Local News
Camp Massad returns this summer with a new staff person: Camping Caring Director
By BERNIE BELLAN After a two-year hiatus from having regular sleepover camp, Camp Massad began to return to normal camping last summer.
However, with the world still in the grip of the Covid pandemic, it was no surprise that registration for Massad in the summer of 2022 was its lowest levels ever: just 90 campers in both the first and second sessions combined.
This summer though, things are looking up, with 130 campers registered so far – and with room for more if anyone is still interested in sending their kids to camp.
However, that number is still a far cry short of the 200 campers who were at Massad the summer of 2019 – the last summer before the Covid pandemic hit.
For many campers returning to camp – or attending for the very first time, can be a much more daunting experience than was the case prior to Covid. The effects of social isolation were profound for many kids and, even though it’s nice to think that “we can put Covid behind us,” it’s not such a simple matter for many in the youngest generation who spent some of the most formative years in their lives dealing not only with social isolation, but mask wearing requirements and distancing while at school and elsewhere.
As a result of those pressures – along with all the other pressures that come with growing up in a world where social media – and its often crippling effects on young minds, also plays an outsized role, particularly among adolescents –this coming summer, Camp Massad will be having a new staff person on site whose title will be “Camping Care Director.”
The person who will be filling that role will be Dorit Kosmin, who also wears the title of “Rabbanit” as the wife of Etz Chayim Congregation Rabbi Kliel Rose.
Recently I had the chance to participate in a Zoom call with Dorit, also with Ian Baruch, who will be filling the role of Camp Massad Director of Engagement and Programming for the first time; and with Danial Sprintz, who is now in his 13th year as Camp Massad Executive Director.
We began the call by discussing just what role it is that Dorit will be assuming.
Dorit said that her title in Hebrew will be “Mashgichah Ruchanit,” which she translated as “Supervisor of the Soul” in English. As well, she noted, she will also be responsible for kashrut supervision at the camp.
The funding for Dorit’s new position came about as a result of a grant from the “Foundation for Jewish Camping: Yedid Nefesh,” Dorit explained.
“Many camps across North America have had camper care for generations,” she observed. “My understanding is that Massad never had that position until now.”
For Dorit, however, serving as a care director at a summer camp is nothing new, she said. She has filled that role for years at different camps, all known as Camp Ramah, run by the United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism in the United States.
With both a BA in Family Studies (with a minor in Judaic Studies) and a Master of Social Work degree, Dorit is well equipped to serve in her new role.
Also, as the mother of five kids who have all attended summer camp at one time or another – and who all dealt with the profoundly negative effect that Covid had on young people, Dorit brings a special perspective to the role of Caring Director and “the heightened awareness that mental health plays in young people’s lives.”
The camp experience can often play a pivotal role in so many ways. It can reinforce a sense of community and of sharing and, for Jewish campers, a notion of Jewish identity that they might not otherwise have, or if they do have it, camp can strengthen that identity.
As Dorit noted, in her own home growing up, where her father was a demographer, he stressed that “the way to reinforce Jewish continuity is through Jewish summer camp.”
Not only can camp be great fun and a place where Jewish identity can be developed, it can also be a “place for healing,” Dorit observed, and “not just for the campers, but for the staff” as well, she added.
Danial Sprintz noted that this summer Camp Massad will be back to “a full staff (of 40) for the first time” in years.
He also observed that for many kids, issues revolving around “body image” and “depression,” which were not unusual for kids to have even before the Covid pandemic, were made all the worse during the pandemic.
Ian Baruch added that he can relate to another issue that many campers face at Massad. As a member himself of a family that immigrated to Winnipeg from a non-English speaking country (Argentina), although Ian grew up here and became fluent in English, many of the campers have just come to Canada in recent years. While some of the campers grew up in homes speaking Hebrew, many others have either no knowledge of Hebrew or very little.
“When I came to Canada I spoke only Spanish and Hebrew,” Ian recalled. “I learned English from other campers.”
