Local News
Canadian Associates of Ben Gurion University hand baton in Winnipeg to next generation of leaders
By BERNIE BELLAN
In late November we reported that the Winnipeg branch of the Canadian Associates of Ben Gurion University had made a major transition in its local leadership when longtime Winnipeg chair Sheldon Zamick handed over responsibilities to two thirty-something members of our community: Diandra Etkin and Aaron Migie.
The notion that local leadership of a major Jewish organization would be passed on to two individuals who would be considered part of the next generation of leaders is significant in that it marks the first time that has happened here.
We spoke with both Diandra and Aaron – to find out more about their respective backgrounds and to discuss with them what they hoped to achieve as co-chairs of CABGU.
Diandra Etkin teaching at Brock Corydon
in Hebrew Bilingual program
Diandra Etkin is presently a teacher in the Hebrew Bilingual program at Brock Corydon School, where she has been teaching for the past three years.
Two summers ago, Diandra explains, she went to Israel for the summer where she enrolled in an Ulpan program. With that under her belt she was now equipped to begin teaching Hebrew at Brock Corydon which, she says, she loves doing.
When Diandra first began teaching at Brock Corydon, she says, it was in the English program. But, having been a student in the Hebrew Bilingual program herself when she was an elementary school student (at Margaret Park School), Diandra always had an interest in moving over to teaching in the Hebrew side of the program.
Her first year in the Hebrew Bilingual program (last year) Diandra taught both Hebrew and English subjects. This year, she says, she is teaching only English subjects in the program.
Diandra says that her first visit to Israel followed what has by now become a well-worn pattern for many young members of our community: She participated in the March of the Living in 2006 when she was a student at University of Winnipeg Collegiate and, the next year, she was part of the Birthright program in Israel.
“I fell in love with Israel,” Diandra says. “Everything I had heard about Israel was coming true.” Diandra notes that she actually spent her 18th birthday in Israel during March of the Living. In that vein, Diandra has also served as Adult Ambassador for Shalom Square.
It was when she returned from her summer Ulpan experience in 2019, however, that Zach Ostrove, Executive Director of CABGU sought Diandra out to serve on the CABGU board here.
“Zach and I were in the Hebrew Bilingual program together,” Diandra explains. When Zach approached her, one of the things he mentioned about Ben Gurion University that held a particular interest for Diandra, she says, was the very innovative research being conducted at that university in the areas of autism and neurodegenerative disease.”
“I’ve taught many students with autism,” Diandra explains. (Brock Corydon, like most schools, has students with special needs who are integrated into the regular school program. Diandra also had experience teaching autistic students the two years she spent teaching prior to her coming to Brock Corydon, she notes.)
When asked what she hopes to achieve as co-chair of CABGU here, Diandra says, “For me the reason in taking on this role is to connect Canadians with Ben Gurion University. We will try to bring awareness to all the emerging areas in which BGU is a world leader.”
As far as her and Aaron’s being considerably younger than any other chairs of local Jewish organizations, Diandra observes that “Being a little bit younger – we can use social media platforms to show everyone in the community how to help fundraising and innovative projects.”
Aaron Migie has always had a strong connection to Israel
Aaron Migie’s connection to Ben Gurion University follows a somewhat different path than Diandra’s. Aaron’s mother, Sonora, who was born in India and moved to Israel with her family as a young girl, grew up in Dimona, which is only a short 40 minute car ride away from Beer Sheva, where Ben Gurion University is located.
Aaron explains that he still has many relatives in Israel and has visited there quite often – most recently in 2018, when he also happened to visit Ben Gurion University. (He was already on the board of CABGU by that time, he notes.)
He adds that he has cousins who have themselves attended – and graduated from Ben Gurion University, so he has a long familiarity with that institution.
Like Diandra, Aaron was enrolled in the Hebrew Bilingual program (at Brock Corydon School). Following Brock Corydon, Aaron attended Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate when it was still in the north end. (Even though Aaron is only 38, he would have been among the last students to have attended Joseph Wolinsky when it was still on Matheson Avenue.)
