By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted April 23) I’ve been asked by quite a few people why I’ve stopped writing my “Short takes” column for the Jewish Post newspaper. (I still write opinion pieces for this website on occasion.)
Frankly, I was tired and needed a break from churning out what had become a regular opinion piece that I initially began to write over 15 years ago and what I thought would be only an occasional column when I first started doing it.

But what’s happened within the Winnipeg Jewish community these past two weeks has motivated me to offer an opinion piece, once again – on the subject of how we define “Jewish community.”
I also want to make it clear that in every instance where I have written an article for the paper that is now under new ownership I’ve tried to keep my own opinions separate from whatever subject it is that I’ve chosen to write about. (I wish that other writers for the paper could attempt to do the same. There is a clear distinction between reporting and editorializing.)

This latest controversy over what’s happened at BB Camp and the removal of Jacob Brodovsky as camp co-executive director has really galled me (and, by the way, someone with a title should not have that title capitalized unless it is a part of that title, so that, for instance, Mark Carney is the prime minister of Canada, but his title is Prime Minister Mark Carney. In the same way, the repeated references to Brodovsky as “co-Executive Director” are misplaced, unless he is doing something like signing a letter as “Jacob Brodovsky, co-Executive Director, BB Camp.”)

Just how do we define our “Jewish community” these days? As I noted in an article that you can read at https://jewishpostandnews.ca/wjn/new-report-from-pew-research-center-provides-interesting-information-about-high-number-of-jews-who-still-identify-as-jewish/“caring about Israel” only placed sixth highest among ten attributes that Jews in the United States said was an essential element of what defined them as Jewish in a poll that was released in 2020.
Of course, everything has changed since October 7, 2023. But, with a war continuing well past the date when any of us expected it to be over – and with a good many hostages still not released, are we to define unwavering allegiance to an Israel that itself is so bitterly divided as some sort of litmus test for who can call themselves a “good Jew?”
I tried to make it clear in my article about BB Camp elsewhere on this website (at https://jewishpostandnews.ca/faqs/rokmicronews-fp-1/bb-camp-finds-itself-embroiled-in-controversy-over-camp-director-jacob-brrodovsky/) that I don’t know Jacob Brodovsky personally and I was in no position to assess the accuracy of comments that were being made about him.
That being said, however, the degree to which Brodovsky is being judged over his apparent failure to give unswerving support to the State of Israel, especially at a time when Israel is so deeply mired in controversy over what has been happening in Gaza (also the West Bank to a lesser extent) is a perfect example of how someone’s political views have unfairly tarnished their reputation.
I had never thought of BB Camp as a “Zionist” camp; it was rather a fabulous camp where Jewish kids could meet (also a fair number of non-Jewish kids) and have a great outdoor experience within a Jewish milieu. That is not to say that it was the polar opposite of Camp Massad, which wanted kids to experience being in a Hebrew-speaking Jewish milieu, it simply didn’t place the same kind of emphasis that Massad did in playing up the Israel connection.

Winnipeg’s Jewish community, however, has changed over the years. As the number of immigrants to this community from other countries, in particular Israel, has grown, the identity of the community – if it can be said to have one, has changed appreciably. I have argued though, that the 2021 census figures don’t lend credence to the argument that there are many thousands of newcomers to Winnipeg who call themselves Jewish. According to the 2021 census there were only 1,435 individuals who gave “Israeli” as their ethnic origin, for instance. One might have expected that figure to be quite a bit higher, based on the message that we were constantly receiving from our Jewish Federation that our Jewish population had grown greatly.
Now, while it is true that there may be a great many other individuals who gave different ethnicities but who may have also lived in Israel, my point is that there has always been a tendency to exaggerate (especially on the part of our Jewish Federation and other Jewish organizations) the number of Israelis living in Winnipeg. In fact, as I showed in several different articles in 2022 and 2023 (which you can find on my website jewishpostandnews.ca simply by entering the words “Jewish population of Winnipeg” in the “search archives” category), the number of individuals in Winnipeg who identify as Jewish, either by religion or ethnicity has remained quite static over the years.