As a matter of fact, he added, many of the camp counselors are Spanish-speaking, which should be comforting for campers with similar backgrounds.
This year some of the campers will have come here recently from Ukraine, while at least one camper is one from Brazil.
Regardless what language is spoken, however, Danial Sprintz said that what Massad wants to teach campers are “inclusivity, loyalty, and creativity.”
No kids are ever turned away from Massad, he added, whether for reasons of financial hardship or perhaps because of physical or intellectual disability. Danial noted that for many parents finding the money to send their kids to camp can be a real challenge and they might not even want to consider doing that because there are so many other financial obligations that they would prioritize ahead of camp. He would like to assure those parents that Massad will find a way of making it possible for them to send their kids to camp if that is what they want. All they have to do is contact him and he’ll invite them to come down to the office where they can discuss their particular situation.
As well, Dorit noted that children on the autism spectrum will also be made to feel welcome at Massad. In her role as Caring Director, she said, she will be responsible for having a “sensory space for kids who need a quiet space.”
If you’re at all interested in finding out more about Camp Massad, whether it’s for your kids or, bearing in mind that the readership of this paper skews older – for your grandkids, there is still time to contact Danial at the Massad office here. The number is 204-477-7487. Or visit online at campmassad.ca
Local News
Winnipegger featured in Apple commercial highlighting new adaptive technology
By MYRON LOVE The year just past has been a memorable one for Melissa Shapiro. In recent weeks she and her boyfriend moved into their new home in East Kildonan and – in September, the daughter of Cory and Goldelyn Shapiro – was one of the featured guests at Apple Headquarters in Las Vegas for the premiere of an advertisement – produced by the tech company – highlighting Apple’s newly developed adaptive technology.
“I was flown out to California by Apple’s PR team,” recalls the 26-year-old policy analyst with the Education and Early Childhood Learning Department. “The event was held at Apple Park. It was really exciting seeing all the newest products and features.”
Shapiro, who was born missing her left arm, came to the attention of Apple as a result of Instagram videos she made demonstrating her ability to work out as an adaptive athlete. Last May, Shapiro reviewed the Apple watch’s accessibility features in a video, and it caught Apple’s attention.
“I was contacted by a casting agency in July,” she reports. “Next thing I know, we are filming in Toronto in August. I was the only Canadian involved in filming the commercial.”
Shapiro has never let her disability define her life- thanks in part both to her parents and the War Amps of Canada Child Amputee program, which reached out to her family three weeks after she was born.
“We received a lot of support – financial, recreational and emotional – from the War Amps,” she says. “Through the program, my family was able to connect with other families with similar challenges.
As well, the War Amps helped me to integrate in school and participate in sports while I was growing up by providing me with different prosthetics paid for by donations to the program.
Over the years, Shapiro ha been able to give back to the non-profit organization by appearing in War Amps public service spots highlighting such tips as playing safe in order to avoid accidents that could result in amputations. She has also been featured n War Amps-organized seminars and media appearances promoting the work of the War Amps in helping to improve the quality of life for children like Shapiro who were born missing a limb or those who lost limbs due to an accident.
“I still enjoy doing ‘playsafe’ presentations and public events for the war Amps,” she says.
Readers who may be interested in supporting this worthwhile program can donate by phone (1800 250-3030) or go online (waramps.ca).
Local News
Jewish community members among King Charles III Coronation Medal Recipients
By MYRON LOVE In stating that she was “honoured by the recognition, beyond grateful and truly humbled to receive the King Charles III coronation medal,” Carrie Shenkarow is no doubt sharing the sentiments felt by her fellow honourees. The next president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg – her term begins next year – was one of 55 recipients of the award – including several members of our Jewish community – who were presented with the medallions by Lieutenant-Governor Anita Neville on October 24 at the Legislature .
“It was an honour to be in the room with so many remarkable Manitobans,” notes Shenkarow.
