Local News
Whether you measure it by religion or ethnicity, British Columbia is the province that’s shown the most growth in Jewish population
By BERNIE BELLAN Continuing my ongoing analysis of data from the 2021 census, as a result of a trove of data released by STATCAN in November 2022, the one finding that has become clear is that the only province that has shown a substantial increase in Jewish population is British Columbia.
Until now I’ve been focused on Winnipeg and, once again, I’ve delved deeper into data for Winnipeg – which you can read in another article on page 2.
But, this time around I wanted to do a comparison between the National Household Survey of 2011 and the 2021 census, looking at how many respondents to both surveys reported they had Jewish ethnic origins and how many said their religion was Jewish.
It’s difficult to produce definitive figures as to how many Jews there are in Canada since, as I’ve noted several times, a great many individuals reported that at least one of their ethnic origins was Jewish, but they either reported no religion or that their religion was something other than Jewish.
And, concomitantly, a great many individuals who reported their religion was Jewish did not report Jewish as one of their ethnic origins.
While I did do a very comprehensive analysis for Winnipeg, which I reported in our November 23rd issue, when I showed that the Jewish population of Winnipeg, at a maximum, could not be more than 14,270, it would take quite a bit of time to do the same analysis for other Canadian cities that have sizeable Jewish populations.
Still, there are some clear trends that emerge from a study of available data, whether you’re focusing on ethnicity or religion.
The first is that far fewer individuals in Canada reported that at least one of their ethnic origins was Jewish in 2021 than in 2011.
The second trend was that there was a huge increase in the number of respondents from 2011 to 2021 who reported that at least one of their ethnic origins was Israeli: From 15,010 in 2011 to 35,350 in 2021. While there was a substantial drop in the number of individuals who reported that one of their ethnic origins was Jewish from 2011 to 2021 (from 309,650 in 2011 to 282,015 in 2021), the number of individuals who reported their religion was Jewish was almost the same in 2021 as it was in 2011 (329,500 in 2011 and 335,295 in 2021.) One might surmise, therefore, that the increase in respondents who said their religion was Jewish was made up to a large extent by immigrants from Israel and, to a lesser extent, other countries. (It is also possible, however, that there was a substantial increase in the number of individuals who converted to Judaism.)
Here is a table showing figures for the number of individuals who reported that at least one of their ethnic origins was Jewish in 2011 and in 2021 (Interestingly, while the number of respondents in Winnipeg who reported that at least one of their ethnic origins was Jewish dropped substantially from 2011 to 2021, the number who reported their religion was Jewish increased):
The third trend, as already noted, is that, while there was a slight increase in the number of individuals who reported their religion was Jewish from 2011 to 2021 in Canada as a whole, British Columbia was the only province to show a sizeable increase in the number of individuals who reported their religion was Jewish.
Further, the cities that showed the greatest increase in respondents who said their religion was Jewish were, in order: Vancouver, Victoria, Barrie, Halifax, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and London. I was somewhat surprised to see that Toronto did not show any increase at all in the number of respondents who reported their religion was Jewish. (The figure for both 2011 and 2021 was exactly 165,765. I wonder whether there might have been a mistake in data reported by STATCAN?)
Here is a table showing figures for the number of respondents who reported that their religion was Jewish in 2011 and 2021. This table also gives figures for the cities that reported the most respondents who said their religion was Jewish:
Local News
Winnipeg Fringe performer Melanie Gall subjected to antisemitic attack – for second year in a row
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 20, 2025)
Melanie Gall is a talented performer who is a veteran of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival – having appeared here many times.
Last year Melanie found herself being subjected to antisemitic attacks that were initiated by a site supervisor for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, someone by the name of Eric Rae.
As I wrote on my story about Melanie’s experience, “…on the third day (of the Fringe Festival), she said, ‘the site supervisor (Rae) came and was wearing a pro-Palestinian symbol’ and told Melanie that he was wearing that deliberately because he was coming to Melanie’s venue.
“He told her, ‘that stance you’re taking (on social media) is a political symbol.
Rae also posted on social media: “We have a Zionist in our midst harassing pro-Palestinians.”
There was a concerted effort on social media last summer to boycott Melanie’s shows (She had three different shows altogether.)
