Opinion
What Jim Carr & Gail Asper had in common
By BERNIE BELLAN The juxtaposition of two stories on this website – about the death of Jim Carr and the appointment of Anita Wortzman as the new President of the Asper Foundation was not done by coincidence.
As our Jewish community here has evolved new leaders have emerged to take the places of those who have gone before them. The names Carr and Asper have been synonymous with a kind of community-minded selflessness for many years now.
And, while the Asper Foundation has been led by several very capable individuals, including its soon-to-be retiring Executive Director, Moe Levy, it is undoubtedly true that Gail Asper has been the face of that organization since she stepped in to take over the role that her late father, Israel Asper, had in establishing the Asper Foundation as a pivotal supporter of Jewish causes, not only here in Winnipeg, but around the world.
What I also found interesting about both Jim and Gail was that both grew up in the south end of the city, but neither attended a Jewish school. Yet, they both were deeply supportive of the State of Israel – Gail in ways that are quite apparent and which she has demonstrated throughout her career in her championing of philanthropic initiatives for the Jewish State, but Jim also in his own way by working to enhance dialogue between Jews and Arabs and, in his capacity as a Federal Minister, working to expand trade ties between Canada and Israel.
In so many ways Jim Carr and Gail Asper had the same kind of magnetism that led people to feel so comfortable in their presence. It was always so easy to talk to Jim, as it is to Gail. There was no pretense or putting on airs with those two. Their eternal optimism – in Gail’s case as she fought for years to get the Human Rights Museum built – and in Jim’s case as he fought a horrific battle against cancer, was quite remarkable.
Lesser individuals would have given up hope long before they both continued to persevere in their determination to see things through. In Gail’s case it was more a matter of continuing to rally support for a cause that at times seemed dangerously close to being lost, but in Jim’s case it was an insistence on not letting his own physical deterioration distract from his duty as a representative of Manitoba within the Federal Government.
Now that Gail is stepping down from her role as President of the Asper Foundation – to be succeeded by Anita Wortzman (who will be assuming both the role of President of the Foundation in addition to that of Executive Director), it will be interesting to see how high a profile Gail will continue to maintain.
It’s hard to imagine that a woman of such incredible energy and talent will recede into the shadows. Yet, in Anita Wortzman the Asper Foundation has found a woman of considerable talent who has also played a very important role in many Jewish organizations. I note, for instance, that in August of this year we reported on the successful effort of the “Friends of Town Island” to raise $2.85 million for the purchase from the Town of Kenora of that portion of Town Island (home to BB Camp) which was not already owned by BB Camp. That fundraising campaign was led by Anita Wortzman, along with Leah Leibl.
Our Jewish community has always had leaders who possessed great vision and whose contributions paved the way for future generations to reap the benefits of that vision. Whether it was building the enormous number of synagogues that at one time existed in this community, the schools that have educated tens of thousands of Jewish youngster over the years, the camps that have offered a vibrant Jewish atmosphere for Jewish kids, the community centres that have provided a rich panoply of services, and the institutions, such as Jewish Child and Family Service – which has attended to the psychological and often the financial needs of members of our community who are in need of help, it was men and women who had the foresight to lay the foundations of a community that is often the envy of other Jewish communities across North America who we must always remember.
Yet, at the same time as the foundation for a Jewish community that can exist for years to come has been laid, there are so many cracks that have emerged in that foundation it would be naïve to think that the existence of the Jewish community here has been safeguarded for the indefinite future.
Recently I was informed that a long-surviving institution known as the “North End Jewish Choir” is about to go out of existence. The reasons, as it emerged from within an email which I received, are twofold: There is a lack of members to sustain a viable choir and two, even if there were sufficient members, there is no venue available in which to practice.
Perhaps not a great many readers of this paper will care that another Yiddish institution here is about to fold. I am often asked why this paper still carries a Yiddish column when there may be so many fewer readers who can even read it? I do it because it’s always been an important tradition in this paper and to me, it’s symbolic of what a Jewish newspaper should be: one eye toward the future but still with a healthy respect for what was once an integral part of Jewish life in this city.
