Local News
Parents of Gray Academy students offer praise for “Gray Away”
By BERNIE BELLAN
At the end of my conversation with Lori Binder, Rob Dalgliesh, and Andrea Ritter about how Gray Academy has adapted to online learning, I asked Andrea whether she could suggest the names of some parents who might be willing to offer comments about how their children have taken to online learning.
Andrea sent me names of three parents: Tara Kozlowich, who has children in Grades 3 & 6; Sophie Gaulin, who has children in JK & Grade 2 (and who has been in Guadaloupe since before the pandemic due to her husband’s work); and Marla Levene, who has children in Grades 6 & 9.
In addition, I also contacted Jonathan Strauss (who was actually the individual who had suggested that I do a story about how well Gray Academy is doing with online learning.) Jonathan has boys in Grades 4 & 7.
Following are the questions I posed to Tara, Marla, and Sophie: (I simply asked Jonathan to offer some capsule comments about his impressions of “Gray Away”.)
1. How much time do both of your children typically spend doing online learning in a given day?
Tara Kozlowich: We have two daughters at the Gray Academy. One is in Grade 6 and the other in Grade 3. They spend most of their school day in a balance of live online classes and independent work. Our older daughter has dedicated times where she can attend a google meet to ask her teacher questions about assignments or to go over something in a personalized setting, similar to what you would expect in a classroom. Our younger daughter has smaller group breakout sessions which has been very helpful in teaching different concepts and providing 1 on 1 attention. They also participate in a range of other subjects such as French, Art, Gym and Music.
Marla Levine: Our children (grade 9 and grade 6) spend between 5 1/2 to 6 hours a day learning. There are also breaks in the morning and afternoon as well a lunch break.
Sophie Gaulin: Our son, Samuel is in Gr. 2 and spends in average 4 1/2 hours in total online, learning, between zoom classes and homework.
Our daughter, Charlie in JK spends about two hours total, mainly on zoom.
2. Does it vary much from day to day?
Tara: One of the great things about Gray Away is that there is consistency and structure, which is such an important part of their school day – especially in the situation we all find ourselves in. The schedule can differ by day but expectations are always clearly communicated to the kids.
Marla: Each day the amount of time spent on computer as opposed to working alone changes.
For our daughter in grade 6, there is a “meet” with her general studies teacher first thing in the morning. They spend the morning with a combination of instruction from the teacher and independent time to do the assigned tasks. At the end of the morning they have a check in before lunch. The afternoon is a similar format with the Judaic studies teacher. In addition, the other itinerants (French, art, gym, debating/public speaking, music, etc.) are spread at different times within the morning or afternoon throughout the week.
For our son in high school, the week is divided into his various classes. For any given class they may have a live meet with instruction, time to work on posted assignments with the teacher available on a meet for questions, or a combination of both. There is also small group advisory with a designated teacher to check in on the kids and how they are doing.
For elementary, the itinerants vary from day to day. The content / format for main subjects in General and Judaic studies also vary depending on what they are working on at that time. In high school, it varies from day to day (depending on what each teacher is doing in that subject on that day) as well as from class to class.
Sophie: It doesn’t vary much from one day to another.
3. How are they reacting to it? (For instance, did they adapt to it quickly? Was there a novelty aspect to it at first? Are they feeling the same way about it now as they did to start?)
Tara: They have both adapted well to the Gray Away program. Although they miss their teachers and classmates, the school has done a great job keeping them engaged and supported and they are able to connect digitally with their friends and teachers daily.
We are in a good routine with the program. Our older daughter who is in Grade 6 is independent and does not need assistance from us throughout the day. Our daughter in grade 3 needs some help each morning getting organized for the day. The structure of the program has allowed us to both work from home with minimal interruptions to our workday. Although the higher grades were already well versed in turning in assignments electronically, it’s amazing how quickly our younger daughter has picked up submitting assignments online, or taking her weekly spelling test online.
