By MYRON LOVE It is written in “The Prophets” – specifically in ‘The Book of Isaiah’  -that the prophet heard the voice of the Lord saying “Whom should I send and who will go for us?”
And Isaiah answered the call and responded “Hineni”  (here I am). “Send me.”
“Hineni” was the theme of this year’s Friends of JNF Canada’s annual Negev Gala – and about 750 supporters of the Jewish state – Jewish and non-Jewish – answered the call.
“Hineni” was the response of this year’s Negev Gala’s honorees: -members of the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba (JPAM), who, instead of remaining silent in the face of unprecedented levels of antisemitism in modern times, chose to speak with one voice against Jew hate in Manitoba’s medical community – and specifically among medical students enrolled in the Rady Faculty of Medicine.
“Hineni”is also the name of a new award that was given out at this year’s dinner.   The Negev Gala Hineni award recognizes non-Jews who speak up on behalf of the Jewish people, despite personal risk for taking such a stand.
The evening opened with singer Haviva Polevoi singing a prayer for healing (“Mi Shebrach”) accompanied by pianist Tatyana Smolyaninov. The duo returned later in the evening to offer a second Mi Sheberach for “those who protect us.”
In his opening remarks, David Greaves, Friends of JNF Canada’s executive director for Manitoba and Saskatchewan – and emcee for the evening, observed that  “over the past almost three years we have seen the worst of the worst as a community – as Am Yisrael,  but what we may not have seen clearly are the struggles of subcommunities within our own community.
“This has been highlighted by the unfortunate need for the existence of JPAM. As the Jewish physicians continue to serve the ‘whole’ community, they do so in the face of extreme antisemitism, roadblocks and hate. Friends of JNF Canada are honoured to honour the many physicians and healthcare heroes that dedicate their lives every day to keep us all safe and healthy, regardless of background or beliefs.”
Greaves was then joined on stage by Aboriginal community leader and friend of the Jewish community Lisa Lewis for the requisite Land Acknowledgement.  In relatively quick succession, the Shaarey Zedek’s senior Rabbi, Carnie Rose, read the prayer for the State of Israel, local Bridges for Peace leaders Don and Victoria James recited a prayer for peace, and medical students Rachel Cogan and Rotem Keynan recited haMotzi.
Michael Silver, president of the local Friends of the JNF Canada, national CEO Lance Davis and Jewish Federation of Winnipeg vice chair (and past JNF Manitoba ad Saskatchewan president) Jessica Cogan made presentations, after which Cogan had the privilege of introducing the inaugural  Hineni Award recipient.
“We all know that in the months following October 7, our community was deeply shaken,” Cogan observed. “We were not only traumatized by the brutality of that day, but by the silence, the hostility, and the surge of antisemitism that followed.
 
“Antisemitism,” she continued, “began creeping into every corner of public life, even in spaces we believed would be guided by integrity and care. In May 2024, we felt the sharp pain of this reality during the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine convocation.
 
“The world we thought we knew no longer felt as safe or as certain. And yet—out of that darkness, something extraordinary emerged. As David mentioned earlier, even in the darkest of days, our community seeks, finds and creates sparks of light.”
One of those “sparks of light” that she pointed to was the decision by a number of local Jewish doctors to come together to fight back through the formation of the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.  
“The creation of JPAM,” she noted,  “told us we are not alone. This group of Jewish physicians made it clear that antisemitism—whether subtle or overt—would not go unchallenged.
“As the mother of a newly graduated medical student at the U of M,” Cogan added,  “it meant even more. Our daughter, like so many others, faced moments of discomfort and isolation after October 7. Because of JPAM, she had somewhere to turn, someone to guide her.  This brought a sense of reassurance that I cannot overstate.”
While JPAM works from within our Jewish community, Cogan pointed out, Dr Matthew Bzura  chose not only  to stand with us but also to stand up for us. 
“When so many stayed silent or even applauded the statements made at the medical school convocation two years ago by an antisemitic valedictorian,” Cogan recalled,  “Dr. Bzura raised his voice — in a very public way. He responded with clarity, integrity, and courage. And we all know, these days, speaking out on behalf of the Jewish community comes with substantial personal and professional risk.
 
 “His voice cut through the silence, espousing the values we all claim to share. Dr. Bzura answered: “Hineni. Here I am.”
In accepting the award, Bzura observed that Hineni may seem to be a simple phrase but, he noted,  “the more time you spend with it, the more you realize that though it may sound a simple phrase, it’s a demanding one. To me, it doesn’t mean ‘here I am when it’s easy’ or ‘here I am when it’s convenient’. It means showing up – fully – and especially when it’s difficult, uncertain, or uncomfortable – when it costs you something.”
“I come to this moment from outside the Jewish community,” he noted ,“and I stand here tonight very aware of that, but that’s what makes this recognition all the more humbling and meaningful. What I’ve had instead is the privilege of working alongside Jewish colleagues, mentors, and patients – people who have shown me, not through words but through action, what it means to carry a deep sense of identity, responsibility, and caring for one another.
 
