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Cathy Moser and Jeff Itzkow launch campaign to raise money in support of pioneering Israeli treatment using  psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD

Jeff Itzkow & Cathy Moser in Tel Aviv

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.

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Cheryl Hirsch Katz, Jewish Child and Family Service’s longest serving staffer, set to retire at end of the month

By MYRON LOVE “I loved working at Jewish Child and Family Service,” says Cheryl Hirsh Katz, who is due to retire at the end of June.  “I have always appreciated the warm and welcoming atmosphere here.  I feel that the people working here are my extended family. I am going to miss my colleagues”.
“I have derived great satisfaction over the years to have been able to help many people in our community of all ages through my work at JCFS,” she continues.
After 44 years at the agency, Katz, the longest-serving member of the staff, was given an appreciative send-off at the JCFS’s recent (June 23) Annual General Meeting at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.
The daughter of Art and Bess Hirsh, Cheryl grew up in Garden City. She attended Peretz School, then Jefferson Junior High and Garden City Collegiate.  She joined the staff of JCFS in 1981, shortly after receiving her Bachelor of Social Work degree. 
She earned an MSW in 1990.
“I chose to become a social worker,” she recalls, “because I always wanted to be able to help people.”
Katz was originally hired by JCFS to work with newcomers. After a couple of years, she was given responsibility for looking after the needs of older adults.
“I really enjoyed working in older adult services,” she says.  “That is where I spent the bulk of my time at JCFS.”
After ten years as a case worker, she was promoted to a supervisory role.  Later, she was also given responsibility for mental health and addictions programming and settlement services, while keeping the older adult files under her purview.
“As a supervisor, I wasn’t directly involved with individual clients,” she points out.  “I was more involved with programming.  Among the programs for seniors we organized were – for example – sessions on elder abuse, digital storytelling and memory loss.”
She notes that one of the trends she has seen over the last 44 years is that people are living longer and living in their homes longer. A lot more of our clients are living well into their 90s,” she observes.  “We have had to continually expand our staff and the services we provide in order to accommodate the growing demands of an aging population.”   
She also spoke of the mental health needs of seniors and aging Holocaust survivors.
She says that she has mixed feelings about leaving JCFS.  “After so many years working full time, I am going to have to create a new routine,” she comments.
She notes that, now that she is retired, she will have more time to spend with her parents – who are in their 90s.
And then, there are the two dogs to look after. “I will have time now to try new activities,” she says. “ I might learn to play mah-jong.”
She speaks about maybe doing some traveling – although her husband, Murray, is still working full time.
(She and Murray have one daughter, Farah.)
“Retirement may also include some volunteering,” she adds.
It is quite likely, she will be continuing her association with JCFS but in a volunteer capacity. 

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Gray Academy students shine in provincial, national debating competitions

Gray Academy student debaters with debating coach Andrew Kaplan (l-r):Nate Shenkarow, Maxim Moscalenkov, Este Lamai, Andrew Kaplan, Raya Braunstein, Noa Mednikov

By MYRON LOVE It has been another good year for Gray Academy’s high school students who participated in provincial and national debating competitions.  The best results were recorded by Grade 9 student Noa Mednikov, who finished fourth overall nationally, fourth in interpretive reading, and fifth in persuasive speaking  at the junior National Public Speaking Championship in early May in Vancouver.
 
Last October, in the Junior Provincial British Parliamentary Championship – which was held at St. John’s-Ravenscourt – Noa and her partner, Raya Braunstein, finished third as a team while Raya placed third in individual debating.
 
Their fellow Grade 9 student Maxim Moscalenkov tied for first in persuasive speaking in Vancouver, while the Gray Academy team of Gabe Tapper and Aaron Koplovich finished fifth. Aaron also finished fifth in his individual debate.
 
Earlier, in March, Maxim finished fifth in the Provincial Juniors debating competition, which was held at Balmoral Hall  He and his debate partner, Nate Shenkarow, finished seventh among the teams entered.   Last November, he and partner, Ethan Tenenbein, finished seventh in the Junior Prepared Tournament – just behind the Gray Academy team of Nate Shenkarow and Jack Kay.    
 
At the senior high level in that competition, the team of Jacob Tenenbein and Jonah Novoseller finished fourth and Jacob was recognized as fifth best in an individual capacity. Jonah and Jacob also paired up to win the Asper Cup, which was held at their home school.
 
Jacob represented Manitoba at the Junior National Speech Championship in Vancouver in May and, last October, he and Grade 12 Gray Academy students Julie Krozkin and Daniel Bokser represented Canada at an international debating tournament in Bermuda.
 
