Local News
For first time ever, a Manitoban is elected as International Teen President of BBYO
By BERNIE BELLAN History was made at the recent BBYO International Convention, which was a combination of in-person and virtual gatherings held over a four-day period, from February 11-15, when Winnipegger Emma Zentner was elected International N’siah (President) of BBYO.
Zentner, a 17-year-old student at Gray Academy, will be serving on a 12-person board, consisting of six boys and six girls.
The landmark election of Emma to one of two top posts in an organization that now has representation in 54 different countries (there is also a male counterpart in AZA, the young men’s division of BBYO, known as a “Gadol”), is an achievement that should not be minimized.
In a conversation I had with her following announcement of her election as n’siah of BBYO, Emma told me that her election marks only the sixth time in its history that a Canadian has been elected to that position.
In a press release announcing Emma’s election as N’siah, it was noted that “BBYO’s network of Jewish teens, alumni, parents, volunteers and philanthropists serves as the Jewish community’s most valuable platform for delivering to the post Bar/Bat Mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences. With year-round activities in hundreds of local communities and inspiring world-wide travel experiences, BBYO’s broad program menu enables teens to explore areas of leadership, service, civic engagement, Israel education and Jewish values.”
In speaking with Emma, I asked her to describe the path she had taken in being elected to the top post of an organization that is represented in so many different countries and that currently has over 80,000 members.
Emma is the daughter of Gustavo and Fanny Zentner, both of whom emigrated to Winnipeg from their native Argentina over 20 years ago. Her father has a long history of involvement in the Jewish community, having served on the Jewish Federation board for many years, as well as many other community organizations.
Emma’s first involvement with BBYO came when she was in Grade 9, she told me, when she first joined the organization. Each year since she has held increasingly important positions, beginning with her election as vice-president of her chapter, Chaverim, in Grade 10, continuing as president of her chapter in Grade 11, culminating with her election as regional president this current school year.
Red River Region currently encompasses Manitoba and Nunavut, Emma explained – which might seem like somewhat of an oddity, but when you take a look at the map, it does make some sense geographically. (Nunavut lies directly north and west of Manitoba.)
There are currently six BBYO chapters in Manitoba, Emma noted – three girls’ and three boys’. The girls’ chapters are: Bat Sheva, Gabriels, and the aforementioned Chaverim. The boys’ chapters are: Chadda, Alaphim, and Dynasty. (Dynasty is the name for a chapter that used to have another name, Emma explained, but the name was changed in keeping with the move to erase names that are offensive to certain groups.)
Given the current pandemic situation, however, I was curious to know how BBYO has been able to sustain interest in its activities what with all the restrictions on personal contact.
Emma noted that there had been a total shutdown of all BBYO activities for a six-month period beginning in March of last year and continuing through this past September.
“With the Rady (JCC) closing (last April), it was very difficult to mount any type of programs,” Emma said. “We were always operating out of the Rady,” she added.
And, even though there was a resumption of activities – this time all online, beginning in October, Emma acknowledged that there was some difficulty in reawakening interest among some older members at that point.
However, she noted that applications for new members have just been opened once again – and there has been a tremendous interest shown among students here to join BBYO, with over 50 new applications having been received in a very short time.
At the same time, there have been a number of activities held here that have also drawn a very positive response from members – despite the lack of personal contact.
“We had a virtual games night in October that had 100 people participating,” Emma said – all on Zoom.
Then, in November and December, members here were part of a ‘Global Shabbat’ program, with Rabbi Matthew Leibl helping to conduct services online, Emma added.
As well, each chapter applied for grants to mount different types of programs. “One girls’ chapter did a Havdallah program,” Emma said, while another chapter held a “pajama night”.
“The guys got together (virtually) to watch an NBA game – which was hugely popular,” Emma added.
And, as was already noted at the beginning of this article, just this past February, BBYO held a very successful international convention, with 31 teens from Red River Region participating.
Something else that I found quite interesting, which Emma told me, is that while BBYO here encompasses kids with a wide variety of backgrounds – which is reflective of the diversity of the Winnipeg Jewish community these days, “half of the members on the regional board are Argentinean” by background – as is the regional director of BBYO, Ian Baruch (pronounced “Yan”, according to Emma).
What intrigued me as much as anything though, was how a girl from Winnipeg, of all places, could have been elected to the top position of as big an organization as BBYO. After all, we all know how disdainfully Winnipeg is thought of in so many other parts of the world. How could someone from “Winterpeg” have beaten out all other candidates to be elected International BBYO president? I wondered.