“So tonight,” Bzura concluded, “while I am deeply grateful for this award, I don’t see it as recognition of something I did alone. I see it as a reflection of a community that stood together and refused to be silent. On a deeply personal level I also accept this award with a sense of responsibility to keep showing up. To keep listening. To keep learning and, when it matters most, to say hineni.”

In response to Dr. Bzura’s remarks, Dr. Charles Bernstein, JPAM’s chair, observed that “sadly, I can report that I can count on both hands, at most, the number of non-Jewish physicians and scientists who have reached out to me in support of our community as it has been attacked in the medical community, mostly in the medical school community.
 
“JPAM,” Bernstein pointed out,  “exists to bear witness to what is happening in our medical community; to provide advocacy where it is needed, to support Jews in health care who are being victimized and others who are being victimized; to ensure that Jewish Canadians feel free to study at U of M and exercise their rights to study openly as persons wanting to optimize health care through research, education and health policy and to undertake this as openly Jewish, fearless to openly wear a Star of David or Chai around their neck, as our Sikh friends should not fear wearing a turban or Muslim friends wearing a hijab.”
In responding  to Friends of the JNF’s recognition of JPAM, Bernstein spoke of his own medical career, provided an historic overview of the role of Jewish doctors in Manitoba’s medical history and identified by name many of the Jewish-trained  doctors from Winnipeg who have played leading roles in the practice of medicine nationally and internationally – innovators such as  Morley Cohen in Cardiac Surgery, Ruben Cherniak in Respirology, Lionel Israels in Hematology, Harry Medovy in Pediatrics, Arnold Naimark in Respirology and Medical Education, Maurice Victor in Neurology, Max Wintrobe in Hematology, Alvin Zipursky in Pediatric Hematology, and the entire Hollenberg family – as well as his brother,  Keevin, who revamped the medical school curriculum 15 years ago.
Bernstien further noted that of the 25 current Distinguished Professors at the U of M, four are clinicians and three of the four are Jewish and proud members of JPAM.  Harvey Chochinov, Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg and Teddy Lyons, he pointed out, are still active in Medicine and all have been inducted into the Order of Canada.
In his speech, Bernstein reported that JPAM was formed in October 2023 – shortly after the pogrom on 0ctopber 7 – at Dr. Laura Chisick’s house – who served as hostess, along with  Dr. Michael Boroditsky presiding. JPAM, he explained, was created “to address the need to provide advocacy for Jewish trainees, Jewish physicians, and Jewish patients.”
In June 2024, the inaugural meeting of JPAM took place at the Etz Chayim Synagogue. Nearly 100 physicians participated. The current board consists of: Charles Bernstein, David Hochman, Cheryl Rockman Greenberg, Marnie Wiseman, Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Isanne Schacter,  Daniel Kroft, Brent Schacter, Vivian Schutt, and Grant Goldberg , all of whom joined Bernstein at the podium.
The funds raised from the 2026 Negev Gala are slated to go toward the opening of a new rehab clinic and hydrotherapy pool at the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre in southern Israel. The Centre provides crucial care for trauma victims, children with disabilities, and cancer patients. 

By GERRY POSNER Recently in Toronto, a kind of a Winnipeg reunion took place at the Harold Green theatre in the Miles Nadal Centre at Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue. Think of the old Y at 370 Hargrave Street and you can get a sense of the kind of building we were in.
There were close to 180 people there, maybe more. The sight of all of those ex-Winnipeggers gathered together was akin to the reopening of Portage and Main to pedestrians in its significance. They flooded in and kept coming. Included in the group in attendance were the three sponsors for the evening: Harvey Minuk, David Zitzerman and Joy Kaufman.

The genesis for the reunion was the a result of a movie made by former Winnipegger Allan Novak. As many readers will know, Allan made a documentary film about his mother and her siblings – the Fink family, who were, at the time (a few years ago) the oldest living sibling Holocaust survivors. At the time the movie was made, all four were in the 100 year range. The film was very well received and Allan has, since that time, shown it elsewhere.
As a result, the people running the Miles Nadal Centre were only too happy to screen the film. It was also Allan’s idea to add additional flavour to the evening beyond simply showing the film.

