By BERNIE BELLAN Back about 15 years ago I had the idea to hire renowned sports writer Scott Taylor to write occasional columns for The Jewish Post & News. Although the great Harvey Rosen – who passed away in 2022, was still our regular sports columnist, I thought that having Scott contribute his own takes on sports might add some additional flavour to the paper.
And it did – for several years – until Covid hit and I had to pare back expenses, including for freelance writers.
Scott has kept in touch from time to time since he last wrote for us though, so it was with great delight that I received an email from him the second week in June that had in the subject line: “Next Great Jewish Athlete.”
Here’s what Scott wrote in that email: “I was talking with Fort Garry Lions head coach John Makie last night.
“Thought you might like to know about the next great Jewish football player …  if you don’t know already.”

Attached to the email was a poster that was a montage of different images – all highlighting someone by the name of Gavin Katz. Part of the poster is attached here – and in it you can see all sorts of accolades for young Gavin, including his having been designated “lineman of the year” by Coach Makie last year, as well as his having captained his Pee Wee team (which is limited to players under 14 years of age).
I followed up Scott’s suggestion and contacted John Makie to try and get some comments from him about Gavin Katz, as well as contact information for Gavin’s parents.
Here’s what Coach Makie wrote to me about Gavin who, last year, was in his second (and final) year playing for the pee-wee level Fort Garry Lions:
“I’ve known Gavin Katz for a season of football. In this season, I’ve come to learn his grit, toughness and his sheer willingness to get to the ball. A lot of our players on the team would run to the ball, but Gavin sprinted. If he was challenged, he rose to the occasion. We made him our Most Outstanding Lineman not only because of his talents on the field but his leadership. He was committed to the process, he began to lead others to this through guidance and exemplary attendance.
“I am quite proud of Gavin and what he did for us this year.”
“Unfortunately, we came up just short last season, but Gavin taught us how to become a champion and the Lions will be hungry for success next season.”
“I really hope he continues to play football!”
That was high praise for Gavin Katz, indeed. During my conversation with Makie he told me that Gavin’s father was Regan Katz and that Regan was the vice-president and Chief Operating Officer of the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball team.
I contacted Regan and asked him whether I could get in touch with Gavin. Regan gave me Gavin’s phone number, but when I tried calling him all that I got was his voice messaging. I did leave a voice message, but didn’t hear back from Gavin right away – which should come as no surprise for anyone who’s tried contacting a teenager by phone: They simply don’t use their phones for phone calling – only for texting.
So, on a Saturday morning – when I figured Gavin would probably be at home, I emailed Regan again, asking him whether he could have Gavin call me. It was 10:40 in the morning. Regan responded that Gavin was still asleep.
I wrote back: “What? I thought he’d be up jogging or doing some heavy exercise at 7 AM. What kind of pro football player is he anyway?” (Um, if you’re reading this and not familiar with my writing style, I do veer into sarcasm quite readily.)
In any event, around 11 am Gavin did call me back and we had a most pleasant conversation. After talking to him I could well understand why Coach Makie was so effusive in his praise for him.
I began by asking Gavin where he goes to school?
He said he’s currently in the French immersion program at Ecole River Heights and before that he was also in the French immersion program at Sir William Osler School. Next September Gavin will be going to Kelvin, he said.
We then began to discuss his football career. I asked Gavin when he first started to play organized football?
He said that he started playing flag football five years ago – and that he still plays flag football (which has only five players on a side, as opposed to the 12 players on a side in tackle football). Gavin added that, in addition to playing flag football – which he really loves, he noted, he also coaches and referees flag football.
Gavin’s interest in playing tackle football though, was piqued by his attending a Winnipeg Blue Bombers camp for putative young players four years ago.
“That’s when I first put on pads,” he explains.
Gavin added that he’s been going to Blue Bomber games ever since he was quite young and that, at various times he’s had the privilege of meeting such Blue Bomber greats as Adam Bighill, Nick Demski, Brady Oliveira, and Zach Collaros.

Two years ago Gavin joined the Fort Garry Lions Pee Wee level team (when he was 12).
“My first year I was on the offensive line,” he notes. “My second year (last year) I started as a linebacker, but then I was moved to the defensive line.”

Here’s a link to a clip of Gavin showing his prowess as a defensive lineman in a game last fall: Gavin in action (He’s number 50 in the video.)
Now, while Gavin was not overly tall for his age last year… he was 5’4″ and weighed 135 pounds, he was certainly big enough to play on the defensive line at the Pee Wee level.
But – talk about a growth spurt! Gavin says he grew four inches since the Lions season ended in October; he’s now 5’8″, but even more impressive – he says he’s put on another 35 pounds – and in Gavin’s case, it’s all muscle.
I asked him where he works out and he answered that the family has a home gym, which he uses assiduously, in the evenings.
Gavin says he’s ready to move up to the next level of football, which would be at the Bantam level or Junior Varsity, and that he will try out for the Kelvin Clippers when he enters Kelvin this fall. He says though that he would probably “end up on the practice roster” for the Clippers varsity team where he will be fighting for a playing role, because if he does make the team he’d be among the youngest players on the team (usually Grades 11 & 12 only).