Marla: When Gray had to stop in school instruction, there was a huge unknown for everyone as to what to expect. Starting from the first day of Gray Away, our kids have been busy, engaged, happy, at ease. They are excited to see their peers and teachers. They are happy to remain connected to school. These are very uncertain times for everyone and Gray has given the kids a sense of normalcy, schedule, purpose to their day
Sophie: Our situation was a bit complicated at first because we are away in Guadeloupe. My husband was doing a locum at the hospital in NICU and PICU. We were supposed to stay on vacation only 10 days and come back mid-march but because of the COVID, he was asked to stay and help for an extended period of time.
We decided to stay together as a family but the kids didn’t have their school material and we didn’t have a printer, books… nothing. So at first it was a very stressful situation. But right away I saw why Gray is often described as a family: from Joyce Kerr, to Lori Binder, to the teachers, to Ira… we were shown an extensive solidarity that enabled us to continue their education abroad. They were sending the material every day. When we couldn’t find the material to do an activity (because we had restrictions to go out of the house for the first 6 weeks), they made sure my children didn’t feel left out.
They were amazing at providing a structured day so that the kids didn’t feel like they were on holidays but at the same time, my children feel empowered by the new learning experience. When the teacher says that they have a 30 minute break, they put their timer and go off. The system put in place is extremely organized and doesn’t require much of my time. And I have to admit it suits me fine because I work long hours remotely with my colleagues in Manitoba.
4. Do you think they are learning as much as they would be in a physical class room setting?
Tara: Although it’s hard to replicate the class room environment, they are not only learning academically, but also have the benefit of learning so many other skills such as resilience, kindness and the importance of community during difficult times. The school has done a great job of also continuing to make connections through online events whether it be for Yom Haatzmaut or a weekly Shabbat Assembly. It has been amazing to see families come together online.
Marla: We are incredibly pleased with how much our children are learning. Whether it is “as much” is easier to assess with our daughter as we can compare with what our son was learning in grade 6. It appears to us that they have not missed a beat … the teachers have modified lessons and brought in new innovative teaching, allowing the kids to flourish.
Sophie: I don’t know if they are learning as much but what I can say, is that they have not felt disconnected from school thanks to the amazing program put in place. I couldn’t believe how fast Gray was able to respond to the crisis. Within a couple days, we felt they had things under control and I felt really guided through this experience.
I feel that my children are still learning a lot. Yet they miss the real interaction with their friends and teachers.
They are also learning different skills. For instance, my 7 year-old son started writing his own emails to his teachers. So he learnt how to be responsible for sending his work or sending an email explaining why he couldn’t do it.
5. Lori mentioned that they actually have recess breaks built into the program? Do your children go outside during those recess breaks?
Tara: Our kids will often take their breaks outside for short walks or connecting with friends virtually. It’s nice to be able to spend ‘lunch recess’ with them and hear how their morning went.
Marla: The kids definitely take breaks. Sometimes that involves an outside activity and sometimes it involves an inside activity. It depends on the day and how much time they have. For example, with our son, if he happens to finish an assignment early he will often go for a walk or a bike ride or do some other type of exercise.
Sophie: Yes the schedule is very balanced. They have recess breaks and my children put the timer on and go off. Sometimes they go swimming in the pool, sometimes they go in the yard chasing lizards and caterpillars!
I invited each of the respondents to add a final comment.
Tara: Overall, our family has been so happy with Gray Away – in a short period of time the school came together quickly to launch a program that has been so well received.
It is important to mention how committed our teachers and Administration have been throughout this time – they have shown a tremendous amount of dedication to their students. Special touches like surprising the Grade 6 students with an early delivery of the coveted Gray Academy Raiders sweatshirt, or sending a personalized letter (received through regular mail!) to our younger daughter letting her know how much they miss her was such a nice surprise. These gestures have gone a long way towards our children’s happiness.
Well done Gray Academy!
