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Detailed figures on amounts Jewish Foundation has given to Jewish organizations

Jewish Foundation logoBy BERNIE BELLAN
Imagine my surprise when, despite being told that the Jewish Foundation would not disclose how much funding specific organizations have received from the Foundation in its three stage emergency funding process, which began in April, I happened to be perusing the Jewish Foundation website and, lo and behold, there are complete tables giving all that information.

And this, despite having reported twice, in our May 27 and June 24 issues that “the Foundation continues to maintain, as Richard Yaffe (Board Chair) put it, that ‘To be respectful of a variety of unique circumstances currently faced by individual organizations, at this time, we will leave the disclosure of the amount they received to their discretion.’
“Richard Yaffe did add that information will be made public by the Foundation in its 2020 Annual Report – so we’ll only have to wait one more year to find out how much each organization has received and will receive as a result of emergency funding during the pandemic…”
I have no idea why then the Foundation did publish the exact information Richard said it would not disclose, but whatever the reason, here is what is available on its website:

Jewish Fdn grants Apri 20

 

Jewish Fdn grants June 20

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Kadima Dance Company receives rave reviews for Edmonton performace earlier this month

Kadima Dance Troupe Top (L-R): Arielle Block, Jason Cohen, Michael Petrov, Matthew Slusky, Jillian Daien, Valentyna Kabris, Dana Segal Bottom (L-R): Erin Schwartz, Hadera Short, Rinat Mirkin, Emily Kalo, Rotem Keynan, Jenna Senensky

By BERNIE BELLAN Hadera Short has been dancing since the age of three. In an April 2022 story we wrote that Hadera told “The Jewish Post & News that she ‘started doing Israeli dance when I was six. I joined Chai when I was 16.’

“In 2014, at the age of 21, Hadera said, she ‘was accepted into the Jerusalem Academy of Music for a one-year intensive program, where,’ she adds, she ‘studied ballet, contemporary and Gaga styles of dance.’

“Upon returning to Winnipeg, Hadera rejoined Chai, becoming its dance director in 2016. In 2017, after eight years performing with Chai, she retired from the group.

“After a two-year hiatus from dance, however, Hadera said she realized how much she missed performing in front of a live audience. As a result, she had the idea of forming her own dance company.

“Hadera actually began choreographing in her mother’s living room. After sharing the idea of starting a new dance company with other dancers and discussing the concept of forming a new Israeli dance group, Hadera realized the potential success that this group could hold and Kadima Dance Company was born. Kadima, meaning ‘forward’ in Hebrew, had its first rehearsal at Kazka Dance Collective studio on December 1, 2019.

“Asked why she wanted to start her own Israeli dance company, Hadera explained that ‘I started Kadima because I wanted to create a new space for adult dancers who are passionate about Israeli dance and wanted the freedom to express themselves creatively. I encourage the dancers to select their own music to choreograph to, or come to me with potential performance ideas and opportunities. I want to show off everyone’s full potential as dancers, performers and choreographers. One of my primary goals for Kadima is encouraging a balance between professionalism, creativity and fun. Our rehearsals and our relationships outside of the studio are a reflection of just that.’

Kadima in performance at the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton

Just recently Hadera contacted us to inform about Kadima’s most recent experience, when members of the group travelled to Edmonton to perform in an Israeli dance festival, known as Festival Hatzafon, which was mounted by the Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association (AIFDA) on the occasion of AIFDA’s 18th year anniversary.  According to Hadera, “AIFDA was formed in 2006 by choreographer and artistic director Sari Uretsky.”

The festival, held in the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton,featured Kadima alongside other Israeli dancers and other cultural groups from across Canada in what Hadera said was a “sold out show.”

Currently Kadima has 20 dancers in the troupe, of whom 13 went to Edmonton.

Sari Uretsky (left) with Hadera Short

Their performance elicited this reaction from Sari Uretsky: “You should be so proud!!! You guys are a strong, cohesive group in such a short time! And you’ve already accomplished so much! It was an honour to have you and your company! You are all gorgeous dancers and added so much to our festival! We cannot wait to collaborate with you in the future!”

