmark films – “ Hanukah on Rye” and “ Haunted Wedding”; the feature film,”Normal, ”starringf Bob Odenkirk and Henry Winkler; (available on Amazon Prime); and the mini series “American Hostage,”,starring Jon Hamm and Giovanni Ribisi (available on Crave).
Nelken’s current film project is called “Pikohowin.” It’s the true story of how in 1990, Saskatoon police officers were revealed to be driving inebriated Indigenous people in winter out of the city and depositing them on the highway. Harry has the role of judge Shiebel.
“I’m 79 now,” Nelken says. “I am no longer willing to go out of town for stage or film work unless it is for a really undeniable role. I am happy to be doing more film work. I feel energized by the work. I am still regularly auditioning for film roles,
“Most of all, I appreciate that I can look back on a fulfilling career doing what I wanted to do more than anything else.”