Our conversation then turned to my asking Gavin about his family. I already knew his father’s name, I told him (and that his father was former mayor Sam Katz’s nephew), so I asked him what his mother’s name was? He said it was Mandy or Amanda and that her maiden name was Falk. Gavin also has a younger sister, Brynlee, who is eight, he said.
Gavin notes that he was bar mitzvahed last year. He’s also maintained very high marks in school, he says, getting a 91 in math and an 87 in science.
So, since Scott Taylor had billed Gavin as the “next great Jewish athlete” in his email to me about Gavin, I asked Gavin how far he wants to pursue football?
His answer was that “I’ll go as far as I can.”
Considering that he grew four inches and gained 35 pounds in less than a year, Gavin could very well be big enough soon to play on the defensive line for a team of under 16 year olds but, he says, “I like playing linebacker,” which requires a great deal more mobility than playing on the defensive line.
Still, linebackers have to combine a great many skills, including mobility, strength – and most of all, toughness, as they not only have to stop running backs, they often have to take on offensive linemen as well.
I asked Gavin what he likes most about playing linebacker? His answer: “I like hitting.” (Now, don’t take that the wrong way. It’s simply the enjoyment that many football players derive from the contact that comes with playing tackle football. And these days many young women have begun taking up tackle football for the same reason.)
But, what about injuries? I wondered. Has Gavin suffered any? I asked him.
“I’ve had a few injuries,” he answered. “I dislocated the growth plate in my elbow,” he noted and, “when I was ten I injured my achilles tendon,” he added. However, in neither case did Gavin require surgery – lucky for him.

How far into the future did Gavin see his football career headed? I asked him. He was ready with the answer: “I’d like to play for the Arizona Sun Devils” (the name of the Arizona State football team).
I told Gavin that, in past years (when I was more active as a writer) I’d profiled many young Jewish athletes for The Jewish Post & News. One of the athletes with the most potential was a young hockey player who could skate like the wind, I told Gavin, but unfortunately, he stopped growing and, as his coach at the time told me, he could teach skills, but he couldn’t teach “height.”
In Gavin Katz’s case though, since he’s only 14 and is already growing rapidly, it seem certain that his height and weight are not going to hold him back from continuing to excel at football when he moves up the ladder of stiffening competition as he grows older.
It will be interesting to check in with Gavin on a regular basis in the coming years to see how he’s progressing. Winnipeg’s Jewish community hasn’t produced too many star football players over the years, although I did mention to Gavin that I had done a story about a young man who had played for the Grant Park Pirates several years ago – and that my writing now about Gavin was going to lead me to try to look in our archives for that story to remind me who it was that I had written about – and perhaps whether I could find out anything about where he had gone with his football career.

It turned out that the young man’s name was Nahaniel Lisak and that he had been nominated for the Jewish Athlete of the Year award back in 2022 when he was 17 years old, but was already 6’2″ and weighed an impressive 295 pounds. Here’s what the Rady JCC had written about Lisak prior to that year’s sports dinner: “He was named to the CFC (Canada Football Chat) All-Canadian First Team and was the recipient of the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) Kas Vidruk Lineman of the Year. At the school level he was named the Grant Park Football Most Valuable Player and was awarded the school’s Football Captain Award. He was runner up for the 2021 WHSFL Defensive MVP & 2021 Harry Hood Citizenship Award. In grade 10 he became a known player in Manitoba and was named a Nationally ranked top 100 player in Canada, being a top 5 Manitoban and top three defensive tackle in the 2022 graduating class.”
I Googled Nathaniel Lisak to see if I could find out anything about him now and saw that he’s realized his dream of attending McMaster University (where he’s in his fourth year of Commerce) and is also a star player for the McMaster Marauders.
So Gavin, if you’re reading this – there’s a stellar example of someone whose career you could emulate. But the Arizona Sun Devils? Couldn’t you settle for the University of Manitoba Bisons? Why do our best and brightest almost always want to leave Winnipeg?

By MYRON LOVE The Chesed Shel Emes, Winnipeg’s non-profit funeral chapel and ritual tahara house, has embarked on a new project that will enhance safety, accessibility and provide more parking opportunities.
The new project stems from the Chesed’s acquisition of the property immediately north of the chapel on Main Street at Magnus Avenue. The plan will involve the demolition of the existing house and paving of the lot. This will allow the use of a pre-existing side door in the chapel to be used to transfer coffins directly to the hearse — thus freeing some additional parking in front of the building.
Rena Boroditsky, the Chesed’s long-time executive director, points out that pallbearers will no longer have to carry coffins down the front steps but, instead, walk along a level surface and place the caskets directly into the back of the hearse. As well, the new parking lot will have room for accessible parking.
“We weren’t looking for a new project,” Boroditsky reports. “About a year ago, we learned that the family who owned the home — and had been renting it out for a number of years — was looking to sell after the property suffered a devastating fire. We seized on the opportunity rather than have a retail business open or an apartment block be built that would further complicate the parking in front of our building.”
Boroditsky notes that the finished product will take a couple of years to complete. “Permits take time,” she says. “I expect that we will be able to demolish the house in the fall and have the paving done next year.”
She estimates that the budget for the work will come to about $190,000. “We have applied to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and the Asper Foundation for grants,” Boroditsky reports. “We are also appealing to our many generous supporters in the community.”
She proudly points out that Chesed succeeded in raising $4-million for its most recent redevelopment program, in which the 100 year old office and tahara building was replaced with a new structure designed specifically to meet the needs of the Chevra Kadisha.
The new building includes state-of-the-art equipment for the care of the deceased — a larger tahara room with stainless steel counters, new up-to-date refrigeration, mechanical lifts for transferring bodies more safely, and enhanced safety features to improve the experience of volunteers and ensure the dignity of the deceased. The accessible facility also includes expanded storage space for caskets, shrouds, and supplies, a lending library, and private meeting spaces for mourners to gather. That project was completed five years ago.
“We are happy to report that we don’t have a mortgage,” Boroditsky says. “We have always exercised good fiscal management, and have been blessed with community support”.
Chesed Shel Emes began operations in 1930, serving all members of the community regardless of denomination, affiliation, or level of observance. No one is denied service due to financial constraints. Everyone is guaranteed a dignified funeral and burial care. The chapel was opened in 1947 as an active synagogue and community center.
“Over the past few years, we have been hosting more funerals,” Boroditsky notes, “in part because the Shaarey Zedek was closed for renovations for almost two years, and the Etz Chayim relocated to Wilkes Ave. As a result, more people were able to see that we offer a clean, warm and welcoming space.
Readers who wish to make a gift to support the “Opening New Doors” campaign can phone Rena at 204-582-5088, or visit the website at www.chesedshelemes.org New Chesed Shel Emes project will improve accessibility,  allow for more parking in front

Foreword by BERNIE BELLAN Seven years ago, The Jewish Post & News published a story by Rebeca Kuropatwa about a woman who had arrived in Winnipeg from Israel in 2008. That woman was Dina Raihman.

