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Celebrated University of Manitoba professors reap new accolades
By MYRON LOVE This past November, a pair of internationally renowned University of Manitoba professors received further recognition for their storied careers.
In early November, Dr. Michael Eskin, chazan, singer/songwriter and Distinguished Professor in the University of Manitoba’s Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame.
In June of 2023, he was inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Order of Canada, the Order of Manitoba and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Toward the end of the month, Dr. Haskel Greenfield, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Manitoba, co-director (with his wife, Professor Tina Greenfield) of the university’s Near Eastern and Biblical Archaeology Lab, and head of the University’s Judaic Studies program, became just the third Canadian to be invited to become a member of the prestigious Academia Europea, the Pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters and Sciences, which was founded in 1988 with the goal of “advancing and propagating excellence in scholarship in the humanities, law, the economic, social, and political sciences, mathematics, medicine, and all branches of natural and technological sciences anywhere in the world for the public benefit and for the advancement of the education of the public of all ages in the aforesaid subjects in Europe”.
Greenfield was welcomed into Academia Europea at the organization’s annual yearly conference which, this year, was held from November 26-28 at Wroclaw in Poland. He was one of close to 100 new inductees – among well over 1,000 Academia Europea members in attendance.
“There were numerous presentations for members, both old and new, talking about their research,” he reports, “ a lot of it cutting edge material.”
He is looking forward to next year’s conference – which is scheduled for Barcelona.
Greenfield joined the teaching staff at the University of Manitoba in 1989. As noted in an earlier article in the Jewish Post & News, his introduction to archeology came in 1973 when he was involved as a student at an excavation at Tel Gezer in Israel. Following this, he conducted archaeological work in the Balkans, Romania and Greece – work that was cut short when conflict broke out in the region in 1992. Subsequently, his research took him to South Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Egypt and Israel,
Rather than focusing on a specific region in his studies, Greenfield noted in that previous interview, he has always pursued “the big picture” – how we have come to be who we are today from our earliest origins to growing our own food, domesticating animals, developing towns and cities and adapting new technology.
One of his special interests, he said, has been researching the beginnings of metallurgy and its effects on daily life. His other major interest is in the evolution of domestic animals and how they have changed the way in which we live and feed ourselves.
In recent years, his work has been mainly focused on archaeological sites In Turkey and Israel. From 2008 to 2017, he co-directed excavation work at and analyzed findings from Tel es Safi – in ancient times known as Gath (the Philistine city that was the home of Goliath who fought David nearby)– between Ashdod and Beth Shemesh. He has also analyzed material from other sites in Israel (such as Tel Beth Shemesh and Tel Shiloh) as well as in Turkey, where he worked on a site in west central Turkey called Catalhoyuk, a site that was first settled about 9,500 years ago.
Now that he has reached 71, he says that his days of leading excavations into the past are behind him. He is not entirely abandoning field work though. Rather, while still finishing reports from his past research, he notes that he will be providing his analytical expertise to other professionals’ excavations.
“There is still a demand for my areas of expertise,” he says.
Currently, he reports, he is analyzing material from a Hebrew University archaeological team at the famous archaeological site of Tel Beit Mirsim, which was excavated 100 years ago by the father of Biblical Archaeology, William Foxwell Albright. He is also providing assistance to a Hebrew University archaeological team helping to analyze findings from a site of the Biblical town of Shiloh, where the Ark was temporarily housed after Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land.
Michael Eskin’s induction into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of fame came via Zoom in early November. As a recipient, his portrait hangs in a special gallery which can be accessed online, together with a 4-minute video.
In a congratulatory letter from Senator Robert Black, Chair of the Senate committee on Agriculture and Forestry, the senator commented on Eskin’s pioneering research on canola oil and its impact on Canada’s agricultural industry and the health of consumers. Black noted, “Your work has not only improved the quality and stability of canola oil, but also expanded its market on an international scale.
“Your efforts in establishing canola oil as a heart-healthy addition to the Canadian diet have had far reaching benefits for producers, the economy and consumers.”
Black furthered praised Eskin for his role in mentoring the next generation of researchers and industry leaders.
During the course of his career, Eskin has published 19 books, over 250 research articles, book chapters, monographs and abstracts.
In an earlier interview, Eskin – who also served our Jewish community as a chazan for many years, quoted his late mother-in-law as saying that “you should never retire.” She was right, Eskin observed. “If I had retired at 65, I am not sure if I would have accomplished all that I have.”
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Talented Winnipeg composer Sara Kreindler teams up with her mother Reena Kreindler to create new satirical show to premiere here in May
By BERNIE BELLAN It’s been many years since I’ve heard from Sara Kreindler. Sara’s name first appeared in The Jewish Post & News in 2002 when a satirical musical titled “A Touch of Class” was reviewed by the late Arnold Ross. That particular production featured songs from popular Broadway shows that touched upon themes such as “greed, poverty, oppression, and social unrest.”
