Local News
Gray Academy has gone eight months with not one single case of COVID
over 675 cases in other Manitoba schools
By BERNIE BELLAN
While Manitobans can rightfully be said to be in a state of shock over how this province has gone from having one of the best records anywhere at keeping COVID at bay to now having one of the worst in Canada, the focus has very much been on the tragic situations in many personal care homes.
Yet, the situation in schools for the most part is one where there has also been a steady number of COVID cases either having been reported or suspected. Since all available evidence to this point, however, is that COVID simply does not affect young people to the same degree that it does the elderly (among whom I can rightfully count myself), I think it’s fair to say that not much attention has been paid to what’s been happening in schools in this province.
According to the CBC Manitoba website, however, “Manitoba had recorded 675 cases of COVID-19 in schools as of Nov. 17. A total of 513 of those were students and 162 were staff members.
The CBC website goes on to note that “The province has posted dozens of possible exposures at schools across Manitoba on its website – including more than 150 exposures at schools in the Winnipeg health region since Sept. 25.”
Since ours is a newspaper serving the Jewish community I thought it appropriate to take a look at what’s been happening in the only fully JK-12 Jewish day school in the province: Gray Academy.
Luckily, it is fair to report in the case of that school that “no news is good news.”
Since the first lockdown began on March 14 I’ve had occasion to speak with Gray Academy Head of School and CEO Lori Binder twice before: In our May 27 issue, when we took a detailed look at how Gray Academy had made the successful transition to teaching online through what it called its “Gray Away” online program; and in our Sept. 2 issue, when we took a look at plans that were put in place to welcome back students under the highly restrictive protocols that the province had established for all schools in Manitoba.
Now, with almost three full months having gone by since the start of the new school year, I thought it appropriate to speak with Lori again to get her assessment of how things have gone at Gray Academy thus far. Joining in the phone conversation was Andrea Ritter, Director, Marketing and Communications.
No cases of COVID at Gray Academy thus far
I began by asking whether “there have been any incidents of COVID at the school?”
Lori answered: “Thank G-d no, there have not. We’ve been healthy every day.”
I asked: “Are any of your students now taking their schooling online?”
Lori: “Let me give you a general overview. We are fully open. We are able to have our students with two meters distance all the way up to Grade 12. We made that change when schools moved to orange and that was already in place in the elementary. We were able to spread out more, so that for example, our Mac lab that was used for the film class, we’re now using it for other classes and we’ve moved a grade to another corner of the school.
“We are open five days a week for every one of our students unless they fail our health screening.”
Lori went on to explain that if, for any reason, a student is unable to attend classes in person beginning with Grade 5, they are able to “access classes online. They are able to login to ‘Google classroom’ and they are able to participate.” As well, students are beginning to learn to use Google Classroom independently in Grades 3 & 4.
But, she noted, “we don’t have a remote choice option – meaning a student is just choosing to be remote – but if they’re not in the building and they’re still well enough to learn, they can access the classroom from home.”
In terms of how many students have actually been absent from school on any given day, Lori said that the average attendance has been “approximately 90% on a daily basis.”
Enrolment has remained up
I asked how enrolment this year compares with last year?
“Last year it was 494,” Lori answered. “This year it’s 484.”
She noted, however, that the school’s “retention percentage” (meaning “how many students didn’t graduate and were eligible to return”) is at “93%”.
Lori added that, “We only had two families that, before school started, chose to home school.”
In terms of how many new students are at Gray Academy this year, Lori said there are 60 new students (who could be in grades as early as Junior Kindergarten). While there were 80 new students in the 2019-20 academic year, the lower figure, Lori explained, is largely explained by the fact that, “of those 60 new students we’re seeing more local as we’ve seen fewer families arrive from outside of Canada.”
Andrea Ritter noted that “this has been an unusual year when we’ve had to turn people away when we filled our rooms. We had to maintain that distancing between students in rooms – which meant we had to limit our capacity in certain classrooms. We had to cut off our registration for JK and K for sure.”
Lori gave as an example an inquiry the school had from someone wanting to enroll their child in Grade 4. “We had no more room,” she explained, “ so we had to tell them their child was on a wait list.”
