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Congregation Shir Tikvah officially dissolves

SHIR TIKVAH logoBy BERNIE BELLAN In our July 24, 2019 issue we broke the news that Congregation Shir Tikvah was ceasing operations. In that issue we reported that “A Winnipeg congregation that had been holding High Holy Day services for the past 16 years is ceasing operations. In that article we wrote that, in a letter sent to congregation members dated July 12, Congregation Shir Tikvah President Sharon Bronstone stated:

 

Dear Members of Congregation Shir Tikvah,
On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, it is with great sadness that we inform you of our decision not to hold High Holy Days Services this coming year.
After sixteen years in operation we can only see the writing on the wall that our numbers have been declining and at this time we don’t see a viable option to move forward.
When we started out no one thought our “little congregation” would ever amount to anything nor did anyone think Shir Tikvah would become a household name to hold Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services for sixteen years.
While closing our doors is not what we had in mind, we do want you to know how important your presence, contributions and commitment has been to all of us. To be a part of an amazing group of people devoted to helping us thrive over the years has been incredibly heartwarming to everyone who has served on the Congregation Shir Tikvah Board as well as those behind the scenes. We applaud you for sticking by us!

As a follow-up to that story we were recently contacted by Sharon Bronstone to inform us that Congregation Shir Tikvah is now officially dissolved.
Among the several artifacts that the congregation had accumulated over the years were two Torah scrolls which had been donated to the congregation by Leonard Kahane in 2015. In a story I wrote that year I gave the explanation as to how those two Torah scrolls had ended up with Shir Tikvah. That story also told how the congregation had first come about:

It’s not often that a Jewish congregation in Winnipeg is able to commemorate something as momentous as the acquisition of a new Torah scroll. If memory serves correct, the last time any congregation here was able to mark such an occasion was in May 2012, when Temple Shalom celebrated the completion of the “Penn Torah scroll”, which was the crowning achievement of scribe Irma Penn shortly before her passing that same year.
Now, a congregation about whom we don’t hear very much is also about to unveil two new recently-acquired Torah scrolls. Congregation Shir Tikvah, which is in its 13th year, will be unveiling the two Torahs at its Rosh Hashanah service on Monday, September 15.
The Torah scrolls are the gifts of Dr. Leonard Kahane, in memory of his late wife, Hope Renee, who passed away in 2006.

Recently I sat down with three individuals who were instrumental in creating Shir Tikvah congregation and who have played vital roles in keeping that congregation alive every high holiday since 2003: Sid Ritter (the former executive director of Bnay Abraham Synagogue prior to the merger of that synagogue with the Beth Israel and Rosh Pina synagogues in 2002), his wife Hinda , and Sharon Bronstone (a past president of the Beth Israel congregation).
As much as I was interested in hearing the story of the Torah scrolls, I was even more interested in knowing what has led the various individuals who have gathered together each year at the Viscount Gort Hotel (save for two years at the old Blue and Gold room in the former Winnipeg Stadium) for high holiday services to stay together.

The story, for those not familiar with it, is that at the time that three north-end Winnipeg congregations – the Beth Israel, Bnay Abraham, and Rosh Pina, decided to merge into one in 2002, not all members of those congregations were enthused with the idea of the merger. According to Bronstone, “Some of us were not happy the way it (the merger) turned out…and Sid, David (Bloomfield, also one of the original movers behind the creation of Shir Tikvah and a past president of the Beth Israel), and I started getting phone calls from others, asking ‘What are you going to do?’ “
“Nobody really wanted to start anything,” says Bronstone, “but the phone calls kept coming in and we did start something – it was a one-shot deal, in 2003” (high holidays services in the basement of the Viscount Gort Hotel on Portage Avenue).
“The first year we had 83 people – which surprised us,” she notes. “It came around that we met a second year, also at the Viscount Gort.” Since then the number of people attending Shir Tikvah’s services has continued to grow, to the point where there are anywhere from 150-180 individuals now attending annually (although one year there were over 200 people in attendance, Bronstone notes.)

(Ed. note: In my conversation with Sharon Bronstone on March 10, 2021 Sharon offered the following observations about the original formation of Congregation Shir Tikvah:
“Some of us were younger people who weren’t comfortable going to a larger synagogue.
Rabbi Green (who was the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel at one time) had suggested, when Shir Tikvah was first formed that (to paraphrase) “You’re doing something for people who do not want to belong to a synagogue, but wanted somewhere to go for High Holiday services.”)

