Local News
Gray Academy has made elaborate preparations in advance of school reopening September 8
By BERNIE BELLAN
With schools in Manitoba set to reopen on September 8, it goes without saying that there is an enormous amount of apprehension among both parents and students as to what will happen once students are back in class.
Gray Academy, however, has gone to unprecedented lengths to plan for the coming school year. The school prepared a 36-page “Framework for Reopening” pdf that touches upon almost every conceivable concern that parents and students might have. (The pdf is available for viewing on Gray Academy’s website.)
On Thursday, August 27, we had a chance to speak with Gray Academy Head of School Lori Binder about some of the preparations that Gray Academy has taken.
Lori began by referring to the “Framework for Reopening” which, she noted, “was sent out to all our families on Friday (August 21). Our staff is returning on Wednesday (Sept. 2) and then, after Labour Day we are reopening for full days of learning for students from Junior kindergarten all the way through to Grade 12 (although, as she explained later during our conversation, different grades will be returning to school on a staggered basis for an orientation day during the first week).
Lori noted that because there are such major differences between the rules that will be in place for elementary schools as opposed to high schools, based on the ability to physical distance, for the elementary school (which consists of Grades 1-6) “we measured and re-measured and measured and re-measured and we are able to commit to 1.5+ metres across the school with two metres (between each student) for students in 1-6 and are therefore capping enrolment where there’s no more space…so that leaves us (only) with a couple of spots in a couple of elementary grades.”
I asked whether, with the new spacing requirements between students that the province has imposed upon all schools – especially as it applies to elementary, that has forced Gray Academy to turn down applications from parents whose children might have gone to other schools last year?
Lori did acknowledge that “we have had to say no to some inquiries that are most recent, so now Grades 1-4 are full.” (She also explained that no class in elementary will have more than 19 students, whereas some classes last year did have more than that.) “In a normal year,” as Lori explained, “in Grades 4-6 we could go up to 24 students, but we have made the decision to put health and safety first, so if there is no room for another desk (that would allow for more than 19 students), there will only be a wait list if a spot came open.”
That led me to wonder whether there has been a notable increase in interest among parents of elementary aged students who had been enrolled in other schools to send their kids to Gray Academy?
“We’re getting inquiries a little bit more than we normally would at this time,” Lori responded. “It’s August 31st when public schools will be sending out their plans for reopening” so, depending on how those plans unfold, there may be even more interest from parents of students in other schools to send their children to Gray Academy.
(Lori noted, as well, that some high schools will only be having in-class learning two days a week, so that might also affect some parents’ plans.)
As far as grades other than elementary are concerned, Lori explained that “in our junior kindergarten and kindergarten programs – also in our high school, we are 1.5 (metres) plus and 1.5 plus means that in early years, it’s very similar to the provisions for child care: You’re not seated at a desk all day; the kids learn a little bit differently through play, so the provisions in JK and K are therefore very different” (from elementary).
“In high school,” Lori continued – and all across the whole school, we’ll be cohorting – so every two grades is a cohort. The purpose of a cohort is really to help insure some separation for entry to the school, exiting from the school. For elementary, it’s divisions at recess. We’re very fortunate to have a lot of space for play, so cohorts (in elementary) will stay in their recess location – and switch the next day.
“In high school we have two grades for every floor so the cohort stays on the floor. The teachers now moves to the classroom.” (Until this year students would move to different rooms depending upon the subject being taught.)
I wondered how, notwithstanding the creation of cohorts of students, how much the school would be able to maintain separation of students at arrival and departure times?
Lori answered: “Our JK and K, which is our early years wing, has an outside door – which we keep locked during the day, but we’re going to use it for drop-off and pick-up of the kids…when you walk into the school from where the play structure is, one doorway will be where the (Grade) 3’s and 4’s will enter; another doorway for the 1’s and 2’s leading to their hallway, and there’s actually a third door that has a staircase that goes up, and that’s where the 5’s and 6’s will go straight to their floor and where they’ll come out at the end of the day – and for recess.”
Naturally, with so much yet to be determined in terms of whether COVID-19 will be successfully contained with all the measures schools will be forced to adopt, Lori added that Gray Academy is also fully prepared to adapt to new requirements – should they be imposed upon the school (and all other schools) by the province.
“Response level two, which corresponds to the provincial response of yellow or orange, only affects 9-12,” Lori explained. In that case, those students would return to remote learning, which is what was in place beginning in April until school ended prematurely for all students in early June. “Students in Grades 1-8 would still stay in the building,” Lori added.