I asked whether there was a breakdown of class size by grade. Lori said they had figures for high school and elementary. “Last year our high school (Grades 7-12) was 211 and this year it’s 218. Our elementary (JK-Grade 6), last year was 283; this year it went down a little to 266.”
All staff returned this year – and have remained
At that point in the conversation I said I wanted to turn attention to the staff of the school. I asked whether everyone had returned?
Lori answered: “Our staff is all here. No one chose not to continue working because of COVID and we’ve welcomed some new staff. They’ve been amazing. Our staff are so committed to who we are as a school community, committed to being able to provide our students purpose, a place to be, and a community where they’re known and cared for by the teachers.
“If you were to say to us, before we knew what COVID was, that we’re going to run a school, and we’re going to keep changing, and as a teacher you’re going to have to start moving around from class to class – and you’re going to have some kids in one classroom and some in another, and you’re going to always be on the alert for changes from the province – our staff have been really incredible.
“From my educational lens, what I see is that our kids really want to be in school; they want to be somewhere. They don’t want to be in isolation. We’re all social beings, teenagers especially – they crave being with others, being in community.
“We’re doing things we’ve never done before. Bernie, if you ever want to come and watch our pick-up and drop-off – it’s a science we’ve created. We’ve got this orderly fashion how kids get out of their cars so we can limit gatherings and have kids go through doorways one at a time. We’re just so grateful for the positivity of our staff and the partnership with our families.”
Could Gray Academy remain open if other schools are forced to shut their doors?
I wondered though about something that doesn’t get discussed much within general conversation. The province has been releasing data about which geographic areas have been hardest hit by COVID (also which schools) and it has been quite evident that the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on socioeconomic groups that are more disadvantaged. Now, with talk of a possible even more drastic shutdown that would encompass schools this time – but with Gray Academy, among other schools, having fared quite well in terms of avoiding any incidents of COVID, I asked whether the possibility that some schools might be allowed to remain open while others would have to close had ever been brought up in discussions with representatives from the Department of Education?
Lori responded that “What I can share, and has not changed ever since the summer, is they’ve always spoken about what would make schools move into the red pandemic response level. We know that one reason is transmission in a school that is specific to that school. We saw that happen with one of the first schools in the River East School Division (John Pritchard) where a cohort was moved out – and that was specific to that school.
“That same basic message is what we’re still hearing: ‘There would be a change to a school if there’s evidence of transmission within a school….We have to be prepared for anything that might happen., but my belief is there won’t be a decision made based on anything other than what’s happening in specific schools.”
Some classrooms have been able to accommodate fairly large numbers of students
I wondered what the maximum class size is now that each student is required to maintain a distance of 2 metres all around?
“In elementary, believe it or not,” Lori responded, “we’ve taken out furniture; we’ve removed bookshelves that were screwed to the walls for decades – in order to make more room – it would be around 18 or 19; and in high school, we’ve been using some of the larger spaces for classrooms – like the Mac lab – where we can get around 20 or 21 students. Right now, because we’ve always had the availability of the Berney Theatre, there is a group in the foyer and a group utilizing the theatre so that we can really give kids the space.”
“That would mean you’re having university style lectures in the theatre itself,” I suggested.
Further, because there are windows in the foyer the school is able to open the blinds and get some natural light into that space, Lori explained.
Andrea added that students who are taking classes in the theatre have become quite resourceful in adapting to the theatre format. “It’s energized the kids. As soon as they went to the Berney (Theatre) they all started coming up with ideas, like ‘How can I create a lap desk for myself?’ because it’s hard to hold your Chromebook on your lap while you’re taking notes.”
Lori also noted that, until the province ordered the entire city into code red, Shmoozers had been providing hot lunches for kids – brought to them in their rooms. “We’re trying to keep our hot lunch program going – at least for this month,” she noted, “with food from other kosher catering. We don’t have volunteers coming in right now, so we (the staff) are doing that.”
Talking about the staff and lunches, I asked whether staff are still eating their lunches in the Kaufman-Silverberg Library?
“Our high school staff are,” Lori said, “but we still have our staff room. It’s just limited by how many people can be in there at once. There’s enough space for 12. There are other places for staff to go.”
Morale has remained high – and students have shown amazing resillience
I asked whether there are any assessments of morale that are taken on any sort of systematic basis or is it all based on anecdotal evidence? After all, I suggested to Lori, “you’re giving me what would be considered a pretty upbeat report.”
