Local News
Former Winnipegger Benjie Cooperband hoping to return Mezieritcher shul name plate to our community
By MYRON LOVE I grew up in the late 1950s and the 1960s in the old North End – the corner of Prichard and Powers specifically. At the time, there were four Orthodox shuls within walking distance of my house – one of which was the Ateres Yisroel – also known as the Mezericher shul – because many of its members – including my baba’s best friends, Pete and Faiga Goldman – were among the founding members.
Another of those founding families was the Cooperband family. About a month ago, I got an email from Benjie Cooperband with an interesting store to tell.
Cooperband, who is an oral surgeon in Toronto, told me that he has the sign – the name plate – from the Mezericher shul. In a labour of love, he has spent the past year restoring the sign and is now looking for a Jewish institution in Winnipeg which may be willing to display it.
The Mezericher Shul was founded in 1912 on Powers near Manitoba. In the late 1930s, the congregation moved about a block away to the former Jewish Old Folks Home on Manitoba near Salter. In 1976, the congregation merged with the Hebrew Sick Benefit Association to form the Beth Israel in Garden City. In 2002, the Beth Israel merged with the Rosh Pina and Bnay Abraham congregation to create Congregation Etz Chayim.
Cooperband reports that, at its peak, the Mezericher shul had about 250 members.
“I always loved to go to shul,” says the former Winnipegger.
His zaida, Beryl Cooperband, he says, always sat next to the bima overlooking the congregation, while his baba, Faiga, in the ladies;’ section upstairs. every now and then began clapping for quiet when it got too noisy.
“At shul, I would sit with my father (Mickey Cooperband) at the front overlooking the crowds. We sat at Zaida Beryl’s standard seat where he used to keep his Tallis and machzer. I have them to this day in my house as a memory of my zaida.”
Every year, he remembers, there would be a bidding war for the privilege of reading Parsha Jonah – a competition that his baba always won.
He also recounts standing on occasion at the gate of the Hebrew Sick Cemetery with his baba when burials were to take place. His baba would solicit donations for Hadassah as people were coming in or leaving.
“She got them coming or going,” he quips. “My dad also collected donations for Hadassah from his customers at Silverman Jewelers. Everyone marvelled at how this little old lady always managed to be Hadassah’s top fund raiser in Winnipeg.”
Growing up in Garden City, Benjie Cooperband attended Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate before finishing high school at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate. He earned his dental degree from the University of Manitoba in 1981. Initially, he bought Dr. Jack Rosove’s practice at the corner of Selkirk and Salter.
After a couple of years, Cooperband returned to school and became an oral surgeon. He has been living in Toronto for the past 40 years.
After the Mezericher Shul closed in 1976, Cooperbanjd reports that his father moved the sign that stood outside into the top floor of the Silverman Jewelers store. Cooperband closed the store in 1981. A couple of years later, the Silverman Building was expropriated and Mickey Cooperband passed away shortly after. Benjie reports that his younger brother, Joel, took the sign home and stored it in his garage for the next 40 years.
(Joel Cooperband sadly passed away last October.)
About a year ago, Benjie, now semi-retired, took the sign back with him to Toronto and restored it to its former glory. Now, he is trying to find a more permanent home for this piece of Winnipeg history.
He notes that a Chabad rabbi who is planning on building a new shul in Toronto has expressed interest in incorporating the 12 foot long and 2,5 feet high sign into the new shul. Cooperband, however, says that he thinks it would be more appropriate to have the sign on display in Winnipeg.
“I have been in touch with Stan Carbone from the Jewish Heritage Centre who has said that the JHC would be willing to store the sign,” Cooperband says, “But I am hoping to make contact with a community institution that would be willing to put it where it can be seen.”
He is open to suggestions from readers. Readers can contact him at drbencoop@gmail.com.
Incidentally, Benji Cooperband is still a regular shul goer and attends a shul in Toronto – the Kiever Shul – a modern Orthodox congregation which, like the Mezericher shul – has the bimah in the middle, with men sitting around it on the main floor and women in the balcony upstairs.
“I still love going to shul,” he says. “And it’s nice having my children coming with me.”
Local News
Winnipeg Fringe performer Melanie Gall subjected to antisemitic attack – for second year in a row
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 20, 2025)
Melanie Gall is a talented performer who is a veteran of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival – having appeared here many times.
Last year Melanie found herself being subjected to antisemitic attacks that were initiated by a site supervisor for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, someone by the name of Eric Rae.
As I wrote on my story about Melanie’s experience, “…on the third day (of the Fringe Festival), she said, ‘the site supervisor (Rae) came and was wearing a pro-Palestinian symbol’ and told Melanie that he was wearing that deliberately because he was coming to Melanie’s venue.