Arky Berkal has served as cantor from day one, while Sharon’s son Adam has served as “lay rabbi”, also from the very beginning. (Every year Adam Bronstone has come back to Winnipeg for two weeks during the high holidays, no matter where he may have been living anywhere in the world.) In recent years, Jared Trotman has also been contributing as “Ba’al Shacharit”, this year to be joined on the bimah by Avrom Charach.
As far as Torah scrolls have gone though, the congregation had been in the practice of borrowing two scrolls belonging to the Gray Academy each year. Later, when those Torahs were sent for refurbishing, Shir Tikvah was able to borrow two more Torah scrolls from the Talmud Torah-Beth Jacob congregation on Main Street. Most recently it had been borrowing two Torahs from the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.

Bronstone notes that, even though there “were 48 Torahs” in the Etz Chayim as a result of the merger of the three congregations and that the Simkin Centre also had a surplus of Torahs, “no one wanted to give any to us.”
But, last year, explains Bronstone, while they “were breaking fast, Dr. (Leonard) Kahane said to me ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’ I didn’t understand what he meant, so I said ‘I don’t think so.’”
“No, no, what I meant is ‘What are you short?’ “, Dr. Kahane continued, according to Bronstone. “Well, after Yom Tov, I called him,” she continues, and mentioned that they were short Torahs of their own, so “he made us a fantastic offer of two Torahs”.
At that point Hinda Ritter explains how Sid and Leonard Kahane went down to Florida to visit a store known as “Tradition”, whose owner specialized in the sale of Torahs “that have been reclaimed from the Holocaust”.
“The Torahs go to Israel,” Hinda adds, “where they’re vetted and fixed, and he (the owner of Tradition) gets them.” (The Torahs are kept near the Kotel, where authorized scribes are allowed to work on them, Sid Ritter explains later in the conversation.)

Sid Ritter adds: “There are two locations in the world where Holocaust Torahs are kept. One is in Jerusalem and the other location is London, England. My opinion is we ought to be getting Torahs from Jerusalem. Those Torahs are checked by an authorized scribe to make sure they are all kosher.”
(At this point I interjected, asking whether it was permissible to repair a Torah that had been severely damaged. According to Sid Ritter, it depends on the degree of damage.)
“I asked our contact in Florida whether it would be possible to obtain one Torah that came from Poland and one from Romania,” Sid continues, “because our donor’s family came from Romania.”
“After some back and forth, eventually two Torahs were found – one from Poland, and one from Romania – and that’s what we ended up with,” he says.

There was an added element to the purchase of the Torahs that entered into the equation, Sid adds: The weight of the Torahs. Theirs is an “egalitarian congregation”, he explains, and they didn’t want to acquire Torahs that would be too heavy for women to carry.
So, what are the components that go into adding to the weight of a particular Torah? Sid wondered. One obvious factor would be the weight of the scroller, or the “Etz Chayim,” as it is referred to. “It depends on whether it’s made of hardwood or softwood,” Sid explains. But, another added element is the type of ink used in creating a particular Torah. “The heavier the ink, the more massive the Torah – not so much the parchments – they’re largely the same,” he adds.

But, how do you know a Torah comes from Poland, for instance, while another comes from Romania? “It turns out that there are actually distinct styles,” Sid says, that can indicate where a Torah comes from.
I ask: “How much does a Torah go for anyway?”
Both Sharon and Sid chime in: “Lots!”
In addition to the actual scrolls, Dr. Kahane also paid for the Torah covers, which were made in Israel.
Since Congregation Shir Tikvah meets only for high holiday services, I ask where the Torahs will be kept during the rest of the year. It turns out that Sid Ritter will keep them in his own home – under conditions “that are reasonably temperature controlled”, he notes.
The ark and the podium used by Shir Tikvah were designed and built by Zvi Gitter, Sharon Bronstone says, and they’re meant to be easily disassembled. As a matter of fact, she notes, “ we have given them out when people have bar or bat mitzvahs in hotels.”
“We are, in my estimation, a real synagogue,” she adds, “because the only things we were lacking were our own Torahs”.