Andrea Ritter said she’d like to jump in at that point, “speaking both as a professional and as a mom” of two students at Gray Academy.
“I was home last year with both my kids (when all schools closed from March on). My older one (who’s 15 – in Grade 10) was fine; she’s very independent, she did her own thing. She didn’t mind being online.
“The little one (who’s 9 – in Grade 4),” Andrea continued – “it was really hard for her, especially when we weren’t having a full day of classes, when we would just meet (online) here and there. She really had a tough time emotionally.
“When we switched to full-on Gray Away in April, and she was with her classmates in a structured environment every day, it made an enormous difference for her.
“But for me, seeing the children here on site, I am amazed how they’ve taken everything in stride. Sure, every time there’s a change, they complain like crazy for a day or two, then they just move along and carry on with their day.
“Some of the high school kids especially have gotten a little bit innovative in providing entertainment for themselves. They can’t go anywhere, they’re not allowed to leave Campus – and that’s one of the ways we’re trying to keep control on transmission. (Ed. note: Compare that with kids from Grant Park who had been flocking both to the nearby McDonald’s and Grant Park Shopping Centre.)
Andrea continued: “They’re creating some new clubs at lunch, they’re hanging out in different spaces – but the little ones, in particular, interact when they’re outside – in masks, at recess – it doesn’t matter – it doesn’t make a difference to them. They take it completely in stride. I hear them all day. My window faces the playground. They play like they always have.
“I’ve certainly seen discussions online from different points of view – how terrible it is to have kids in masks all day. Fortunately for us we have the space. Our kids (up to Grade 4 and up) can be out of masks and have a mask break so long as they’re at their desks and when they have to put their masks on for recess (grades 3-6) or for gym (grade 4 and up) – they’re just taking it in stride.”
Lori chimed in: “Every day that we can have this building open and our children are healthy, it means that our kids are getting what they need to develop mentally, developmentally – and the resiliency – I am also proud of our students’ resiliency.… I remember the first day that kids were getting dropped off, who would have thought that three and four-year-olds would be hopping out of the car and walking themselves (with staff) to the early years’ wings door? Usually it would have been the parents holding their hands, walking them to the door of their classroom.
“We’re here to give kids a place to be and, from a mental health and wellness perspective, that’s what contributes to being able to learn.
“So, I’m not saying it’s not hard; it is hard and I’d like to see those vaccines come to light sooner rather than later, but as long as we can keep these kids feeling well, we’re upbeat.”
Local News
Despite JNF Canada losing its latest appeal in the Federal Court of Canada to have its charitable status restored, it will continue the appeal process all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, if necessary
By BERNIE BELLAN (June 17, 2025) Readers may recall that last August, in what was a shocking decision by the Canada Revenue Agency, JNF Canada lost its charitable status, which meant that it could no longer issue tax receipts for charitable donations. Further, JNF Canada was facing the prospect of having to wind down its operations and disburse all its assets by November 13, 2024, or face a 100% tax.
At the time, Canadian Jewish News reporter Ellin Bessner wrote a detailed examination of what had happened and why it happened.
Bessner noted the following reasons that the CRA had revoked JNF Canada’s charitable status:
“The agency’s findings in the audit ranged from where the charity’s books and records had been kept in 2011 and 2012 (mostly in Israel, which was a no-no), to what language the paperwork and receipts were kept in (mostly in Hebrew, which is not illegal but makes work difficult for auditors), to the conclusion that JNF Canada’s founding charitable purposes of relieving poverty in Israel by paying the salaries of indigent labourers, were not being met.”
Why would the CRA not enter into negotiations with JNF Canada over a new compliance agreement?
In an email received from Lance Davis, CEO of JNF Canada, on June 6, 2025, however, Davis addressed the particular concern to which Bessner referred in her August 2024 article – that JNF Canada was not meeting its “charitable object.”
Davis wrote: “The revocation is based on the CRA’s belief that our current charitable objective is no longer an acceptable charitable objective (after being acceptable for almost 60 years). It is not that the objective isn’t being met. It should be noted that we offered 10 new charitable objectives, which were previously approved for other charities, but the CRA never acknowledged these new objectives and continued to reject our requests for a compliance agreement. “
The CJN article offers more reasons for the CRA decision to revoke
Bessner’s article continued: “Another major issue was that because of missing paperwork and superficial oversight on the ground in Israel, it was felt the Montreal-based JNF Canada hadn’t been in control of or directing its own operations overseas. CRA believed the charity was acting merely as a funnel of money to the Jerusalem-based agency, the Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, which ran the projects.