In addition to having just performed in Edmonton, Kadima also performed in Vancouver last year in what is known as “Festival Harikud.”

Upcoming, according to Hadera, Kadima will also be performing at “MTYP April 4 for the Robyn Braha School of Dance show, and May 14 at the Rady JCC for the 3rd year in a row for Yom Ha’atzmaut.”

In the email Hadera sent to us informing about Kadima’s performing in Edmonton, she added this at the end: Follow Kadima on social media: Instagram @kadimadanceco and Facebook Kadima Dance Company, or email kadimadance@gmail.com for more information or if interested in auditioning. 

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Irwin Eisenstein has made a name for himself in two different types of “court”

By GERRY POSNER The name Eisenstein is one familiar to many Winnipeggers, particularly for those who remember the late Sheppy and Hannah Eisenstein. Sheppy Eisenstein was a pharmacist and the owner of McCullough Drugs in St. Boniface. Hannah was a proud member of the Rosh Pina Choir for many years. The Eisensteins, along with older son Norman and younger son Irwin, lived for many years on Forest Park Drive in Garden City.

Irwin Eisenstein has become accomplished in two “courts.” The first court relates to his career in criminal law. He is what might be called the “go to guy” for driving offences. I don’t suggest you commit those kinds of offences, but if you do, just know that Irwin has made a real mark in the area, assisting accused people mainly in Ontario, but also in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Alberta, as well as Manitoba.

How did this happen? A graduate of Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, Eisenstein earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Manitoba in 1978 before earning an LL.B. three years later from that university’s law school. After law school, he received his “real education” at two well known Winnipeg law firms – first with the late Alvin and Martin Corne, and then with Wilder and Wilder, as in Joe and the late Sam. For a variety of reasons, Eisenstein felt the pull of the larger city of Toronto and, in 1986, he was called to the Bar in Ontario. After a stint with a firm in Toronto, Eisenstein started his own law firm where, 42 years later, he continues to practice as a sole practitioner in criminal law, specializing in motor vehicle infractions, many of which can have serious repercussions, such as losing one’s driver’s license, job or worse.

In addition to his large practice, Eisenstein has been active within the profession. He has chaired or co-chaired the annual Law Society Continuing Legal Education program on Impaired Driving for over 10 years. This particular program has been so successful that in his last year of chairing the program, the attendance was over 450 members of the legal profession. Moreover, Eisenstein was invited to be the guest speaker on several occasions at the Continuing Legal Education program for judges of the Ontario Court of Justice. In addition, Irwin has been a legal commentator on several television networks, and a regular contributor in print media, both as counsel and commentator. In short, he has a reputation as a big player in this important area of criminal law. As an aside, I am not a big fan of ratings for professionals on the internet, but I was impressed by the glowing tributes to Eisenstein from many individuals whom Irwin had assisted over a period of years…Quite remarkable.

Now, as often as Irwin appears in the law courts with great success, he has also distinguished himself in another court – the tennis court. In 1976, Eisenstein represented North Winnipeg in tennis in the Manitoba Summer Games, which were held in Neepawa that year. He also represented Canada in the Masters Tennis competition at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2022. The opening ceremony was held in Jerusalem in front of 30,000 spectators, including US President Biden. All told, Eisenstein has been a prominent player in tennis for over 50 years.

Eisenstein has also been blessed with two daughters. His older daughter Sari received a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from the University of Toronto and has started to practice in that field. His younger daughter Michelle graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School with a JD. She is now an associate with an established law firm on Bay Street in Toronto. This is Nachas with a capital N. Irwin has also been involved in a long term relationship with Debbie Lindsay, a pharmacist, something that made his parents, especially his father, very happy. 

The Irwin Eisenstein story is a familiar one to people from Winnipeg, especially from the North End of the City – “Winnipeg boy” makes good in Toronto. Only this time on two counts and courts.  