If the province ordered “Response level 3,” Lori continued, “which is the highest response level, then that would take us back to fully remote, except for early years.”
“We have articulated to our parents the entire gamut that the province has set out so we could pivot to our ‘Gray Away’ (which was the term Gray Academy developed to describe its sophisticated remote learning program this past spring), if needed.
School opening itself will be staggered, as was noted earlier in this article, so that each cohort will have a different opening day. This will allow “kids to get used to the routines and parents can get used to the new drop-off and pick-up routines,” said Lori.
Based on how well remote learning under ‘Gray Away’ did in the spring, I wondered whether the school had heard from some parents of students in Grades 9-12 who would prefer that their children be allowed to stay home and take all their classes remotely?
“We have heard from very few parents – very few,” Lori answered, who would prefer that their children learn remotely, “but we have also only heard from a few parents who have chosen to home school” their children.
Let’s face it though – all the preparation in the world isn’t going to dramatically ease the anxiety that parents – and their children, will be experiencing each day as we get closer to September 8.
The staff at Gray Academy have been preparing themselves as best they can, however, and as Lori Binder noted, “we try to be very proactive so that we can have calm parents – so that parents can know what our plans are. It’s one of the reasons that we wanted to get our plans out (via the school’s website) last Friday – also to keep our staff informed as well.
“We have orientation sessions for our parents on-line next week, in addition to what we’re doing with the kids…we want to walk through this and see what’s successful that we’ll keep assessing” and where changes will need to be made.
So, while we all hold our collective breaths – and pray for the best, the pressure on schools to abide by a dizzying array of new regulations handed down by the province is immense. In the case of Gray Academy, at least, no one can say that the administration of that school hasn’t done its utmost to plan for most contingencies. Is it appropriate for a Jewish newspaper to end an article with the expression: Let’s keep our fingers crossed?
Local News
Jewish Foundation Endowment Book Of Life program Sunday, November 1st
By BERNIE BELLAN The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba first launched its Endowment Book of Life legacy programme in 1998.
This charitable initiative allows donors to promise a future bequest to the foundation in exchange for having their personal history, family experiences, and philanthropic values permanently inscribed in a physical and digital archive.
On Sunday morning, November 1, the Jewish Foundation held its most recent Endowment Book of Life event followed by a brunch at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. There were five new entries into the Book of Life, from: Brownie Fleishman – in memory of her parents, Beryl and Esther Pierce; Marilyn Goldberg – in memory of her husband, Dr. Norman Goldberg; Melissa Rice – in memory of her husband, Richard Rice; Sharon Wolchock, in memory of her husband, Sid Wolchock; and Anna and Lyle Silverman.
The signers were introduced by Jewish Foundation CEO John Diamond, who, in addressing the signers, said: “Your stories, your generosity, and your commitment to the future of our community will continue to inspire others for generations to come. Thank you for making this meaningful commitment.”
Diamond read excerpts from what the signers had written in the Book of Life or described what had led some of them to be motivated to want to be part of the Book of Life.
From Brownie Fleishman’s inscription about her parents, Beryl and Esther Pierce, Diamond read: “The story of the Pierce family began in Winnipeg in the early 20th century, when Beryl and Esther Pierce came to Canada to establish a new life for themselves and their children.
“Beryl Benjamin Pierce was born in 1883 in Poltova, then part of the Russian Empire, and now Ukraine. He immigrated to Canada in 1912 and settled in Winnipeg, where he became a pioneer in the fur industry. A skilled designer and cutter, he established Pierce Fur Company in the Exchange District. The building that housed that business was later designated a municipal historic building.”
From Marilyn Goldberg’s inscription about her late husband, Norman: “Norman had a deep connection to Judaism and to the Jewish community. He attended synagogue regularly and served on the boards of both the Rosh Pina and the Shaarey Zedek synagogues. He was a leader in the efforts to change the Shaarey Zedek cemetery rules to allow interfaith couples to be buried together. His commitment to Tikun Olam extended to reaching out to the larger world. He helped lead the community’s efforts to settle refugees from Darfur.
“Our children characterized his faith this way: ‘His was a Judaism that was not orthodox in practice, but deeply rooted in Jewish values, tradition, and faith. This led him to good deeds, good words, a good life.’ “
From Melissa Rice’s inscription about her late husband, Richard: “Richard was immensely proud of his Jewish faith and heritage. He celebrated his bar mitzvah, participated in Kadima and AZA, and formed friendships that would last a lifetime.
“His close friend circle included and many who shared countless adventures, misadventures, and laughs over the years. Their friendships endured because Richard understood something important. Relationships require time, loyalty, and commitment.”