“A further red flag for auditors were several projects in 2011 and 2012 that benefited the Israel Defence Forces, such as construction of buildings and green areas on IDF military bases. Registered charities are not permitted to support a foreign military financially, under Canadian laws. Some other projects were located in the West Bank and on other disputed land, the CRA found, something which Canada’s foreign policy frowns on.
Bessner further noted that “JNF Canada disagreed with the CRA’s view of that last category—and still does. But in 2019, the charity assured the public that it had stopped funding both kinds of projects after 2016, in order to comply with CRA requirements in good faith.”
A 2019 internal CRA memo says JNF Canada’s charitable status would not be revoked until the appeals process was exhausted
Immediately upon learning that the CRA had revoked JNF Canada’s charitable status, representatives of JNF Canada launched a series of legal appeals to have that decision reversed.
What is even more perplexing, however, notwithstanding the various reasons the CRA may have given for revoking JNF Canada’s charitable status, is why the CRA took that step when apparently, in August 2019, senior administrators within CRA had decided not to revoke JNF Canada’s charitable status until such time as JNF Canada had exhausted all its appeals including going so far as appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada.
In an internal email circulated among three CRA employees in August 2019 (shown here), and which was written by Melissa Shaughnessy, who is currently listed as the “Acting /Manager, Charities Directorate, Compliance Division | Canada Revenue Agency,” Ms. Shaughnessy wrote: “I confirmed that our process would then be to await the decision of the objection and any possible subsequent FCA (Federal Court of Canada)/SCC (Supreme Court of Canada) appeals before taking any further steps toward revocation.” (emphasis ours)
As Lance Davis noted in an email sent to me on June 6, JNF Canada had already begun an appeal process to avoid having its charitable status revoked by the CRA. When the August 2024 decision to revoke its status was suddenly issued, notwithstanding the decision among CRA administrators, evident in the memo seen here, to await the results of the entire appeals process to which JNF Canada was entitled before revoking its charitable status, JNF Canada was blindsided.
Davis noted, with reference to what was written in that August 2019 CRA memo: “This approach was consistent with past practice of the CRA as reflected in its policies, publications and internal communications, and we relied on this assurance in our decision-making. Nonetheless, in 2024, the CRA published our revocation despite our Appeal 1 being active. …Appeal 2 is the appeal that we’ve now had two hearings on, both of which ruled on jurisdiction but not yet on the merits of revoking our status. We are currently determining with our leadership if we will proceed with another hearing to rule on the merits of our case, which we still believe are strong.”
We asked the CRA why that August 2019 memo which said revocation would not take place until JNF Canada’s appeals process in the courts was exhausted was reversed?
We contacted the CRA media department on June 10 to ask why, if the August 2019 memo gave clear indication that the CRA was not going to revoke JNF Canada’s charitable status until such time as all appeals by JNF Canada in the courts had been exhausted, the CRA had gone ahead in August 2024 and revoked JNF Canada’s charitable status? (We attached a screenshot of that August 2019 memo in case the CRA would take the position that there had never been any decision to await the results of JNF Canada’s appeals process.)
It took six full days for a media representative of the CRA to respond. In a typically Kafakaesque manner the CRA media representative simply entirely avoided dealing with the question about the memo, writing instead:
“The confidentiality provisions of the Act prevent the CRA from commenting on specific cases; however, we can provide you with the following general information.
“As mentioned in our response of August 30, 2024, we can confirm that the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada Inc. / Fonds National Juif du Canada Inc. (the Organization) was revoked effective August 10, 2024, in accordance with the Act.
“The CRA’s decision to revoke an organization’s charitable status is not taken lightly. Every organization facing revocation has the right to seek recourse.
“For more information about revocations, please visit: Revoking registered status – Canada.ca.
“The courts provide Canadians with an independent review of disputed issues, and court decisions serve to clarify the law or resolve disputes between the CRA and taxpayers. The CRA does not comment on the specific details of court cases to respect the confidentiality provisions of the Acts we administer. Publicly available information on this case may be obtained from the courts.”