Before moving to Canada, Dina had spent 25 years working as an educator in Israel. As Rebeca wrote at the time, Dina brought her passion for teaching with her and eventually opened her own private after-school program specializing in mathematics and science.

Over the years, Dina has kept in touch with us as her educational programs have continued to grow. What began as evening classes held in rented classrooms throughout Winnipeg gradually evolved into permanent school locations.

In 2022, she opened Integral School at 1080 Waverley Street in Linden Woods. Since then, a second location has opened in Transcona, and Dina says plans are already underway to open a third location in Sage Creek. All three locations offer after-school educational programs for students of different ages and abilities.

As we noted in a 2022 follow-up article to Rebeca Kuropatwa’s original story, Dina quickly identified a problem after beginning work as a substitute teacher in Manitoba’s public and private schools. She noticed that many mathematically gifted students were not being sufficiently challenged and, as a result, were failing to reach their full potential.

In 2014, she decided to do something about it.

Starting with only 17 students, her evening school steadily expanded. Today, approximately 270 students are enrolled in her programs.

When Dina recently contacted me to tell me about the opening of her second location in Transcona, I told her that rather than simply writing another update about the school, I wanted to know the story behind the educator herself.

Both Rebeca and I had previously written about Dina’s success working with children from many immigrant families, including those from countries where mathematics and science education has traditionally been emphasized, such as Israel and Ukraine. But neither of us had ever explored the experiences that shaped Dina’s own lifelong commitment to education.

So I asked Dina to tell her story in her own words.

Here it is:

My Story

By DINA RAIHMAN My story began long before I was born.

During World War II, my parents, along with my grandparents, were forced to leave Ukraine to escape the war. Fate brought them to Georgia, where our family eventually settled. It was there, after the war, that I was born.

My childhood, school years, and youth were spent in Georgia. It was there that I first discovered my love for mathematics and realized I wanted to become a teacher. I have always believed that a great teacher changes a child’s life not only by teaching a subject, but by teaching a child how to think.

I later attended the Voroshilovgrad Pedagogical Institute (now located in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine), where I earned a Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Physics. Even then, I knew teaching would become my life’s work.

In 1990, my husband and I made an important decision to begin a new chapter of our lives in Israel.

We lived there for seventeen years, raised our two children, and continued building both our family and our careers.

Then, in 2006, we made another life-changing decision.

We immigrated to Canada after my older sister had moved here. Like many newcomers, we knew we were starting almost from scratch, but we believed the opportunities available for our children made every sacrifice worthwhile.

As with many internationally trained professionals, I needed to have my education recognized in Canada. Although I already held a master’s degree and many years of teaching experience, I was required to earn Canadian teaching qualifications.

For a period of time, I worked at the University of Winnipeg. I was even offered the opportunity to pursue a PhD and continue an academic career.

Although it was an exciting opportunity, our family had only recently arrived in Canada. Financially, it was impossible for me to devote several years to graduate research while supporting my family. Instead, I chose another path—one that allowed me to continue studying while working.

I became a substitute teacher in Winnipeg.

Looking back, those years were among the most valuable of my professional life.

Over several years, I taught in approximately 80 percent of Winnipeg’s schools. Every school, every classroom, and every group of students gave me new experiences and broadened my understanding of Canadian education.

While teaching, I also continued studying at the University of Winnipeg to earn my Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate.

In 2010, I successfully received my Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate, allowing me to teach permanently in Manitoba schools.

My first full-time teaching position took me far north to the community of Pukatawagan, where I taught Biology to students in Grades 9 through 11.

The experience taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of understanding every student’s individual background.

After one year, I returned to Winnipeg and continued substitute teaching.

During the 2012–2013 school year, I accepted a one-year teaching replacement position in Saskatchewan, where I taught Mathematics to students in Grades 9 through 12.

By then, an idea that had been growing inside me for years had become impossible to ignore.

I wanted to create my own educational program—one that would help students truly understand mathematics, develop logical thinking, build confidence, and prepare for future academic success.

That dream became reality in 2014 when I founded the Physics and Mathematics Integral School.

The school first opened on Corydon Avenue before later moving to St. Vital.

Today, we operate permanent locations on Waverley Street and in Transcona, and we are preparing to open our third Winnipeg location in Sage Creek.

Since opening our doors, our mission has never been simply to teach mathematics.

We have always wanted to create an environment where children learn to think independently, analyze problems, embrace mistakes as part of learning, and believe in themselves.

Over the years, more than 1,000 students have studied with us.

One of our greatest sources of pride is seeing our graduates continue their education at Canadian universities in fields such as engineering, computer science, medicine, economics, and the natural sciences.

Since opening in 2014, we have helped more than 430 students successfully graduate from high school, many of whom have continued into university programs requiring strong mathematical foundations.

For us, however, success means much more than university admission.

We strive to develop logical thinking, independent problem-solving, confidence, perseverance, concentration, and the ability to learn from mistakes.

I often tell my students:

“Mistakes are not failures. They simply show us what we still have to learn.”

Today, approximately 270 students attend our programs.

We offer both in-person and online classes, making our programs accessible to students throughout Winnipeg and beyond.

Our youngest learners begin at 3 to 5 years of age, where they develop early mathematical thinking, logic, concentration, and problem-solving skills through engaging activities designed specifically for preschool children.

For school-age students, we offer both Beginner and Advanced groups, ensuring that every child learns at the level best suited to their abilities.

