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Gail Asper, David Kroft head list of this year’s Kavod Honourees
By MYRON LOVE It has been a few years since I last attended a Kavod evening – and I was greatly impressed by the caliber of volunteers in our community who are responsible for the ongoing success of our communal institutions.
I was equally impressed by the new-look Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, the host for the evening – and the first community event to be held at the synagogue since it re-opened in mid-September. The shul had been shut down for the past year and a half for its first major renovation and expansion in over 50 years. The result is a brightly lit, expansive space which, one synagogue president noted, will undoubtedly appeal to community members who have in recent years gravitated to venues – other than the Shaarey Zedek – locations such as the Convention Centre and the Gates on Roblin – for their family simchas.
The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg has been presenting the Kavod Awards yearly (except for during the Covid lockdowns) for decades. The original awards – The Harry Silverberg Young Leader of Distinction and Max Nathanson Young leadership Awards were first presented back in 1974. The Sol Kanee Distinguished Community Service Award and the Max and Mollie Shore Memorial Award were introduced in 1995. The Shem Tov Awards date back to 1996 and recognize one dedicated volunteer a year from each of the Federation’s beneficiary agencies and organizations. The Larry Hurtig Communal Professional Award was introduced by the Larry Hurtig family in 2012 – shortly after the Federation past president and community leader passed away. The Duboff Family Youth Award is of more recent vintage – having been given out for just the past four years.
This year, two new community awards were presented: The Gerry Koffman Combined Jewish Appeal Award honours the memory of the much revered former Combined Jewish Appeal campaign director who left us – far too young – in 2004. The award will be presented annually to an individual who has contributed significantly to the campaign as a volunteer over many years.
The second new award, the Magen David Award, celebrates an individual who has shown exceptional dedication and leadership in supporting our local Jewish community or Israel.
The list of honourees this year was an impressive group – and one could argue that each deserved a separate story in the Jewish Post – but space does not allow for it. So I shall do the best that I can.
I am going to start at the end. The Sol Kanee Award is the most prestigious award given out by the Jewish Federation. The honouree is someone who has contributed to the Jewish community locally, nationally and internationally – and this year’s winner fits the criteria to a tee.
“I am surprised that Gail hadn’t already received this award,” observed Moe Levy. the first executive director of the Asper Foundation in introducing Kanee Award honouree Gail Asper.
Gail Asper is the third member of her family to receive the award – following to the podium her older brother, David, and her late father, I. H. Asper (along with Moe Levy himself).
I knew Sol Kanee. He was my father’s first cousin. He has been described as arguably one of the most important forces behind the scenes in the annals of world Jewry in the second half of the 20th century. He was also modest about it. I recall one evening toward the end of his life when the community was honouring him,. His speech was succinct – “The evening is late. So thank you and good night”.
I have long been an admirer of Gail. She has made a huge difference locally – and not just in the Jewish community – nationally and internationally. She also shares Sol Kanee’s sense of modesty.
In accepting the award, she spoke of the world being divided between those who give and those who are “leaners” – people in need and the importance of giving when you can. “Your life could change in a heartbeat and a giver could suddenly find oneself a leaner,” she pointed out. “It is important to appreciate what you have and be prepared to share.”
She also spoke of the rewards of being a volunteer. “By saying ‘yes’ to volunteering, to taking on new challenges, I have had so many adventures and met so many beautiful, big-hearted, caring people. I encourage everyone to say ‘yes’ when asked to volunteer.”
The Max and Mollie Shore Memorial Award is presented annually to an individual who has distinguished him or herself through long-standing leadership and dedication to the Combined Jewish Appeal and commitment to the principles and goals of the Federation. This year’s honouree was Mr. Justice David Kroft (who was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Appeal about a year ago – a court on which his late father, Guy, also served).
The award was presented by the Shores’ great-granddaughters, Stephanie and Emily Kalo.
The Kroft Family has a long history of volunteerism. David Kroft himself has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg (as did his father, Guy, and older brother, Jonathan). He has been a Combined Jewish Appeal canvasser for 25 years.
In his response, while expressing sadness about the events of October 7 in Israel and the upsurge in anti-Semitism – unprecedented in our time, Kroft stated that he remains optimistic about the future. He cited the newest jewel in our community, the new look Shaarey Zedek and the growing number of Jews who have been reconnecting with community over the past year.
In particular, he highlighted the strong leadership role that the Jewish Federation and its beneficiary agencies have played over the past year in helping the community get through what has been a very tough year for many.
‘This evening is a celebration of the Federation, its beneficiary agencies and all of the staff and volunteers who have contributed to their success,” Kroft said.