However, as we noted in a previous article on our website, the CRA did release 358 pages of documents to us pertaining to its decision to revoke JNF Canada’s charitable status, following its decision to revoke. As Jonathan Rothman, writing on the CJN website, noted: “The communications branch of the CRA recently provided 358 pages of its correspondence with JNF Canada. Officials said that due to confidentiality restrictions in the Income Tax Act, the CRA can release this material only after revoking a charity’s status. ”
So, it is somewhat specious for the media spokesperson to claim that “The CRA does not comment on the specific details of court cases to respect the confidentiality provisions of the Acts we administer” when, in fact, the CRA was quite willing to release 358 pages of documents explaining why it had suddenly revoked JNF Canada’s charitable status in August 2024. The question remains: What changed from the time that memo was circulated in August 2019 among CRA administrators and August 2024, when JNF Canada’s charitable status was revoked, without any prior notice given to JNF Canada that was about to happen?
The appeals process continues to take its course
It is somewhat confusing to follow the appeals process which JNF Canada undertook. One was an appeal through the Federal Court and another was an appeal through the Federal Court of Canada.
As Ellin Bessner explained in a November 10, 2024 article which appeared on the CJN website,
in November 2024 the Federal Court turned down JNF Canada’s request that the CRA’s decision to revoke its charitable status be reversed. Bessner wrote that “Jewish National Fund of Canada has lost its first major legal battle to stop the tax department’s revocation of its charitable status, which came into effect three months ago.
“Late in the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 8, a Federal Court judge dismissed JNF Canada’s application for a judicial review—and the judge also dismissed a request for an injunction to force the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to remove the official revocation notice that was printed in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 10.”
But, as Lance Davis noted in his June 6 email to me, “the November decision was not on the merits of our case. It was simply that the Federal Court was not the correct court to rule on our case and so the motion was dismissed and we were advised to take our case to the Federal Court of Appeal.”
However, early in June, JNF Canada lost its appeal to the Federal Court of Canada to have its charitable status restored.
Again though, as Davis explained to me, “This recent ruling was again only on jurisdiction. We appealed the Federal Court’s first decision that it did not have jurisdiction. The reason our lawyers chose this route was we truly believed the Federal Court was the correct place to start our judicial review. Time is of the essence as we do not want to operate as a non-profit indefinitely. Both CRA and JNF agreed that since the FCA was hearing our case, they should rule on the merits and not on whether or not the FC had jurisdiction. They declined to rule on the merits and instead, simply upheld the FC ruling that the FCA is the correct court to hear our case.”
Letter sent to JNF Canada supporters on June 4 about the most recent court decision
However, with that most recent court decision going against JNF Canada, a letter was sent to JNF Canada supporters on June 4 by Lance Davis, and Nathan Disenhouse, President, JNF Canada. That letter noted that “This week, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed our appeal, concluding that the Federal Court did not have jurisdiction over our claim that the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) actions deprived JNF Canada of procedural fairness.
“The merits of our case – our arguments as to why the process afforded to us lacked procedural fairness – have still not been ruled on.
“While we are, of course, disappointed by this result, and while it is not the result we had expected, we always knew it was a possibility. For this reason, we have been actively planning next steps.
“When the revocation of our charitable status was published in the Canada Gazette on August 10, 2024, we indicated that we had been blindsided. This is because in 2019 the CRA clearly and explicitly assured JNF Canada that the CRA ‘would not proceed with a revocation until JNF had exhausted their appeals process in Federal Court of Appeal or Supreme Court of Canada.’ (emphasis ours) This approach was consistent with past practice of the CRA as reflected in its policies, publications and internal communications and we relied on this assurance in our decision-making.
“It is also important to emphasize that over the past decade JNF Canada has attempted to engage without success with the CRA in the hope of finding a mutually acceptable path forward. Approximately two weeks ago, JNF Canada made a settlement offer in advance of this hearing, which was rejected without a counteroffer or any type of dialogue. We urge the CRA, under the leadership of the newly appointed Honourable Wayne Long Secretary of State, Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions, to engage with us in the hope of our arriving at a mutually satisfactory agreement.