Our programs include:

Mathematics
Logic
Geometry
Mental Math using the Japanese Abacus program
Biology
Chemistry
Physics

In addition to our regular classes, we prepare students for mathematics competitions. Each year, many of our students participate in contests organized through their schools, where they apply not only mathematical knowledge but also logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and effective time management.

One of our proudest achievements is that 15 of our students have earned certificates recognizing them among the top 25 percent of young mathematics students in Canada through these prestigious competitions.

For me, these accomplishments represent much more than awards.

They demonstrate that every child has the potential to succeed when they are given encouragement, effective instruction, and the opportunity to believe in themselves.

Throughout my career, I have come to believe one simple truth:

Children are not born “good” or “bad” at mathematics.

They become successful when they have a teacher who can explain difficult ideas in simple ways, encourage them during challenging moments, and inspire them never to give up.

That is why every student who walks through our doors becomes part of one large family.

Looking back today, I realize that the journey that began many years ago in Georgia has become far more than a teaching career.

It has become a lifelong mission to help children discover confidence, develop their abilities, and understand that with the right guidance, they are capable of achieving far more than they ever imagined.

By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).

There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.

We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.

Here is what we received the morning of June 26:

Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
 
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
 
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.  

Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.

Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.

Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.

Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.

Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.  

Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
 
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit

“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted

“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
 
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
 
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”

• – Isha Khan, CEO

By MYRON LOVE On Monday, June 11, about 120 younger Jewish Winnipeggers from diverse backgrounds came together at the Asper Campus for an evening of food and music, games and prizes and, most important, the opportunity to socialize with their peers from a growing community that reflects the long term success of our community’s 26-year-old GrowWinnipeg initiative.

“We are gathered here to celebrate your and your parents’ decisions to come to Winnipeg, build families and raise families here,” noted Dalia Szpiro, GrowWinnipeg’s director, in addressing the young adults in attendance. 
To summarize, the GrowWinnipeg Initiative arose when our past community’s leadership recognized that our Jewish population was an aging and shrinking community with aging infrastructure.
The first stage was the planning and construction of the Asper Campus, which brought our major institutions and organizations under one roof in an attractive new building.
The next challenge was to attract more people to our community.  GrowWinnipeg was created to take on the challenge. The initiative, which was officially launched in 2000, is unique in its efforts to reach out to young Jewish families throughout the Western world.
The first outreach efforts were directed at Argentina’s sizeable Jewish community at a time when the South American country’s economy was going through a very difficult period. Several of our community leaders visited the Jewish community in Buenos Aires and a website was established.  Arrangements were made for local families to host Jewish Argentinians here on exploratory visits and the community helped the prospective immigrants navigate the then new Provincial Nominee Program, find jobs and establish themselves here. 
Since then, many young families – from Argentina, as well as a great number of other countries – have chosen to make Winnipeg their new home. The young people at the recent GrowWinnipeg evening were reflective of the diversity of our growing community.  During the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to speak with not only Israeli-born participants, also young people from Russia and Ukraine, Turkey and Uruguay – and a young lady who grew up in Ottawa.

Naomi Kirshenblatt Palansky originally came here from Ottawa to go to university.  She met and married local entrepreneur Noah Palansky in 2023. (We wrote about Noah in the December 19, 2025 issue).  That same year, the former competitive swimmer who competed in the Maccabiah Games in 2009 and 2013 served as manager of the Canadian Junior swimming team participating in the games. She is currently the director of operations and strategy for a company called CoinFlip.

Although born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Yael Borovich grew up in Winnipeg.  She is the daughter of Dalia Szpiro and Eduardo Borovich (and younger sister of Vanessa) all of whom moved here in 2002.  She is a graduate of the Asper School of Business and works as a senior client relationship manager for Scotia Bank’s commercial  branch.

Siblings Igal and Edem  Avimelek arrived here from Turkey six years ago with their parents, Etel and Moris.  Edem is in her second year at the University of Manitoba while Igal is studying engineering at UBC.
They report that their father, Moris, has established the Upperwear Textile Agency – marketing textile products online – while their mother Etel,  is senior IT Director, software development and data analytics and enterprise architecture at Standard Aero.
“Our parents were looking to move to a new country and came across the GrowWinnipeg webpage,” Edem says.  “GrowWinnipeg has been  really supportive of us in helping us move here and become established.”    

            
More recent arrivals Alex Tsmokaliuk and Jane Hin are from Ukraine and Russia respectively and have been together since 2022.  “We were looking for a peaceful place to start a family,”: Alex says.  “We heard about GrowWinnpeg and here we are.”
Alex is a fitness trainer while Jane is working for WRE Development as a property manager.
Dora Bronstein, who is originally from Beersheva, is also a recent arrival to our community.  “I came to Winnipeg because I wanted to get away from war – and I heard about GrowWinnipeg,” she says.
She is currently working for L.C. Taylor Licensed Insolvency Trustee as an estate manager.

Last October, GrowWinnipeg introduced its new Youth Ambassadors program. 
“Since October, we have been working to create an organized system and opportunities to help young newcomers find their people within our community,” wrote Youth Ambassador Erele Tzidon on Facebook.
“Our mission is to help young immigrants find a sense of home in Winnipeg and support a smooth and welcoming transition.
We are excited to help bring our young Jewish community together.
As reported in the Jewish Post about 18 months ago, Tzidon is originally from Moshav Ginaton in central Israel.  She came to Winnipeg in 2018 with her parents Ofer – formerly  regional manager for a car rental agency in  Israel and now an RBC branch manager – and Sharon – an emotional therapist in Israel who is currently working as an educational assistant at Gray Academy – and three younger brothers.
The 20-year Gray Academy graduate has recently completed her third year in Science at the University of Manitoba. For the past three  years, she has also been  a member of Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin’s research team at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences (ICS), researching  the link between  pregnancy complications and the risk for heart disease. 
In November, 2024, Tzidon was presented with the Dr. James S. McGoey Student Award – based on the quality of her cardiovascular research at the ICS, which operates out of the St. Boniface Hospital campus’s Albrechchtsen Research Centre.
Tzidon’s fellow Youth Ambassador is Daniel Mejnov.  He was born in Beersheva but moved to Winnipeg with his parents, Dennis and Victoria (and younger brother Alon) 14 years ago. He is currently enrolled in an IT program at the University of Winnipeg.
 