 Gray Academy’s debating program was introduced by Linda Martin in 2003.  She also led the debating teams at Balmoral Hall.  In 2011, Martin was succeeded by Gray Academy high school English teacher Andrew Kaplan.
“Andrew has done a wonderful job with the debating program” says Martin, who has a debating trophy at Gray Academy named in her honour, as well as a provincial trophy for best individual junior debater. “Over the years, Gray Academy students have done very well in many local, national and international competitions,” she adds.
About three weeks ago, this writer had the opportunity to sit down with Andrew Kaplan and six of the school’s top debaters while they discussed the benefits of learning how to debate.  According to Noah Strauss – who competed in the Junior Provincials at Balmoral Hall in March, public speaking leaves him with a feeling of accomplishment.    
“It’s a good skill set to have,” he observes. “It builds confidence.”
“A benefit of being able to debate is that you learn how to convince people that you know what you are talking about,” adds Maxim Moscolenkov.
Raya Braunstein notes that being able to debate is a skill that she expects to be helpful in many university courses which she may choose to take.
As Andrew Kaplan notes, the ability to express yourself has a great impact in whatever career you choose to pursue. 
He points out that debating is compulsory at Gray Academy for all Grade 7 and 8 students – and students can continue debating as an option in the higher grades
Of course, competitive debating is not for everyone.  For those students who opt to take that path, the journey begins with internal school debate competition – with the top debating teams and individuals qualifying for local tournaments and – potentially – beyond.
Andrew Kaplan reports that a small number of  high schools in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba have active debating programs – including St. Johns Ravenscourt, St. Paul’s High School, St. Mary’s Academy, Garden City and Maples Collegiates in the Seven Oaks School Division, St. Maurice (a Catholic School), as well as Morden Collegiate and Dasmesh, a Sikh private school.
Kaplan expresses his appreciation to the Asper Foundation and an endowment spearheaded by the Kives Family  for providing funding for the Gray Academy debating program – as well as the Andrew Slough Foundation – which was established by his friends in memory of the outstanding former Ravenscourt student debater and lawyer who passed away suddenly two years ago at the still young age of 38.    
I am confident that our Jewish community can look forward to the continued success of Gray Academy’s star debaters and to the continual emergence of future stars as the times goes by. 

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Antisemitism has crept into grade school in Canada

Antisemitism in Canada has moved beyond protests and politics; it is now entering classrooms and altering how Jewish children see themselves functioning within them.
A a university student I have observed the experience of my younger brother in grade eight as a Jewish student. Over the past few months, his school has been at the center of several deeply troubling incidents that have made him feel unsafe in our parks, community, and even his school. Swastikas were drawn around the community, in parks and ponds. Additionally, an older man, who claims to be a pro-Palestinian influencer, stood outside his predominantly Jewish school wearing a keffiyeh, filming a video which then circulated between students on TikTok. 
This same man later showed up to our local Jewish community center in keffiyeh to allegedly watch his son play basketball where my brother and many of his classmates go for their lessons, basketball games, and Jewish events. These moments made him and his peers feel watched and targeted just for being Jewish. Local political representatives condemned the incidents and raised awareness about antisemitism, but the fear among students didn’t go away. The feeling of being targeted for simply existing has been taught to my brother, something my parents had tried their hardest to escape from. 
Most recently, my brother was chosen to represent his school at a regional science fair. When one of the judges arrived wearing a keffiyeh, he froze. For many, including my brother after the incidents he has faced, the keffiyeh represents a political message. But even more so for my younger brother, it is tied to the fear and intimidation he had already experienced. He felt nervous, distracted, and unsure of how to act.
This is not about silencing political expression. It is about a child who came to share his ideas and left feeling uncertain and afraid. It is about the atmosphere forming in Canadian schools, where Jewish students are being made to feel targeted and unwelcome.
His school made an effort to address the incidents, but the impact is lasting. Posts on social media, much can be very vague at times about inclusion cannot fully undo the feeling of being singled out. A kind word from a teacher does not erase the fear that builds when threats are left unspoken but deeply felt.
I am writing this as a sister who watched her younger brother lose a moment that should have been filled with confidence and pride. He deserved to feel safe. So do all Jewish students in this country.
Moving forward, schools must take concrete steps to protect all students. Antisemitism cannot only be addressed when it becomes violent or overt. It must also be recognized when it appears as intimidation, symbolic targeting, or political messaging that creates fear among students. Children should never have to question whether they are safe in their own classrooms or community spaces.
Events that are meant to support and celebrate students must remain focused on them. Individuals who feel the need to bring political symbols or messages into school grounds or children’s events should not be welcomed in those spaces. Schools must make it clear that their environments exist to support learning, safety, and inclusion, not to host agendas that can intimidate or isolate students.
Administrators and educators must develop clear guidelines for identifying and responding to antisemitic behavior in all its forms. This includes strengthening security measures, offering ongoing staff training, and engaging directly with Jewish families to understand their concerns. Inclusion is not a one-time statement. It is a responsibility that must be reflected in everyday decisions and actions. No child should ever feel unsafe or unwelcome because of their identity.

The author is a Campus Media Fellow with HonestReporting Canada and Allied Voices for Israel who lives in Toronto.

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