“In looking ahead, JNF Canada will continue to challenge the CRA’s revocation of JNF’s charitable status and its decision to publish notice of the revocation when it did in 2024. We have a multi-pronged strategy in place which will ensure that all reasonable legal processes are engaged to protect JNF Canada’s rights.
“While the court ruling was surprising and disappointing, please rest assured that we remain committed to helping address the needs of Israelis during these troubling times and to pursuing justice through the judicial process.”
Davis added this, in his June 6 email to me:
“While we are disappointed with the outcome of our appeal, it is important to clarify that our main/underlying appeal is still in the court system at the Federal Court of Appeal. While we do not have a set date yet, we are expecting our case to be heard in late 2025 or early 2026.”
What has the impact of the CRA decision been on JNF Canada the past 10 months?
So, how have JNF Canada’s operations been affected since that August 2024 decision by the CRA to revoke its charitable status?
Davis wrote, in his email to
“JNF Canada has certainly experienced difficulties since we were revoked on August 10, 2024. It is evident that our revenue has diminished. For example, major gifts from charitable foundations cannot be donated to JNF Canada as these gifts can only be sent to a registered charity. However, we are pleased to share that thousands of Canadians from coast to coast have made contributions to JNF Canada without a charitable receipt. They believe in our mission and mandate so much that they forgo the benefits of a charitable receipt. To us, this demonstrates strong support from our community, and we are as motivated as ever to find a resolution.
“In the meantime, JNF is continuing to proudly operate as a non-profit and support the projects and programs we know are of deep importance to our community here in Canada. Thankfully, we have collaborated with like-minded charities. We are pleased to support three critical projects right now: the rehabilitation of Canada Park’s forests, the Ashdod Rehabilitation & Therapy Centre and the Sderot Resilience Centre. “
Manitoba/Saskatchewan division of JNF Canada carrying on
We also contacted David Greaves, Executive Director, JNF Canada, Manitoba/Saskatchewan, to ask him what impact the CRA August 2024 ruling has had on the Winnipeg office?
Greaves was upbeat in his response. He noted, for instance, that rather than laying off employees in the Winnipeg office, the number of positions there had increased from 3 1/2 to 4.
As well, Greaves observed that the Manitoba/Saskatchewan division was coming off a very successful Negev Gala – despite not being able to issue tax receipts for attendees at the Gala or donors who did not attend the Gala but still wanted to support JNF Canada, and that the office here was already planning next year’s Gala.
Finally, Greaves explained that JNF Canada was now working with a charitable organization called the Israel Magen Fund (which is also known as “Zaka”) to continue working on two projects that JNF Canada had already initiated within the past couple of years and had not been completed: the Ashdod Rehabilitation Centre and the Sderot Rehabilitation Centre.
Greaves advised that anyone wanting to donate to either of those two projects contact the Israel Magen Fund of Canada.
Local News
Simkin Stroll founder Bill Brownstone honoured prior to this year’s stroll
By BERNIE BELLAN (Photos courtesy of Keith Levit) On Thursday, June 12, the Simkin Centre held its 13th annual Simkin Stroll.
Over the years the Simkin Stroll has grown into a huge event incorporating entertainment, food, children’s activities, a silent auction and, of course, the actual stroll itself, which sees residents accompanied by friends, family members, or Simkin Centre staff members walking – or being pushed in wheelchairs around the beautiful LInden Ridge neighbourhood.
This year marked a special occasion as the individual, Bill Brownstone, who actually came up with the idea for the Simkin Stroll, was honoured in a ceremony held in the adult day program lounge prior to the stroll.
In the past, Brownstone has served on the Simkin Centre board, also as interim Chair for a time.
We were able to catch up with Brownstone before he was honoured to ask him how he came up with the idea for the stroll.
“I came up with the idea (in 2011) because I had friends at the Baycrest in Toronto,” he said. “They had what they called the ‘board walk’ where members of the board would walk to raise money. And when they raise money in Toronto – they raise money!
“So the first year (which would have been 2012) I came up with the idea for people walking. That first year we had about four people walking.
“The next year I came up with the idea for the ‘Simkin Stroll’ – and boom, we had walkers and it began to take off.
I said that I remembered Murray Gilfix was always manning a barbeque in those early years.
