Local News
Four Winnipeggers attending this summer’s Maccabiah Games in coaching/managing roles
By MYRON LOVE Four Winnipeggers will be attending this summer’s upcoming Maccabiah Games as either coaches or managers: Naomi Kirshenblatt – swimming team manager; David Nepon – coach, under 16 basketball team; Alan Greenberg – manager, men’s open hockey team; and Zachary Baron – tennis team coach.
Naomi Kirshenblatt has twice been a participant in the Maccabiah Games as an athlete in Maccabiah Games – in 2009 and 2013. This summer, the retired competitive swimmer who has made her home in Winnipeg for the past eight years is returning to the international competition that is held every four years in Israel as manager of the Canadian Junior Swimming team.
“I am really looking forward to going back again,” she says. “I have a lot of family in Israel and hope to be able to squeeze a visit in with some of them.”
Originally from Ottawa, Kirshenblatt began swimming at an early age. She was just 13 when she competed in what has become known as “The Jewish Olympics”.
She relocated to Winnipeg for university. While attending the University of Manitoba, she was a member of the university’s Bisons women’s swimming team.
She is currently working for a tech company. A further incentive for her to stay in Winnipeg, she notes, is her fiancé, Noah Kravetsky.
She observes that her charges are young swimmers mainly from Toronto and Vancouver. “They are a good group,” she comments. “I am confident that the team will fnish in the top eight and one of the girls may possibly be a medal contender.”
Kirshenblatt is one of four coaches/managers from Winnipeg who will be going to the games this year – the other three being Alan Greenberg (hockey), Zachary Baron (tennis) and David Nepon (basketball).
As with Naomi Kirshenblatt, David Nepon has previously competed as an athlete at the Maccabiah Games. He was a member of the Maccabi Canada under 16 basketball team in 2005. In 2017, he returned to the games in 2017 as assistant coach for the Canadian under 18 team.
“We won bronze in 2017,” he notes.
This summer, the son of Dr. Jack and Carla Nepon will be head coach of the under 16 team.
Nepon recalls that his father first put a basketball in David’s hand when he was four. “I started playing organized basketball when I was six and have been playing ever since,” he says.
A phys-ed teacher by profession, the former Gray Academy and University of Winnipeg collegiate student moved to Toronto last fall (he is currently teaching phys-ed at the Bialik School) in order to pursue further opportunities as a basketball coach. He previously coached basketball at several local Winnipeg high schools as well as at the University of Winnipeg collegiate team.
Nepon is quite optimistic about his charges’ Maccabiah prospects. “We could win gold, “ he enthuses.
He is particularly excited about young Winnipegger Ariel Tsaiger (see last edition of The Jewish Post & News), the only Winnipeg player on the Canadian basketball teams at the games.
“Ariel is a special player,” the coach says. “While just 14, he is already competing with 18 and 19-year-olds. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn pro.”
Unlike Nepon and Kirshenblatt, Alan Greenberg, the manager of the Maccabi Canada open men’s hockey team going to the Games this summer, has never been a hockey player – at least not in any formal team.
“I was a football player,” says the son of Lawrence and Lois Greenberg. “I was an offensive lineman at university (the U of M) and also played for the Winnipeg Hawkeyes.”
The Garden City Collegiate grad has also been the football coach at Grant Park High School for the past few years. “We had a very successful year last season,” he reports. “We made it to the finals although we didn’t win.”
The property manager by profession says that he was recruited to be a member of the board of the Maccabi Canada hockey program by friends Earl Barish and Gerald Olin.
He reports that he was at the 2013 Maccabiah Games with the junior hockey team – his first time in Israel – but he was unable to go back in 2017 due to other commitments.
He says that he is looking forward to the Games this summer and is optimistic that the Canadian hockey team will do well.
At the last Maccabiah Games – pre-covid – in 2017, Maccabi Canada sent a delegation of 600, one of the largest delegations from any Diaspora country. That competition featured 10,000 athletes representing 80 countries, making it the third largest event in the world, behind only the Summer Olympics and the World University Games. Canadian athletes won 72 medals at the Games, including 15 Golds.
After a year’s delay due to the ongoing Covid situation, the 21st “Jewish Olympics” is back on track. The (usually) quarterly event, which was first held in 1932 and 1935 in what was then Palestine – and then resumed in 1950 after Israeli independence – is organized by Maccabi World Union – and highlights the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of the Jewish people.
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.
Local News
Vickar Family cuts ribbon on new Tova Vickar and Family Childcare Centre
By MYRON LOVE In the words of Larry Vickar, the Shaarey Zedek’s successful Dor V’ Dor Campaign “is not only a renewal of the synagogue but truly a renewal movement of Jewish life in our community.”An integral part of that renewal movement was the creation of a daycare centre within the expanded synagogue. On Monday, June 23, Larry and Tova Vickar cut the ribbon, thereby officially opening the Tova Vickar and Family Childcare Centre in the presence of 100 of their family members, friends and other supporters of the project.
The short program preceding the morning ribbon-cutting began with a continental breakfast followed by a welcome by both Fanny Levy, Shaarey Zedek’s Board President, and Executive Director Dr. Rena Secter Elbaze. In Elbaze’s remarks, she noted that Larry and Tova wanted their family (including son Stephen and family, who flew in from Florida) and friends at the event to celebrate the opening of the Tova Vickar and Family Childcare Centre, “not because of the accolades, but because, as Larry put it, he hopes that their investment in the congregation will inspire others to do the same.”
“When Larry and I spoke about what this gift meant to him and the message he wanted people to take away,” she continued, “I couldn’t help but connect it to the teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi whose book – Age-ing to Sage-ing – changes the whole way we look at the concept of ageing and basing it on our ancestral teachings.”
She explained that his concept of “Sage-ing” is based on three key ideas – Discover your meaning and purpose; accept our mortality and think about the legacy you want to leave.
“Larry spoke about these exact concepts when we met,” she said.
Elbaze also noted the presence of Shaarey Zedek’s newly-arrived senior Rabbi Carnie Rose, former Rabbi Alan Green, and area MLAs Mike Moroz and Carla Compton.
Larry Vickar expressed his great appreciation for all those in attendance. “Tova and I are deeply moved to stand here with you today for this important milestone in our community”, he said. “We are grateful to be surrounded by all of you, the people we care about, our family and friends… you who have touched our lives and played some part in our journey.”