"Secret No More" - how families should deal with drug addiction within the family

Mother and son talk about how families need to deal openly with drug addictions at JCFS program
By BERNIE BELLAN
Over the past ten years we have published numerous articles on the subject of addiction, both within the Jewish community and the community at large.
A very high proportion of the articles we have written were inspired either by a program mounted by Jewish Child and Family Service, or by someone working for Jewish Child and Family Service.

Forum on Winnipeg Personal Care Homes raises concerns about difficulty in comparing quality of care at individual PCH’s

By BERNIE BELLAN
Note: For the purpose of brevity, personal care homes will often be referred to as PCH’s in this article.
There are 39 PCH’s in the city of Winnipeg.
On November 23, River Heights Liberal MLA Jon Gerrard hosted a forum at the Corydon Community Centre (River Heights branch) the subject of which was “Improving Care and Preventing Tragedies in Personal Care Homes”.

Gray Academy grad scores on CBC’s Dragon’s Den

By MYRON LOVE

Elliot Kimelman had a problem. The Gray Academy student was a swimming instructor who was allergic to the chlorine commonly used in pools. He found that the chlorine would cause skin irritation and dryness.
Being a resourceful and entrepreneurial young fellow, he came up with a solution – a product called C-Spray – a product that can be applied to the hair, face, body and bathing suit that neutralizes chlorine.

Winnipeg holds 1st ever local Mitzvah Day

By REBECA KUROPATWA
Mitzvah Day was started in 2005 by Laura Marks with the hope of bringing people of all faiths together in the U.K. for one day of doing good works for their communities.
In Winnipeg, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) had heard of how Mitzvah Day was being carried out with success in Ottawa, and so they decided to start it up in Winnipeg too.
For the first time ever here, Mitzvah Day took place on November 17th, reaping good preliminary success.

Hasbara Canada executive director updates Winnipeg audience re struggle against anti-Semitism on Canadian university campuses

By MYRON LOVE
Although there is no doubt that anti-Israel activists took an early lead in spreading falsehoods against the Jewish State on North American university campuses, a growing number of Jewish groups in recent years have joined the fight to set the record straight. One such group in Canada is StandWithUsCanada, one of whose programs is the subject of another story in this edition of this news paper.
Another organization fighting back against the calumnies being spread on campuses about Israel is Hasbara Canada.

Dr. Ross Feldman to lead February program focusing on women & heart disease

By REBECA KUROPATWA

While Magen David Adom (MDA) is most well known for saving lives in Israel, Canadian Magen David Adom (CMDA) works tirelessly to help fund MDA’s lifesaving efforts.
Now, a lifesaving event is coming up in Winnipeg, focusing on Women & Heart Health. It will be held on February 4th at the Rady JCC, and it will be co-hosted by the Rady JCC and the local chapter of CMDA.
The event will be led by Dr. Ross Feldman, Medical Director, Cardiac Sciences Program, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), and it will zero in on the Number 1 killer of post-menopausal women – heart disease.

MDA medic sends surprise video thanking scooter donors

By REBECA KUROPATWA
One year ago, Judy and Bill Mahon decided to make a generous donation to Canadian Magen David Adom (CMDA) with the hope that they made the right choice with their money. They donated enough to send a first responder scooter from Canada to Israel to help Magen David Adom (MDA) do its important work.

Visiting Israeli students reflect Israel’s diversity in cross-Canada tour

By MYRON LOVE
There are undoubtedly many people who ascribe to the stereotype that all Israeli Jews are Caucasian and of European background. One of the purposes of StandWithUs Canada’s recent campus WordSwap tour is to show the real, varied face of Israel. To that end, three Israeli students from the Interdisciplinary Centre at Herzlia – Rawan Agbaria, Yonatan Eyov, and Omri Zada – put in appearances in Winnipeg at both the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg on Monday, November 25, seeking to engage local students in informal conversation about Israel and clear up some of the stereotypes and misrepresentations.

Remembering my uncle, Lt. Harry Niznick, who died in 1944

By SHARON (NIZNICK) GLASS

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
Poem by Laurence Binyon

And that is exactly what they did: “Remember them.” That was the refrain, over and over. On September 21, 2019, on the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of Belgium, they were remembered - in Gheel, Belgium, the Sherwood Rangers were remembered; the 50th Northumbrian Division was remembered; and the 8th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry was remembered. We were there. And the reason we were there was that my uncle, Lieutenant Harry Niznick of the Canadian Army, was fighting with the Durham Light Infantry. He died there at the age of 21.