Marla: We cannot thank the Gray team enough. They were able to create in a matter of days an online learning platform that should take years to launch. The administration, teachers and all staff adapted to create a learning environment that is truly remarkable. They also have gone above and beyond to check in to ensure each of our kids (and our family as a whole) is coping well with all that has come with this pandemic. We are so fortunate to have people so dedicated to our children and their well- being – educational, mental and physical. (As an aside, I should add that we have had conversations with many of our peers who are parents and our peers who work in the various educational systems. We can say confidently that there is no other private or public school that compares on any level to what is going on at Gray from an educational perspective, a connection to teachers/classmates and overall concern for emotional and physical well-being.)
Finally, here is what Jonathan Strauss had to say:
“Our family has been very impressed with how quickly Gray Away was developed and launched.
“The daily structure means that our kids are working without the need for us, as their parents, to be involved in their day to day work. From what we hear from other parents this is not the same as many other schools.
“The boys are spending much of their school day on their computers. While it is more than normal, we are happy that they are being engaged with their education for more than just a couple of hours per day.
“Seeing their friends every day on video calls means a lot to our kids. Having been separated for so long from their friends they look forward to this regular connection via Zoom.
“We can’t say enough about how pleased we are with Gray Away. Lori, her leadership teams and all of the teachers have done a tremendous job in transition quickly to online learning.”
I would really have liked to talk with individual children, and I might still do that – but I think I’ll save that for a future article.
Local News
Rachel Fish, leader in combating antisemitism in academia, this year’s Kanee Distinguished Lecture series speaker
By MYRON LOVE The Jewish Heritage Center of Western Canada would seem to have hit another home run with the announcement that Dr. Rachel Fish, a leading voice in tackling anti-Zionism and Jew hatred in North American academia, is this year’s guest speaker at the JHCWC’s upcoming annual Sol and Florence Kanee Distinguished Lecture – which is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.
The theme of her timely lecture will be“How the Academy Has Created a Fertile Ground for Antisemitism,” a topic in which she is well versed. Fish has an impressive resumé. She is the co-founder of the nonprofit “Boundless,” a think tank partnering with community leaders across North America to revitalize Israel education and take bold collective action to combat antisemitism. She also serves as Director for The Brandeis University President’s Initiative on Antisemitism; is an associate research professor at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies; and teaches Israeli history and society at The George Washington University as Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
In the past, she has served as Senior Advisor and Resident Scholar at the Paul E. Singer Foundation in New York City and Executive Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, where she trained the next generation of academics in the field of Israel Studies. She has also served on the faculty at Brandeis University, George Washington University, and Harvard University. She has has written articles for several publications in the mainstream press and academic journals, and co-edited the book “Essential Israel: Essays for the 21st Century.”
I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Fish a couple of weeks ago. My first question to her was how she finds the time to do all that she does. Her response is that there are not enough hours in the day. Her multiple activities remind me of an expression I heard once years ago while I was a member of a short-lived Jewish international development group – “if you want to make sure something gets done, you give it to the busiest person you know.”
Fish observes that she has been explaining Judaism to non-Jews all of her life. “I was raised in Tennessee in a place called Johnson City in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains,” she recounts. “My parents were originally from Ohio. There were very few Jews where we lived. My family spent a lot of time teaching our neighbours, teachers in my school and others we associated with about Jews, our practices and the State of Israel.”
She recalls – as early as 2001 when she was studying at Harvard’s Divinity School, that she was noticing what she describes as a “strong undercurrent of anti-Israel feeling and Jew-hatred”.
“I was determined to pursue a career in higher education,” she notes, “in part because I believe that education matters, because I derive oxygen from teaching, and I particularly enjoy dealing with complex issues. As well, I appreciate the opportunities that teaching at the university level gives me to share what I have learned in public forums such as the Kanee Lecture.”