She reports that, after the photo was taken, the honourees were invited back to Government House for a reception. “The Lieutenant-Governor spoke and we were encouraged to mingle with other recipients,” she recalls. “It was an incredible evening that I will never forget.”
The medal – which commemorates Charles III’s coronation on May 6, 2023, is described on the website as “a way to recognize outstanding individuals from all ages and from all walks of life who have made a difference in our community.”
The award recognizes those “who have made a significant contribution to Canada, a province, territory, region, or community in Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada”.
The other six members of our Jewish community who among the medal recipients include several individuals some who have made outsized contributions to society overall. Included among the medal recipients were Larry Vickar and Gail Asper, whose contributions both to our Jewish community and the overall community are well known.
Other recipients of the KIng Charles medal also have established records of service to the community: Harvey Secter has an impressive history of community leadership. The former businessman who – in his 40s – turned to a career in law, has served as both Dean of Law and then Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. His resumé further includes leadership roles with such diverse institutions as the United Way, St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, the Law Society and Manitoba Law Foundation, several hospital boards, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, the University of Winnipeg, and the University of Manitoba.
In the blurb accompanying the King Charle III medal presentation, it was noted that Harvey Secter “has been recognized for a decades long commitment to organizations dedicated to increasing access to quality services in education, health care, social services, and recreational facilities while motivating others to engage in building an inclusive and welcoming society.”
The other three Jewish medal recipients’ contributions to society have been more narrowly focused. Michel Aziza has been most closely associated with Operation Ezra, a successful effort led by several members of our Jewish community some years back to bring members fo the persecuted Iraqi minority Yazidi community to Winnipeg and help them settle here in the aftermath of the attempted genocide of the community at the hands of the murderous ISIS terrorists in 2014.
Over the past year, Aziza and his wife, Danita, along with Einat Paz, have been organizing weekly rallies on Kenaston and Grant (by the Superstore) aimed at keeping alive the awareness of the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza.
Medal recipient Louis Trepel has focused much of his philanthropic work on the Manitoba chapter of Variety, The Children’s Charity – of which he was one of the founding members while still in his teens. Over the years, Trepel, whose family owned Ben Moss Jewellers ((Lewis’s grandfather), has – in addition to Variety – contributed to numerous other nonprofit boards and committees. Among the highlights of his philanthropic career have been co-creating the first Empty Bowls Gala for Manitoba Harvest, pioneering the first COVID-era virtual gala in Manitoba for St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, and co-chairing the 50th Anniversary Gala for Manitoba’s Rainbow Resource Centre, which garnered national attention.
According to the write-up accompanying the medal presentation, Louis Trepel’s “lasting legacy is his ongoing mentorship and inspiration of the next generation of philanthropists.”
Noam Gonick was recognized for his work as an artist and filmmaker. He has premiered and won awards at the Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Hot Docs film festivals. His features, which explore rave culture and Indigenous youth, were released theatrically in Germany, France, the US and Canada, streamed worldwide and collected by the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Canada. He has directed for MGM, CBC and APTN. At London’s Serpentine Gallery Gonick lectured on his artwork about the semaphore of prison architecture and Queer utopias. He is currently collaborating with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet on “The Regulation of Desire” for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Circling back to Carrie Shenkarow, she notes that she became involved with the Jewish Federation over 20 years ago. In recent years, she has held several positions on various committees. In 2022, she chaired the CJA campaign. She currently chairs the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Public Affairs Task Force, established after October 7, 2023, to advocate for the community and collaborate with other local organizations.
“One of the things I’m most passionate about is March of the Living,” she says. “I have been chairing the committee since 2017. I chaperoned the program in 2018. I really enjoy giving back.”
The Lieutenant Governor was not the only official allowed to nominate deserving recipients for the King Charles Medal. Members of Parliament were also encouraged to put forth nominees. A further four member of our Jewish community were thus nominated by Marty Morantz, Conservative MP for Charleswood-St. James: Einat Paz, Jessica Cogan, and brothers Robert and Sandy Shindleman from Shindico.
