Local News
Freda Steel pays homage to her parents’ role in leading her to law career
By GERRY POSNER
Perhaps one of the most remarkable stories about a child of Holocaust survivors who began with humble origins and then rose to a level even she could never have dreamed, is that of Freda Steel, or more properly Madam Justice Freda Steel.
This is not a rags to riches story, but it is a true account of a family that came to Canada with so little and then created a life for themselves, enriched by a daughter who now sits as a Justice on the Court of Appeal for the Province of Manitoba.
The parents, Morris and Sonia Steel, arrived in Canada after managing to survive the Holocaust (a whole other story) and landed in Stonewall, Manitoba, where Morris’ older brother, Sam Steele, father to none other than former Senator Mira Spivak, had settled. (There must be some explanation for the extra “e” for one family and not the other). But, it was not long before the Steel family, then consisting of the parents and their young son Sam, moved into the north end of Winnipeg on Flora Avenue, where Freda was born.
After a few years, Morris and Sonia were able to buy a grocery store at Redwood and Andrews. The fact that Morris could speak seven languages was a key factor in the success of the store. Freda attended Talmud Torah followed by Garden City Collegiate. (By then the family lived on Forest Park Drive). It was her late brother Sam who instilled in Freda the ambition to enter into law and we all ought to be grateful to him for that advice. That advice, taken together with the lesson learned from her parents that the rule of law could easily be destroyed, took Freda to law school at the University of Manitoba and indeed, may have propelled her later to a Masters of Law from Harvard. How many Harvard alumni are sitting judges on the Courts of Appeal across Canada? Maybe Freda knows that answer.
Freda did practice for a few years in Winnipeg but after her Harvard time, she became a professor of law at the University of Ottawa in the Common Law section – and she loved it. In fact, her teaching career added up to a total of 18 years between Ottawa and the law school at the University of Manitoba, where she became Associate Dean. As well, Freda worked for the Law Society of Manitoba as the Director of Legal Education, also did some legal arbitration work in human rights and labour law.
In 1995, Freda was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba and that must have been quite a moment for her and indeed her whole family (which, by then, included her husband, David Gisser, QC, and her children, Jason and Meira) when she put on her judicial robes. Move forward five more years and in 2000, Freda Steel was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Appeal, becoming just the second woman appointed to that court, following Madame Justice Bonnie Helper.
Freda offers an interesting perspective of her role on the bench: “I have had many years of legal education and practice time, but for my work on the Bench, the most important part of my education were the years growing up in the back of a grocery store in the north end. The stories of the people who came in daily to buy their milk and bread and chat with my father left an indelible impression.”
Since her appointment, Freda has been very involved in legal and judicial education through the Law Society, the Canadian Bar Association and the National Judicial Institute. Her resumé goes long and deep, but what stands out is that, in 2012, Freda Steel received the prestigious Cecilia I. Johnstone Award acknowledging her professional excellence in her field and her influence on other women in their quest to pursue a legal career.
Now, with all that said, surely one of Freda’s greatest joys would be the fact that both her children, Jason and Meira, have followed her path and indeed the path of their father into the legal profession with Jason working as counsel to the University of Manitoba Faculty Association and Meira for the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. I wonder what the conversation is about when the four of them get together for dinner?
It has been quite a trail that Freda Steel has created for herself and the trail keeps on going and in many directions. What is certain is that the Jewish community of Winnipeg, the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba have much to be proud of in Freda Steel.
Local News
The Jewish Post Ltd.’s brand new website
Click here to be taken to our new website featuring foods you can find on Facebook Marketplace
Local News
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.”