According to Sharon Bronstone, now that Shir Tikvah Congregation is officially dissolved, the two Torah scrolls that the congregation acquired in 2015 are to be given to the Chevra Mishnayes Congregation (about which we have a story on page 34.)

As well, Sharon adds, the ark and the podium mentioned in that 2015 story will be donated to Congregation Temple Shalom, along with the white gowns worked by the lay rabbi and cantor.

As far as the High Holiday books that had been accumulated by Shir Tikvah over the years, Sharon says, of the 160 books in the congregation’s possession, 60 have been able to find new homes in other congregations, but there are still 100 remaining to be donated. If anyone is interested in acquiring these books they are asked to contact Sharon at 204-338-5064.

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Winnipegger David Ganetsky becoming go-to guy for mould and asbestos removal throughout Western Canada

By MYRON LOVE David Ganetsky’s Enviro Doctors is fast becoming the preeminent specialist throughout Western and Northern Canada when it comes to mould and asbestos removal.  In the past year alone, Ganetsky points out, his employee numbers have grown from 10 to 35.
“Over the past couple of years, our business has been growing exponentially,” he reports.  “We currently have seven crews (each consisting of four members) operating in places such as Thompson, Brandon and The Pas.   We have one crew that specializes in mould removal.
“We have contracts for projects – beyond Manitoba – in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwestern Ontario, Nunavut and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.  None of our competitors match our geographical reach.”
Ganetsky and Enviro Doctors have come a long way in just nine years but, for the long time resident of Garden City, his latest reincarnation is built on his many years of experience as an entrepreneur.  The son of Walter and Penny Ganetsky notes that he was inspired to pursue a career largely in business by his work with his zaida, the late Bernard Mondell, who was in the wholesale business.
Following high school graduation (from Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate), he began looking for business opportunities.  “My first business venture was in communication,” he recalls.  “I founded Delta Communications, one of the original cell phone providers in Winnipeg.”   
He learned the art of business largely by hands-on experience but, he points out, he also took a number of business courses over several years.”
Ganetsky’s work history also includes working in sales in the golf business and serving for two years as executive director of the Portsmouth Retirement Residence. His entry into mould and asbestos removal came about through his work as a business consultant.
“I was hired by a company involved in mould remediation and removal to help grow their sales,” he recounts.  “After helping them to achieve their goal, I could see that there was a void in the marketplace.  There was no company specializing specifically in mould removal.  I did some research into the industry, took a few courses and proceeded to open The Mould Doctors.”
That was in 2014.
As business grew, Ganetsky notes, he began to get a growing number of calls asking about asbestos removal as well. As a result, in 2016, he changed the company name to Enviro Doctors to better encapsulate the services Ganetsky offers.
(He later added a demolition service.)
The mould and asbestos removal maven points out that there are very stringent guidelines to be followed in his line of work, in particular when  it comes to asbestos removal.   “We are required to do a yearly audit,” he says.  “We have one fulltime staff member dedicated to ongoing training.”
Ganetsky observes that there is a clear relationship between mould build-up and health issues.  It has only been in recent years that doctors have become aware of the link between mould build-up and ongoing flu-like symptoms and respiratory ailments such as asthma, he reports
He adds though that not everyone is affected negatively by mould build-up. He explains that mould build-up is created by a combination of high humidity or moisture, resulting from a spill or a leak, and a “food source,” such as drywall or furniture.
“Much of the time, mould is invisible,” he notes.  “We at EnviroDoctors can do an air quality test which will confirm the presence of build-up.”
Homeowners can remove small amounts of mould, he suggests, by spraying the affected area with a 50/50 mixture of  vinegar and water, then wiping way the black film.
He points out that mould is a particular problem in Aboriginal communities.  “We have sent our teams into numerous First Nations bands throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwestern Ontario and the North.  There was one such community, for example, where about one-third of the houses had mould problems.  
“Most of these communities suffer from overcrowding, neglect and lack of knowledge how to prevent mould build-up,” he points out.  “As part of our service,  we try to teach the community members how to prevent the development of mould.”
Ganetsly  notes that he is proud of the fact that the environmentally-friendly formula Enviro Doctors uses for mould removal was developed in a Canadian laboratory. 
He further touts Enviro Doctors’ “fresh air guarantee,” which includes free air quality testing and a follow-up test 90 days after completion of the work.
Enviro Doctors’ potentially most high-profile project to date may be the upcoming excavation of Winnipeg’s  Prairie Green Landfill in hopes of finding the remains of two or three female Indigenous murder victims.  While the original estimate for the project was around $180 million, a new report released in late January by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and ISN Maskwa (an Indigenous-owned company that provides emergency response training and services) suggest that the work can be carried out for about $90 million.
“We have been approached to participate in the project,” Ganetsky reports.  “That landfill is one that accepts asbestos.”
Ganetsky states that he believes that excavation is doable, providing  fundinf can be found.  “Wab (Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew) is on board,” Ganetsky notes.   “Maybe we find something. Maybe we find nothing.  But at least it may give the families of the murder victims some closure.”