As Melanie said during a phone conversation we had last summer about what happened to her, “This is so ridiculous. I’m being harassed and bullied because I’m Jewish…it’s not about Israel.”
Eric Rae was relieved from his duties after Melanie complained to the Fringe office staff, Melanie noted during our conversation.
She adds that other Fringe employees also complained about Eric Rae’s behaviour: “I wasn’t the only one who complained last year,” she wrote in an email sent today. “Several staff members complained, as Eric was not adhering to the Fringe policy that did not allow political symbols to be worn by staff. From what I heard, he refused to stop wearing it, and he did publicly target me. The Winnipeg Fringe upheld their safe spaces policy, and they were wonderful in the way they handled it.”
Further, Melanie was the target of an organized campaign on pro-Palestine social media calling for her shows to be boycotted.
(You can read the full story about what happened to Melanie, also to her mother during last year’s Edmonton Fringe Festival, at Melanie Gall.)
Just today we received another email from Melanie informing us that the same individual who targeted her last summer is targeting her again during this year’s Fringe Festival.
Melanie wrote: “Hi! Thanks so much for the mention in the preview article! I just wanted to let you know that Eric Rae is at it again.”
Attached to that email was a picture taken from Rae’s Instagram account.
As of the writing of this post, Melanie said that she is out of town for three days and is not aware whether any of her posters have been defaced – the way they were last summer.
She did add, however, that “I assume by ‘make her feel unwelcome’ (which is what is written on one of the pictures on Rae’s Instagram account) he is planning something. Ugh.”
Melanie also said that “The one post is too close to a threat to ignore.”
In a subsequent email Melanie also sent a screenshot of an exchange that took place on Rae’s Instagram account between him and someone who goes by the handle “Kat Cat.”
If we hear more about what’s been happening to Melanie we’ll update this article.
Please note: We allow comments on this website but in order to have a comment posted you’ll have to email us at jewishp@mts.net. (We used to have a comment module, but it was inundated with spam comments.)
Local News
Thank you to the community from the Chesed Shel Emes
We’re delighted to share a major milestone in our Capital Campaign, “Building on our Tradition.” Launched in November 2018, this campaign aimed to replace our outdated facility with a modern space tailored to our unique needs. Our new building is designed with ritual at its core, featuring ample preparation space, Shomer space, and storage, creating a warm and welcoming environment for our community during times of need.
We’re grateful to the nearly 1,000 generous donors who contributed over $4 million towards our new facility. A $750,000 mortgage will be retired in November 2025, completing this monumental project in just seven years.
We’re also thrilled to announce that our Chesed Shel Emes Endowment Fund has grown tenfold, from $15,000 to $150,000, thanks to you, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba’s FundMatch program, and Million Dollar Match initiative in 2024. Our fund helps ensure that everyone can have a dignified Jewish funeral regardless of financial need.
As we look to the future, our goal remains to ensure the Chevra Kadisha continues to serve our community for generations to come. Our focus now shifts to replenishing our savings account and growing our JFM Endowment fund.
We’re deeply grateful for your support over the past several years.
It’s our privilege to serve our community with care and compassion.
With sincere appreciation,
Campaign cabinet: Hillel Kravetsky, Gerry Pritchard, Stuart Pudavick,
Jack Solomon, and Rena Boroditsky
Murray S. Greenfield, President
Local News
Winnipeg Beach Synagogue about to celebrate 75th anniversary
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 13) In 1950 a group of cottage owners at Winnipeg Beach took it upon themselves to relocate a one-room schoolhouse that was in the Beausejour area to Winnipeg Beach where it became the beach synagogue at the corner of Hazel and Grove.
There it stayed until 1998 when it was moved to its current location at Camp Massad.
On August 2nd members of the synagogue will be holding a 75th anniversary celebration.
As part of the celebration anyone who is a descendant or relative of any of the original members of the first executive committee (as seen in the photo here) is invited to attend the synagogue that morning.
If you are a relative please contact Abe Borzykowski at wpgbeachshule@shaw.ca or aborzykowski@shaw.ca to let Abe know you might be attending or for more information about the 75th anniversary celebration.
We will soon be publishing a story about the history of the beach synagogue, which is something I’ve been writing about for over 25 years.