John Diamond spoke about Anna and Lyle Silverman’s long commitment to the Jewish community: “Both Anna and Lyle have always been strong philanthropic supporters of the local Jewish community, of Israel, and of Holocaust education.
“A commitment that was reinforced a few years ago after they had participated in an emotionally draining and unforgettable March of the Living trip that took them to the gates of Auschwitz. Their ongoing support of the Jewish community is also inspired by Anna’s memory of the tremendous help that her family received from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society when they landed in Montreal as refugees. Their story goes on to say they have been lucky in love and in business, and now as they continue to enjoy a long, comfortable, and well deserved retirement, they are eager to share their good fortune with others. ‘We have a wonderful life and couldn’t ask for anything more,’ Lyle says, ‘so now it is time to give back.’
“Through hard work, a commitment to education, and a strong connection to their Jewish community, they built a family whose succeeding generations continue to benefit from the opportunities they created.”
Diamond said this about Sharon Wolchock’s inscription about her late husband, Sid: “Sid was Sharon’s biggest supporter. Her volunteer work with the National Council of Jewish Women and the Jewish Federation mattered as much to him as his own legal career, and he backed it fully. He wanted Sharon and their daughters rooted in the Jewish community in whatever way suited each of them. In 1983, on Sid and Sharon’s first trip to Israel, Sid’s lifelong connection with the Jewish state was born.
“Sid’s love of aviation and history and his pride in being a Jew emerged during that trip. He became a passionate supporter of Israel’s soldiers and donated club rooms on two Air Force bases named for his brothers Harvey and Bernie so that the hardworking and often underappreciated technical crews had somewhere pleasant to relax.”
Following the ceremonial signing ceremony, guests in attendance were treated to entertainment by a quartet of talented singers: Julia Kroft, Josh Bellan, Alyssa Crockett, and Vinnie Alberto.
Closing out the day’s programme, current Jewish Foundation Board Chair Dafna Shore paid tribute to this year’s signers – and to the more than 800 signers of the Book of Life who had preceded them:
Shore said: “What makes this program so extraordinary and why it continues to resonate with so many people is the opportunity it gives us to share the stories that shape who we are, stories that might not otherwise have been told.
“Through the Endowment Book of Life, these stories are given a permanent home. Together, they form a living history of Jewish life in Manitoba, one filled with resilience, compassion, humor, and hope. These stories are more than a record of the past. They offer lessons for the future, showing generations to come, what it means to belong, to give, and to take responsibility for the strength of our community. Thank you for adding your voice and your vision.
“To this collection and for making a legacy commitment to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, your generation helps ensure that the programs, schools, and organizations that sustain Jewish life here will continue to thrive for generations to come.
“One of the great privileges of serving as chair is helping advance the Foundation’s mission, securing our community’s future while supporting its growth today. The Endowment Book of Life embodies that mission beautifully. It reminds us that each of us in our own way has the power to make a lasting difference.
“As we reflect on the importance of leaving a lasting legacy, I’d also like to take a moment to remember two valued members of the Jewish Foundation and Manitoba family who we lost this past year, Sheldon Berney and Lillian Neaman.
“Both served as governors of the Foundation, demonstrating their commitment to our community through their leadership and service. We are grateful for their contributions and the role they played in helping strengthen the foundation. Their memories remind us that a lasting legacy is built through the generosity, dedication, and commitment of those that came before us. May their memories be a blessing.
“As long as members of our community continue to invest in tomorrow, through their generosity, their readership, and their willingness to share their stories, Jewish life in Manitoba will continue to flourish. Thank you all for being part of that story.”
Local News
Application filed by two former members of Etz Chayim Congregation against the congregation to have their memberships restored dismissed by judge
The following is taken from the Canadian Jewish News website: “Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench has dismissed Hadass Eviatar and David Hoult’s application challenging the termination of their membership at Congregation Etz Chayim. In his decision, Justice Vic Toews noted that, although Hoult’s letter describing a hypothetical attack on the synagogue may have lacked sensitivity given the political climate, he did not intend to threaten violence against congregants. However, the judge ruled that the court did not have jurisdiction to intervene in the membership dispute under Manitoba’s Corporations Act, finding that the couple had no financial, proprietary or economic interest that would entitle them to the remedies they sought. The judge concluded that religious organizations are generally free to determine their own membership rules and ordered each side to bear its own legal costs.”
If you would like to read the original article that broke the story about the battle between Hadaass Eviatar and David Hoult with Etz Chayim Congregation you can go to Epic Court Battle.”