I often tell people that a few years back though that I was part of a conversation with a group of Israelis – most of whom had emigrated to Israel from Eastern Europe, and the discussion turned to what they were looking for from the Jewish community. There were about 15 people in that conversation and the answer I was given was that they weren’t looking to join a synagogue or even send their kids either to Gray Academy or to Brock Corydon’s Hebrew bilingual program because their kids were already speaking Hebrew.
What they did want, I was told, was to have their kids go to a Jewish camp, so that they would meet other Jewish kids and ultimately, it was their hope, marry other Jewish kids. We didn’t get around to discussing the merits of Massad or BB, but I was struck by how much of a consensus there was among all those newcomers that sending their kids to a Jewish camp was high on their priority list.

Now, I suppose it’s fair to say that the majority of Israelis who have arrived here – whatever the number is, remain deeply attached to Israel in a way that those of us who were either born in Winnipeg or somewhere else in North America do not feel to the same extent. But, in so many ways, unswerving support for what Israel – and by Israel, I mean the Israel of Netanyahu, has become a defining characteristic of what many Jews now say constitutes Jewish “identity.”
But, where does that leave a great many of us who are sickened by what has been going on in Gaza, yet still consider ourselves prideful Jews? I have read many comments about Jacob Brodovsky on another website- (some of which I note could be considered defamatory), but there are a great many other young Jews (and not-so-young Jews as well) who are also highly critical of what Israel has been doing in Gaza. Are we, too, to be marginalized and castigated for daring to criticize Israel’s behaviour and express sympathy for Palestinians?
When I was still publisher of The Jewish Post & News I lamented the inability of individuals who held views similar to those I have just expressed to find a way of meeting with one another to vent their frustration with mainstream Jewish organizations that would not countenance any overt criticism of Israeli government policy. Instead we meet each other socially and complain about how our Jewish Federation and organizations like CIJA and B’nai Brith are only interested in talking about antisemitism without talking about what is going on in Gaza.
And so, someone like Jacob Brodovsky becomes a symbol for all that the supposedly “pro-Israel” Jews say is a betrayal of support for the State of Israel.
To them, I say, no, Jacob Brodovsky is not a traitor; he is quite typical of a great many other Jews, both young and old, who have disengaged themselves from offering unqualified support for Israel and who have expressed sympathy for Palestinians. Whether Brodovsky was competent in his position is a wholly separate matter that is not at issue. What is at issue is the rapidity with which the BB Camp Board succumbed to outside pressure to remove their co-executive director – and how much that angers so many of us who will probably remain on the margins of a community that has no room for a diversity of views.

If you would like to comment on this post (or any other post), click on the “”Click to comment” box at the bottom of this page and send us your comment. If there’s anything defamatory in your comment it won’t get posted. Otherwise though, we’ll add it to the end of this post and mark it as a comment so long as you include your full name in the comment.

To illustrate, here is an email we received earlier today from a BB Camp staffer who wanted to know how he could get a letter to the editor of the Jewish Post published. I gave him the contact information, but I also asked him to send me whatever he was sending to the print paper.

Here is what he wrote (which is also something he said he had sent to the BB Camp Board):

To the BB Camp Board

I am almost at a loss for words to describe what I’m feeling following the board’s recent email announcing the departure of Jacob Brodovsky as co-Executive Director of BB Camp. 

Disgusted, appalled, and ashamed might be good places to start.

I have been a BB camp member for 11 years, the final 4 of which were under Jacob and Lexie’s leadership, both as a camper and as a staff member. During my time at BB, I never felt as welcomed, supported, and empowered as I did with Jacob as my director. In his short time at the helm, I witnessed a meteoric improvement in BB camp life. Our site on Town Island looks fantastic; staff are happy, and more competent; and most importantly, the children who come to Town Island arrive at the safest and most inclusive version of BB camp that there has ever been.