Allan served as M.C. and he began the night with a kind of a Winnipeg Jewish history pop quiz open to all in attendance via their phones. Pictures were shown on the screen relating to a piece of Winnipeg history and audience members were invited to answer as if this were a multiple quiz exam. Thus, for example, the first question was: Which was the first Jewish family to settle in Winnipeg? We had four choices and not many in the crowd chose the Coblentz brothers as the correct answer.
Other questions brought better results. A few of the other questions were: Who was the first Chief Rabbi of Winnipeg? (Answer: Rabbi Kahanovitch); which Winnipeg Jewish scientist worked on the Manhattan Project? (Louis Slotin); and what renowned Winnipeg lawyer whistled with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra? (Harvey Pollock).
When it was all said and done, the winner was the woman sitting right beside me: Elaine Todres. Now, she had been trailing for most of the game, but she made a sudden “run for the roses,” or in this case, the “Jeanie’s cake,” at the end. Now, it is true that she might have been helped by the two men sitting beside her, as in her husband, Rubin Todres – and me. I sensed we both fed her some answers; whether or not she needed our help will remain unknown.
I wanted to enter the quiz but, although I knew many of the answers, I was unable to figure out how to use my phone to give my answers. In short, I have limited skills. I figure the reason Rubin and I knew most of the answers is that although, we weren’t the very oldest people there, we were definitely among the top five.

Part two of the evening consisted of a panel whose members were invited to respond to questions posed by the moderator of the panel, Ralph Benmurgi. Earlier in his career, Benmurgi lived in Winnipeg for a couple years. He was well prepared and although each of us only had time to respond to two questions, Benmurgi tried to get each of us to give our versions of Winnipeg as we once knew it and the reason it “punched above its weight” in the Jewish world.
None of the panelists was reticent to talk. The panelists included: Elaine Todres, Amy Lee, Jonas Chernick, and me. I was easily the oldest on the panel and I suppose that is what qualified me to be invited to participate in the first place. My own opinion was that we all did well in our attempts to get into what made Winnipeg tick. You can ask around (You likely know somebody who was there.) to see if my impression is correct.

The last part of the evening, and for me – the most significant, was the showing of the film “Crossing The River,” about the Fink family. Although I had seen it twice, seeing it a third time was like seeing it afresh and I was delighted that so many people I spoke to at the reception after the programme ended were so taken by the film. You could say that not only was Novak’s film received enthusiastically by the audience, he rendered all of us a great service just by getting us all together.

The reception following the film was packed… I mean packed! It was a good thing the event was not more widely publicized as there wouldn’t have been any more room for more ex-Winnipeggers in the lobby where the reception was held. Now, it is true that some of them might have been drawn to this mini Winnipeg reunion by the suggestion that the organizers had arranged for a Jeanie’s cake to be flown in but, if truth be told, although the appearance was similar, we had a fake cake. Still, we ate it all up.

There were so many people there that I could hardly keep track of them all and I missed seeing many of those who were present, but I do recall at least a conversation of a kind with: Mel and Lesley Springman, Janice Rodin Winocur, Harvin Pitch, Ken Arenson, Michael Mitchell, Susan Rumberg Roadburg, Arthur Standil, Martin Gurvey, Gayla Gurvey and her husband Ken Schwartz, Martin Stoller, Rubin Todres, Michael Levin, the former Brenda Novak, Bernie and Sheila Rubenstein, Paul and Margaret Shuckett, and Nathan and Miriam Jacobson.

The true success of Alan Novak’s creation is the fact that there is a sequel planned for the fall in Toronto.

