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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.
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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.”
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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.”
