Local News
Cathy Moser and Jeff Itzkow launch campaign to raise money in support of pioneering Israeli treatment using psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD
By MYRON LOVE Psychologist Dr. Cathy Moser and her husband, Jeff Itzkow, a healthcare policy analyst, are leading a campaign to raise money for the Jerusalem Foundation’s new Resilience Centre in Israel’s capital. Aided in fundraising by longtime friends Donna Weinstein and Gina Chodirker, the Winnipeg couple is pledging to double every dollar donated to the Centre up to $100,000.
According to the Jerusalem Foundation, estimates suggest that over half a million Israelis are suffering from PTSD as well as other psychological issues since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and ensuing wars.
“It is not only Israeli soldiers who have been traumatized,” Moser observes. “Everybody in Israel knows someone who was affected by the attack on October 7. This past year has triggered trauma from past wars as well as intergenerational trauma from the Holocaust.
In response to this tsunami of trauma that has hit Israelis, soon after the October attack the Jerusalem Foundation founded the Resilience Centre – operating out of the Shaare Zedek Hospital. The Resilience Centre utilizes a range of treatments for trauma therapy – including the pioneering use of the psychedelic drug ketamine.
Cathy Moser has been treating patients for the past 40 years. During that time, she says, she has treated victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and other horrific life events. Conventional tools and treatments can successfully treat trauma, but some (traumas)are so barbaric and complex that no matter how skilled a clinician is, we cannot restore one’s “lifeforce,” she points out.
“In the last few years, I have dedicated myself to learning how to treat the most severe cases of PTSD,” she reports. “I have learned that there are excellent outcomes with the use of psychedelic drug treatment, and the research in this area is flourishing.”
She points out that people affected by PTSD are typically unable to change the faulty thought patterns caused by witnessing and being impacted by trauma. “While years of Cognitive Behaviour and other therapies can ameliorate the condition, it remains a vulnerability factor forever. The psychedelic medicines enable people to let go of the shame and blame that they feel and see the ‘bigger picture’, and their own behaviour in a more rational fashion.”
She says that she first became aware of the potential for using psychedelic drugs in treating PTSD patients last year when she heard an interview with a cancer patient by the name of Janis Hughes talking about using psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) to treat her existential anxiety about dying from cancer.
“She said that she had been diagnosed for terminal cancer, given 6 months to live, and couldn’t stop crying for the first 3 months,” Moser reports. “She had heard that Psilocybin would help, but there was no one to treat her in Winnipeg. I thought to myself: ‘I can do the training; and pray that it won’t be too late for Janis.’ It turned out that someone who does this kind of work (outside of Health Canada) heard her on the radio and helped her. I had the honor of meeting Janis half a year after her diagnosed death prognosis, and she is happily working as an advocate for legalizing psychedelics for therapy. “
Moser subsequently trained with Therapsil, a non-profit organization dedicated to accessing psychedelic medicine and Ppsychotherapy for Canadians.
In her continuing efforts to make a difference, Moser reports, she connected with the Jerusalem Resilience Center. “I spent time with the team in Israel this past summer and witnessed their treatment efficacy There are less than a handful of legal psychedelic treatment centers in Israel, and this is a main one.”
At the Jerusalem Resilience Center, she met Dr. Sinai Oren, the director, and his team in August. “The staff psychologist had been treating one patient who was a tank operator whose brigade experienced an unexpected attack,” she recounts. “Tanks have a manually activated deflection device for protection. Tragically, a decision to move forward occurred seconds before the deflection device was fully engaged, and the tank was blown up. Most of his friends were killed, and he was injured.
“All the therapy in the world was not going to help this guy forgive himself because, under these circumstances, there is a default network that won’t allow the brain to see the situation objectively. All of the sights and sounds and smells associated with the experience will forever trigger feelings of helplessness, inadequacy, shame and pain that were felt at that moment.
“While conventional therapies will help the individual see the triggers coming and lessen the intensity of responses. the tendency is to regress under challenging life circumstances. Hopefully, using ketamine can make a difference for this individual.”
The response to Cathy and Jeff’s appeal has been pretty good, Cathy says. “We have already raised about $40,000 from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation from Vancouver, ” she reports.