At the same time I’m asked why we don’t have a Hebrew column or perhaps a Spanish or Russian column? The answer is not that we don’t have room for any of those; it’s that we don’t have anyone to write them. At one time, if you can believe it, we had a Russian column and a Spanish column, in addition to our usual Yiddish column. And, while we had the occasional Hebrew column as well, it was not a regular feature of this paper simply because we couldn’t find a columnist who was willing to contribute a regular Hebrew column.
Of course, with the advent of social media, members of our community who speak any number of different languages can easily find a Facebook page that caters to their interests in a language with which they are most comfortable, so it would be naïve to think that this paper could attract new readers by offering columns in Hebrew or some other language.
As we are about to enter 2023 there are some momentous changes in the offing for our Jewish community, including the putative move of Etz Chayim Congregation to a new home on Wilkes Avenue, the continued renovation of the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, and the uncertain state of the Rady JCC.
Why do I use the expression “uncertain state” with reference to the Rady JCC? The reason, quite simply, is that the Rady JCC has lost so many members ever since Covid first emerged in 2020 that, had it not been for a huge amount of government infusions of cash, I doubt it would still be around today. It might come as a surprise to readers who have been seeing regular advertisements in this paper for Rady JCC programs over the past few months, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret: All those ads have been run free of charge.
I can’t think of an institution in this community that is more important to our future than the Rady JCC and I have pledged to do whatever I can to help sustain that institution as it battles back from the terrible effect Covid has had on its bottom line – both in financial terms and in loss of members.
While individuals such as Jim Carr and Gail Asper can never be replaced, there will always be other leaders who will come along and at least try to provide the inimitable leadership that both Jim and Gail have provided, and synagogues may continue to close going forward, but it will never be possible to replace a Rady JCC. Let’s hope that 2023 emerges with some really positive news about the future of our community’s hallmark institution.
In one final nod to the story that continues to haunt Jews, there is no shortage of headlines detailing yet more incidents of brazen antisemitism. We could fill the pages of this paper with stories that are shocking in how much they demonstrate that antisemitism has now become normalized throughout the world. Not only does Myron Love do an excellent job of describing a story that was sen
t to me by so many different individuals: how a University of Toronto professor of medicine decided to expose the blatant antisemitsm that pervades that institution, at the same time there was another similar story – this time coming from Berkley, California – a hotbed of anti Israel sentiment.
Apparently a pro-Palestinian group in the law faculty there passed a resolution that would prevent invitations being extended to “speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views … in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.” Given Berkley’s reputation as a bastion of radical leftist ideology, it’s hardly surprising that a resolution of that sort would be passed there. And, even if you’re critical of Israeli policy toward Palestinians, a resolution of that sort would prevent anyone who might have something favourable to say about Israel from speaking to students at the Berkley law faculty.
That story about Berkley along with the story about the U of T Faculty of Medicine might not be indicative of anything going on elsewhere, but it simply adds to the discomfort Jews on campuses everywhere are feeling when it comes to espousing pro-Israel sentiments.
Features
Did the Jewish Federation’s stepping in to force the firing of BB Camp co-executive director Jacob Brodovsky lead to the further alienating of many young Jews from the community?
(June 8, 2024) Introduction: We received the following email from a young Jewish Winnipegger re the BB Camp controversy, which we’ve reported on extensively on this website. We thought it important to post the email as a separate piece rather than as an add-on to an article in which we printed other emails from readers expressing their disappointment at what happened to Jacob Brodovsky, the former co-executive director of BB Camp:
Dear Mr. Bellan,
Thank you for once again cutting through the noise with your April 23rd column, “What the sordid BB Camp affair says about our community.” Your clarity and courage in calling out our rush to judgment and our narrowing definition of “Jewish identity” are deeply appreciated, especially by those of us who feel increasingly alienated in Winnipeg.