Mejnov welcomed all those in attendance at the celebration and thanked the volunteers who helped him and Tzidon organize the event.
“It has been great being able to bring so many people together,” he said.  “This is a good way to unite our community.

Two other individuals of particular note that I spoke with at the event were Orit Agabayev and Alina Plis, partners in three year old A and O Event Décor, who provided the balloon  arches and walls, table settings and centre pieces for the evening.
Agabayev is originally from Netanya and Plis is from Yeruham (in southern Israel). The latter has been here for 18 years and operates a daycare.  The former came 16 years. Her principal career is working in the field of animal nutrition.
In an Instagram PosI from four years ago, Plis noted that “I have always been passionate about planning parties and events. I started out with planning big surprise birthday parties for my kids. Eventually I began planning and decorating events for family and friends. Now I am taking the next step with my friend, Orit, who shares the same level enthusiasm as me. What drives me to go above and beyond is simply the excitement my creations bring to those who see my work.
 On Facebook, Agabayev added that “Alina and I are so excited to start A&O event decor. We both love decorating and planning different events. We hope that you can put your trust in us to create or decorate an event for you. We do Birthday parties, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, proposals, weddings and more..
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By MYRON LOVE  “I Draw Things the Best I  Can,” a new documentary co-produced by Winnipegger Liam Karp  and former Winnipegger Jamie Michaels premiered June 8 at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.
The 40-minute film focuses on the life of Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Adam Policzer from his childhood hiding with neighbours in Miskolc in 1944, his postwar immigration to Chile to reunite with his father (who came to Chile just before the war but was unable to bring his family out), his imprisonment in Chile for over a year under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinoche following the coup in 1972, his subsequent immigration with his wife and family to Vancouver, and his successful career as an architect.
Earlier this year, Policzer unveiled a new side of himself.  He wrote and drew all the illustrations for “The House Across the Street,” the story of his struggle for survival – a memorial he had published in the form of a graphic novel. The book was published by Jamie Michaels’ “Dirty Water Comics” in June.
According to its webpage, Dirty Water Comics is “a boutique publishing house that specializes in literary comics that showcase a unique voice and a talent for storytelling. We publish a selective catalogue, create immersive readings, and pride ourselves on championing the work we curate”. 
Michaels co-founded the company in 2016 in order to publish his own first graphic comic –an account of his ambitious journey some years before – along with a  couple of high school friends – to travel by canoe down the Red and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. The launch of that graphic novel was reported in a story that previously appeared in The Jewish Post & News.
The son of John Michaels and Karen Stern then published a second graphic novel recounting the 1933 Christie Pitts riot, which pitted younger members of Toronto’s Jewish community and their supporters against Nazi-inspired thugs.
“The House across the Street” is Dirty Water Comics’ fourth publication. (“The Harrowing Tales of  La Coriveau” – the third publication – “is a graphic novel retelling the legend and history of Marie-Josephte Corriveau, a Quebecois woman whom the English executed in 1763 for the murder of her second husband. Following her death, Corriveau was hanged from a tree outside of Quebec City in an iron cage. In the centuries that followed, her story was transformed. She became a caged witch who haunted lone travellers, a reviled murderess, and a victim of circumstance”.)
 “I first met Adam Policzer a couple of years ago when he approached me about his book,” recalls Michaels, who recently earned his Ph.D from the University of Calgary, where he currently teaches. (His dissertation was on the evolution of Jewish and Arab nationalism during World War I.) “I reached out to Liam and he and I both thought it was a beautiful story and thAt we should make a documentary about Adam.”
Karp and Michaels have been friends since high school (Grant Park). Over the past ten years, the son of Marcia and Morris Karp has built a successful career as the go-to guy for visual effects for movies and television series being shot in and around Winnipeg. He is currently providing his expertise for the remake of the popualtr TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” which is being shot in and around Winnipeg.  
In filming the documentary, Karp and Michaels spent time with Policzer and his family in Vancouver. They also filmed on location in Budapest and visited Miskolc to interview members of the family that hid him during the Holocaust.
Karp and Michaels express their appreciation to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and Manitoba Film and Music, which provided funding for the project.
Michaels reports that the partners have secured several screenings of the documentary throughout North America.  “We hope to show Adam’s story at the Winnipeg Jewish Film Festival next year,” he says.
While Karp and Michaels don’t currently have any plans to collaborate again as yet, they both say that they would like to work together again.