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New Federation program connects Winnipeggers with Israeli teens trying to improve their English

Israel Connect volunteers Tannis Mindell (left) and Rietta Floom

By MYRON LOVE Last fall, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg signed onto Israel Connect, an online initiative that brings together community volunteers with Israeli teens seeking to improve their English.
According to the Israel Connect website, the outreach program was founded in 2013 by Sarah Gordon, a former teacher at the Torah Day School in Ottawa, with the goal of creating a grassroots network of Canadian volunteers who answered the call of Israeli educators to provide their students with English language tutoring.
The website points out that “mastering English is crucial for success in Israel. Universities and high-paying jobs require a high level of English language proficiency. However, the current educational landscape presents a significant challenge. Immersive language experiences, proven to be the most effective way to learn, are impractical in overcrowded classrooms. It is virtually impossible for 30-40 students to engage in effective English conversations and interactions, and experiences outside the classroom are prohibitively expensive.”
Israel Connect’s results were dramatic, the website reports.  English proficiency among that first group of students quickly improved, and the demand for native English tutors became clear. Within two short years, the informal network grew into a global non-profit organization that has more than 1,000 volunteer mentors strong.    
Today, Israel Connect partners with the Israeli Ministry of Education to support hundreds of students in dozens of schools across the country. In just over 10 years, the organization has become the world’s largest external provider of services to Israel’s Department of Education – helping hundreds of 14- and 15-year-olds to perfect their English simply by chatting once a week with a mentor via Zoom.
Winnipegger Rietta Floom says that she learned about Israel Connect from relatives in Edmonton.   “I was looking for volunteer opportunities,” notes the retired  investigator, mediator and hearing officer with the province, who does some casual work as an education assistant.  She filled out an application in September 2022, and, shortly after, she was assigned her first student, a girl in  grade 12, living outside of Tel Aviv.  Her second student, this year, lives in northern Israel and goes to school in Tiberias.
Tannis Mindell, a former chairperson of Liquor and Lotteries Corporation, was also looking for a volunteer opportunity. “I learned about Israel Connect from my sister-in-law in Ottawa,” she says.
Mindell signed on last fall. She notes it was she who suggested that the Federation might want to support this initiative. 
“I connected with  Mariana Sussi – who is a member of the Federation Board (as chair of the Israel and Overseas committee) – and Abby Flackman (the Federation’s Youth and Overseas Engagement co-ordinator),” she says.  “Both Abby and Mariana are also enthusiastic about Israel Connect.”
Both Mindell and Floom point out that you don’t have to have been an educator to participate as an Israel Connect mentor, and there is little preparation required.  All that is necessary is to commit to a weekly 45-minute Zoom session with the student that is convenient for both parties. 
Each Thursday, the Israel Connect organizers send out a weekly lesson plan. At the appointed time, the student reads aloud the assigned paragraph and goes over with the mentor proper pronunciation and the meaning of new words.  After that, mentor and student chat about any number of subjects
The goal of the program, according to the Israel Connect website, is that by the end of the school year, students have the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the national university entrance exams. 
Not surprisingly, the events of October 7 and resultant ongoing conflict have introduced a new psychological element into the tutoring.  Students share in the national trauma and most have family members engaged in the fighting.  The Winnipeg mentors have had a session with Mariana Sussi – who is also a psychotherapist – and who provided them with some strategies in offering some help to their Israeli students with their trauma.
“My work with my student through Israel Connect has been one of the most gratifying experiences I have ever had,” Mindell says.
Both she and Floom would like to encourage others in our community to consider donating a little bit of their time to Israel Connect.
Interested individuals can contact Abby Flackman at 204 477-7424 or send an email to AFlackman@jewishwinnipeg.org.
“I would love to help anyone who is interested in volunteering to get started,” Flackman says.