The medal was presented to the two commercial real estate professionals in their office in December. “We were honoured to have received the medals,” says Robert, who reports that the brothers are major supporters of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation and Alzheimers research – a condition that afflicted their mother for many years.
Morantz presented King Charles III medals to Cogan and Paz in his office on November 14. “I am proud to present Einat Paz and Jessica Cogan with the King Charles III Coronation Medal today,” he wrote n his Facebook page. “Their dedication and contributions have truly enriched our community, and it’s a privilege to congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”
For Paz, it was her second major honour in two months. At our community’s annual Kavod evening – on September 26 – the Israeli-born social worker who is currently the Jewish Child and Family Service’s Manager of Volunteer Services became the inaugural recipient of the Federation’s new Magen David Award. She was recognized in particular for her leadership in helping – along with Michel and Danita Aziza – to organize and co-ordinate the weekly vigils – now in their 11th month – on Kenaston by the Superstore – in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. She has also been prominent in fostering ties between Israelis in Winnipeg and the local community.
“I am deeply honoured to receive the King Charles Medal for my community work advocating for the release of hostages and raising awareness that the rape of women is never resistance,” Paz said. “There is no justification.
“This recognition also highlights the vital importance of food security for the Jewish community, a cause close to my heart.
“I remain committed to these efforts, striving to bring justice, dignity, and support to those in need.”
Local News
Karina Gould – vying to be next leader of the Federal Liberals, has a Jewish father – and her parents met on a kibbutz!
By BERNIE BELLAN In January 2018 I conducted an interview with the late Jim Carr who, at the time, was Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. I asked Carr whether there were any other Jewish members of the Cabinet?
Carr said that Karina Gould, who was the Minister of Democratic Institutions in 2018, had a Jewish father. I didn’t know much about Gould back then, beyond recognizing her name, but the recent announcement that she has decided to enter the Liberal leadership race might be of particular interest to Jewish readers.
Gould has held a number of portfolios within the Trudeau government, most recently as House leader.
Now 35, while Gould’s entry into the Liberal leadership race would be considered something of a long shot, her relative youth – along with her experience (she has been a Member of Parliament since 2015), might make her a plausible alternative to the two more prominent candidates in the race: Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney.
With Gould’s decision to enter the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, I thought it might be interesting to explore her Jewish roots.
In a 2021 article on the CJN website, the following was written about Karina Gould:
Gould, the member for Burlington, was first elected in 2015. She has previously served as Minister of International Development and Minister of Democratic Institutions.
Jewish on her father’s side, Gould told The CJN in 2015 that while she’s not “an active practitioner of Judaism,” she maintains her heritage through celebrating Hanukkah, Purim, and Yom Kippur.
Her paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia. Her grandfather was deported to Theresienstadt, then to Dachau and Auschwitz. Separated during the war, her paternal grandparents were reunited afterward.
Her father met her mother, who is from Germany, while both were in Israel volunteering on Kibbutz Naot, where the sandals are made.
Gould visited Israel on a Birthright trip and stayed longer for a personal visit. “Israel is a beautiful country,” she said. “It’s unique in the world. It has difficult challenges.”
She said she believes her family heritage plays a big role in shaping her political values.
“My family was accepted and welcomed into Canada after a difficult experience,” she said. “Canadian values of tolerance and diversity were not just important for my family, but for others. Canada provided the opportunity to grow and to thrive.”
Gould was front and centre during the 2019 visit to Canada of then Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
She noted to Rivlin that since the free trade agreement between Canada and Israel was signed in 1997, the value of two-way trade had tripled, to $1.9 billion.
And under the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation, the two countries have funded close to 60 projects over the last dozen years, she added.
Ties between Canada and Israel “are long, deep and mutually beneficial,” she said.
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