“It was a ten-step process, beginning in December,” Emma explained. “There were two other girls competing for the position.”
After a winnowing-out process, however, Emma was elected by delegates who had been chosen from their regions.
Her actual role as “n’siah”, however, doesn’t begin until June. By then, if the current pace of vaccinations continues, there is a good chance that Emma will be able to take on her new role by physically visiting other chapters outside of Winnipeg. If not, then she will carry on her role virtually.
Since her duties as n’siah are bound to occupy so much of her time, however, Emma says that, rather than attending university next September, which she would otherwise have chosen to do, she will be taking a “gap year” to attend to her duties.
I asked her though, whether she had formulated any plans for what would follow her year as president?
“I’m planning on going to the University of Winnipeg,” Emma answered. Ultimately, her goal is to get into Medicine, she said.
I said to her that, given that the Faculty of Medicine now places a much higher emphasis on applicants’ backgrounds other than simply their academic achievements, having served as president of an 80,000 member organization is likely going to have a huge impression on members of the Medicine selection committee – but let’s worry about that when the time comes.
In the meantime we can all bask in the glow of Emma Zenter’s having attained quite a remarkable achievement – the first Manitoban to be so recognized.
Local News
Limmud speaker Dan Ronis to introduce alternative way of learning about Jewish history
By MYRON LOVE The study of Jewish history – actually history in general – can be approached in any number of ways. There is the traditional yeshiva way of study, for example. Or, there is the conventional, modern, secular approach – as exemplified by Daniel Kroft (who was profiled in the last edition of the Jewish Post) – who accessed online lectures and university courses as well as readings to prepare himself for the launch of his relatively new Jewish history podcast.
Dan Ronis, who, like Kroft, will be presenting at Lummud Winnipeg on Sunday, March 23, is taking a decidedly different tack in learning about and teaching aspects of Jewish history.
A plant breeder and plant geneticist by training, Ronis, who currently lives in Saskatoon, will be giving two presentations at Limmud. His afternoon seminar will be about presenting Jewish history through the lens of a board game – specifically a visual recreation of the 70 CE Roman siege of Jerusalem.
Now board games recreating historical battles have been around for decades. (I remember as a teenager recreating the Allies’ D Day invasion of Normandy in June, 1944.)
“I have always loved chess and other board games involving strategy,” Ronis says. “With board games that recreate significant historic battles, you can actually see the disposition of the different armies in relation to each other. You can visualize the Roman siege towers, for example, the battering rams. You can visualize Judean forces sneaking out of the besieged city from time to time to launch surprise attacks on the enemy. It helps the players to understand how hard it was for both sides.“
(Ronis notes that there are other board games emulating each of the wars of modern Israel.)
Ronis’s morning presentation will be more esoteric” “No Forbidden Fruit – No Angry God” – which is also the title of one of two books he has written – the other being “Women of the Hebrew Bible: Their Stories”, (both of which are available on Amazon).
“No Forbidden Fruit – No Angry God” tells the stories of the Torah, from information he has gleaned through the practice of “channeling” through a professional medium.
“The women and men who led the way of faith, are more magnificent than is told in our writings,” Ronis claims. “That is what I believe after composing two channelled books which present those people and the events in a different light. I am pleased to be able to share some of these stories at Limmud.”
For readers who may be unsure of who or what a medium is, think of Theresa Caputo of television fame. Mediums claim to be able to converse with those who have passed on through a spirit guide. While many may be skeptical, there are also many believers.
Be that as it may, what Ronis has learned through his medium about the personalities in the Torah is certainly food for thought.
The medium through whom he gained his information is Donna Somerville, with whom he first came into contact while working for McCain Foods in New Brunswick as a potato breeder.
“I got to know some people who had consulted Donna and found what she had to say interesting,” he recalls. “Three or four years ago, I went to see her about some relationship issues and family matters. We became good friends.”
So, a few short years ago, Ronis – who grew up in Washington, D.C. within a Reform family, decided to see if Somerville, who now lives in Halifax, could also channel biblical figures. “We had nine or ten sessions and the results were fascinating,” he recalls. “She described real people.”
The sessions, he notes, focused largely on the five books of Moses. He reports, for example, that she vouched for the reality of Adam and Eve – but suggested that Noah was an amalgam of three God-fearing men who each built arks. One of the three was the story-teller.