Ideally, she observes, a professor should not – as much as humanly possible – be sharing her political or personal opinions in class. Higher education should be about creating a space where students can debate freely and challenge each other’s ideas. Instead (as I am sure many readers are aware), too many educators are focused on indoctrinating their students in the teacher’s beliefs – with students with dissident opinion facing hostility and risking ostracism.
Too many universities have become ideological monocultures where critical thinking is discouraged and there is a litmus test for new hires. She cites a FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) report in which an overwhelming majority of the faculty at many leading universities share a leftist – anti-Israel, anti-Christian and anti-Conservative worldview.
That is particularly true with Ivy league and other elite universities in both the United States and Canada – and especially in their liberal Arts and Humanities programs. Much of the anti-Zionist and antisemitic atmosphere – such as the takeover of university quadrants in the wake of October 7 – has been created by outside agitators and foreign funders – notably the oil rich Islamic sheikhdom of Qatar.
“Where you have universities with strong administrative leadership,” she points out, “the level of hostility to Jewish students and threats of violence have not been allowed to take root. It has only been the case where the administration and the board are weak.”
So why, I asked her, do so many Jewish students not seek out alternatives to these compromised campuses?. She responded that some Jewish students have chosen to enrol in universities in the southern United States where there is a more welcoming environment.
But many Jewish students, she observes, continue to enrol in leading universities such as Harvard and Yale, Cornell and UCLA (or York or the University of Toronto in Canada). Many Jewish students still share the belief that being identified with being affiliated with a top flight university will benefit their future careers.
Sadly, she further points out, this poison has filtered down to the K-12 level. Many university education departments have graduated numerous indoctrinated teachers who have taken control of school boards and administrations and seek to impose their vile doctrines on susceptible young minds.
Nevertheless, there are a great many state and lesser known universities that provide a more welcoming attitude to Jewish students.
Rachel Fish suggest that, for too long, North American Jewish communities have been complacent and not recognized the danger in our midst. She does see some hopeful signs though. She has observed that more and more communities, parents and student s have woken to the danger and begun to fight back.
“It’s difficult,” she acknowledges. “It can feel overwhelming. But we have to keep chipping away and not just let the other side win.”
The Sol and Florence Kanee Distinguished Lecture series was inaugurated by the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada in 2006 to celebrate Sol Kanee’s 95th birthday. In welcoming the audience to that first lecture, lecture series co-chair Harold Buchwald paid tribute to Kanee, who died on April 23 at 97, as a man who “cast a giant shadow” on world Jewish history in the second half of the 20th century. The former resident of Melville, Saskatchewan, who spent almost all of his adult life in Winnipeg, Kanee was a leader in the development of Israel and the Free Soviet Jewry movement as well as a macher in our Jewish community and across Canada.
I would encourage readers who may be interested in learning more about the current state of antisemitism in academia – and want to support the JHCWC to go online at jhcwc.org for further information or to order tickets. The price of admission is $50.
Local News
Young tech entrepreneur Adam Fainman gathering accolades locally and internationally
By MYRON LOVE Winnipegger Adam Fainman is taking the world by storm. In fewer than three years his new AI start-up – Moonlite Labs – has attracted thousands of users in 550 cities in 95 countries world wide.
As he explained in an interview in the Winnipeg Sun last June, Moonlite Labs is “a creative content platform designed to make multimedia storytelling radically more accessible. With a few prompts,” he noted, “users can generate professional grade videos, animations, voiceovers, talking avatars, music-reactive visuals, and more.”
On Tuesday, February 24, the young entrepreneur garnered his newest accolade when Winnipeg-based North Forge, Canada’s only start-up incubator, accelerator and fabrication lab, gave Fainman its DARE Emerging Innovator Award at a reception at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
“I dedicated the award to my zaida, Jacob T. Schwartz,” Fainman says, noting that his zaida was a prominent computer scientist and professor of Computer Science at the New York University Courant Institute of Mathematical Science, and founder, in 1964, of New York University’s Department of Computer Science – which he chaired for 16 years.