By MYRON LOVE In a thorough-going analysis of antisemitism and anti-Zionism on North American campuses, Rachel Fish Ph.D., this year’s Jewish Heritage Center of Western Canada Sol and Florence Kanee Distnguished Lecture Series speaker, left her audience of at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on Thursday, April 30 with some hope that the situation is actually improving.
The Sol and Florence Kanee Distinguished Lecture series was inaugurated by the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada in 2006 to celebrate Sol Kanee’s 95th birthday.  In welcoming the audience at that first lecture, co-chair Harold Buchwald paid tribute to Kanee, who died on April 23, 2007, at 97, as a man who “cast a giant shadow” on world Jewish history in the second half of the 20th century.  The former resident of Melville, Saskatchewan, who spent almost all of his adult life in  Winnipeg, was a leader in the development of Israel and the Free Soviet Jewry movement as well as a “macher” in our Jewish community and across Canada.
Previous Sol and Florence Kanee lecture series speakers have included: historian Sir Martin Gilbert,CNN’s Jake Tapper, South African jurist Albie Sachs, New York Times columnist Brett Stephens, human rights advocate Irwin Cotler, former Mossad Director Efraim Halevy, Haaretz writer Ari Shavit, and Honest Reporting’s Mike Fegelman, (Ed. note: Now there’s an interesting juxtaposition: Ari Shavit and Mike Fegelman. I wonder what would be the odds of the Jewish Heritage Centre ever inviting someone as critical of Israeli government policy as Ari Shavit here again – or for that matter Efraim Halevy, who has also been a staunch critic of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.)
The evening began with a welcome from Rabbi Carnie Rose, the Shaarey Zedek’s senior rabbi.  Rose was followed to the podium by Harlan Abells, the president of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, who issued a special thank you to the evening’s gold sponsors – the Asper Foundation and MaryAnn Kanee (Sol and Florence Kanee’s daughter-in-law), while also acknowledging the lectures series’ many other  generous sponsors.
“We would also like to take a moment,” Abells continued, “to remember a longtime board member who passed away recently – Mel Myers, KC, of blessed memory. Mel was a true powerhouse of a man and a guiding light to our organization. We appreciated his wisdom, guidance, and steadfast support, and will truly miss him.’
In his memory,  Abells reported, his family has established the  ‘Mel Myers Endowment Fund’ (in support of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada) at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
He pointed out that the Jewish Heritage Centre collects and preserves the records, artifacts and traditions of our community. “We play an integral role in the life of our community,” he said.
“In fact, we are the custodians of our collective memory, identity, and cultural heritage. Thanks to us, the stories of the people – the events – the news – are preserved for today’s and future generations. Our collection includes a treasure trove of more than 70,000 photographs, beautifully illustrating more than 125 years of community life. We also provide essential education and training on the Holocaust and antisemitism to teachers, students and the general public throughout the year through our programs and training sessions.”
In introducing the guest speaker, Abells noted that Rachel Fish is currently the Director for The Brandeis University President’s Initiative on Antisemitism as well as an associate research professor at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, and teacher of Israeli history and society at The George Washington University, where she is Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
She is the co-founder of the nonprofit “Boundless,” a think-action tank partnering with community leaders across North America to revitalize Israel education and take bold collective action to combat antisemitism. 
The theme of her timely lecture was “How the Academy Has Created a Fertile Ground for Antisemitism,”  a topic in which she is well versed. 
Fish observed that antisemitism and anti-Zionism on North American campus are not new phenomena.  She recalled that she first experienced antisemitism in academia as far back as 2001 when she began her studies at Harvard’s Divinity School.
“Orientation day was September 11, 2001,” she remembered.  “Unlike other Harvard faculties, there were few Jewish students in the Divinity School. In the lecture hall for orientation,  a faculty member and future Dean of the Divinity School said that although he was not yet aware of all the details behind the attacks, he was certain that American support for Israel was behind 9-11.
“To me, I could see that it was already apparent where campus trends were going,” Fish said.
She explained in detail the ingredients that have combined to create this toxic stew of  antisemitism and anti-Zionism –  a mix of modern neo-Marxism, post-colonialism, Orientalism and post-modernism. The superficial framing that emerges is that Jews are identified as “White,” and “Palestinians” as “People of Colour” – so Israel is deemed to be negative because it is a country of “White People” and, therefore, is perceived as a “settler-colonist” enterprise that oppresses people of colour.. Further, therefore, any Jews associated with Israel are also portrayed negatively.
She further pointed out the lingering contributions to this by the former Soviet Union – which introduced the ideas that Zionism is “racist” and that Israel is an apartheid state.
While the situation may seem dire, Fish did report that a recent survey found that, while 3% of American university students are extremely hostile to Israel, and another 30% are hostile toward Israel and hostile toward Jews, two-thirds of students are indifferent.
 The problem is that faculty – mainly in the humanities, has become a monoculture where intellectual diversity is suppressed.  Some professors use their classrooms as a bully pulpit to promote their extremist views, while any faculty members who may dare to challenge the current zeitgeist risks being ostracized, may have difficulty getting published, risk losing out on grants and, ultimately – their jobs.An additional problem that she commented on is that a lot of people don’t really know what Zionism is and how it relates to Judaism.
 On the positive side, Fish observed, compared to the situation in 2002, Jewish activists are fighting back and making some headway.  “There are a lot of people doing serious work to change the university environment,” she reported.  ‘There are several organizations over the last ten years that have been working  on multiple levels to bring about change.
“There is still a lot of work to be done though,” she cautioned.
Fish further pointed out that, despite the hostility to Israel on many campuses, there are still joint research ventures taking place between Israeli universities and counterparts in North America,  Israeli researchers are still welcome to share their findings with North American colleagues, and Hillel chapters continue to function – largely without incident. 
“Our people have found a home in many societies and we have pursued our love of learning,” Fish noted.  “We cannot allow our institutions of higher learning to be hijacked.  We must remain vocal though, and hold university administrators’ and board members’ feet to the fire.”
 As for her own career, Fish said that she is determined to continue to pursue her career, both inside of academia and beyond, because she believes that education matters. “As well,” she concluded, “I appreciate the opportunities that teaching at the university level gives me to share what I have learned at public forums such as the Kanee Lecture.”
One other highlight of the evening was a special presentation by JHCWC board member and Past President Dan Stone to Stan Carbone, who is retiring after 25 years as the Director of Programs and Exhibits.