Aaron also attended Kelvin High School, following which he obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Manitoba in economics and business.
At the age of 22 Aaron began what has now become quite a successful career in the financial industry, starting as a financial representative for Investors Group, then moving on to Assante Wealth Management – with which he has now been associated for 14 years. In recent years he has started his own group at Assante known as Migie Wealth Group.
Aaron says that his involvement with the Jewish community as a young adult began with the Jewish Federation’s Young Adult Division (YAD). Like Diandra, Aaron was approached by Sheldon Zamick and Zach Ostrove with an invitation to join the CABGU board here a few years ago.
When Sheldon Zamick decided to step down as board chair, Aaron says that he “was very humbled and honoured to be asked to become co-chair” with Diandra.
“I wouldn’t have taken on the role unless I had great people in my corner,” he adds, citing Sheldon Zamick, Zach Ostrove, and Mark Mendelson, CEO of Canadian Associates of Ben Gurion University.
What’s impressed Aaron about the local board of CABGU, he says, is “how many talented people are on it. There’s a tremendous diversity of people – with a huge amount of experience in so many different areas – engineers, accountants, teachers, and so on.”
And, when it comes to mounting successful fund raising drives, Aaron observes that “little Winnipeg has done quite well.” He points to such successful programs as the events held in recent years honouring Marjorie and (the late) Morley Blankstein; and Hope and Howard Morry.
As well, the contribution of the Vickar family to Ben Gurion University is something that Aaron says has played a significant role in the growth of the university.
As Diandra and Aaron assume their co-chairmanship of what has become quite a dynamic Winnipeg organization, they both say they’re looking forward to meeting with other board members every second month in the new year – on Zoom.
And, as unlikely as it seems that there will be an in-person Board of Governors meeting at Ben Gurion University this coming April (much like the one that was scheduled to have taken place this past April and which was also forced to be held online), at some point in the not too distant future, the Winnipeg branch of CABGU is going to be represented in Beer Sheva by two of the youngest board co-chairs I’m sure have ever sat in on a board meeting there.
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
New GrowWinnipeg “Grow Together” highlights diverse origins of our growing Jewish community
By MYRON LOVE On Monday, June 11, about 120 younger Jewish Winnipeggers from diverse backgrounds came together at the Asper Campus for an evening of food and music, games and prizes and, most important, the opportunity to socialize with their peers from a growing community that reflects the long term success of our community’s 26-year-old GrowWinnipeg initiative.
“We are gathered here to celebrate your and your parents’ decisions to come to Winnipeg, build families and raise families here,” noted Dalia Szpiro, GrowWinnipeg’s director, in addressing the young adults in attendance.
To summarize, the GrowWinnipeg Initiative arose when our past community’s leadership recognized that our Jewish population was an aging and shrinking community with aging infrastructure.
The first stage was the planning and construction of the Asper Campus, which brought our major institutions and organizations under one roof in an attractive new building.
The next challenge was to attract more people to our community. GrowWinnipeg was created to take on the challenge. The initiative, which was officially launched in 2000, is unique in its efforts to reach out to young Jewish families throughout the Western world.
The first outreach efforts were directed at Argentina’s sizeable Jewish community at a time when the South American country’s economy was going through a very difficult period. Several of our community leaders visited the Jewish community in Buenos Aires and a website was established. Arrangements were made for local families to host Jewish Argentinians here on exploratory visits and the community helped the prospective immigrants navigate the then new Provincial Nominee Program, find jobs and establish themselves here.
Since then, many young families – from Argentina, as well as a great number of other countries – have chosen to make Winnipeg their new home. The young people at the recent GrowWinnipeg evening were reflective of the diversity of our growing community. During the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to speak with not only Israeli-born participants, also young people from Russia and Ukraine, Turkey and Uruguay – and a young lady who grew up in Ottawa.