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The Middle East and the Erosion of our Public Discourse

By BEN CARR Like so many Canadians, it pains me day after day to watch the ongoing crisis unfold in the Middle East. From the horrific torture Israeli hostages and their families are still enduring, as well as the grief and uncertainty that remains across the country after Hamas’ terrorist attack, to the innocent children in Gaza who have been killed or are starving as a consequence of this horrible conflict, its sum has equaled nothing short of total human catastrophe.

I have been critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu before, and I will be again. There are three core areas that I feel strongly point to the ways in which he is proving to be an obstacle to peace. First, he does not accept a two-state solution as a viable path to peace (even without Hamas at the table). Second, he refuses to condemn and take action towards growing settler extremism on the far-right. Third, and most important at this stage, he is not allowing the aid so desperately needed in Gaza to flow as it should.

For its part, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using civilians as human shields, and cease its constant attacks against Israel. A criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu does not in any way provide a get out of jail free card for Hamas. The terms of a ceasefire cannot be one-sided.

It is critically important we remember that governments come and go. Our relationships with states are deeper than that we may have with the leadership of the day. Israel is still a key ally in the region, and plays a vital role in protecting our interests against hostile actors, such as Iran and Russia. 

We can expect that a more moderate Israeli government will emerge from the ruins of this chapter. It will be in Canada’s interest to have open lines of communication with them when the time comes.

Some have questioned my criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu, contemplating whether or not it is appropriate for a Member of Parliament in Canada to comment on the affairs of another nation. When the domestic affairs of another country spill over into the domestic affairs of ours, and impact those that I represent to the extent that this conflict has, I feel it is reasonable and responsible for me to lend my voice to the conversation.  

It is possible to remain outraged by the loss of life on Oct 7th and supportive of Hamas’ dismantling while at the same time feeling as though the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached such levels that it is incumbent upon the Netanyahu Government to address the issue immediately. That sentiment reflects how I, and many others in our community, are feeling right now.

Yes, Hamas provoked this war. Yes, Hamas has to be eradicated. Yes, Israel has a right to defend itself. No, innocent kids should not be on the verge of starvation as a consequence of actions completely out of their control. 

It is shocking that Israel’s most important ally, the United States, is set to create a makeshift port of entry off the coast in order to get aid into Gaza. This is a direct result of Netanyahu’s arrogant dismissal of the world’s concerns regarding the conditions facing innocent people.

There is nothing black and white about this conflict. Any attempts to overlook the nuance and historical complexity of these issues simply feeds into the hostility and aggression that is plaguing our public discourse on the matter, and by extension, negatively impacting the way we treat each other. 

People are constantly looking to put others into one category or another. Are you “pro-Palestine” or you are “pro-Israel?” Do you “support Hamas” or do you “support genocide?” 

The truth is, it’s simply not that simple.

These tribalistic narratives are no doubt to some extent the result of intergenerational trauma experienced by members of both communities involved, and it is understandable how and why this conflict has evoked the range of emotions that it has. 

However, the response is also reflective of a rapid decline in the quality of our public dialogue, borne from social media echo chambers and an underlying anger in certain segments of society that has stripped us of the ability to allow for compassionate argument to be accompanied by reasonable thought.

Because I have expressed support for Israel after the most devastating attack on Jews since the Holocaust, I have been called a “baby killer”, “genocide enthusiast”, and told that I have “blood on my hands.” I have been confronted by mobs of angry people screaming at me outside of events, and had threatening expletives hurled my way. 

Because I have been critical of Netanyahu and showed compassion for the circumstances facing innocent people in Gaza, I have been called a “disgraceful Jew”, “Hamas sympathizer”, and a “political opportunist.”

These people are not interested in solutions. They hear only what they want to hear, and disregard the rest. None of that offers a pathway to peace, here at home, or anywhere else in the world. 

We must, in the same breath, express care for the lives of innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians. In doing so, we contribute a small part here at home to the pursuit of a lasting peace for a conflict that has taken the lives of too many, for too long.

Ben Carr is the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre

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