My interactions with eight of Israel’s VIP’s

Introduction: Harris Gulko is a former National Executive Director of JNF Canada.
Following are stories of his interactions with eight of Israel’s “Very Important Persons” in the 1950s and 60s.

By HARRIS GULKO
President Ben-Zvi asked: “Why else do you need a president?”

New University of Manitoba president has another claim to fame: Having coached the Gray Academy varsity boys' basketball team to a provincial title

By BERNIE BELLAN

The University of Manitoba plays a prominent role in the Nov. 27  issue of The Jewish Post & News.
Originally there was going to be only one story centering on that institution – about the Judaic Studies program and the interest that various individuals associated with that program have in bringing new life to it. (See next article.)
But then we received word that Michael Benarroch has been selected as the next president of the University of Manitoba (https://jewishpostandnews.ca/local/3040-university-of-manitoba-announces-michael-bennaroch-to-be-12th-president-and-vice-chancellor)

It was only two years ago that we bade a somewhat sad farewell to Michael and his wife, Kim Bailey, as Michael took up a new position as provost and vice-president at Ryerson University in Toronto.
As a member of the well-known Benarroch family here, Michael’s name has appeared in our paper quite frequently over the years but, to my surprise, one of the longest articles we have had about him was written by Harvey Rosen in 2011.
At the time Michael was the coach of the very successful Gray Academy varsity boys’ basketball team.
Following is an edited excerpt from that article:

The long saga how the Judaic Studies program at the University of Manitoba has gone so far downhill

By BERNIE BELLAN
Elsewhere on this website, we have a story about a new $100,000 donation made to the University of Manitoba by MaryAnn Lippay Kanee (https://jewishpostandnews.ca/local/3027-judaic-studies-program-at-university-of-manitoba-to-receive-100-000-donation-from-maryann-lippay-kanee). The donation will be used to create a new endowment fund in support of the Judaic Studies program at the university. Since first reporting that donation, I have spent a fair bit of time trying to understand just what is the current state of the Judaic Studies program, and what are its future prospects.
To that end I have been in contact with a number of individuals, all of whom have some connection to the Judaic Studies program to one extent or another, beginning with Prof. Haskel Greenfield, who has been the coordinator of the program for over six years now (even though Haskel is a professor in the anthropology department and does not teach any courses that are part of the Judaic Studies program).
I was also in touch with Marla Aronovitch, Director of Operations & Grants at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba; Prof. Jeffrey Taylor, Dean of Arts at the University of Manitoba; Dr. Jody Perrun, who is teaching a course at the U of M this year titled “The History of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust” (which had been taught in previous years by Catherine Chatterley); Retired Prof. Lionel Steiman (who, along with his brothers, recently made a substantial contribution to the Jewish Foundation in support of Yiddish language instruction in Winnipeg and who has long been involved with the Judaic Studies program; and MaryAnn Lippay Kanee herself.

Gifted teacher and chazan Avi Posen and wife Illana make aliyah

By MYRON LOVE
The departure of Avi Posen and his wife, Illana, right after yom tov this year, can be best summed up as “Winnipeg’s loss is Israel’s gain”. More than in most cases of Winnipeggers making aliyah (which should undoubtedly be celebrated), the son of Kinzey Posen and Shayla Fink making aliyah leaves a real void in our community.

Former NHL player, championship cyclist, and over 100 injured Israeli veterans along for the ride in Beit Halochem Canada’s 12th annual fundraiser.

(November, 2019 – Concord, ON) The 12th annual Courage in Motion, an initiative of Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel, was an outstanding success. This year’s ride welcomed cyclists from across Canada, joined by some Americans and Israelis. From October 27-31, these international cyclists rode alongside Israel’s disabled veterans on five fully supported routes through northern Israel’s extraordinary archaeological sites and remarkable landscapes.

Winnipeg Grade 12 student Lindsay Cogan earns spot at prestigious international debating competition to be held in Shanghai

By MYRON LOVE
Lindsay Cogan is going to Shanghai in April to compete in the annual World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC). The Balmoral Hall Grade 12 student will be one of 12 Canadian students who have earned a spot in the world championships next year.