Naomi Kirshenblatt Palansky originally came here from Ottawa to go to university. She met and married local entrepreneur Noah Palansky in 2023. (We wrote about Noah in the December 19, 2025 issue). That same year, the former competitive swimmer who competed in the Maccabiah Games in 2009 and 2013 served as manager of the Canadian Junior swimming team participating in the games. She is currently the director of operations and strategy for a company called CoinFlip.
Although born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Yael Borovich grew up in Winnipeg. She is the daughter of Dalia Szpiro and Eduardo Borovich (and younger sister of Vanessa) all of whom moved here in 2002. She is a graduate of the Asper School of Business and works as a senior client relationship manager for Scotia Bank’s commercial branch.
Siblings Igal and Edem Avimelek arrived here from Turkey six years ago with their parents, Etel and Moris. Edem is in her second year at the University of Manitoba while Igal is studying engineering at UBC.
They report that their father, Moris, has established the Upperwear Textile Agency – marketing textile products online – while their mother Etel, is senior IT Director, software development and data analytics and enterprise architecture at Standard Aero.
“Our parents were looking to move to a new country and came across the GrowWinnipeg webpage,” Edem says. “GrowWinnipeg has been really supportive of us in helping us move here and become established.”
More recent arrivals Alex Tsmokaliuk and Jane Hin are from Ukraine and Russia respectively and have been together since 2022. “We were looking for a peaceful place to start a family,”: Alex says. “We heard about GrowWinnpeg and here we are.”
Alex is a fitness trainer while Jane is working for WRE Development as a property manager.
Dora Bronstein, who is originally from Beersheva, is also a recent arrival to our community. “I came to Winnipeg because I wanted to get away from war – and I heard about GrowWinnipeg,” she says.
She is currently working for L.C. Taylor Licensed Insolvency Trustee as an estate manager.
Erele Tzidon and Daniel Mejnov
Last October, GrowWinnipeg introduced its new Youth Ambassadors program.
“Since October, we have been working to create an organized system and opportunities to help young newcomers find their people within our community,” wrote Youth Ambassador Erele Tzidon on Facebook.
“Our mission is to help young immigrants find a sense of home in Winnipeg and support a smooth and welcoming transition.
We are excited to help bring our young Jewish community together.
As reported in the Jewish Post about 18 months ago, Tzidon is originally from Moshav Ginaton in central Israel. She came to Winnipeg in 2018 with her parents Ofer – formerly regional manager for a car rental agency in Israel and now an RBC branch manager – and Sharon – an emotional therapist in Israel who is currently working as an educational assistant at Gray Academy – and three younger brothers.
The 20-year Gray Academy graduate has recently completed her third year in Science at the University of Manitoba. For the past three years, she has also been a member of Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin’s research team at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences (ICS), researching the link between pregnancy complications and the risk for heart disease.
In November, 2024, Tzidon was presented with the Dr. James S. McGoey Student Award – based on the quality of her cardiovascular research at the ICS, which operates out of the St. Boniface Hospital campus’s Albrechchtsen Research Centre.
Tzidon’s fellow Youth Ambassador is Daniel Mejnov. He was born in Beersheva but moved to Winnipeg with his parents, Dennis and Victoria (and younger brother Alon) 14 years ago. He is currently enrolled in an IT program at the University of Winnipeg.
Mejnov welcomed all those in attendance at the celebration and thanked the volunteers who helped him and Tzidon organize the event.
“It has been great being able to bring so many people together,” he said. “This is a good way to unite our community.
Two other individuals of particular note that I spoke with at the event were Orit Agabayev and Alina Plis, partners in three year old A and O Event Décor, who provided the balloon arches and walls, table settings and centre pieces for the evening.
Agabayev is originally from Netanya and Plis is from Yeruham (in southern Israel). The latter has been here for 18 years and operates a daycare. The former came 16 years. Her principal career is working in the field of animal nutrition.