Local News
Jewish Federation now says Jewish population of Winnipeg in 2021 (according to the census) was 13,940 – not the 16,000 figure that the Federation had been touting for years
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted Oct. 27, 2026) Longtime readers of The Jewish Post & News (and this website) would probably know that I have long had a very strong interest in establishing as accurate figures as possible when it has come to reporting the size of Winnipeg’s Jewish community.
For years I argued that our Jewish Federation was exaggerating the size of our Jewish population. I heard the figure of 16,000 bandied about by leaders in our community quite often when it came to reporting the size of our Jewish population – without any empirical evidence to back that figure up.
I had long maintained that the only reasonably accurate figures when it came to reporting the size of Winnipeg’s Jewish population were those produced by the late Evelyn Katz, when she was the unofficial demographer for the Jewish Federation – over 30 years ago. What Evelyn would do is keep careful track of births, deaths, numbers of newcomers but, perhaps most important: the number of people who had left our community.
Thus, in August 2022 when I interviewed Faye Rosenberg Cohen who, at the time, was just about to retire as the Jewish Federation’s Chief Planning and Allocations Officer, I was somewhat astonished to hear Faye say, when I asked her what proportion of our Jewish community was made up of immigrants, she answered that “I can honestly say when I look at those numbers it’s somewhere around 1/3 of the community.”
In response, I asked: “So you’d say it’s somewhere between 4-5,000?”
Faye said: “I think it’s more than that.”
I wrote in that article, “I indicated my skepticism at that time, saying ‘You know that I’ve always been skeptical about the numbers that have been used by the Federation for the population of the Jewish community. I think though that it’s always been more of a case of identification – who identifies as Jewish.’ ”
Later, after the results of the 2021 census were released, I wrote that “if you take into account the results of the 2021 census, the Jewish community cannot be larger than 14,270 at a maximum. But that figure would also include anyone who had either said either their ethnic origin was Jewish or their religion was Jewish.”
Since many of the individuals who had said on the 2021 census that their ethnic origin was Jewish, but their religion was something else, I maintained that ascertaining the real size of our Jewish community was highly problematic.
Still, for the sake of argument I was willing to accept that, realistically, it was somewhere between 13,000-14,000 – but nowhere close to the figure of 16,000 that had come to be suggested by our then president of the Jewish Federation or by other leading figures in our community.
So, it was with a sense of satisfaction that I heard Sharon Graham, who is now the Jewish Federation’s Community Planning and Allocations Lead say to an audience of over 50 people who were at the Gwen Secter Centre on Thursday, October 22, that the Jewish community in 2021 was – at a maximum: 13,940.
Sharon was at the Gwen Secter Centre to speak to Remis Lecture attendees. Her presentation preceded a presentation by Jewish Federation CEO Jeff Lieberman. Sharon used a PowerPoint presentation to provide some very interesting insights into where our Jewish community was at in 2021- and I’m offering some parts of her presentation here for you to read because I thought they were so interesting.
I had actually made many of the same observations about the results of the 2021 census in my own reporting back in 2022, but seeing what I had written confirmed by the Jewish Federation’s point person on planning told me that Sharon has a much more realistic view of our community than did Faye Rosenberg Cohen.
Here, for instance, is a slide that shows the proportion of our Jewish community that is made up of immigrants. It’s slightly under one fifth, not the one third percentage that Faye had suggested.
But, what really set Sharon’s presentation apart from anything else I’ve ever seen presented by someone from the Jewish Federation – other than the aforementioned Evelyn Katz, was the slide she projected which showed that, while there had been a large influx of newcomers to Winnipeg’s Jewish community between 2016-2021 there had also been a significantly high number of people who had left our Jewish community in those same years, as you can see in the following slide:
That is something we just don’t hear discussed by leaders of our Jewish organizations, but let’s be realistic: For many newcomers who came to Winnipeg and were counted as new members of our Jewish community, Winnipeg – for a variety of reasons, was a stepping stone to other communities. It may have been for reasons of better job opportunities, moving closer to other family members, or – the reason that we hear so often when it comes to people saying they want to leave Winnipeg: the weather.
But, whatever the reason, Sharon’s figures show that, as much as GrowWinnipeg may have been an abiding success when it’s come to attracting newcomers to our Jewish community here, getting them to stay long term is a different story.
And, while there were other aspects of Sharon’s presentation that certainly merit discussion, especially the figures she produced about intermarriage, rather than delving into them here, I thought it useful simply to insert them for you, the reader, to see – and draw your own conclusions.