He adds that the flood was largely restricted to the northern hemisphere.
“My questions were open-ended,” he says. “Donna, for example, provided intriguing new information about the story of Esther.”
Ronis notes that he was particular interested in stories of women in that long ago era because they have been largely overlooked in Jewish writing.
For the first book he recounts, he recorded the sessions on audio and video before transcribing the information. For the second book, he had free software which allowed him to change the text on the fly.
Readers who may be interested in attending Limmud this year can call 204 557-6260 or email coordinator@limmudwinnipeg.org. Ticket prices are $55 for the full day (which includes lunch and snacks) or $30 for a half day.
Local News
Congregation Etz Chayim’s new Chief Operating Officer is embracing the meaning of Jewish life
By MYRON LOVE In her new role as the Chief Operating Officer of Congregation Etz Chayim, Morissa Granove is focused on the future of synagogue life. She is also committed to creating meaningful Jewish experiences for herself, the synagogue’s members, and Winnipeg’s Jewish community. “We will be working to create something special for everyone at every age with a special focus on engaging the younger members of our community,” she says.
Granove, who was appointed to the position just six weeks ago, is herself an example of a younger person who has rediscovered meaning in community and has taken on a leadership role. It is heartening to see a growing number of younger community members assuming leadership roles in our communal institutions and bodes well for the future of our Jewish community.
The daughter of Bruce and Dina z”l Granove, Morissa grew up in Garden City. She attended Peretz School, Talmud Torah, and Joseph Wolinsky until the end of Grade 9, before attending high school at Garden City Collegiate. After finishing school, she joined her father in business at the Work Boot Factory Outlet Store Ltd. on Regent Avenue, which first opened in 1989. Over the years, Morissa came to assume the management responsibilities.
In 2015, she reports, she stepped back from day-to-day management of the business. Her father Bruce was retired, and her wife, Laurie McCreery, took charge of the daily operations, while Morissa continued to have input and oversee things from afar.
Morissa Granove has been on a spiritual quest since 2003. She notes that she has studied various Eastern philosophies and healing practices over the past 20 plus years. In 2015, she began a private practice that she still maintains in which she helps others overcome being overwhelmed emotionally, using easy-to-learn skills and simple steps that continue to support Morissa herself daily. “I was learning what it means to live a truly good life, and as a deeply sensitive person, I was seeking out how to better control my emotions so they would no longer control me,” she says. Many of the same skills that have supported her personally were also key to her success in business, she adds.
While Granove grew up attending the Beth Israel Synagogue, which later merged with Congregation Etz Chayim (and the Bnay Abraham Synagogue) 25 years ago. She, as with many of her contemporaries, had drawn away from Jewish life as it relates to synagogue attendance. It was the sudden passing of her mother, Dina z”l, that brought her back to shul, she explains.
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“I found coming back here after mom died gave me a great sense of comfort and a strong feeling of belonging,” she recalls. “I didn’t expect that.”
Initially, she took on the role as the Etz Chayim’s “Spiritual Concierge & Director of Lifecycle Events.” “I am looking forward to building on our traditions and history,” she says.
It is just over a year since Congregation Etz Chayim moved into its new home at 1155 Wilkes Avenue in south Winnipeg, after 70 years on Matheson Avenue in north Winnipeg. The move was a long time coming. The building needed a lot of upgrading and, with 70% of the membership and 80% of the younger families living south, it made sense to relocate to where the membership is.
“By being closer to our membership, it has made it easier for more people to be involved.” the new Chief Operating Officer notes, “We are getting good numbers coming for Shabbat services. We are seeing more people coming by the office. We are getting a steady stream of new people coming in for exploratory visits, and we are having more young families getting involved in our incredible programs.”
Granove has observed that moving Etz Chayim south has turned out to be so much more than simply moving from point A to point B. Rather, she notes, “the move gave us the opportunity to look at how we can operate more efficiently and effectively. This is so much more than a new location. It is a new opportunity.” At the new Etz Chayim, she continues, “we are able to offer meaningful Jewish events and programming for all age groups in a convenient location.”
She cites, for example, the synagogue’s new USY (United Synagogue Youth) program – in conjunction with the USCJ (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) – of which Etz Chayim is a member – for teens which, she reports, has drawn a good number of participants, and is growing. She has also had requests for more seniors’ programming and is excited to be working on some new initiatives for the coming months. As she often says, “Stay tuned.”
