Local News
Congregation Etz Chayim transition south now well under way
By MYRON LOVE Congregation Etz Chayim’s relocation to south Winnipeg is moving along smoothly, according to the transition team’s co-chairs, Kim Hirt and Myron Schultz.
In an update emailed to synagogue members in mid-December, the pair reported on the activities of transition team members in charge of different aspects of the move to the new location at 1155 Wilkes, which has been the home of the Shriners’ Khartoum Temple.
Committee leaders include Denny and Mel Hornstein, who are in charge of honouring the past by developing ways to preserve the history of the three congregations – the former Rosh Pina, Bnay Abraham and Beth Israel synagogues – that joined together in 2002 to form Etz Chayim.
Sabrina Bokser’s committee is responsible for assessing the congregation’s functional space requirements, which will impact how the new Etz Chayim will be reconfigured for the immediate and long term future This group’s first job, noted Hirt and Schultz, “is to look at all the activities that have historically been held in the current building and the space required to accomplish these activities, as well as to consider functions and programs that we would like to host. In the end, there may be some activities that we will not be able to host when we move or will perhaps be achievable in a phased approach. These are matters to be assessed and will be determined with consultation with our membership”.
Gord Steindel and his team, they further point out, have begun the important job of inventorying Etz Chayim’s artifacts and objects to prepare for the first stage of a move.
And, as Etz Chayim is a holy space, the ritual team, led by Steven Hyman is working closely with the synagogue’s clergy, in regard to the religious requirements for the new space.
“We look forward to welcoming more congregation members who might want to volunteer to join our Transition Teams,” Hirt and Schultz wrote.
As reported earlier in The Jewish Post & News, the Etz Chayim board put out the “for sale” for the 70-year-old former Rosh Pina building on Matheson Avenue three months ago – after at least a decade of looking into a move south.
In that earlier interview, Etz Chayim president Avrom Charach noted that the great majority of the congregation now lives south and – more importantly – after 70 years, the current building needs a lot of work.
”We think it makes more sense to spend the money where most of our members are living instead of where we are now,” Charach observed.
The plan, he said, was to purchase and renovate an existing building – or rent temporarily if need be until a suitable building could be found.The goal was to find a location within a 10-minute drive of most of the shul members. That would be a location accessible to residents of River Heights, Tuxedo, Lindenwoods and Charleswood.
“We would like to be in our new home by next summer – in time for next Yom Tov.”
In a follow-up story in the Post, we reported that the congregation purchased the former Shriners headquarters on Wilkes Ave for a reported $4.75 million.
As the Shriners building is about the same size as the current synagogue’s sanctuary, Charach noted, the new synagogue will reflect the former Beth Israel building wherein the sanctuary doubled as the social hall.
In such a case, after services on Shabbat morning, the daveners would go out into the hall while the chairs inside the sanctuary would be rearranged around tables and food stations for the Kiddush.
(How the pews will be incorporated into the new building is to be determined.)
Charach also suggest that enlarging the space by pushing back the building’s western wall is under consideration.
In that earlier JP&N interview, Charach suggested that the sale of the current building might bring in $10 million. “We have had quite a bit of interest – but no solid offers yet,” he reports. “We are planning a capital campaign and are prepared to consider bridge financing if required.”
Whereas Charach noted earlier that the congregation is expecting to be in the new shul by yom tov, the ideal, he says, would be to be able to conduct services shortly after taking possession at the end of May.
Local News
The Jewish Post Ltd.’s brand new website
Click here to be taken to our new website featuring foods you can find on Facebook Marketplace
Local News
First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
Local News
Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”