The decision to “amicably part ways” with Jacob is disgraceful. While I was surprised by the publication of Jacob’s social media “likes,” and while I may have considered those “likes” a display of poor judgement, I did and do not feel that his actions were in any way anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist. Jacob has always supported Israeli programming at BB camp, and it was not difficult for me to digest the idea that he might support Israel and also support a ceasefire and the basic human rights of Palestinian people.

The response from the board and from the BB camp community at large have been far more appalling and, frankly, far more violent than anything I have heard Jacob Brodovsky say, or seen him do. The apology he was forced to make, the constant calls for his head, and the harsh, blown out of proportion coverage of Jacob’s social media activities have left me feeling sick to my stomach.

I understand that at this point, little can be done. The Board has made its decision, and there is no going back. But I am incredibly disappointed that you would turn your back on a good person like Jacob Brodovsky; a person who has given much of his life trying to make BB camp a better place and who, in my experience, succeeded.

I have always been proud to be a BB camper – but today, I feel ashamed. With the board’s recent decision, and the community’s response to this issue, I am not sure to what extent my pride can ever recover. That’s a scary feeling, and I hope that you hear it.

Regards,

Elijah Neville

Here’s another email that we had received 2 days ago about the BB Camp affair:

This is an email that l I wrote the Jewish Federation that was never answered:

After receiving a mass email from the federation regarding the current leadership of the BB Camp, I thought it was my responsibility as a Jewish person, a member of this community, and a Jewish scholar and educator to express my discomfort and criticism of what was communicated in this email. 

I do not know Jacob and Lexi nor did I attend the BB camp. I am new in this city and only represent myself and my own opinions. 

I was born and raised in Israel, educated in New York, and moved here a decade ago to teach for the Judaic Studies program at the University of Manitoba where I teach Yiddish, Hebrew, and modern Jewish studies. As a scholar and educator and a practicing Jew, I always advocated for pluralism of opinions and freedom of speech. I also strongly believe that people are entitled to express their opinions freely as long as they have done so as private people. No one should lose their job based on their personal social media activity (as long as they haven’t violated any law), nor should they live in fear.

At the UofM I often teach students who attended your camp and they seem to have had a wonderful experience that made their Jewish identity stronger. This suggests to me that you are doing a good and important job.

In these difficult times, I urge you not to cancel, defame, and censor alternative voices calling for peace and love of all humans. One needs to remember this community heritage of supporting human rights, equality, and democratic values. The heritage of the Peretz school, for instance, who taught students true Yidishkeyt and to be a Mentsh. 

Why make Jews even more isolated than they already are? As an experienced Jewish educator, I think it is important for Jews to show they are not monolithic and can sustain their differences and stay a one big Mishpokhe. 

I ask you to stand up for what is right and allow more nuanced and critical voices to be heard. This will make your campers happy and stronger. 

-Dr. Itay Zutra

Here’s another email:

Thank you. I’ve appreciated your writing regarding the BB Camp Blunder and this new opinion piece had me nodding my head as I read. Your final sentence about remaining on the margins of a community due to its lack of welcoming any view that veers from a very narrow one is one I can relate to. 

The “moral” of this story is of what, exactly? That Jews should be expelled from our community if they feel empathy for others? That Jews should be forced to resign from Jewish workplaces and cultural organizations because they interacted with something online that shows their nuanced levels of care and compassion? His actions were so inoffensive. What are we to learn from this? 

I read a book last year called The Jews of Summer which was a non-fiction book about Jewish summer camps. A huge takeaway for me was that there were tons of options for all types of Jews. There were camps with a Zionist focus, a religious focus, a secular focus, socialist focus, Yiddish focus, etc. This mirrors our city and communities of Jews worldwide who used to be able to have layered conversations and debates about beliefs and culture and politics. Now, that’s been completely abolished. I’d be made a pariah by expressing feelings and opinions that aren’t radical. 

