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Gifted teacher and chazan Avi Posen and wife make aliyah
This story was first published in the Nov. 27, 2019 issue of The Jewish Post & News: The departure of Avi Posen and his wife, the former Illana Minuk, right after yom tov, can be best summed up as “Winnipeg’s loss is Israel’s gain”.
More than in most cases of Winnipeggers making aliyah (which should undoubtedly be celebrated), the son of Kinzey Posen and Shayla Fink leaves a real void in our community.
Over the past eight years as a teacher at Gray Academy, Posen has taught Tanach, Hebrew, Shoa, Jewish history, current events in the Jewish world, Israel Advocacy and Yiddish. He has been in charge of Chaggim (Jewish holiday) activities for the last few years. He and Gray Academy high school Science Teacher Sheppy Coodin founded the annual Shabbat Unplugged Shabbaton for Jewish University students. He has been an integral part of the P2G program that unites Gray Academy high school students and teachers with their counterparts at Danciger High School in Kiryat Shemonah in northern Israel.
And, in addition to his many duties at Gray Academy, Posen has served as Chazan at Yom Tov for both the Chevra Mishnayes (six years) and Chavurat Tefilah (two years) congregations in the north end. (The two congregations are just a few blocks apart.) At the latter shul, he has been blessed to be able to lead Yom Tov services in partnership with his zaida, Sol Fink, who has been leading Yom Tov services for 30 years.
“Every job I have ever had since I was 15 has been in the Jewish community,” Posen says. “I have always been involved in Jewish education either through the summer camps or Hillel or Gray Academy.”
A long time Camp Massad camper, he graduated to counselor in high school and later served as the assistant director. In 2011, he was program director at BB Camp.
Although his initial career choice was psychology (he graduated from the University of Winnipeg in 2009 with a BA in psychology), it was the year that he spent at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University in 2008-2009, he says, that changed his focus to Zionism and “all things Israel”. On his return home, he went to work for the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
“I became the Federation’s Jewish Engagement Co-ordinator,” he says. Avi helped coordinate Winnipeg’s first ever Limmud and helped coordinate the PJ Library program, two very successful programs in our community.
In 2011, he enrolled in the Masters program in Jewish Education at Yeshiva University. The next year, back in Winnipeg, he served as Hillel director before joining the staff of Gray Academy for the 2012-2013 year.
He relates that he and Illana met in 2013 when both were dancers with the Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble. Illana served as dance director as well as one of the dancers. “The cool thing is that my Zaida, Sol Fink, and her Zaida, Morris Intrater, are from the same town in Poland, knew each other from school and both ended up in Winnipeg after the Shoa,” Posen points out.
“Making aliyah is definitely a dream,” Avi says of himself and Illana.
The impetus to go now is that Illana has been accepted into a four-year Medical program at the Technion in Haifa which started this fall.
He adds that quite a number of his students from Gray Academy who participated in the P2G program have also made aliyah. He says that he is looking forward to reuniting with them.
From Israel, Posen reports that he and Illana have settled in comfortably in Haifa and he is about to start his new position as the Assistant Director of Education for Jerusalem U, a Jewish/Israel education digital media company based out of the old city of Jerusalem.
Posen adds that he plans on returning to Winnipeg in January for the Shabbat Unplugged Shabbaton as well as the Gray Academy Jewish Awareness Retreat and next fall to once again lead yom tov services at the Chevra Mishnayes and Chavurat Tefila.
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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.”
