Local News
Abells Brothers injecting youth into community leadership ranks
By MYRON LOVE Brothers Bradley and Harlan Abells have followed similar paths in their lives. They both attended Brock Corydon School’s Hebrew bilingual program. They are both relatively recent graduates of the Asper School of Business. They are both pursuing careers working with numbers – Harlan notes that their zaidy, Chartered Accountant Saul Guttman, is their role model. both for Harlan – a CPA since July of last year who is currently working for People Corporation; and for Bradley – who earned his actuarial designation three years ago and works for Canada Life. And they are each injecting youth into leadership roles in long-established community institutions.
Last month, Bradley assumed the role of vice-president of Jewish Child and Family Service at the JCFS Annual General Meeting. (June was momentous for Bradley in another way as well, with his marriage to Kayla Rosen.)
“I was looking for a way to give back to the community,” says Bradley who, in his teen years was active in BBYO and served as a counsellor at Camp Massad. “I was interested in the work social workers do, and it was suggested to me to approach JCFS.”
That was just two years ago. Bradley’s introduction to the organization came as a member of both the Finance Committee and the Human Resources Committee. He later joined the Investment Committee.
“I didn’t know a lot of what the JCFS did before I began volunteering,” he says. “I have been very impressed by the wide range of services that the JCFS offers our community and what a difference it makes in the lives of so many people.”
As reported elsewhere in this paper, JCFS’s new president is Elena Grinshteyn, whose family was itself a client of the JCFS when Elena and her husband, Konstantin, along with their baby daughter, first came to Winnipeg from Israel nearly 20 years ago.
Whereas Bradley Abells has chosen at this juncture to give back through the JCFS, younger brother Harlan is devoting his time to the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, where he was also elevated to vice-president.
“I had just started my working career in 2020 when Mark Kantor (the current JHCWC president) approached me about joining the board,’ notes Harlan who, in his younger days was a Massad camper and was later active in BBYO. “The daughter of a friend of Mark’s is a good friend of mine. The organization was in need of a treasurer and Mark reached out to me.
“I like what we do at JHCWC,” he continues. “I am particularly impressed by the extensive archival collection and I appreciate the JHC’s Holocaust education mandate. It is nice to be included in this important work.”
Both Harlan and Bradley believe that it is important to encourage more younger people to get involved in supporting our community’s institutions. They are certainly good role models.
Local News
The Jewish Post Ltd.’s brand new website
Click here to be taken to our new website featuring foods you can find on Facebook Marketplace
Local News
First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
Local News
Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”

