Local News
Combined Jewish Appeal raises record amount in midst of pandemic during 2020
By BERNIE BELLAN When we saw the announcement in our print edition by the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg that the Combined Jewish Appeal’s final tally for 2020 was $6,439,994, we were pleasantly surprised. After all, no one needs to be reminded how difficult a year 2020 had been for most people. So, we decided to ask Rebecca Brask, who is Chief Development Officer at the Federation, if she could answer some questions about last year’s campaign.
Here are the questions we posed, along with Rebecca’s answers:
JP&N: What was the actual target of the CJA campaign (or was there even a target?)
Brask: Heading into this campaign in September we were very unsure of what to expect and so we decided to not increase the goal from the previous year and remain at a $6 million goal.
JP&N: Remind me how much you raised in 2019.
Brask:The 2019-2020 CJA Campaign raised $6,005,140
JP&N: Was there an increase in the number of donors? If so, by what number?
Brask: The 2019 CJA Campaign had 2101 donations (or household donations) and the 2020 Campaign had 2097 donations, so a difference of 4 donations. However, what is also notable is that there was an average increase of 8% per donation this year, meaning that many donors decided to increase their support of the CJA in 2020.
JP&N: I assume large donors stepped up their contributions. Was that typically the case?
Brask: There were a few factors that went into this year’s campaign having such a large increase, one of which was the Covid-19 Social Services Matching Fund we were able to access through the Jewish Federations of North America. Through this fund, and three extremely generous local donors, we were able to raise an additional $230,000 in directed donations, which has already been distributed to Jewish Child and Family Service and the Gwen Secter Creative Living Center for specific community needs related to Covid-19. We also received an incredible one-time gift of over $150,000 specifically for this year’s campaign and community needs. We don’t expect either of these gifts to renew next year and so will base our targets for the 2021-2022 campaign excluding these amounts.
Large donors did contribute more to the Campaign this year with 97 donors of $10,000 or more compare with 90 in 2019.
JP&N: How does Winnipeg’s campaign compare with what you know about other cities’ campaigns?
Brask: We believe it was mixed. Some other Federations maintained a status quo but had successful Campaigns.
JP&N: While it may seem unusual that the CJA campaign saw an increase in donations during a pandemic, I’m not at all surprised. Do you want to say something about what it says about our Jewish community here?
Brask: We have always said we have a very generous community, that always punches above its weight for a city of our size. We have all been humbled by the generosity and care our community has shows for each other during this time.
This is a quote from our CJA Co-Chair Neil Duboff:
“The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown our Jewish community at its best. From the launch of our community-based response fund, to the increases in donations to the Combined Jewish Appeal, our community’s generosity is showing up both to help the community organizations challenged by the pandemic and recognize the ongoing need for support of our beneficiary agencies. Confronted with the pandemic individual Jewish community charity has been responsive and engaged. We could not be more grateful.”
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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
Local News
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.