“There was no barbeque that first year” of the Simkin Stroll, Bill clarified. The barbeque came later. The past couple of years the barbeque has been replaced by volunteers and Simkin staff serving food indoors as the number of people attending would have led poor Murray to be overwhelmed for sure.
At the ceremony in which Bill Brownstone was honoured with what Rabbi Matthew Leibl said was the Simkin Centre’s inaugural “community leadership honour,” Rabbi Leibl paid tribute to Bill Brownstone’s ongoing dedication to the Simkin Centre. “What began as his vision to raise vital community funds has blossomed over the past 13 years to become a joyful, vibrant, and popular event,” Rabbi Leibl said.
“This event connects residents, family, staff, and the broader community in support of a place we all hold dear. Bill’s contributions have enriched the lives of so many and his legacy of compassion and community spirit is deeply felt. As such, it is only fitting that he is the first recipient of our first community leadership honour.”
Rabbi Leibl also acknowledged Bill’s wife Fay, and his children, Rob, Gary, Lisa, and Andrea.
“The Brownstone children in particular have each contributed generously and creatively this year in honour of their dad,” Rabbi Leibl noted.
This year’s Simkin Stroll ended up setting a new record for fundraising with over $100,000 raised – both through donations and the silent auction. Thanks were also issued to two major sponsors of the event: The Asper Foundation and Ellery Broder.
Funds raised will go to support recreation and quality-of-life programming.
Past Chairs of the Simkin Centre Board
(Sitting:) Bill Brownstone & Gordon Pullan
Standing (l-r): Jonathan Kroft, Ted Lyons, Saul Greenbeg, Selma Gilfix, Avrum Senensky, Gerry Kaplan, Al Benarroch
Local News
Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood 60th anniversary interfaith luncheon
By MYRON LOVE On Wednesday, May 28, the Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood hosted its 60th annual interfaith luncheon – with 170 supporters on hand to break bread together, celebrate the Sisterhood’s 95th year in operation – in addition to the luncheon’s diamond anniversary, and enjoy an inspiring presentation by Indigenous business leader and consultant Lisa Lewis, who spoke about the kinship between her people and ours.
The program began with greetings from Lieutenant-Governor Anita Neville and Gail Asper, representing the Shaarey Zedek’s Board of Directors. Asper – the consummate community volunteer – spoke of the importance and benefits of the satisfaction gained from being a volunteer, as well as the important role that the Sisterhood has played in the life of our Jewish community’s oldest and largest congregation – a subject that was subsequently expanded upon by Marisa Hochman – one of the Sisterhood’s three co-presidents (along with Sandy Polanski and Louise Raber).
(Hochman and Raber also co–chaired the luncheon, along with Amy Karlinsky.)
“Our tradition teaches that it is important for us to be part of a community,” Hochman noted in her remarks. “Our Torah teaches that, while G-d is one, it is not good for man to be alone.”
She emphasized the importance in Judaism of balance and harmony as reflected in our rituals and observances – lighting two Shabbat candles, for example, the Commandments being written on two tablets, and in bringing together the four species of plants for the celebration of Sukkot.
“The mitzvah (of the four species),” Hochmanpointed out, ‘is not complete until all four of the elements are brought together – symbolizing that it takes many kinds of people to make a world – and that each of us brings something special to the table. It is only when all of us are working together that we are complete.”
Hochman provided a sampling of some of the ways that the Sisterhood contributes to its members, the synagogue and the wider community: the book club, the tallit-weaving program, monetary donations to the synagogue, support for theological seminaries and other Jewish educational institutions, and Jewish Child and Family Service.
“To me,” she added, “Sisterhood is friendship, community, the power of women working together to create, build and share and the passing on of wisdom and traditions – L’dor V’dor – from generation to generation.
“It is multigenerational, with members ranging in age from 16 into their 90s. A common thread that binds our members is that no matter their age or life circumstances, they are vibrant and engaged with the world around them. They love to learn and help others. They each contain a spark that illuminates.
“Like the glow of the Shabbat candles, we know that, together, we can bring more light and goodness into the world. Together, we definitely shine brighter than we do on our own.”
Following a delicious Shaarey Zedek lunch – salad, party sandwiches and dessert, keynote speaker Lisa Lewis stepped up the microphone. The speaker is a successful business woman, having started “Beyond Excellence Creative Consulting,” which provides tailor-made training and management assistance to a wide range of organizations.