Local News
Former Melfort Torah scroll donated to Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada
By MYRON LOVE As a result of the closure of the South Shore Jewish Community Congregaton in Montreal in December 2021, an historic Torah scroll which used to grace the ark of the former Beth Israel Synagogue in Melfort, in northeastern Saskatchewan, has been returned to Western Canada.
On Tuesday, June 25, about 60 former residents and descendants of the Melfort and District Jewish community gathered at the Berney Theatre to celebrate the donation of the Torah scroll to the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada.
At its peak in the 1950s and early1960s, the Melfort and District Jewish community numbered 40 to 50 Jewish families. The Jewish Heritage Centre’s new Torah scroll possibly arrived in Melfort by way of the Jewish farm colony in nearby Edenbridge (which was founded in 1906), where some of the Melfort Jewish families came from.
The gifted Torah was one of three that were at Melfort’s Beth Israel Synagogue, which was opened in 1952. After the shul closed in 1986, Melfort Jewish community member Anita Levitt Lefevre looked after the Torah scrolls until they could be placed in new homes. One was placed in a shul in Richmond, B.C. in 1986 and a second made its way to a synagogue in England. The third scroll – which was the one donated to the JHCWC had been given to the Montreal South Shore Congregation.
It was in the early 1990s, according to a story by Janice Arnold in the Canadian Jewish News on December 23, 2021 – reporting on the closing of the South Shore Jewish Community Congregation in the Montreal suburb of the same name – that the late Walter Lee, the founder of the South Shore community, drove to Saskatoon to pick up the third Melfort Torah to bring back to his new congregation.
David Vickar, who organized the two-day celebration of – and served as emcee for – the presentation of the Torah to the JHC noted that it was he who first learned about the location of the Torah through the article in the Canadian Jewish News in the course of researching Vickar family history for the family reunion in Melfort and Edenbridge last summer.
“Our Torah scroll was mentioned in the second last paragraph in the article,” noted the Edmonton-based radiologist. “I took the initiative of travelling to Montreal and arranging for the Torah scroll to be returned to Winnipeg.”
As reported by the Shaarey Zedek’s Cantor Leslie Emery –who is also a Torah reader – the Torah scroll was most likely written in the late 18th century somewhere in central Europe – either in southern Germany, Austria or what is now the Czech Republic.
“I have had a chance to look at this scroll,” she said. “Rabbi (Yossi) Benarroch (the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia’s spiritual leader) and two sofers (scribes) were shown images of it. The scribes considered the layout and style of script to determine the location in which the scroll was written. The date was determined by the faded Hebrew dedication written on the disc of the scroll, which included a date.”
She pointed out that this Torah scroll is different from modern Torah scrolls in that it pre-dates the more modern Vavei Ha’amudim style characterized by the letter “Vav”at the beginning of most columns. She noted some other differences as well.
“There are very few Torah scrolls like this in North America or the world,” she said. “So much of our heritage was lost in the Holocaust.”
David Vickar noted that the JHCWC was the appropriate place for the venerable Torah scroll as the organization was formed in 1998 as an amalgamation of the pre-existing Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada, the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre and the Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada.
The presentation was made by Marion and Ed’s children, Elaine Sharfe of Saskatoon and Dr. Garry Vickar from St. Louis.
In addition to Leslie Emery, there were presentations by JHC President Harlan Abells and Stan Carbone, director of Programs and Exhibits. Carbone spoke of the strong relationship between the JHCWC and the Vickar family historically and praised their generosity.
There were also comments from the Honourable Jacques Saada via zoom from Montreal. Saada, a former Liberal member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in the Paul Martin Government, had been the president of the South Shore Congregation since 2013.
While the Torah scroll can no longer be used in synagogue services due to imperfections that have developed over the decades, Leslie Emery observed that it can still be used for study.
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is the repository of our community’s history in Winnipeg and Western Canada. Its archives contain over 70,000 photos, more than 4000 artifacts and 1,300-plus recordings and oral histories in its archives. Its mission is to document, preserve and share information on the culture and historical formation of Jewish communities in Western Canada and also serve as an advocate for anti-racism and education on the Holocaust and Antisemitism.
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