“I have been wondering for some time if the synagogue (in the generic sense) could go back to the days when it was a centre of community life,” she muses. “I think we can!”
“I hope that our members come to view Etz Chayim as a home away from home for themselves and their family, just as I have,” Granove says. “I am committed to working for our community and we will continue to create more and more reasons for others to choose Congregation Etz Chayim as a home for their religious needs and community connection.”
Local News
Young pediatrician Daniel Kroft and his Jewish history podcast
By MYRON L0VE It has been said that if you want to make sure to get something done, give the task to the busiest person in the room. That adage would certainly apply to Daniel Kroft.
Although only 30 years old, Daniel, the son of community leaders Jonathan and Dr. Cara Kroft, has emulated both of his parents by being a community leader as well as a pediatrician. In the former category, Daniel is a member of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Community Planning Committee (His father, Jonathan, is a Past President of the Federation).
The younger Kroft is also a co-founder of the Manitoba Maccabim – a young Jewish advocacy group. He recently joined Belle Jarniewski, executive director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Manitoba, in a presentation to the Internal Medicine Department of Health Sciences Center on the subject of antisemitism.
Professionally, the Gray Academy graduate (class of 2012) is a member of a clinic run out of St. Boniface Hospital, is on staff at the Children’s Hospital, puts in time at the Health Sciences Centre, and serves as a consultant pediatrician at Brandon’s regional hospital. He also takes trips to northern Manitoba to offer his services.
In addition, he is a member of the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
With all that on his plate, you wouldn’t think that Kroft would have time for much else. If so, you would be wrong. Four years ago, he launched a new initiative, a podcast – “The Jewish Story” – intended to teach interested listeners about Jewish history.
The idea came to him, he says, back in 2021, when he was still a medical student. “It was the time when Black Lives Matter was in the news,” he recalls. “At med school, we were learning all about Black history and Indigenous history. I realized that I actually didn’t know much about my own Jewish history.”
The first source he turned to was the Anglo-Jewish historian Simon Schama and his book, “The Story of the Jews”. He followed up with online courses from Oxford and Harvard as well as a lecture series led by prominent historian Henry Abramson.
Setting up a podcast, he notes, required another learning curve. “It takes me about a year to do the research and organize my podcasts,” he reports. “I had to learn how to do a podcast and about which equipment to buy. I set up a recording studio in a room in my house.”
On his website (rss.com/podcasts/thejewishstory/), Kroft describes “The Jewish Story” as “a Jewish history podcast for the 21st century”. “We use the latest in archaeology, linguistics and historical methods to sculpt the history of the Jewish People from the exodus from Egypt until the present,” he notes.
He started his series of podcasts going back to the beginning – from the earliest evidence of Jewish existence through the establishment of the Jewish kingdom, its conflicts with neighbouring empires, to its destruction by the Babylonians.
And that is just the first episode.
The first season – seven episodes – encompassed Jewish history up to and including the Roman invasion of Jerusalem and destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE. Kroft points out that some of his podcasts feature guest commentators. In his first season, for example, in the third episode, he interviews Rabbi Matthew Leibl about the relevance to modern Jewish life of the first eight centuries of Jewish history.
In the seventh episode, he discusses with his former elementary school teacher, Sherry Wolfe Elazar ,what lessons modern Jews can learn from the Greco-Roman period for Jewish history.
The second series of podcasts focuses on the development of Jewish life in the first centuries after the Diaspora and the effects of the new Christian and Muslim religions on the Jewish people. The seventh and last episode of season two features Rabbi Anibal Mass, the spiritual leader of the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, talking about a wide range of subjects ,including the breakaway Karaites, he definition of Jewish music, and how technology has shaped modern Jewish practice.
The third season covers the 11th-15th centuries while the most recent series of episodes spans the period from 1500 to 1650. Kroft reports that the next group of podcasts will provide an overview of Jewish life in the 17th and early 18th centuries, including the beginnings of Jewish life in North America.
I asked Kroft when he finds the time to work on his podcasts. His response: in his spare time – weekends and holidays.
The podcaster reports that when he started, he was getting 30-40 listeners per episode. Now his numbers are up to 200-300 from all over the world.
For readers who may want to hear Daniel Kroft’s story in person, he will be one of the presenters at the upcoming Limmud Winnipeg. Kroft will be presenting on Sunday, March 23, at 1:30 at the Campus.
For more information aboutLimmud, contact coordinator@limmudwinnipeg.org or 204-557-6260
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