I also want to share a troubling observation about one of the loudest voices attacking Jacob Brodovsky: theJ.ca. Their articles—bylines like “Ron East” or “TheJ.ca Staff”—are, in fact, almost entirely generated by artificial intelligence. They contain no verifiable sourcing, frequently hallucinate details, and appear to be little more than a far-right newsletter running smear campaigns under the guise of “journalism.” The entire BB Camp series reads like an AI trained on extremist talking points, regurgitated daily to bully our community into silence.
As a young Jew in Winnipeg, I—and many of my peers—are horrified by the transformation we’re witnessing. What was once a warm, progressive community is now dominated by:
Bigots and Bullies: Parents threatening to pull their kids unless the camp bows to extremist demands.
Florida-style Republican Judaism: A narrow, intolerant ideology portrayed as the only “true” Jewishness.
Collapsing Leadership: Our Jewish Federation leaders, including Jeff Lieberman, have shown they lack the vision or backbone to navigate this crisis.
We stand at a dangerous inflection point. Our community is on the verge of a total and irreversible fascist takeover—an outcome no amount of regret or retrospective apologies can undo.
Please consider reading firsthand accounts from community members who have bravely spoken out:
I know this letter is anonymous and won’t be published, but I hope you see it as proof that many of us are desperate for ethical, forward-looking leadership. Thank you again for using your platform to remind us what Jewish community should mean: diversity of thought, compassion for all people, and the moral courage to call out extremism—no matter where it comes from.
This was NEVER a community of far-right Israelis. This is a shame beyond words.
With gratitude and urgency,
A Concerned Young Jew in Winnipeg
Post script: We had heard from many different sources (who all asked to remain anonymous) that the Jewish Federation’s decision to force the BB Camp board to fire Jacob Brodovsky came as a result of pressure from one or more big donors to the Combined Jewish Appeal. We sent an email to Jeff Lieberman, asking Jeff whether the Jewish Federation’s decision to force the resignation of Jacob Brodovsky as co-executive director of BB Camp came as a result of a donor (or donors) to the Combined Jewish Appeal threatening to withdraw their donation(s) this year unless Jacob were fired. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn that Jeff did not bother responding to my request for information.
The Jewish Federation used to advertise elections to its board in The Jewish Post & News for many years, but no longer does so (in the Jewish Post). Instead, it submits a slate of new appointees to its board to members of the current board to be rubber stamped. Is it any surprise that the donors who contribute the most money call the shots for the Federation (which is as its always been. The only difference is the Jewish Federation and the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council before it used to operate with a patina of democracy. Sadly, that is no longer the case.)
We would urge anyone on the Federation board who could give information about what led the board to force the resignation of Jacob Brodovsky to contact us. We would give full anonymity, as we have to the writer of the above letter.
-Bernie Bellan
Local News
Is It Alberta’s Turn to Regulate Online Gambling? Looking at the Possibilities
Online gambling and betting in Canada is booming, with each province allowed to regulate its own space. Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, turned two this year after leading the way in April 2022. In what should motivate Alberta and other provinces, Ontario is already reaping the rewards, generating $100 million annually in gambling revenue. Will the local administration in Alberta do what is needed?
Talks have been rife that Alberta is considering going the Ontario way by having an open-licensing system. In July 2023, the minister for Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, issued a mandate to make this province a hub of online sports betting and gambling.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently asked Nally to cooperate with indigenous partners and other stakeholders to develop an online gaming strategy. The main focus will be on revenue generation and responsible gambling. In light of this, Nally said Alberta’s primary focus is becoming a “leading hub for iGaming” with streamlined regulations and low corporate taxes. Such conditions should position Alberta to become a leading iGaming destination.
A few weeks ago, the minister attended the ICE international gaming conference held in London. Together with Ontario’s Attorney General, Doug Downey, and other stakeholders, Nally participated in a roundtable discussion regarding the status of iGaming in Canada. CDC Gaming Reports also revealed that the discussion highlighted the success of iGaming in Ontario and how Alberta can emulate this success story.