Our heritage is one of wrestling with G-d, repair, ethics, and survival. We seem to have completely “lost the plot” (as the young people say). It’s felt nearly impossible to keep my connections with my culture when Winnipeg’s Jewish community as a whole has been lashing out with fear as their motivator. 

So thank you for writing that opinion piece. It makes me feel less isolated. 

Name withheld by request

Comment received April 25:

Yasher koach to Bernie Bellan for his sharp reporting and equally sharp op-ed on the “sordid BB Camp affair.” Bernie has rightfully pointed out in his reportage how power really operates in the Winnipeg Jewish Community, and how quickly institutions purporting to represent the Jewish community as a whole cave in to pressure groups. Bernie is truly a brave, independent journalistic voice, and a Winnipeg treasure. -Mark Libin

This year, the highly acclaimed Moneymaker Tour is finally coming to Canada for the first time. Previously hosted just across the US, the Moneymaker Tour’s Canadian leg marks only its second time abroad. The first time was last year’s Moneymaker Tour Aruba, which was held in October. During this leg, the Caribbean island country also hosted a USD$200,000 (CAD$285,527) guaranteed Main Event.

Following this successful overseas experience, the team behind the Moneymaker Tour, led by its namesake, Chris Moneymaker himself, will host 23 events in Kahnawake, just some minutes from downtown Montreal.

Chris Moneymaker and his poker legacy

A certified living poker legend, Chris Moneymaker is credited with kickstarting the early 2000s poker boom. A former accountant who qualified via (what was then relatively new) online satellite means, Moneymaker went on to win the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event with a USD$2.5 million (CAD$3.5 million) prize. His win marked a turning point in the industry, as it convinced thousands that poker was now more accessible and promising than ever. Since then, Moneymaker has won multiple bracelets and has been included in the Poker Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Moneymaker has expanded his presence on the felt as a poker pro for ACR Poker, which is the US’ leading online poker site. Since 2001, it’s been known for its huge tourneys, secure gaming and banking methods, and an impressive roster of poker personalities. Moneymaker was officially brought on in this capacity in 2021. In recognition of Chris’ influence, the site has even begun hosting special weekly promotions called The Sunday Moneymaker, which offer supersized guarantees of up to USD$300,000 (CAD$428,397). This is, of course, aside from the Moneymaker Tour itself, which is also hosted in partnership with the operator across several US cities, nearby territories, and now in international locations, like Canada.

What to expect from the Moneymaker Tour in Canada

Set to be held from May 7-20, the Canadian leg of the Moneymaker Tour will be hosted in cooperation with local casino and cardroom Playground. As mentioned above, there will be 23 events, during which there will be a USD$980,343 (CAD$1.4 million) guaranteed prize pool across the board. From May 16 onwards, the events will be dedicated to the Main Event, where there is a USD$350,122 (CAD$500,000) guarantee.

Designed to provide an opportunity for poker players of all skill levels and backgrounds to experience their own extraordinary poker wins inspired by Moneymaker, the tour’s events notably feature considerably lower buy-ins. In the Canadian leg, for instance, the Main Event’s buy-in is only USD$805 (CAD$1,150). With this in mind, reports state that players from across Canada, the US, and other neighboring countries are expected to join in. 

Per executives behind the Moneymaker Tour, this foray into the Canadian poker scene will ideally set the scene for future activations. That said, whether the tour will extend to other provinces is yet to be determined, considering that there are varying stances on gambling. For instance, in Alberta, there are still some delays in regulatory gambling launches. This has pushed back the legal release of potential gaming opportunities, especially in iGaming. However, since most citizens and legislators see the value in exploring this issue positively, it bodes well for any future poker events, including Moneymakers’.