“He told her, ‘that stance you’re taking (on social media) is a political symbol.
Rae also posted on social media: “We have a Zionist in our midst harassing pro-Palestinians.”
There was a concerted effort on social media last summer to boycott Melanie’s shows (She had three different shows altogether.)
As Melanie said during a phone conversation we had last summer about what happened to her, “This is so ridiculous. I’m being harassed and bullied because I’m Jewish…it’s not about Israel.”
Eric Rae was relieved from his duties after Melanie complained to the Fringe office staff, Melanie noted during our conversation.
She adds that other Fringe employees also complained about Eric Rae’s behaviour: “I wasn’t the only one who complained last year,” she wrote in an email sent today. “Several staff members complained, as Eric was not adhering to the Fringe policy that did not allow political symbols to be worn by staff. From what I heard, he refused to stop wearing it, and he did publicly target me. The Winnipeg Fringe upheld their safe spaces policy, and they were wonderful in the way they handled it.”
Further, Melanie was the target of an organized campaign on pro-Palestine social media calling for her shows to be boycotted.
(You can read the full story about what happened to Melanie, also to her mother during last year’s Edmonton Fringe Festival, at Melanie Gall.)
Just today we received another email from Melanie informing us that the same individual who targeted her last summer is targeting her again during this year’s Fringe Festival.
Melanie wrote: “Hi! Thanks so much for the mention in the preview article! I just wanted to let you know that Eric Rae is at it again.”
Attached to that email was a picture taken from Rae’s Instagram account.
As of the writing of this post, Melanie said that she is out of town for three days and is not aware whether any of her posters have been defaced – the way they were last summer.
She did add, however, that “I assume by ‘make her feel unwelcome’ (which is what is written on one of the pictures on Rae’s Instagram account) he is planning something. Ugh.”
Melanie also said that “The one post is too close to a threat to ignore.”
In a subsequent email Melanie also sent a screenshot of an exchange that took place on Rae’s Instagram account between him and someone who goes by the handle “Kat Cat.”
If we hear more about what’s been happening to Melanie we’ll update this article.
Please note: We allow comments on this website but in order to have a comment posted you’ll have to email us at jewishp@mts.net. (We used to have a comment module, but it was inundated with spam comments.)
Local News
Thank you to the community from the Chesed Shel Emes
We’re delighted to share a major milestone in our Capital Campaign, “Building on our Tradition.” Launched in November 2018, this campaign aimed to replace our outdated facility with a modern space tailored to our unique needs. Our new building is designed with ritual at its core, featuring ample preparation space, Shomer space, and storage, creating a warm and welcoming environment for our community during times of need.
We’re grateful to the nearly 1,000 generous donors who contributed over $4 million towards our new facility. A $750,000 mortgage will be retired in November 2025, completing this monumental project in just seven years.
We’re also thrilled to announce that our Chesed Shel Emes Endowment Fund has grown tenfold, from $15,000 to $150,000, thanks to you, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba’s FundMatch program, and Million Dollar Match initiative in 2024. Our fund helps ensure that everyone can have a dignified Jewish funeral regardless of financial need.
As we look to the future, our goal remains to ensure the Chevra Kadisha continues to serve our community for generations to come. Our focus now shifts to replenishing our savings account and growing our JFM Endowment fund.
We’re deeply grateful for your support over the past several years.
It’s our privilege to serve our community with care and compassion.
With sincere appreciation,
Campaign cabinet: Hillel Kravetsky, Gerry Pritchard, Stuart Pudavick,
Jack Solomon, and Rena Boroditsky
Murray S. Greenfield, President
Local News
Winnipeg Beach Synagogue about to celebrate 75th anniversary
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 13) In 1950 a group of cottage owners at Winnipeg Beach took it upon themselves to relocate a one-room schoolhouse that was in the Beausejour area to Winnipeg Beach where it became the beach synagogue at the corner of Hazel and Grove.
There it stayed until 1998 when it was moved to its current location at Camp Massad.
On August 2nd members of the synagogue will be holding a 75th anniversary celebration.
As part of the celebration anyone who is a descendant or relative of any of the original members of the first executive committee (as seen in the photo here) is invited to attend the synagogue that morning.
If you are a relative please contact Abe Borzykowski at wpgbeachshule@shaw.ca or aborzykowski@shaw.ca to let Abe know you might be attending or for more information about the 75th anniversary celebration.
We will soon be publishing a story about the history of the beach synagogue, which is something I’ve been writing about for over 25 years.