At the awards evening, Fainman adds, he had the opportunity to meet many of the movers and shakers in the industry here.
The son of Shane and Rachel Fainman began his life in Toronto. “My father is from Winnipeg, my mother from New York. They met in the Sinai Desert at a music festival.”
The family moved to Winnipeg in 2006 when Adam was in high school. After graduating from the University of Winnipeg Collegiate he went on to earn a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Winnipeg.
“Performing was always my first love” he says.
Post university, he began a career as a rapper, beatboxer, and producer under the stage name Beatox, touring across Canada and central Europe with his rare ability to combine story-telling and singing.
In 2015, he enrolled in a two-year digital media and design program at Red River Community College. After graduation, on the encouragement of a University of Toronto professor, he continued his studies in Toronto earning a Masters Degree in Music Technology and Digital Marketing.
“During the Covid shutdown,” he recounts, “I began experimenting with AI and producing music videos combining music, story-telling and animation. I posted them on social media sites such as YouTube and TikTok. They went viral, garnering millions of views. People were asking me if I could help them with creating similar videos. I saw there was a gap in accessibility to this technology, so I decided I should create a platform as a solution”
“A friend of mine, Brayden Bernstein was involved in the tech scene in Winnipeg, saw the success I was having on TikTok and gave me some advice on how to go about this” Fainman continues. “As well, a few colleagues from the University of Winnipeg expressed interest in building a solution together.”
Wanting to create a platform that would make it easy for others to replicate what he was doing, Fainman sought out resources in Winnipeg that might be able to help him.
He pitched his idea first to NRC-IRAP (National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program), Canada’s leading innovation assistance program for small and medium-sized businesses,
“They loved the concept and traction I was getting, and agreed to help fund us,” Fainman says.
His next stop was North Forge – in 2024 – where Moonlite joined their Ascent Program and was matched with mentors.
In early 2025, Moonlite Labs made its official debut at the Manitoba AI Innovation Showcase where the new company was greeted with an award. “It was a massive confidence boost,” Fainman told the Sun in that earlier interview. “It was our first time sharing with the public what we’ve been up to for the last year. To win the award… that was very, very rewarding.”
Last June, the company made its presence known on the international stage at VivaTech 2025 in Paris — Europe’s largest startup and tech conference, with over 180,000 visitors.
Moonlite was selected as one of TechCrunch’s Top 30 Startups of the Year, a shortlist that included only two Canadian companies.
“Getting the AI Showcase award, getting into VivaTech, being selected as one of the top 30 startups of the Year by TechCrunch, that was pretty crazy,” Fainman told the Sun.“Backed by ScaleAI, Moonlite joined Canada’s official delegation at VivaTech, which had special visibility this year with Canada named Country of the Year at the conference.
“We had a massive space. The French president came through our whole area. It was the craziest thing,” Fainman recalled. “Everyone had their phones. It was like a mob… then we’re like, oh my God, it’s the French president. People were freaking out.”
As per the Sun story, Fainman was given two days to showcase Moonlite, with a booth for both the platform’s business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) offerings. But the most personal moment came on stage, where he delivered a presentation showcasing his journey from beatboxing artist to tech founder.
With Moonlite Labs growing exponentially, Faiman and his team of eight are hoping to become as ubiquitous as Adobe and Canva. “My ultimate goal is to help as many people as possible to create professional-grade videos and ultimately share their stories,” he comments.
He himself, he adds, is hoping to get back to live performances as well. “I recently appeared at Festival du Voyageur and I have just completed my 4th studio album. I can’t wait to use Moonlite for all my videos and world building” he reports.
Readers who might want to try Moonlite for themselves can go to https://moonlitelabs.com
You can get in touch with Adam Fainman at adam@moonlitelabs.com
Local News
Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder fund new MBA degree, annual real estate symposium, at Hebrew University
By MYRON LOVE Last October, the husband and wife team of Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder donated $1 million towards the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue’s ongoing capital campaign. Last month, the couple followed up with an equally generous donation – this time to the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, to establish a new degree program in real estate through the Hebrew University’s business school.