Esports is a rapidly growing industry stemming from the popularity of video games and gaming as a lucrative pastime and activity. Findings from Grand View Research indicate that the Canadian esports market generated $54.7 million in 2023 and is expected to reach $294.4 million by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 27.2%. As of 2023, Canada accounts for 2.4% of the global esports market revenue and is the fastest-growing regional market in North America. Similar to sports events like the Pan American Maccabi Games, esports games nowadays are streamed and readily accessible on platforms like YouTube and Twitch.

Today, some of the biggest esports names in the world stem from Canada. The growing list includes Call of Duty League team Toronto Ultra and the now-defunct Overwatch team Toronto Defiant. Former Counter-Strike professional and one of the biggest gaming Twitch streamers, shroud, also hails from Toronto, along with former Valorant teammate and two-time champion TenZ, who was born in Nanaimo, Canada.

It seems no coincidence, then, that many of the biggest global esports events have taken place in Toronto. This year, the industry’s biggest esports titles are bringing major events — including a championship finale — to The Megacity. Below, we’ll look at some of the major esports events taking place in Toronto in 2025:

Call of Duty League Championship

One of the biggest esports events to take place in Toronto this year is the Call of Duty League (CDL) Championship. The fast-paced first-person shooter from Blizzard has maintained a thriving esports scene modeled after traditional sports leagues, where teams are named after and based in North American cities, such as Atlanta FaZe or reigning champions OpTic Texas. Last year, the CDL Championship bracket culminated in OpTic Texas dominating the New York Subliners and claiming victory on homeground. The tournament was held in Allen, Texas in July, and OpTic Texas brought home $800,000 for taking first place. Notably, Toronto Ultra bagged $320,000 for coming in third following a grueling lower-bracket run.

Hosting the CDL Championship event in Toronto will be a great morale boost for the team, allowing them to game with a home crowd advantage. Toronto-based CoD fans who want to bet on Call of Duty will benefit from a better vantage point by attending live games, and they’ll be able to witness how everything unfolds in real-time. Esports betting platform Thunderpick features various odds like Futures and Under/Over, and being able to see teams’ and players’ mood and morale throughout the tournament can help fans make more informed betting decisions for long-term bets like Futures.

Valorant Champions Tour: Masters Toronto

Another major esports event happening in Toronto in June is part of Riot Games’ Valorant esports circuit. The game’s esports department recently introduced new changes to the esports league for 2025, including an expanded calendar to shorten the offseason and provide teams with more rest and preparation time between competitions. While the recently concluded Kickoff tournament concluded to determine the top two teams from each region heading to Bangkok, Thailand, for Masters Bangkok, Stage 1 will see teams compete to qualify for Masters Toronto.

The Valorant Champions Tour’s (VCT) Masters events are high-stakes inter-regional tournaments pitting the best of the best teams from around the world. Many Masters-winning teams in the past have remained formidable and iconic rosters and players through the years. The coveted list includes the only team to hold two Masters trophies, Sentinels, and players like FNATIC’s Chronicle, who was the first player to bag two Masters trophies (under two different orgs). Doing well at this year’s Masters Toronto will help set the tone for teams looking to make deep runs at VCT Champions Paris and even lift the final trophy.

League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational

Finally, another Riot Games esports title, League of Legends, is also taking the best teams from around the world to Toronto for the Mid-Season Invitation. Commonly referred to as MSI, it’s the first cross-regional competition of the annual LoL esports schedule. In May 2024, MSI was held in Chengdu, China. South Korean team Gen.G won the event and scored a direct pass to the eventual Worlds event in South Korea.

The new rule is also in effect for the 2025 LoL esports season, so avid League of Legends will have to tune into MSI 2025 in Toronto to get a better idea of which teams will be making it to the 2025 Worlds event, set to take place in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. Of course, MSI results are only a part of the puzzle. For example, legendary LoL player Faker and his team T1 only bagged third place at MSI 2024 but went on to win Worlds for the second consecutive year after winning 2023 as well.