When she appeared in that show, Ross noted, Kreindler had just recently returned to Winnipeg from England, where she had obtained a doctorate in Social Psychology from Oxford University.
While at Oxford, Kreindler found time to compose a satirical musical titled “Charity,” which played to rave reviews there, and was performed five times.
Continuing in the theme of writing satirical musicals, Sara has now teamed up with her mother, Reena, to write a new musical titled “A Perfect Man,” which is set to run at the Gargoyle Theatre from May 6-17.
According to a press release we received, “A Perfect Man” is “a satirical musical, set on a fictional analogue of ‘The Bachelor’.
“The story follows an anthropologist who arrives to research TV’s hottest reality-dating show — only to discover she’s been made a contestant, and the bachelor is her high school crush. Past and present collide against an exuberant pastiche score that uses vintage musical styles to highlight modern absurdities.”
“Praised as ‘a musician [who] can make biofuels funny’ (CBC), Sara is known for whip-smart satire on a panoply of topics. Her digital musical, ‘Larry Saves the Canadian Healthcare System, created during her former life as an academic, has garnered over 84,000 YouTube views. Naturally, she had a field day with the subject of reality dating.
“The topic just begs for campy zaniness, which I think we all need in these times — but also for a more cerebral critique of what these shows say about the culture that spawned them,” says Kreindler. And thanks to the romance context, the satire is woven into a deeper, more personal story. “It’s satire with a heart.”
Here is some more information about Sara Kreindler, taken from a 2009 article I wrote about her:
“Born in Israel, Sara’s precocious talent was nurtured by her mother, Reena, whose own particular talent is literary, not musical. According to Reena, however, Sara was singing from the time she was a baby, and she began to study piano at the age of four.
“As a young girl, Sara began writing her own songs and poems, along with the “occasional musical”, notes Reena. Yet, Sara’s rare talent put her at odds with the typical interests of other children her own age, on top of which she attended a school to which she was exposed to a fair degree of antisemtism.
“As a result, Sara says, being bullied was a common aspect of her childhood. On one occasion, when she was nine, she notes, Sara fought back against one particular bully by reciting the following little ditty:
“I write so many epigrams to you that all the people laugh.
I’m tired of writing epigrams.
I want to write your epitaph!”
“Sara went on to compose a musical titled ‘Flutesong’ while she was a student at Vincent Massey Collegiate, she says. After doing her undergraduate work at the University of Manitoba, majoring in Psychology, Sara won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University.
“Sara eventually earned a doctorate in Social Psychology and returned to Winnipeg, where she began teaching at the University of Manitoba, but she said she didn’t enjoy the “mass production” style of teaching upwards of 300 students at a time, so she switched careers and began doing health research for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.”
All the while Sara has been continuing to compose and perform her own songs, often teaming up with her mother, as she has for “A Perfect Man.”
Showtimes and ticket information for The Perfect Man are available at:
http://www.thegargoyletheatre.com/upcoming-events/the-perfect-man
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Rabbi Kliel Rose to leave Congregation Etz Chayim for new post in Ottawa
The following email from Congregation Etz Chayim Executive Director Morissa Granove was sent to members of the congregation on Friday, April 10:
“Dear Members and Friends,
“As we know, Rabbi Kliel recently spent a weekend with Kehilllat Beth Israel where he has since been offered a position. After much thought and consideration, he has made the decision to sign a contract in Ottawa. He will continue to lead our congregation through Yom Kippur.
“This news marks a significant ending for our Etz Chayim community, and at the same time with change comes opportunity. Congregation Etz Chayim will soon embark on our own Rabbinical search with excitement as we look for our perfect candidates and explore the new possibilities that will help us to continue to shape a strong future for our synagogue and members.”
Kliel Rose took up the position of rabbi at Etz Chayim in August, 2018.
In an article announcing his appointment to the position in the June 6, 2018 issue of The Jewish Post & News, Myron Love wrote:
The congregation has been without a permanent rabbi since last summer when Rabbi Larry Lander chose to retire – after ten years here – and relocate to Toronto.
Kliel Rose is already a well-seasoned rabbi. He was ordained in 2004 by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
He previously served as spiritual leader at the West End Synagogue in Nashville and Temple Enamu-El in Miami Beach. His current posting is Beth Shalom Synagogue in Edmonton.
Following the example of his parents, Kliel Rose has been active in interfaith dialogue and human rights work for which he was honoured in 2014 with the Human Rights Hero Award by Truah: The Rabbibic Call for Human Rights.
He has also participated in the Kellogg Management Education for Jewish Leaders program at Northwestern University and was most recently chosen to be among 20 rabbis from different denominations chosen to train in the Clergy leadership Incubator – a two-year program, under the leadership of Ranni Sidney Schwarz, intended to educate younger rabbis in innovative thinking, change management and institutional transformation.
In Edmonton, Rose also served as Jewish chaplain at the University of Alberta and took the lead on a program called “Faith and Inclusion”, whose mandate was to support individuals with cognitive and physical learning challenges to feel more welcome within various faith communities.