Local News
BB Camp reverses decision to retain Jacob Brodovsky as co-director
BB Camp parts ways with co-director, who had held a variety of positions at BB Camp for the past 15 years
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted April 17) In an email just issued by BB Camp, the camp’s Board of Directors has announced that “the Board of Directors and co-Executive Director Jacob Brodovsky have amicably agreed to part ways, having regard to the best interests of the Camp and the community at large.”
There is no mention in the announcement as to the status of Brodovsky’s co-director (also his wife), Lexi Yurman.
The decision announced today constitutes a complete reversal of the Board’s earlier decision to retain Brodovsky as co-director. The Board had issued a statement on April 9 in which it said that “After conducting painstaking due diligence, the BB Camp Board of Directors unanimously voted to retain Co-Executive Director, Jacob Brodovsky, following his full apology for his serious error in judgement on social media.”
The statement by the board issued today (April 17) goes on to say that “the Camp Board expressly and unequivocally rejects and denounces the nature and content of the social media posts that were ‘liked’ (by Brodovsky) and in no way does that personal activity reflect the views of BB Camp or its Board.”
That statement refers to several social media posts which were posted by someone (or perhaps a group) that goes by the name “Rusty Robot,” which were posted in the spring of 2024, and to which Jacob Brodovsky attached his name as “liking” them.
There had been a myriad of accusations levelled against Brodovsky on social media, and one website in particular had been leading the charge to have him dismissed. That website not only ran several articles demanding that Brodovsky be fired, it allowed a slew of comments to be posted – many of which contained highly incendiary accusations against Brodovsky. (There were also a great many comments coming to his defence.)
In its announcement of Brodovsky and the camp parting ways, the Board goes into great detail about where certain areas of the camp’s operation need to be strengthened. The announcement says “Through this period, we have undertaken a careful and thoughtful review of our Camp’s policies and have taken guidance from experts in the community. While we believe strongly that the Camp has been, and will continue to be, a safe Jewish place for children, we have nonetheless identified areas where improvement is warranted, and the Board has agreed to pursue these steps to benefit the Camp.”
The announcement outlines the areas in which it is seeking to improve certain aspects of the camp experience:
- The Board has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and will incorporate it into our Code of Conduct. We believe taking this step gives formality to the Camp’s existing and unbending commitment to Jewish safety and outright rejection of any form of antisemitism or anti-Zionism. Our adoption of the IHRA definition will be posted to our website.
- We will review and update the Camp’s mission statement and core values statement to better reflect the Camp’s fundamental support of Israel.
- Employees and Board members will be required to sign the Code of Conduct, which will outline support of the IHRA definition and include confirmation that they will not publicly promote ideas that are contrary to the mission of the Camp or which are contrary to the IHRA definition.
- We will take steps to hire a Jewish Education Coordinator to develop and implement enhanced Jewish and Israeli programming at Camp.
- We will strike a community outreach sub-committee of the Board to formally engage with Israeli and other community organizations in order to repair relationships and enhance opportunities for collaboration.
- We will take steps to ensure that all Camp staff have a formal ability to communicate directly with the Board.
Yet, nowhere does the Board describe in any way how Brodovsky failed to meet any of the areas which the Board says it will seek to strengthen. It does say though that “Our campers will continue to do what they have been doing for decades: proudly sing Hatikvah daily while the Israeli flag is lowered, participate in meaningful and inclusive daily prayer services, enjoy the “Shabbat Procession” and Friday challah, and feel a connection to Israel and Judaism through our programming.”
Further, the announcement issued by the Board also says that the Board “would like to highlight we were particularly proud of what our Executive Directors initiated last year to support Israelis in need. They engaged with the community to raise funds which were used to bring young Israeli campers from destroyed communities in the Gaza envelope, along with a chaperone, to Camp for a session. This provided an incredible relief to those kids and gave our community’s kids a chance to connect with Israelis who have suffered so greatly.”
It should also be noted that the Board of the Jewish Federation issued a statement on April 14 that gave a forewarning that the BB Camp Board was coming under great pressure to part ways with Brodovsky.
The Federation statement said: “We are aware of the concerning situation regarding BB Camp.
“While BB Camp is governed by its own board of directors and operates independently — as do all of the Federation’s beneficiary agencies — we have listened closely to the concerns of community members, whose trust in the camp has been shaken. The Federation takes these concerns with the utmost seriousness. “Our Executive has already held a number of emergency meetings, and our Board will be meeting on Tuesday night to further discuss the matter. A formal statement will be shared with the community this week.” If there is a statement issued by the Federation we will provide an update to what is clearly an ongoing story. How the camp will reorganize itself this close to the opening of camp season is not explained in the announcement issued by the BB Camp Board. What it does say is that “The Board is actively working on a transition plan that ensures that Camp operates as it always has – as a safe Jewish place for campers to spend their summers, build leadership skills and create memories in an incredible wilderness environment. The Board has great confidence in our returning staff team, including our exceptionally talented Operations, Program and Wilderness Directors, each of whom held the same position last year. Camp has a culture guided by the dozens of amazing staff who commit their time and energy for the benefit of our community’s children. We are blessed to have a strong and capable staff team ready to welcome our campers this summer, and the Board will work hand in hand with them to ensure the Camp’s continued success.” |
Hats off to that hateful website which played such an instrumental role in seeing the departure of someone whom the Camp Board thanks for his “tireless efforts for the Camp over the last four years as Co-Executive Director and his dedicated service in a variety of Camp positions over the last 15 years.” If there is anything more to report on this story, we will do our best to do that here, but in past instances of administrators of Jewish organizations in Winnipeg leaving suddenly, it has consistently been the practice of neither the board involved in that person’s departure nor the person – him or herself, to say anything for public consumption that might explain their sudden departure.
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
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
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
