Local News
Canadian authorities respond to bomb threat emailed to more than 100 Jewish institutions
(Canadian Jewish News, August 22) More than 100 synagogues, Jewish institutions and some hospitals across Canada were the targets of an emailed bomb threat early on the morning of Aug. 21.
The Federal Policing National Security Program is investigating the source of the threats, the RCMP stated.
In Toronto, police said they attended buildings in the Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue area. The buildings were evacuated as a precaution and cleared, police said.
In Montreal, at least a dozen Jewish houses of worship were targeted, reported The Canadian Press. The city’s Adath Israel Synagogue was among the institutions that received the email. It was was evacuated and inspected by police.
Several hospitals in Ottawa also received the bomb threat but were cleared by police.
An organization named “COURT” said it was behind the mass emailed threats
The emails stated “We placed many explosives inside your building…. The bombs are set to go off in a few hours. You will all end up in a pool of blood, none of you deserve to keep living.”
A similar email signed by “COURT” was sent to a group of malls and hospitals in New Delhi, India yesterday, without any reference to anything Jewish, according to The Times of India. No explosives were found in those instances.
B’nai Brith Canada’s Toronto office received the threat in a general email inbox and on the advice of police, evacuated the building, while waiting for police to sweep it for bombs, said Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy. B’nai Brith has also been in contact with police in Montreal and York Region, he said.
The threat was the first one the organization has received since Oct. 7, but Robertson said he wasn’t surprised that it happened.
“This underscores the need for greater change with our leadership across the country and the handling of antisemitism. Things like this don’t occur in a vacuum. This is the result of a devolving situation that we’ve been witnessing for months. It was only a matter of time before the incidents we’ve been seeing playing out on streets across the country morphed into a threat like this,” he told The CJN.
B’nai Brith is still reaching out to community partners, but Richardson said the people he’s spoken with are “shocked.”
“Nobody wants to wake up to a bomb threat against their institution. People are shocked but nobody is surprised. We’ve been a community that’s been under siege, facing a wave of unsustainable hate for months now.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in a statement that it had been in contact with law enforcement and the emails posed “no imminent threat.”
“All indications point to these threats being nuisance emails designed to disrupt lives,” the advocacy group said. “Jewish Canadians will not be intimidated—we will continue to take part in Jewish life. We will stay vigilant but we will never be intimidated.”
In Winnipeg, both the Shaarey Zedek and Temple Shalom indicated that they had received the threats.
An email sent out by Temple Shalom contained the following:
Many of you may already be aware that there was a serious threat to over 100 Jewish organizations across Canada today, August 21, 2024. Temple Shalom was one of the organizations specifically targeted. Staff from Shaarey Zedek immediately notified the Police. Steve contacted me to let me know this and to let me know that Shaarey Zedek staff had gone home. We cancelled Temple meetings and activities scheduled for today and Steve went home. This afternoon, the police came to the Temple and ensured us that it was safe for people to return to the building. We are grateful that we have developed robust safety protocols and installed numerous security devices over the past few years for unfortunate incidents like this.
The Jewish Federation and the community including institutional leaders and rabbis are working together and working with law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of us all.
This was an act of cowardice that was done to create chaos and fear. We will continue to provide services and programming — this will not disrupt our community. Please know that the safety of our congregation and staff is our top priority. But we will not live in fear; we will continue to stand strong and maintain a vibrant Jewish presence in Winnipeg.
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!