She is encouraging readers to donate what they can – no matter whether it’s $18 or $180 or $1,800. The Jerusalem Foundation can send out Tribute cards for special occasions, or you can send a note of support to friends and family in Israel. She is also offering to send any donor who is interested two CDs that she produced to help her clients, friends and family overcome stress and anxiety. One CD is about stress management; the other is about overcoming anxiety. (email cathy.g.moser@gmail.com to request the link to receiving the CDs).
“I know that many of us have lost our core sense of well being,” she observes. “If you find yourself stressed out or overly anxious by what is going on in the world, it is important to engage in these types of self-care practices.”
Readers who want to make a donation to the Jerusalem Resilience Center can go online and type in https://jerusalemfoundation.org/ hit DONATE – and in the box that asks that for the project to which you would like to donate, specify the Jerusalem Resilience Centre.
Local News
The Jewish Post Ltd. launches new website for food lovers
By BERNIE BELLAN Three months ago I wrote a story about something my daughter, Shira, had started doing on social media that had proved to be wildly successful – much to her own surprise. That story was titled: Local foodie finds fame by trying foods on Facebook Marketplace
What Shira was doing was going on to Facebook Marketplace and trying different foods that she was able to buy from local vendors. She often didn’t know what the heck it was she was ordering, but each time she would get a new food she would film herself reacting to that food.
The results have been consistently entertaining – often hilarious, to the point where Shira now has over 10,300 followers on Instagram, as well as on Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube. (You can find her Instagram page at Winnipeg Marketplace Food Finds.)
I suggested to Shira that she ought to parlay the success she’s found by posting on social media into a further venture: creating a website that would give wider exposure to the food vendors whose food Shira liked the most.
As a result, Shira and I teamed up with the marvellous web designer whose name is Mario Lacunza who is responsible for the design of jewishpostandnews.ca -to create a brand new website called Winnipeg Marketplace Food Finds.
On that website you will find pictures of some of the most popular foods Shira has tried from Marketplace, along with links to the original Instagram posts where she reviewed those foods – and links that will take you directly to the vendors’ Facebook pages.
There are so many brilliantly creative people selling food on Marketplace and Shira’s social media posts have brought many of them a lot of new business. Our hope is that our new website will bring them even more business.
The website will also offer stories about food from a variety of sources. So, take a look at the new site and be amazed at the originality of the foods being produced on Facebook Marketplace.
Local News
UNVEILING for the headstone of Dr. Velimir Kon (Sept. 18, 1950-June 27, 2025)
A true mensch and person of many talents and profoundness, Dr. Velimir (Shlomo) Kon is deeply missed and loved by his family and friends.
Known for his warmth, kindness, integrity and love of learning and teaching, Velimir continues to inspire all who knew him and his memory warms our hearts and souls. Velimir is deeply missed.
You are invited to helps us remember and honour our beloved husband and father who passed away almost a year ago.
We, Branka, Deborah and Lea Kon, wish to inform our relatives and friends of the unveiling of a headstone dedicated to his loving memory on FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2026 at 11:00am at the HEBREW SICK CEMETERY (2605 McPhillips Street) followed by lunch at the Chabad Lubavitch of Winnipeg – Jewish Learning Centre (1845 Mathers Avenue). Please come say a l’chaim in his honour.
In Memoriam
1st Yahrzeit
In loving memory of Dr. Velimir (Shlomo) Kon who passed away June 27, 2025, 12 Days in Tammuz.
⁃ Forever and deeply loved and missed by his wife of over 50 years, Branka, and daughters Deborah and Lea Kon. Velimir brought joy to our lives with his boundless kindness and gentleness, irrepressible humour, great intellect and love of people, tikun olam and Judaism.
Not a day goes by that we do not mention Velimir and feel his presence with us. Our lives are not the same without him and we deeply miss and cherish him. We can never forget his presence that was larger than life, yet also his humility and thoughtfulness.
A gentleman to the very core, Velimir was respected as a scientist, academic, professor, researcher, and later as a teacher and mentor. He always endeavoured to make every place he worked and lived at better and was able to bridge many cultures. He was Abraham of his generation and made many personal sacrifices; giving up status, position and privilege in order for his family to have a better and peaceful future.
May his memory always be a blessing. He left us at only 74 years young and we wish we had had more time together. Indeed, to know him was to love him.
Local News
Younger Jewish talents continue to shine in their respective categories at annual Winnipeg Music Festival
By MYRON LOVE A number of younger members of our community were repeat stars at the most recent (108th annual) Winnipeg Music Festival – which takes place annually in March. Among the repeat Jewish singers and musicians in the ranks of high achievers this year were” Yale Rayburn-Vander Hout, Gregory Hyman, Alex Schaeffer, Juliet Eskin, Noah Kravetsky, and Lyla Chisick.