The third major award – the Larry Hurtig Award – was presented by Hurtig’s son, Jack, to Belle Jarniewski – once again, a more than appropriate choice. In just a few years, the daughter of Holocaust survivors has carved out an outsized leadership role in Winnipeg, nationally and internationally in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and fighting anti-Semitism.
“About 15 years ago,” she recalled, “Joe Riesenbach, a survivor, reached out to me to help move a project forward that had literally been collecting dust. Before I knew it, I was a member of the Holocaust Education committee, the federally appointed delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) as a member of the Academic Working Group and the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial. The committee elaborated the first intergovernmental definition of anti-Semitism, adopted by consensus at the 2016 IHRA plenary. “
Through her work on Holocaust preservation and education, she was introduced to the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada. She was appointed the JHC’s executive director in 2018.
“The Jewish Heritage Centre is the key to our past and our future,” she noted. Exploring our archive is like walking back in time – it’s a treasure trove reflecting the incredible history and diversity of our wonderful Jewish community stretching back 125 years – the challenges and the many triumphs that have shaped who we are today. As the saying goes, you need to know the past to understand the present.
“The Winnipeg I grew up in was a golden age for Jews -a tapestry of multiculturalism with shared values,” she continued. “We thought that the kind of anti-Semitism earlier generations had faced was gone forever. While we may not be able to bring back the wonder years, we must stand united as a community and be strong in our convictions.
“As for me, I am profoundly honoured to work with all of you as we build toward a better tomorrow.”
Brownie Fleishman was the first recipient of the Gerry Koffman Award – which was presented by Koffman’s daughter Jody, and wife Rachelle. Brownie has been involved in community service all her adult life. Among the organizations to which she has contributed her time have been the Jewish Federation, CJA, Hadassah-WIZO, and the Jewish Child and Family Service.
The loudest applause of the evening was reserved for Einat Paz, who received the new Magen David Award. The Israeli-born social worker is, appropriately, the Jewish Child and family Service’s manager of volunteer services.
Paz was recognized in particular for her leadership in helping to organize and co-ordinate weekly vigils – now in their 11th month – that, in more recent months, have been held on Kenaston by the Superstore – in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. She has also been prominent in fostering ties between Israelis in Winnipeg and the local community.
The award was presented to Paz by Jeff Lieberman, the Federation’s executive director.
The youth and young leadership award recipients were: Noah Greenfield (Duboff Family Award); Michael Silver (Max Nathanson Award); and Bryan Hack (Silverberg Award).
Hack came to Winnipeg only five years ago. Originally from South Africa, he grew up in Vancouver, where he was heavily involved in the community and Vancouver’s Jewish Federation. In Winnipeg, he quickly continued where he left off in Vancouver. While in Vancouver, the BHC Group principal chaired the Young Adult Division for the Vancouver Jewish community, for which he received the Young Leadership Award in 2017. Over the past three years he has served as the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, Young Adult Division Chair/Co-Chair – and is currently the Chair of the CJA’s Ben-Gurion Society – the young adult outreach division.
Financial advisor Michael Silver has volunteered his time with the Rady JCC, and the JNF, as well as the CJA. He co-chaired the Top Donors division with his wife Ellie last year. In his response, he noted the example that his late uncle, businessman and philanthropist Arnold Frieman set for him.
He also spoke of the impact of the events of October 7 on him personally and world Jewry. “The degree of anti-Semitism we are seeing now is reminiscent of the 1930s,” he observed. “The universities are breeding grounds for anti-Semitism.”
Still, he added, he firmly believes that the great majority of Canadians support Israel and the Jewish people.
“I consider it a privilege to be able to part of the Winnipeg Jewish community and help ensure a secure future for our children and generations to come.”
Noah Greenfield has been proving his leadership mettle this past year as president of Hillel Winnipeg. Since October 7, the University of Manitoba student has been speaking out against anti-Zionist and anti-Israel hate.
In presenting the Duboff Family Award, Neil Duboff described Greenfield as a “mensch”.
“If we don’t stand our ground, we will not have a place in Canada,” he stated.
Among the Shem Tov winners were: Avrom Charach (Jewish Federation of Winnipeg); Ari Hanson (Jewish Child and Family Service); Bryan Borzykowski (Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education); Al Greenberg (Rose and Max Rady Jewish Community Centre); Amy Karlinsky (Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada); Marilyn Regiec (Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre); Howard Kideckel (Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre); Shea Lerner (BB Camp); Max Palay (Camp Massad); Shael Lander (Aleph Bet Child Life Enrichment Program); and Lyle Lockhart (Shalom Residences).
Mazel tov to all and Yasher Koach
Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service helped over 1800 families in 2025
By BERNIE BELLAN Jewish Child and Family Service will be entering the 75th year of its existence in 2027.
