Local News
Fledgling furniture builder Aaron Rosenblatt hoping to turn avocation into livelihood
By MYRON LOVE The creative process when it comes to art can take a number of different forms. For Aaron Rosenblatt, for example, his is the art of designing and building furniture.
Among the pieces that the son of Roberta and Fred Rosenblatt has produced are a framed mirror, a standing lamp with a geometric base, wine containers, wall shelves, a hanging coat rack, a wall clock and board with hooks for keys.
“I enjoy experimenting with different patterns,” he says. “I take pictures of building features and nature – anything that catches my eye.”
Rosenblatt’s fascination with designing and building furniture was piqued in an unusual way. For many years, the graduate of the Brock Corydon Hebrew Bilingual program and Kelvin High School was a passionate skateboarder. He was drawn to furniture design through the example of a couple of fellow skateboarders he much admired who themselves were building furniture.
“I decided that I wanted to try it,” he recalls.
That was 10 years ago.
Rosenblatt borrowed some money from his parents and bought himself a drill, mitre saw, router and table saw and was soon on his way. “I began learning through trial and error,” he recounts. “Once I started, I found that the more involved I got, the more I wanted to learn.
”I find cutting wood and doing the sanding relaxing.”
For the first few years, Rosenblatt worked out of his parents’ River Heights garage. Last year, he moved his woodworking equipment into his Uncle Hymie’s basement in north Winnipeg.
”I have a lot more space now and can help my uncle out, driving him to appointments,” he says.
Rosenblatt’s day job is working for the City of Winnipeg Community Services at a leisure centre with a gym and library. He works at his furniture building on his days off on Mondays and Tuesdays.
He reports that it takes him about a month to design and build a piece of furniture. He sources his wood from lumber and hardware stores and occasionally lucks out and finds a block of wood on the boulevard from a tree that was recently cut down.
He notes that he only began selling his finished products a couple of years ago. Previously, he was giving them away to friends and co-workers as gifts. That has led to some demand, he reports.
”I am marketing my pieces on social media – mainly Instagram,” he notes. ”I have sold a few pieces and demand is beginning to grow.
”While I enjoy my work at the leisure centre, it would be nice if one day I could devote myself full time to designing and building furniture.”

If you’d like to see more samples of Aaron’s creations on Instagram, go to https://www.instagram.com/arwoodcrafts/
Readers who may want to contact Rosenblatt can send him an email at aaronrose1983@gmail.com or phone 204 299-3903.
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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.”