Looking into the Alberta Budget 2024, it’s evident that state monopoly could soon give way to Canadian casinos to thrive in the province. Alberta took the first baby steps towards a more liberal gambling sector after setting aside $1 million for gambling. This budget will support the looming review of the Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Act and supporting Regulation. The idea is to review the entire regulatory framework to find more funding ways for Alberta charities and community projects.
Major operators like BetMGM, PointsBet, and PokerStars have since hired lobbyists to ensure commercial operators become a reality in Alberta. Speaking to investors and industry analysts in March this year, PointsBet CEO Sam Swanell tipped Alberta and British Columbia to legalize online betting soon. He noted that this could provide the much-needed expansion of that TAM.
Alberta is yet to take full advantage of online gambling despite being the country’s fourth-largest province, with around 4.3 million people. Smaller markets in North America, such as West Virginia and Connecticut, are already benefiting from commercialized online gambling. The good news is that noises about legal online gambling are getting louder in Alberta. It’s just a matter of when the government will make the announcement.
What Next for Online Gambling and Betting in Alberta?
Including a $1 million gambling review budget is definitely a step in the right direction. However, there’s still much to do to end Alberta’s long-standing gambling status quo. But at least the budget opens the door for further discussions and reforms regarding iGaming in Alberta. That discussion has been underway, although the momentum has increased in the last year or so.
As it stands, PlayAlberta.ca is the only regulated online gaming platform in Alberta. It’s a government-run website operated by the AGLC (Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis). Besides casino games, this website provides sports betting and lottery-style gaming experiences. The legal sign-up age on PlayAlberta.ca is 18 years.
For Albertans who prefer more gambling freedom, the government doesn’t restrict anyone from joining offshore operators. Most gaming sites operating in Alberta are licensed in Curacao, the UK, and Malta. Compared to PlayAlberta.ca, these websites provide a more extensive variety of games, rewards, and general experience.
In conclusion, it’s just a matter of when Alberta will introduce an open-licensing market. This approach has proved to be a success elsewhere, especially in Ontario. A recent Ipsos report in Ontario revealed that only 13.6% of the residents prefer to gamble on offshore websites. Alberta could soon follow this path, although there’s much work to do to realize this dream.
Opinion
Hamas savages make no distinction between Israeli Jews, Arabs
By MYRON LOVE I remember many years ago attending a presentation by Simon Wiesenthal, the world’s leading Nazi hunter, during which he made the point that the focus of Holocaust education should not be on the number six million – the number of estimated Jews who were murdered – but rather on the 12 million martyrs – including other targeted groups such as the Roma, people who were gay, the mentally and physically handicapped and the many great many Slavic people who were also murdered. After the Jews, the Slavs were next on the list.
By focusing strictly on Germans killing Jews, he observed, it became too easy to make it out to be only Germans versus Jews – thereby making it easier for Holocaust deniers and absolving the other European peoples who were complicit in the killings.
Similarly, while we naturally mourn our Jewish brethren who were so horribly slaughtered on October 7, we need to also bear in mind that Hamas made no distinction in its murderous rampage between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs or between Israelis and foreign workers.
In a posting for The Gatestone Institute on November 30, Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh noted that he Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7 did not slaughter Jews alone. The terrorists also murdered and kidnapped scores of Muslim citizens of Israel, including members of the Bedouin community. The terrorists’ murder spree made zero distinction between young and old, Muslim and Jew.
“Scores of Arab Israelis were wounded, murdered or taken prisoner,” he reported.
One such brave individual was 23-year-old Awad Darawshe, an Arab-Israeli paramedic who was on duty at the music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, which was among the first locations under attack. When the medical staff on site were ordered to flee, he insisted on remaining behind to treat the wounded.