By MYRON LOVE   It is written in the Mishnah that whoever saves a life is considered to have saved an entire world. 
About 18 months ago, Libby Goszer’s kidneys failed and she went into renal failure.  She undergoes dialysis – at home – on a daily basis. Her life hangs in the balance and she is reaching out – with the help of first cousins Marnie Ross and Sharon Goszer Tritt – to the community in hopes of finding a kidney donor.
The only child of the late Boris and Eve Goszer grew up in West Kildonan.  After graduating with a degree in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg in 1982, she relocated to Vancouver for post-graduate studies and built a life there.  She married Doug, had one son, Micah, and practiced clinical psychology for about 35 years.
Her health problems began in 2007 when she was diagnosed with Acute MyeLoid Leukemia.  “I underwent a stem cell transplant,” she reports.  “As it happens, my donor was Israeli. The operation was successful. I did very well for a number of years.”
(Ed. note: In the June 12, 2019 issue of The Jewish Post & News I wrote about Libby’s having received a stem cell transplant from an Israeli donor. Libby was a featured speaker at a dinner sponsored by an organization know as Ezer Mizion. Former Winnipegger Solly Dreman was instrumental in fundraising for that organization and had played a pivotal role in holding a fundraising dinner in Winnipeg that June to raise awareness of Ezer Mizion.
Here’s what I wrote back then about Libby’s story:
“Libby Goszer told her own heart-rending story of how close shecame to dying when she herself developed acute leukemia in 2006.
“ ‘One moment I was a confident professional, wife and mother; the next moment I was in an isolation room…After treatment, I was given a 60 percent chance my leukemia would return – and it did. I needed a perfect stem cell donor match.”
“In November 2008, fortunately, that perfect match was found in Ezer Mizion’s registry. Transplant recipients aren’t able to find out the names of their donors until a year after having received their transplant but, waiting on the surgical bed that day in November, Goszer said she was overjoyed when she ‘saw a woman come in carrying a bag of stem cells. It never occurred to me though that bag had been transferred all the way from
Israel.’
“In 2012 Libby ‘learned about the donor’s identity’ and in 2013 she and her family flew to Israel to meet her donor, whose name was Moshe, along with his immediate family.
“ ‘They (Moshe and his family) were as excited to meet me as I was to meet him,’ Goszer said. ‘From the darkness of a life-threatening illness has emerged a set of relationships between Moshe, his family, and my family.’
“In closing, Goszer urged members of the audience to think of this ‘night as a night of solidarity where we as Jews will be reminded that we will do what we can to take care of one another.’ “)

Fast forward seven years and Myron continues his story…
“The drawback, however, Libby now notes, is that the immunosuppressive drugs that she had to be on to prevent the rejection of her earlier transplant caused irreparable damage to her kidneys over several years.
 I first became aware of Libby Goszer’s plight when – a few weeks ago – I came across an information sheet – prepared by Marnie Ross – while at a community program at the Shaarey Zedek.
“Sharon (Goszer Tritt) helped get the information sheets into the Shaarey Zedek,” Ross says.  “I also left copies at the Rady Centre.”
The sheet describes how kidney disease has impacted Goszer’s life – in particular the loss of energy and extreme physical and mental fatigue. Ross has also created a Facebook post (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bj35eg5nz/ which, so far, has generated 76 shares. “We hope that the people who have responded will share the information with their online contacts,” she says.  “We want to get the word out.”
Goszer adds that the members of Temple Sholom, the congregation which she has belonged to since 1992, have also been supportive.
She reports that three friends have come forth to test to see if they are a match. One of the three may be and is undergoing more tests to make sure.
“If you want a really thorough medical check-up, “she observes, “I would recommend that you volunteer to become a kidney donor.   They test everything to make sure that the donor is in good health and won’t suffer any damage to their health by donating a kidney.”
She further points out that you can live a long and healthy life with one kidney.   
 
Goszer is also listed with Renewal Canada, a Jewish organization that  “helps patients and their families navigate the complex process of kidney transplant, from finding a donor to arranging the transplant and beyond”. The organization also provides financial support for donors “to make sure their incredible self-sacrifice is as easy as can be and comes at no financial cost to them”. 
Interested readers can contact renewalcanada.org/libbygoszer  – or contact the Living Donor Kidney Program at Vancouver Coastal Health at kidneydonornurse@vch.ca (or phone 1-604 875-4111) and include Libby’s name and birthday (July 31,1958).
While Libby Goszer’s friend is a strong possibility, she notes that you can’t be sure until final approval is received.
“I generally am a positive and optimistic individual,” she says. “There are times when I feel down but, overall, I continue to have faith and hope that things will turn out well.” 
“I have so much living left to do and I ask you, from the bottom of my heart, to consider kidney donation.  I long to return to a fuller clinical practice, resume volunteering and, of course, watch my son wed and raise his children in our Jewish way of life.”

By NOAH STRAUSS Around 300 people gathered outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Friday during the grand opening of the museum’s newest exhibit, “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present.” (Ed. note: The CBC report on the protest said there were “100” people at the rally. I know there were more than 100, but I’m not sure there were 300 either.) The exhibit, which had a limited number of tickets available for opening night, sold out. The Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba had originally planned a rally in support of the exhibit’s opening, but it was cancelled just days before the event.

The Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the displacement of an estimated 750,000 Palestinians during the 1947–1949 war surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel. The exhibit has drawn criticism from members of Winnipeg’s Jewish community and others who argue that it does not acknowledge the displacement and persecution of Jewish communities in many Arab and Muslim-majority countries following Israel’s independence and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Historians estimate that between 850,000 and 950,000 Jews left or were expelled from Arab and Muslim-majority countries during the decades surrounding Israel’s establishment. In countries including Iraq, Egypt, and Yemen, many had their property confiscated, while others left because of persecution or increasing hostility.

Supporters of the Jewish community came from all faiths and backgrounds. The Jewish Post spoke with Lisa Lewis, a longtime supporter of the Jewish community.

“I think there is a crisis of antisemitism happening right now,” Lewis said.

She was one of many non-Jewish community members who attended the rally. Lewis said she has been an active ally since the 2000s, helping Argentine immigrants come to Canada. Following the October 7 attacks on Israel, she said she has become a more vocal supporter of the Jewish community. During the rally, she wore a Magen David necklace.

Lewis also criticized the museum’s approach to the exhibit.

“The Jewish community organizations that represent the majority of the Jewish community weren’t consulted on something like this,” she said.

Cindy Clubb, another ally of the Jewish community who attended the rally, also voiced her concerns.

“I grew up with prominent businesspeople and members of the academic and medical communities. I don’t know what we would do without our Jewish cooperation. So I’m up here to support them, and I think all of Winnipeg should be out here,” Clubb said.

One protester, who identified herself as Michelle, said, “We are against the Nakba exhibit. It’s all lies.”