Vocalist Yale Rayburn-Vander Hout, the oldest of this year’s group of Jewish repeat winners, was competing in his fifth straight festival, where he continued to build on his accomplishments in previous festivals. This year, the 20-year-old son of Samantha and Peter finished first in two musical theatre categories – songs from musical theatre productions between 1965 and 1999, and shows from the past 26 years. Yale sang “I’m Allergic to Cats,” from the 2016 musical “The Theory of Relativity,” and “Suppertime,” from the 1967 musical, “You’re a Good man, Charlie Brown.”
The former Gray Academy student is currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music in the Choral program. Yale says that he is hoping to get into the performance track in the fall with the goal of earning a degree in Classical Voice Performance en route to pursuing a career in musical theatre.
As reported previously, Gregory Hyman is a multi-faceted artist who can do it all. The 18-year-old son of Hartley and Rishona Hyman is a singer/songwriter/musician (guitar) who records and performs under the stage name, GMH. His versatility shone through once again in his eighth Music Festival, in which he registered first-place finishes for vocal performances in both “Popular and Contemporary Music” and “TV and Movie Music “categories.
Gregory notes that he was also recommended to compete in the provincial finals in June. The St. John’s-Ravenscourt student (and soon-to be) graduate continues to be busy on stage. In January, he headlined a sold out solo show at Sidestage on Osborne featuring some of his new material. In March, he released an album of his newest songs. Readers can check out his latest compositions on any of the music streaming platforms as well as his own social media (thegmh) on Instagram.
Gregory also continues to host his own podcast: “Talk and Rock with GMH – now in its fifth season – in which he interviews various people in the music business across Canada.
While Gregory says that a musical career is his “dream,” he reports that he is hedging his bets and considering different potential career opportunities. Come September, he will be enrolled at the University of Manitoba in a University One program, which will allow him to select from a variety of courses that can count toward a degree.
Sixteen-year-old Alex Schaeffer won first place this year in the “Musicals Prior to 1965, 16 Years and Under” category with “Try Me” from “She Loves Me,” and was runner-up in the “Musicals 1965 to 1999, 16 Years and Under” category with “On My Own,” from “Les Misérables.” For the son of Marc Schaeffer and Kae Sasaki, this was his fifth year competing in the festival.
The Grant Park High School student made his big stage debut three years ago as Kurt von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” followed by playing Michael Hobbs in “Elf the Musical” this past winter at the Royal MTC.
Alex recently performed in Grant Park High School’s production of “Something Rotten!” This summer Schaeffer can be seen again at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, where he will be appearing in a production staged by Rem Lezar Theatre.
Rounding out the voice winners is Lyla Chisick. The daughter of Daniel and Baillee was competing in her second music festival. This year, she scored Gold performances in the “Vocal Solo,” “Manitoba Composers,” and “TV/Movie Musical, 12 and under” categories.
Lyla reports that she began taking voice lessons from Jessica Kos-Whicher three years ago. She says she regularly takes part in the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue Family Service and has sung at several community events. Lyla adds that she is already looking forward to next year’s music festival.
Nate Kravetsky and Juliet Eskin competed in the festival as musicians rather than singers. Juliet, 16, plays the viola, and is also is the violist in the Assiniboine String Quartet. In this, her fifth go-round at the festival, Juliet, the daughter of the musically talented Kelly Robinon and Josh Eskin, had first place finishes in the “Viola Solo, level 8,” “Baroque or Classical Concerto,” and “Romantic Composers” categories.
Juliet originally took up the violin – adding the viola a couple of years after. She also just finished performing in the Grant Park High School production of “Something Rotten!”
Nate Kravetsky is currently in Grade 5 level piano. He studies with Erica Schultz and has been taking lessons from her since age 5.
Nate competed in three categories at the Winnipeg music festival: “Baroque,” “Sonata,” and “Contemporary/own choice.”
His own choice selection was the theme from his favourite video game, “Hollow Knight.”
Nate, who is in Grade 7 at Gray Academy, is also preoccupied preparing for his upcoming bar mitzvah.
We look forward to the continued musical success off Yale, Gregory, Alex, Nate, Juliet and Lyla, and what new talent may be unveiled at next year’s Winnipeg Music festival.
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