Sharon Graham winner of the 2020 Switzer-Cooperstock Prize in Western Canadian Jewish History

By MARTIN ZEILIG
The Winnipeg Jewish Orphanage housed children from 1917 until 1948, and for a long portion of its existence it was served by an untrained social worker, Pearl Finkelstein (later Silver), Sharon Graham, PhD, writes in her paper, “Pearl Finkelstein, Unknown Hero: the Winnipeg Jewish Orphanage and Social Work in the Winnipeg Jewish community in the 1930s”.

Former Winnipeger Blair Kaplan Venables publishes book on entrepreneurship

We received this email from Blair Kaplan Venables, about whom we wrote in our June 26, 2019 issue when Blair was the guest speaker at the Jewish Child & Family Service AGM:
“My name is Blair Kaplan Venables, born and raised in the Winnipeg Jewish community, and I recently published & launched a book during the pandemic. 
“The book is about entrepreneurship and it's called Pulsing Through My Veins: Raw And Real Stories From An Entrepreneur. When I launched I became a #1 best seller in a few categories on Amazon such as Entrepreneurship and Hot New Releases in Women In Business.”

Yazidi produce to be for sale Thursdays at Asper Campus

Last year, Yazidi newcomers to Manitoba operated a very successful pop-up vegetable stand outside the Asper Campus. Every Thursday, for the time being, vegetables in pre-packaged bags will be available for purchase once again. Read more to find out how you can get your fresh vegetables at great prices:

24 artists from around the world join together to exhibit works in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

By SUSAN TURNER
ARTA coordinator, participant, designer

ROUNDNESS, an ARTA project, is an on-line exhibition of work by 24 artists in response to issues around the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition is located on YUMPU.com, a Swiss-based site at which on-line magazines can be created.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/63697012/roundness-arta-project-artists-respond-to-covid-19-pandemic

Former Winnipegger Philip Berger: from a dynasty of docs

By GERRY POSNER
Recently the book “Healing Lives, a Century of Manitoba Jewish Physicians” was published and in it are the names of all Jewish physicians who practiced medicine in Manitoba for at least five years over the past 100 years. What is not included, however, are those doctors who graduated from the University of Manitoba medical school who went elsewhere to practice their profession. One of those doctors is none other than a descendant of a longtime Winnipeg family who has made his mark in the medical world: Philip Berger.

Avi Posen helps design new program for Jewish schools aiming to enhance students’ knowledge about Israel

Gray Academy to participate, along with five other schools in Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN

Two weeks ago we received some interesting information from an organization known as “Unpacked for Educators” about a new program designed to help educators in Jewish schools teach about Israel. At the time we received the email we didn't realize that the individual coordinating the program is none other than Avi Posen, formerly of Gray Academy, now residing in Israel. (You can read about Avi and his wife Ilana's moving to Israel last year at https://old.jewishpostandnews.ca/features/3044-gifted-teacher-and-chazan-avi-posen-and-wife-illana-make-aliyah)

Shaarey Zedek Cemetery update

By BERNIE BELLAN
In previous issues we reported on changes the Shaarey Zedek had made to the maintenance of its cemetery as a result of the pandemic.
In our June 10 issue we noted that the synagogue board had decided to forego the planting of flowers on graves that would ordinarily have had flowers planted in keeping with perpetual care agreements.

Detailed figures on amounts Jewish Foundation has given to Jewish organizations

By BERNIE BELLAN
Imagine my surprise when, despite being told that the Jewish Foundation would not disclose how much funding specific organizations have received from the Foundation in its three stage emergency funding process, which began in April, I happened to be perusing the Jewish Foundation website and, lo and behold, there are complete tables giving all that information.

Update to how various organizations are coping with the pandemic

Shalom Residences' Micah Kraut & Rabbi Yitzchok Charytan

Ed. note: As part of our continuing effort to report on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on all Jewish organizations and agencies in this city, we present information about Shalom Residences and Gwen Secter Centre based on email exchanges we had with Shalom Residences Executive Director Nancy Hughes and Gwen Secter Executive Director Becky Chisick. We also present information from Rady JCC Executive Director Rob Berkowits about enhanced amenities at that facility.

Dr. Lorne Brandes on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected how he now delivers medicine and some of the latest findings about the coronavirus

By JON VAN DER VEEN

To further understand the challenges and changes resulting from the pandemic, The Jewish Post & News has reached out to different members of the community to see how their lives have been impacted.
We contacted Dr. Lorne Brandes, who has had a long career as an oncologist, but who, upon retiring from that specialty, has been working as a practicing internist at Eaton Place Medical Centre. We wanted to know how Dr. Brandes has adapted to the restrictions imposed upon doctors such as him.

New Jewish Child and Family Service president has lengthy history with the organization

By MYRON LOVE
Seventeen years ago, a Gray Academy high school student by the name of Ari Hanson began doing volunteer work for the Jewish Child and Family Service (JCFS). Today, the 32-year-old tax and civil litigation associate with Fillmore Riley LLP is the youngest president in the history of the JCFS.

Joseph and Rebecca Bau - the couple whose wedding was turned into a scene in "Schindler's List", are honoured by B’nai Brith

By MARTIN ZEILIG

When Hadasa Bau and Clila Bau Cohen received notice earlier this year that their parents, Josef and Rebecca Bau, were to going to be honoured, along with some other Holocaust survivors, at a ceremony in Jerusalem in April, they burst out in tears.
It was an emotional moment.

We will continue to offer a wide range of opinions - no matter how much that annoys some readers

By BERNIE BELLAN

If you’ve been reading our paper for a long enough time - or looking at this website, you should know by now that I don’t shy away from dealing with controversial topics. So, when I receive requests from readers to suppress the opinions of someone like Myron Love – well, it ain’t gonna happen under my watch.

Pillar of the community Abe Simkin passes

With the death of Abe Simkin last month in California, the last surviving member of his generation of the Simkin clan is now gone. You can read Mr. Simkin’s obituary elsewhere on this website at http://jewishpostandnews.ca/obituaries/520-abraham-abe-simkin, but we present here an excerpt from Abe Simkin’s life story as it appears in the Jewish Foundation’s Book of Life. This excerpt was written in 2012 when Mr. Simkin had just turned 90:

Synagogues working on Yom Tov plans with minimal in person attendance

By MYRON LOVE
It is most definitely an understatement to say that this will be a yom tov like no other. In my last year’s reporting about high holiday attendance at Winnipeg synagogues (including services held at Camp Massad) in The Jewish Post & News yearly survey of high holiday synagogue attendance I noted that about 4,500 Jewish Winnipeggers at least could be found in shul - at least at peak times – for shofar-blowing, Kol Nidre and yizkor.