Gustavo Zentner, Vice President of CIJA Manitoba and Saskatchewan, said, “We are calling on Minister Miller to hold the museum leadership accountable. The Minister of Canadian Heritage needs to ensure that national institutions are not weaponized against Canadians to serve a one-sided political agenda. These concerns were expressed not only by the Jewish community, but by many concerned Canadians. At its core, this is a Canadian issue.”

Zentner did not participate in the community rally. He went on to say, “We are proud of the many community members, allies, and organizers who gathered at the museum before Shabbat began to demonstrate their concerns.”

The museum defended its decision to present the exhibit. CEO Isha Khan said that “human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient.” She added that the museum “belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”

The exhibit is scheduled to remain on display until November 2028.

By BERNIE BELLAN On June 26, I was invited to attend the Canadian Museum for Human Right to see the Nakba exhibit prior to its being opened to the public. While I was there I was given the opportunity to interview the curator for the exhibit, Isabelle Masson, along with CMHR CEO Isha Khan. What follows are the transcripts of those interviews (edited only to remove pause words like “uh” and phrases that were repeated). The first interview was with Isabelle Masson:

Jewish Post: Several representatives of Winnipeg Jewish community organization say that they weren’t fairly consulted on this exhibit. How do you respond to that?

Masson: We came to this project with an awareness that Palestinian voices are often marginalized, even silenced, and an awareness that Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism have an impact on whose voice is heard and whose suffering is recognized. And so we intentionally chose to centre Palestinian voices with this exhibition.

JP: But to the point that many Jewish representatives of organizations and people within the community at large feel that the Jewish community should have been consulted on an issue that had such a direct impact on the Jewish community – did you not feel an obligation to consult with the Jewish community?

Masson: I think the best person to talk further about this issue is our CEO, Isha.

JP: In terms of the exhibit itself, I must say it really stresses the suffering that Palestinians have endured. But, in looking at other refugee situations around the world, the Palestinian situation seems to me to be unique in that there has never been an effort to resettle Palestinians within the countries to which they were forced to flee.
Do you not think that separates their situation (from other refugee situations) and, in some ways, it has made their situation worse than it could have been?

Masson: Well, the exhibit not only centres that experience of forced displacement and disposition as a longstanding experience across five generation that you know is tied to human rights violations that are ongoing today, but it also I want to point out, you know, foregrounds beauty, foregrounds resilience, foregrounds the maintenance of identity and belonging across time and across that experience. So there’s also these elements about this exhibition because it was also about humanizing Palestinians – about people with families with stories, with creativity – and coming back to some of the videos what interviewees say, right, we hope that Palestinians can be seen as fully human and hope that they can see Palestinians as having human rights and this this story today in this gallery is is a story about human rights.

JP: If I can focus on one particular aspect of the exhibit that I read this morning when I was sent the preview, it referred to what happened between the years 2000 and 2005 as a Palestinian uprising. But the Israeli term would be the Intifada which for them meant large-scale attacks – terrorist bombings by some Palestinians. Did you not think it necessary to include that in a larger context?

Masson: Well, we use uprising because it’s the most more accessible term in the exhibition and we, you know, we’re focusing really here on an artwork by artists – Palestinian American artist Reggie Cook and with an artwork that was trying to translate the experience of of occupation into what is created. So that’s the context in which we talk about that.

JP: But to ignore what happened during the uprising seems to me to leave out a major part of the context.

Masson: I don’t think that we are ignoring that. This exhibit is not about the full story of what has happened in Palestine, in Israel. It’s not, you know, the scope of this small exhibition. This small exhibition has a scope and the scope was really to create an opportunity and a place for Canadians to be able to encounter Palestinian Canadians and hear their voices.

JP: Given the current mood in the Middle East and the ongoing tensions between Israel and various other actors, the concern among many in the Jewish community that this is going to lead to a heightening of antisemitism and an exhibit like this seems that it’s not going to do much to improve relations between Jews and Palestinians when it focuses on only one side of the story. How do you respond to that?

Masson: Well, this is only one exhibit of of many, of many stories that we have.

Following is my interview with Isha Khan. Khan began by explaining that she is “the CEO at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and I’ve been here as CEO of the museum since August of 2020. So almost six years.”

JP: So let’s get right down to discussing (the exhibit). I spoke to the curator. I asked a lot of questions about the exhibit itself. I’m more interested in asking (you) about the general context and the atmosphere in the community. The accusation has been made repeatedly by various leaders of Jewish organizations that you have not been willing to consult on this exhibit. How do you respond to that?

Khan: I think the word consult can mean many things. We have a community engagement practice. So for us that means that depending on the scope of the exhibit and this exhibit is about Palestinian Canadians and their experiences, the impacts of the human rights impacts, of forced displacement, which means we engage with that community as we share their stories. Many folks in the Jewish community will say we haven’t consulted with them and yet we have met with leaders of Jewish organizations from across Canada, main uh, major federations, foundations, local Jewish organization representatives many times to talk about this exhibit, to explain what its scope is, what it’s about, what it’s intended to do, and most importantly, what it isn’t. And unfortunately there continues to be misconceptions about what it is. So we hope people will come and see it.

JP: I think the fear in the community – and I think it’s well founded is that this will foment an increase in antisemitism. Can you understand that concern?

Khan: Absolutely. I personally and any member of our team who’s talked to folks about this has said that we unequivocally share the concern about antisemitism in Canada today. That is part of our mandate. And we will continue to do that work and we can also share these stories of Palestinian Canadians – you know, telling the story of one community’s human rights violation in no way should negate or minimize the experience of another community. That’s what this museum was designed to do….designed to build understanding of shared humanity and that’s what we believe we’re doing responsibly.