In an Instagram PosI from four years ago, Plis noted that “I have always been passionate about planning parties and events. I started out with planning big surprise birthday parties for my kids. Eventually I began planning and decorating events for family and friends. Now I am taking the next step with my friend, Orit, who shares the same level enthusiasm as me. What drives me to go above and beyond is simply the excitement my creations bring to those who see my work.
On Facebook, Agabayev added that “Alina and I are so excited to start A&O event decor. We both love decorating and planning different events. We hope that you can put your trust in us to create or decorate an event for you. We do Birthday parties, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, proposals, weddings and more..
“Message us with your ideas to get a free quote and you’re one step closer to having an unforgettable event.”
Local News
Hungarian Holocaust survivor focus of new documentary co-produced by Winnipeggers Liam Karp and Jamie Michaels
By MYRON LOVE “I Draw Things the Best I Can,” a new documentary co-produced by Winnipegger Liam Karp and former Winnipegger Jamie Michaels premiered June 8 at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.
The 40-minute film focuses on the life of Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Adam Policzer from his childhood hiding with neighbours in Miskolc in 1944, his postwar immigration to Chile to reunite with his father (who came to Chile just before the war but was unable to bring his family out), his imprisonment in Chile for over a year under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinoche following the coup in 1972, his subsequent immigration with his wife and family to Vancouver, and his successful career as an architect.
Earlier this year, Policzer unveiled a new side of himself. He wrote and drew all the illustrations for “The House Across the Street,” the story of his struggle for survival – a memorial he had published in the form of a graphic novel. The book was published by Jamie Michaels’ “Dirty Water Comics” in June.
According to its webpage, Dirty Water Comics is “a boutique publishing house that specializes in literary comics that showcase a unique voice and a talent for storytelling. We publish a selective catalogue, create immersive readings, and pride ourselves on championing the work we curate”.
Michaels co-founded the company in 2016 in order to publish his own first graphic comic –an account of his ambitious journey some years before – along with a couple of high school friends – to travel by canoe down the Red and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. The launch of that graphic novel was reported in a story that previously appeared in The Jewish Post & News.
The son of John Michaels and Karen Stern then published a second graphic novel recounting the 1933 Christie Pitts riot, which pitted younger members of Toronto’s Jewish community and their supporters against Nazi-inspired thugs.
“The House across the Street” is Dirty Water Comics’ fourth publication. (“The Harrowing Tales of La Coriveau” – the third publication – “is a graphic novel retelling the legend and history of Marie-Josephte Corriveau, a Quebecois woman whom the English executed in 1763 for the murder of her second husband. Following her death, Corriveau was hanged from a tree outside of Quebec City in an iron cage. In the centuries that followed, her story was transformed. She became a caged witch who haunted lone travellers, a reviled murderess, and a victim of circumstance”.)
“I first met Adam Policzer a couple of years ago when he approached me about his book,” recalls Michaels, who recently earned his Ph.D from the University of Calgary, where he currently teaches. (His dissertation was on the evolution of Jewish and Arab nationalism during World War I.) “I reached out to Liam and he and I both thought it was a beautiful story and thAt we should make a documentary about Adam.”
Karp and Michaels have been friends since high school (Grant Park). Over the past ten years, the son of Marcia and Morris Karp has built a successful career as the go-to guy for visual effects for movies and television series being shot in and around Winnipeg. He is currently providing his expertise for the remake of the popualtr TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” which is being shot in and around Winnipeg.
In filming the documentary, Karp and Michaels spent time with Policzer and his family in Vancouver. They also filmed on location in Budapest and visited Miskolc to interview members of the family that hid him during the Holocaust.
Karp and Michaels express their appreciation to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and Manitoba Film and Music, which provided funding for the project.
Michaels reports that the partners have secured several screenings of the documentary throughout North America. “We hope to show Adam’s story at the Winnipeg Jewish Film Festival next year,” he says.
While Karp and Michaels don’t currently have any plans to collaborate again as yet, they both say that they would like to work together again.