With a budget over $4,300,000, JCFS is also the largest beneficiary of funding from the Jewish Federation of the 12 Winnipeg Jewish community agencies that are beneficiaries of the Federation. (To see a list of the 12 agencies go to Funding for Beneficiary Agencies.)
Its impact has grown over the years as JCFS has expanded its horizon, continually adding to the many services it provides. During the JCFS’s Annual General Meeting, held in the Seniors’ Lounge of the Asper Campus on Tuesday evening, June 23, the important role that JCFS plays in the lives of so many members of the Jewish community – also a significant number of non-Jews as well, various speakers cited the many ways in which JCFS has continued to have such a huge impact.
With total revenues of $4,325,160 in fiscal year 2025 (which ended March 31, 2026), but slightly fewer expenses, JCFS not only delivered a wide gamut of services, it managed to deliver those services without incurring a deficit in 2025, despite some significant financial challenges.
As outgoing Board Chair Elana Grinshteyn observed, JCFS had to navigate some major reductions in funding, including a cut in funding from the federal government to the tune of $100,000, plus the loss of funding from the Claims Conference, which had provided support for Holocaust survivors.
Yet, despite those setbacks in funding, Grinshtein reported, “Together, we insured that services remained intact.
“We increased access to interest free loans,” she noted, “doubling” the amount that had been allocated in 2024.
And, amidst the ever-increasing demand for services, “JCFS has continued to navigate space limitations,” Grinshteyn noted. (I should note that as far back as 2019 I reported in an interview I had conducted with JCFS CEO Al Benarroch about the JCFS’s dire need for more space. Here is an excerpt from what Benarroch had to say about the JCFS’s need for more room back in 2019: “…we’ve been looking for roughly 3,000 more square feet of space. We have a footprint right now of roughly 5,000 square feet for over 40 staff. We’ve given up a board room here. It’s been taken over by older adult service staff. We have a conference room which is adjacent to the board room; we’ve moved two staff in there.
“Yesterday I gave up my office for the entire morning so that staff could interview clients.
“We need to relieve the pressure we’re facing right now – yet alone plan for expanding and growing.
“Whatever space we’d be looking at would be temporary. It’s now 22 years that we’ve been in this facility. The campus has taken over squash courts, it’s taken over a museum – internally, to accommodate the growth in services. Maybe it’s time now to look at growing outside this building…”
As the saying goes: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (That’s me, trying to impress.)
While I tried to take notes during Al Benarroch’s CEO report, I realized following his remarks that there was so much important information conveyed, also a slew of statistics, that it might be more helpful to reprint a good portion of what he said verbatim, so I asked Al to send me a copy of his remarks. (That’s one of the nice things about writing on a website. There’s an infinite amount of room to print the kind of stuff that nerds like me pretend to read.)
During his CEO’s report, Benarroch enumerated the many challenges JCFS encountered in 2025.
Among those challenges, Benarroch noted, were:
• The rising and high cost of living
• Food insecurity
• Housing issues
• Our aging population demographics
• The complex needs of our newcomer families
• The increasingly complex needs in mental health & youth mental health
Yet, despite all those challenges, Benarroch said, “As always… we rose to meet those head on, and with the support of our community.”
In particular, Benarroch cited the support of the Jewish Federation, which contributed $948,800 to JCFS in 2025. (The largest portion of JCFS funding, by the way came from the Province: over $1,100,000.)
Fundraising also played a significant role in contributing to JCFS revenues, with almost $700,000 raised through that route, including direct donations of over $320,000 and bequests over $40,000.
As Benarroch noted, “Every year, we look forward with hope that it will be a quiet year.
“Well, if that’s the case, we are in the wrong business.
“We happen to be in the reflect, respond and pivot business.
“This is the nature of the human existence.”
Benarroch went on to add some more statistics about how JCFS played such a pivotal role in the lives of so many people. In 2025 JCFS:
• Served 1,800 client households – impacting almost 5,000 people.
• Assisted 15 foster children.
• Served 70 families in Child Welfare….
“But what is even more important is that we assisted 90 children that remained at home with their families,” Benarroch said.
The year 2025 also saw the inauguration of what is known as the “Asper Empowerment Program”, through which:
• 311 clients were assisted (including Passover Assistance)
• $80,000 was disbursed in financial assistance
• Over $20,000 was given out in interest-free loans.
• 6,500 kg of food were disbursed
In the area of mental health and counselling services, Benarroch noted that JCFS:
• Supported over 50 adults with mental health challenges
• Our Friday Mental Health Wellness Group participants took part in 22 group activities or outings
• We support some 20 individuals and families impacted by addictions through individual and group services.
• We delivered almost 1,100 counselling sessions, over half of which were subsidized on our sliding scale.
• We continued to support individuals, families, and partner Jewish organizations with the ongoing emotional impacts of the war in Israel and high levels of global antisemitism.