JP: Just before I began this interview, I was taken (down to the fourth floor; the Nakba exhibit is on the fifth floor) to see the gallery of other human rights violations. I’m not sure what it’s called. (It’s where there is a ) recitation of various human rights violations, including what happened in 1947 and 1948 (in Palestine). They offer passing reference to the displacement of both Jewish and Palestinian refugees. Would you consider ever having an exhibit about the displacement of Jewish refugees from Arab lands in 1948 and subsequent years?

Khan: We would absolutely consider it and in fact have shared with leaders of the Jewish organizations months ago that yes, these are important stories that need to be told (and) invited them to work constructively with us on developing that content. Unfortunately we didn’t really receive much response.

JP: How long is this exhibit supposed to be on for?

Khan: So this exhibit right now we’re saying is a minimum of two years. That’s because it is an exhibit in a standing gallery and so it also depends on our updating of our other galleries and, you know, exhibits take a bit of time. This one is four years in the making and so we’ve just committed that it’ll be a minimum of two years and we’ll see where things go.

JP: There are a lot of other refugee situations in the world – (for instance) South Sudan, and just this morning I was saying to Isabelle that I received an email about the situation for people from Burundi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I didn’t realize that was a problem. I know that the Congo has had ongoing problems with displacement of populations. It it seems to me it’s not an unlimited number of stories like this you could tell, but there are a lot of others. How do you decide which ones take priority?

Khan: We’re often asked the question of how we decide, and it comes back to how this museum is designed. Each gallery is intended to tell a different story. It has an objective. So this exhibit, Palestine Uprooted, is in our Rights Today gallery. It’s to talk about global human rights issues. And we know that people want to better understand human rights of Palestinians. There’s no question. It’s being talked about, debated, discussed all over the world. And so we’re being responsive there to that need. And we know that Palestinian experiences were under represented in our galleries and have heard that for years. To your point though that there are other stories – the design of this museum is that you ought to be able to feel something, understand something about the forced displacement of one community and apply it to another. So now this story stands along the forced displacement of the Rwanda people, indigenous peoples, Ukrainian people, the Igbo people. You’ve named a number of others that we do need to develop content on over time, but it’s done depending on what gallery it is, what we are trying to invoke…because we’ll never be the encyclopedia of all human rights atrocities in the world. That’s actually why we’re called the Canadian Museum for Human Rights rather than the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
We’re here to to develop an understanding through the stories that will impact people.

JP: Okay. I want to ask a politically loaded question.

Khan: Okay.

JP: The Jewish population of Canada is at best 450,000. In that range, Jews don’t have the political impact that they used to. At most, there are 12 to 16 ridings where the Jewish vote can make a difference. The Muslim population has grown substantially. It has a much larger political impact. Did that factor in to this exhibit being mounted in any way?

Khan: Absolutely not.

JP: So, I’ll ask the question that I asked the curator of the exhibit. Where did the impetus for this come from? Did it come from Palestinian Canadians?

Khan: This exhibit came from a recognition, our decision. I hold responsibility ultimately for the decisions made by my team. It was made based on the recognition that Palestinian experiences were under represented in this museum. We absolutely heard from the Palestinian community organizations in Canada and had heard for many years that their stories were underrepresented. Ultimately, the decision was ours. And as we look at this gallery and updating our content, this is ‘rights today’ – global human rights. We know that the world is talking about Palestinian human rights and the stories of Palestinian Canadians naturally belong in our collective memory alongside many other stories that are told here.

JP: There was one particular aspect on one of the panels when I was sent a preview this morning and it referred to the Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2005 which led to a lot of Israeli deaths that we generally refer to as the Intifada. There’s no mention of Israeli deaths on that panel. Would you agree that might have been an oversight?

Khan: I mean I know that there the factual point is absolutely accurate. The decisions on the curation of the exhibit are not ones that I make, but certainly if that is a concern that we will look at.

By NOAH STRAUSS (posted June 25) The Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ Nakba exhibit is scheduled to open this Saturday, June 27, despite growing criticism and calls for it to be delayed or revised. The exhibit has sparked public debate in Winnipeg and beyond regarding how it presents the history surrounding the creation of the State of Israel.

Earlier this week, Mark Berlin resigned from the museum’s board. In his resignation letter, he expressed concern that the exhibit presents a one-sided narrative and does not adequately address the experiences of Jewish communities affected by the events surrounding Israel’s independence.

The Nakba, an Arabic word meaning “catastrophe,” refers to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1947–1949 conflict that followed the creation of the State of Israel. Critics of the exhibit argue that it focuses primarily on Palestinian displacement without sufficiently acknowledging the broader regional consequences of the period.

Some Jewish advocacy groups also point to the experiences of Jews who left or were expelled from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries in the decades surrounding Israel’s creation. Estimates suggest that between 850,000 and 950,000 Jews left or were displaced from countries including Iraq, Egypt, and Yemen, under a range of circumstances including persecution, expulsion, and confiscation of property.

In his resignation letter, Berlin, a faculty member at McGill University specializing in human rights law, wrote, “Telling the story with a one-sided perspective chosen by the museum serves to deepen division and contributes to further hostility toward Jews in Canada.”

Following his resignation, CIJA President Noah Shack released a statement saying, “The resignation of the museum’s only Jewish board member is a clear indictment of the museum’s handling of the controversial ‘Nakba’ exhibit.”

The exhibit’s VIP opening is expected to include invitations to representatives from all three levels of government. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham had initially been invited but later declined following discussions with representatives from the Jewish community, including CIJA Manitoba Vice President Gustavo Zentner and Jeff Lieberman, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.

Members of Winnipeg’s Jewish community are also planning a peaceful rally outside the museum on Friday at 5 p.m., according to organizers.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is expected to release a formal statement ahead of the exhibit’s opening.

(added June 26) To see interviews that Bernie Bellan conducted with Isabelle Masson, curator of the “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present” exhibition at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg and Isha Khan, CEO, CMHR about the exhibit go to curator of exhibit and CEO interviewed