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Jewish Heritage Centre publishes new collection of essays about the history of Jewish life in Manitoba

Jewish Life and Times: A Collection of Essays Volume X
Review by MARTIN ZEILIG This soft covered collection of interesting and even entertaining essays, which are grouped under umbrella topics, brings together, as is stated in the introduction, presentations made to the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada over the past few years.
It provides a glimpse into the life of Jews in this part of Canada, as well as, at least in some of the essays, lessons for today’s world.
For example, in the section, Social Issues in Winnipeg’s Jewish Community, Esyllt Jones, Professor of History at the University of Manitoba, has contributed an essay, Jews In Winnipeg’s Influenza Pandemic, 1918-1919. It’s based on a talk she gave to the JHC in 2006, and formed part of her award-winning book, Influenza 1918: Disease, Death, and Struggle in Winnipeg (University of Toronto Press, 2007).
This exploration has contemporary significance because the COVID pandemic, as is stated, “has increased awareness of the social implications of disease.”
As Professor Jones writes, “… the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 hit Winnipeg and worldwide societies hard. Both the course of the disease and the response followed along class and ethnic lines of division within society. The poor, especially in Winnipeg’s immigrant-dominated North End, lived and worked in conditions that put them at greatest risk, as death statistics show. Their poverty made treatment difficult and often depended on the willingness and ability of wealthier strata to provide nursing care and financial relief. This extended even to burying the victims.
“Within this context, the Jewish community drew on its long tradition of community self-help through philanthropic organizations and through mutual-aid societies that reflected the North End community more closely.”
Communal Solidarity: Immigration, Settlement, and Social Welfare in Winnipeg’s Jewish Community, 1882-1930, is a contribution by Arthur Ross, Professor Emeritus and Public Administration at Metropolitan Toronto University and a former Winnipegger “with deep roots in the North End.” It is based on his book, which published by the University of Manitoba Press, of the same name that was launched at the JHC in 2019.
Ross describes the activism of the North End Jewish community.
“Few of the Jewish immigrants who established Winnipeg’s Jewish community could have imagined that their children and grandchildren would live in a society in which the government was responsible for universal health care, provided various forms of income assistance, and funded social services,” he concludes.
“Certainly, the establishment of the welfare state reduced much of the need for Winnipeg’s Jews to engage in collective action to protect each other from life’s misfortunes. After the 1930s, communal solidarity continued to shape the development of Winnipeg’s Jewish community.”
The section entitled JEWS IN WORLD WAR 1 contains a series of essays that, taken together, form a fairly comprehensive look into Jews as soldiers on both sides during that four year long pointless war: Jewish Canadians and the Great War, by (the late) Jim Blanchard; German Jewish Soldiers in World War 1 by Lionel Steiman; French Jewish Soldiers in World War 1, by Robert J.Young; Russian Jews During the First World War, by Daniel Stone; The General Monash Branch, by Daniel Stone.
“Jews made good citizens in all countries in which they lived and fought valiantly; although their efforts were not always recognized or appreciated,” noted a presenter, during a panel discussion at the JHC to mark the centenary of the Great War (which erupted in August 1914).
Some of the other fascinating essays in this useful little book deal with The 1919 WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE, RABBI ZALMAN SCHACTER, THE GARMENT TRADE IN WINNIPEG, LEISURE ACTIVITIES, and BEYOND THE CITY.
A section at the beginning, PASSAGES, acknowledges the passing of several board members and staff members of the JHC and its predecessor, the Jewish Historical Society: Abraham J. “Abe” Arnold, CM (1922-2011); Mildred Gutkin (1921-2021); Leon Michaels (1925-2015); Irma Rachel Penn (1945-2013); Judith Putter (1948-2021); Maurice Steele (1929-2022); Roseline (“Roz”) Wolodarsky Usiskin (1928-2022); Norman Vickar (1917-2015); Marshall Wilder (1926-2017).
“Their insight, dedication, and contributions have greatly furthered the win aims of the Jewish Heritage Centre: the documentation, preservation, and sharing of information on the development of the Jews in Western Canada and advocacy of anti-racism, especially through Holocaust education,” says the Introduction.
One now awaits the next installment of Jewish Life and Times. What an invaluable historical resource for our community. It reinforces the truth that all people and cultures are living histories.

Jewish Life and Times: A Collection of Essays Volume X

Edited by Daniel Stone & Annalee Greenberg

Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada

184 pages

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