By MYRON LOVE Congregational leaders in our community are, for the most part, quite pleased with Tom Tov attendance this past Yom Tov.
“We sold out our seats,” reports Dr. Rena Secter Elbaze , the Shaarey Zedek’s  executive director.
The remodeled and expanded Shaarey Zedek, our community’s oldest and largest congregation,  has a capacity of about 900 in the main sanctuary – with an additional 250 for the separate Family Service downstairs.
Once again, this year, the popular Rabbi Emeritus Alan Green – who was the Shaarey Zedek’s senior rabbi for 18 years – returned to lead Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in the main sanctuary with Cantor Leslie Emery, the Quartet, and the Ruach Volunteer Choir. Rabbi Anibal Mass led the popular family service with Noah Trachtenberg, a Youth Band and the Dor Chadash Youth Choir.
 
Shaarey Zedek has, over the past few years, built a substantial following for its Shabbat and Yom Tov services online.  Elbaze notes though that the number of people participating in Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur servicers online this year was considerably lower.  That was because, she says, many of those congregants were eager to come back to the shul – which just re-opened a couple of months ago after being closed for  three years due to construction – and daven in person.  
 
 
“We were essentially sold out for Yom Tov by early September,” reports Jonathan Buchwald, Congregation. Etz Chayim’s executive director.   “Our members were really excited about our first Yom Tov in our new building.” 
By necessity – in reflecting the congregation’s slowly declining membership numbers –  the new Etz Chayim – at 1155 Wilkes Avenue – is considerably smaller than its predecessor.  To accommodate the demand for Yom Kippur seating in particular, Buchwald had earlier reported, the Kol Nidre service was to be held at the Holiday Inn  Express at the airport – and there were two services for Yom Kippur day.
Buchwald notes that 335 were in attendance for the first services on Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur service and 120 for the second service on Rosh Hashanah – with 450 for Kol Nidre at the hotel. There were 250 for Neilah and 50 for the Young Family services. About 150 followed online.
As usual, Rabbi Kliel Rose and Cantor Tracy Kasner led Etz Chayim’s High Holiday services – with a separate family service geared toward families with young children as well as a Junior Congregation.
Over at Temple Shalom, our community’s 60-year Reform congregation,Past President Ruth Livingston says  that there was “good enthusiasm” for Yom Tov and that the congregation members were very happy  with the services led by cantorial soloist Janet Pelletier Goetz as well as long time Temple Shalom member Myriam  Saitman – who is set to begin training in September toward her rabbinical  ordination – and, for the first time, choir leader Erica Tallis –a  2020 graduate of the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba.

For the second year in a row, South end Winnipeg further offered a fourth liberal Jewish option in the form of Rabbi Matthew Leibl’s “Services on the River: A Modern High Holidays.”
The former Shaarey Zedek – and now independent – rabbi’s services were held once again at The Gates on Roblin – which can accommodate up to 300. Last year, Leibl reported in an earlier interview, about 250 people attended his service. He was expecting to have similar number this year.”
 “Services on the River: A modern High Holidays” services were scheduled for the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Erev Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur morning. The services also featured the husband and wife cantorial team of Justin Odwak and Sarah Sommer.
All services were 90 minutes.  

Still with the South End, Jack Craven president of Orthodox congregation Adas Yeshurun Herzlia says that people are happy that things are back to normal.  “We had a good crowd for Yom Tov,” he says.
The congregation – led by Rabbi Yossi Benarroch  – has a membership of about 100  and can accommodate up to 250.  

 “We were filled up for Rosh Hashonah and Yom kippur,” notes Rabbi Avroham Altein, Winnipeg’s senior Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi of the south end Lubavitch Centre.  “We also had a full house for Erev Simchas Torah.”
The Lubavitch Centre has a capacity of between 200 and 300.
 
The Simkin Centre also held Yom Tov services – on all three days – that were open to the general public.  The services were led by Steven Hyman with the Simkin Centre Choir under the direction of Bonnie Antel.

In the North End, the Conservative egalitarian Chevra Mishnayes congregation –  the largest congregation in that part of the city with the relocation of Etz Chayim south – saw a bit of a bump in  attendance.
“We had 20 new people this year,” reports Chevta Mishnayes President Rob Waldman.  “This is the first time that we have seen an uptake in attendance for Yom Tov since before the Covid lockdowns.”
Last year, just under100 came to the Garden city shul for Yom Tov.
This year’s service were once again led by Al Benarroch.

About 18 months ago, a new North End Orthodox congregation came into being as a result of the merger of the struggling Chavurat Tefila and Talmud Torah Beth Jacob members.  The renamed Chavurat Tefila Talmud Torah Congregation – located at on the corner of Hartford and McGregor in West Kildonan – attracted between 40 and 50 daveners for its first Yom Tov services last year last year and about the same number this year.
Services at the shul this year were led by Cantor Menachem Frenkel from Silver Spring, MD.
“Cantor Frenkel was recommended by a friend and member of the shul,” says Cary Rubenfeld, the shul’s treasurer and spokesperson.  “He was quite well received by the congregation.  He is a multi-talented ba’al tefilah.  He brought with him an extensive range of traditional and contemporary melodies which the congregants enjoyed.”  

The venerable House of Ashkenazie, the last of our community’s old-style Orthodox congregations, was once again the only shul to report a bit of a decline in attendance from last year – with attendance for Yom Tov hovering around 30.  Shul President Gary Minuk avers though that the Ashkenazie – which still holds services throughout the year on Thursday mornings – will continue to carry on “as long as we can still make minyans.”

Our community’s most northerly High Holiday services were held at Camp Massad. After a two year absence due to the Covid lockdowns,  Camp Massad resumed its innovative Rosh Hashanah service last year.  In pre-Covid times, Massad executive director Danial Sprintz noted last year,  Rosh Hashanah at Massad had attracted as many as 150 participants.  In 2023, 90 attended.  This year’s attendance, he reports, was slightly higher.
“Our people were excited to come together,” he says.  “We always offer a creative and interactive service that combines some traditional prayers with contemporary readings, folk music and our usual Camp Massad shtick.”