Abu Toameh suggests that the paramedic thought that because he was Arab, he could reason with the killers. He was murdered nonetheless.
Another courageous Arab-Israeli that the writer noted, 50-year-old Abed al-Rahman Alnasasrah, was murdered by Hamas terrorists when he attempted to rescue people from the music festival. He was married and a father of six children.
Fatima Altallaqat, 35, from the Bedouin village near Ofakim, was murdered while working with her husband near the city of Ofakim in southern Israel. She was a mother of nine children, the eldest nine years old.
Abu Toameh quotes her husband as saying: “We’re a religious Muslim family and she wore the traditional headdress of a devout woman. It is inconceivable they [Hamas terrorists] could not see who was inside [the car]. They were five meters away from her as they passed.”
Forty bullets were fired into her.
Abu Toameh further cites the comments of Suleiman Zayadneh, brother and uncle, respectively, to four of the Arab-Israeli hostages, who describes himself “as proud to be a Palestinian and Muslim”.
‘The people who came to shoot and kill — they know nothing of religion,” the writer quoted Zayadneh as saying. “These [Hamas] people came and killed left and right.”
Abu Toameh went on to reference the words of Nuseir Yassin, a video blogger with 65 million followers. Two days after the massacre, he wrote: “I realized that… to a terrorist invading Israel, all citizens are targets. More than 40 of them [the murdered] are Arabs. Killed by other Arabs. And I do not want to live under a Palestinian government. Which means I only have one home, even if I’m not Jewish: Israel…. So from today forward, I view myself as… Israeli first. Palestinian second. Sometimes it takes a shock like this to see so clearly.”
Abu Toameh reported that “there have been many storie about reciprocal inter-communal generosity and heroism in the aftermath of this national tragedy, and they create hope for the future”.
He quoted a statement by the Darwashe Family:
“We are very proud of Awad’s actions… This is what we would expect from him and what we expect from everyone in our family — to be human, to stay human and to die human.”
Abu Toameh also quoted Ali Alziadna, four of whose family members were kidnapped, as saying that he was “touched by the outpouring of support” by other Israelis.
“People from all over the country have come to hug and support our family,” Alziadna said. “The entire nation is one family now.”
Abu Toameh pointed out that many Arab citizens of Israel serve as IDF officers and policemen, risking their lives for their fellow Israelis. Many are serving at the front lines, saving lives.
Undoubtedly, Abu Toameh suggested, one of the objectives of the Hamas massacre, in addition to slaughtering as many Israelis as possible, was to thwart normalization between Israel and Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. Hamas may also have aimed to damage relations between Jews and Arabs inside Israel.
”The terror group was, without doubt, hoping that we would witness another cycle of violence between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, similar to that which erupted in May 2021,’ Abu Toameh posited. “Then, Hamas succeeded in inciting a large number of Arab citizens of Israel to take to the streets and attack their Jewish neighbors and Israeli police officers.
“This time, however, the Arab-Israelis have not heeded the calls by Hamas. One reason is that Arab-Israelis saw, with their own eyes, how Hamas terrorists make no distinction between Jews and Muslims.
“Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated that it cares nothing for the well-being of Arabs and Muslims. From their luxury homes and hotel rooms in the safety of Qatar and Turkey, Hamas leaders give the orders to attack Israel and then sit back and let the world weep over the destruction they wrought upon their own people.
“On October 7,” Abu Toameh concluded, “Hamas metaphorically shot itself in the foot by showing the world, with unfathomably ghoulish pride, by way of Go-Pro cameras and other self-documentation, that it has neither a religious nor a secular-humanist set of values. Perhaps the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip should look at the Arab citizens of Israel and note how they enjoy equal rights, democracy, freedom of speech and a free media. If Palestinians wish to live well, like the Arab-Israelis, this is the time for them to get rid of Hamas and all the terror leaders who, for seven decades, have brought them nothing but one disaster after another.”
It is too bad that so many gullible fools in our Western societies refuse to open their eyes to the truth.