“We are long time supporters of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University,” notes Walder, who is a lawyer and former partner in the firm Myers LLP.
“We had funded some smaller projects at the Hebrew University, adds Morantz, the president and CEO of Globe Property Management, one of Canada’s leading privately-held residential real estate firms.
(Globe was founded in the 1920s by Richard’s grandfather, Morris. Richard became the company’s sole shareholder in the mid-1990s after buying out his father Saul, and his siblings. Under Richard’s leadership, the company has expanded steadily and strategically, acquiring and developing real estate almost every year for the past three decades. Over the last 30 years, he has built an impressive and diverse portfolio, which includes over 8000 residential and commercial properties, particularly notable given that Globe remains privately owned and independently operated.
“Two years ago, we approached the (Hebrew) University about doing something more impactful. Since I am a businessman in real estate, we wanted to work on a project with the business school.”
The first fruits of the relationship between Richard and Sheree and the university was the establishment the annual Richard Morantz Real Estate Symposium in the Hebrew University Business School (HUBS) MBA Program.
“I was able to attend the most recent symposium in November,” Morantz reports. “I wanted to see for myself how this was working.”
Morantz also used the occasion to arrange – with the help of CFHU executive director (and former executive director of the JNF office here) Rami Kleinmann – a meeting with HUBS officials about building on the symposium and creating a new MBA program at the university.
The Richard Morantz Major in Real Estate and Finance, in the words of Business School President Dr. Orly Sade, “will, together with traditional academics, feature non-academic practitioners and leaders in all aspects of the real estate industry, providing students an opportunity to expand their professional networks, while gaining real-world industry insights and bridging the gap between theory and practice.
In a press release issued on February 24, Seade added that “this investment is a defining moment in the evolution of the school. The importance of an academic discipline focused solely on the real estate sector has significantly increased, owing to an understanding of the sector’s unique position in the global economy and international finance. HUBS consistently ranks within the top five business schools in Eurasia & the Middle East. The addition of this major will further elevate HUBS academic offerings, and the annual symposium will help expand the Hebrew University and Israel’s footprint as a global hub for intellectual exchange in the sector, drawing diverse professionals from around the world, fostering cross-border collaboration, increasing visibility, and contributing to the potential to attract top-level investors.”
Kleinmann further pointed out that “Richard’s comprehensive industry knowledge, combined with his dedication to Israel and the University, has resulted in an innovative academic program that, combined with the Symposium, is setting a new benchmark for industry education. We are all extremely grateful and look forward to the outcomes.”
As reported in the Jewish Post in relation to the couple’s donation to the Shaarey Zedek, Morantz noted that it was the Hamas-led assault on Israel and subsequent tsunami of antisemitism worldwide that prompted Richard and Sheree to consider stepping up and contributing to the Shaaray Zedek campaign in such a magnanimous way.
“I have never been a religious person,” Morantz remarked. “While I may be more secular, I strongly believe in the traditions of Judaism. I had a charmed upbringing in the 60s and 70s in River Heights. It is not the case that I experienced no antisemitism, but those experiences were very minimal. Post-October 7th, I found myself, for the first time in my life, having to judge every situation and every person I came across before divulging the fact that I am Jewish or discussing Israel. I came to the realization, during the process of considering this donation, that a primary driver for us is that this synagogue is a safe place for Jews, where we can comfortably be ourselves.”
Walder pointed out that, while her mother’s large family were Jewish pioneers, her father was a Romanian Holocaust survivor, with almost no family after the war. “Family matters a great deal to us,” she said, “in addition to strongly agreeing with Richard that the tragedy of October 7th and continuing and growing antisemitism are big drivers for us in making these donations.”
“There will be an event celebrating the new MBA program at the Hebrew University’s Board of Governors meeting in June,” Morantz says. “We are looking forward to attending.”