In the area of support for older adults, JCFS served over 250 seniors including:
• 70 newcomer seniors
• 50 seniors living with mental health differences
• 65 Holocaust Survivors (including celebrating “25 years of our Holocaust Survivor Drop-in Group, a partnership with the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.”)
In the area of settlement services, JCFS:
• Welcomed almost 80 new families
• Almost 50 families from Israel, seeking reprieve from the ongoing stresses and pressures of the war.
Benarroch noted that “These families are dealing with the deep trauma of displacement, having lived under constant stress, fear and the ensuing post-traumatic impact, family and parenting challenges as a result, emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and more.
“Thanks to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, we hired a trained specialized support worker, with a background in therapy, to help these families cope, adjust, and receive much needed emotional supports.”
Benarroch went on to describe many more initiatives in which JCFS was engaged in 2025, but I want to return to the retirement of Elena Grinshteyn from the Board of JCFS after nine years serving on the Board, including the last two as Chair. Grinshteyn will be succeed by Bradley Abells, who has been on the Board since 2021. In his remarks, Abells noted that he is an actuary at Canada Life and that he first joined the Board when his particular expertise as an actuary proved extremely helpful in helping to solve a problem that had arisen, and he found the experience so rewarding he decided to remain on the Board ever since .
Also on the Board is Michael Schacter, who is returning as Treasurer and who looks the way you’d expect a finance guy to look.
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Jewish Foundation’s asset base surpasses $200 million for first time
By BERNIE BELLAN The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba continues to show stellar growth – having achieved total assets over $200 million in the 2025 fiscal year (a 7.4% increase from the 2024 fiscal year), also having distributed $8.2 million in grants during the year.
Those were among the highlights reported at the JFM’s Annual General Meeting, held Wednesday evening July 18, in the multipurpose room of the Asper Campus.
JFM CEO John Diamond noted that one of the most successful aspects of the year just past was the launch of what is known as “Fund Match II” which, he explained, is “building on the success of the original FundMatch project introduced in 2012.”
Under the terms of the new Fund Match program 18 initial organizations that created endowments with a combined value of $689,388 at the JFM benefitted from matching funds of $178,000 that were added to those endowments, with an additional four other organizations having joined in the program during the course of the year.
Other highlights (which can all be perused in the JFM’s annual report, available simply by going to the JFM website) include the JFM having “awarded 72 scholarships and academic awards totalling $230,759.”
JFM Board treasurer Bruce Caplan also spoke of some other notable achievements of the JFM in 2025, including a 12.64% return on investments and $4.27 million in new contributions.
The AGM also saw a number of changes to the composition of the board. Most notable among them is the retirement of Dan Blankstein as Board Chair – after having served two two-year terms, to be succeeded by Dafna Shore.
Also, the current longest-serving member of the board, Bonnie Cham, is retiring from the board after having served on it for 13 years, including three terms as Chair.
One other significant retirement announced at the AGM was that of Chief Financial Officer Ian Barnes – who will be retiring in December after 26 years as CFO During his remarks to the audience Barnes noted that “When I arrived at the Foundation, the assets were $29 million.” As noted, that figure has now grown to $200 million.
He also noted that “Since the Foundation was established in 1964, total grants and
distributions are $113.6 million.”
Barnes paid tribute to the three Chief Executive Officers with whom he worked: David Cohen, Marsha Cowan, and John Diamond. With regard to Marsha Cowan, Barnes said that “Marsha taught me about business – and how to dress!” (Barnes will be succeeded as CFO by Lynda Joyal.)
One of the annual customs of the JFM AGM is to thank the JFM staff – and to announce how many years each staff member has served at the JFM. While there are a number of individuals who have been with the JFM for a fairly long time, no one comes close to Patti Boorman, Director of Administration, who has been with the JFM for 37 years.
Among the largest new grants given by the JFM in 2025 were: a grant of $122,000 to the Asper Jewish Community Campus, Gray Academy of Jewish Education and Rady JCC to support the construction of a “new accessible outdoor play structure, ensuring safe, inclusive play for children and families; a grant of $150,000 to the Simkin Centre for the hiring a Volunteer Engagement Specialist – a three-year project to modernize volunteer programs and enhance resident, family, and intergenerational involvement.
Among the leading recipients of distributions from donor-recommend endowment funds – all of which had received grants in the past were:
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada $149,618
Rady JCC 154,746
Gray Academy 168,535
Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University 163,488
Jewish Child & Family Service 447,471
Simkin Centre 858,654
Asper Campus 431,099
Combined Jewish Appeal 907,688
Jewish Federation of Winnipeg 531,076
Note: A number of the above organizations also received community impact grants – which are one-time grants given for special purposes.
