Local News
The accidental killing of hostage Alon Shamriz resonated with me in an unexpected way
By BERNIE BELLAN As we near year’s end we are still living through what is arguably the most difficult period in Israel’s history since the War of Independence in 1948. Israelis are caught in between two competing – and probably incompatible goals: to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas and to eliminate Hamas permanently as a threat.
The mistaken killing of three Israeli hostages by the IDF brought home the incredibly difficult task the IDF faces in trying to wage war while at the same time finding and rescuing the remaining hostages.
When I heard the names of the three hostages who were mistakenly tragically shot by a member of the IDF this past week, one of the names immediately caught my attention: Alon Shamriz. Just a week prior, on December 7, I had received a phone call from David Horowitz, editor of the Times of Israel, about Shamriz.
What Horowitz told me was that our website, jewishpostandnews.ca, had posted a story about Alon Shamriz which, Horowitz said, had to come down immediately. I should explain that our website receives news stories from a number of other websites, which offer news feeds that are aggregated into our own site on a continuing basis – without me actually screening those stories beforehand.
The story about Shamriz, Horowitz explained, had to be removed because it posed a danger to Shamriz, should his Hamas captors happen to see it. The story was headlined: “Taken captive, Along Shamriz eliminated a terrorist before capture.” Shamriz’s family was rightly concerned that, if Hamas were to see that story they would exact revenge upon Shamriz – and kill him.
To be honest, I hadn’t noticed that story in our news feed and it wasn’t on our home page but, as Horowitz further explained, if anyone were to do a Google search for Alon Shamriz that story would appear in the Google search results.
Naturally, I acceded to Horowitz’s request immediately, but I noticed, when I did my own search for Alon Shamriz, that the same story appeared on a number of other websites. (I suppose Horowitz spent some time that day trying to contact every other website that also had the story on their site.) In addition, the next morning I received an email from Horowitz thanking me for removing the story from our site, but also asking me whether I could “scrub” it from Google. His email explained that even though the story was gone, if one did a Google search, the headline for the story would still show up in the search results. So, I set out “scrubbing” the story from Google. (Needless to say, I had to educate myself on that process.)
What all this did is bring home for me in a way that I never expected how intertwined we all are as a result of the internet. To think: A terrorist in Gaza might see something on the jewishpostandnews.ca website and want to kill a hostage as a result. That was quite unnerving. No matter how inadvertent and unlikely the possibility of that happening might have been, I acted as quickly as I could – and kept my mouth shut about what had happened. And then – word emerged that Alon Shamriz, whose name had just been brought to my attention, was dead – not at the hands of Hamas, which is what I feared might happen as a result of that story, but through the gross negligence of an Israeli soldier who completely disregarded the IDF’s rules of engagement.
Which brings me to the issue of the hostages – and what Israel can – and should do, to free them.
In our October 25 issue I wrote that “revenge is not a good military strategy.” As much as Netanyahu and his war cabinet still seem bent on “eradicating” Hamas, the closest scenario that bears some resemblance to what the IDF is attempting to accomplish in Gaza occurred in Mosul, Iraq, from November 2016 to July 2017 when a number of different forces made up primarily of Iraqis, but also a large number of Kurds, engaged in urban warfare with members of ISIS similar to what is now happening with the IDF and Hamas.
Of course, the Iraqi forces were nothing like what the IDF has. Many of them were poorly trained and overall, they were lacking coordination. The Iraqis and their Kurdish allies took over 10,000 casualties – and here’s something else that’s of tremendous significance: There were over 10,000 civilian casualties in Mosul, as ISIS used civilians as human shields – just as Hamas has always done and is doing as I write this.
And yet, with the war in Gaza now in its third month, and with Israel’s Defense Minister Yosi Gallant saying the war will continue until at least until February, one has to ask: At what cost?
Israel’s image in the world, as a result of thousands of Palestinian casualties, has been tarnished to the point where it has lost support from governments that had previously jumped to Israel’s defense, including our own Canadian government.
But, even worse, what of the ongoing psychological – and physical toll, that this prolonged war, is having on Israelis themselves? As psychologist Orly Dreman writes so eloquently – and passionately, in a piece in this issue, the trauma inflicted on Israelis, which is continuing every day, is immense. As Orly writes: “People are getting chest pain, stomach aches, headaches, back pains all stemming from stress. They obsessively check ten times that the door is locked and sleep with the lights on. We all have a sense of existential threat and that we feel powerless. The whole country was exposed to what happened either directly or indirectly. We are traumatized but being partners to the same fate we desperately cling together for support.”
But, with a failed Prime Minister at the helm who seems to be concerned more with his own political survival than anything else, and who, for weeks on end, avoided meeting with the families of hostages, Israel is faced with an intractable situation: Either continue a war, but with one hand tied behind its back as American pressure to reduce civilian casualties means that the IDF is bound to start taking more casualties of its own, or accept calls for at least a long-lasting truce that could lead to the eventual freeing of all the hostages.
In the meantime, we here in the diaspora are continuing to see the fallout from the displacement and deaths of so many Palestinian civilians. The metaphorical battleground here has been primarily on university campuses and, as we’ve noted in many articles within these pages over the past two and a half months, the hypocrisy of both students and professors in assailing Israel while completely ignoring the barbarity of Hamas is unconscionable.
We were recently sent a link to a Youtube video of comedian – and social commentator, Bill Maher’s most recent “New rules” segment of his weekly show (which aired December 15). In the segment (which we have elsewhere on this website at https://jewishpostandnews.ca/uncategorized/bill-maher-tells-it-like-it-is-when-it-comes-to-what-the-river-to-the-sea-really-means/, Maher offers devastatingly wittingly commentary on the abject ignorance of left wing critics of Israel. Maher is fearless in cutting through the phoniness of dogma, whether it’s coming from the right or, as we’ve seen so continually lately, the left, when it comes to heaping scorn on Israel. In this particular segment, which is about eight minutes long, one by one, Maher points out the intellectual weaknesses of the usual arguments being trotted out to justify condemnation of Israel on the world stage. In one particular clip he hones in on the phrase “from the river to the sea” and asks just where are the Jews in Israel supposed to go? (His suggested answer is quite hilarious, but I’ll leave it to you to watch the entire segment. Just go to Youtube and enter: “Bill Maher: From the River to the Sea.”)
One final note: As I note in another story on this site about the Jewish Federation’s recently held Annual General Meeting (https://jewishpostandnews.ca/faqs/rokmicronews-fp-1/jewish-federation-of-winnipeg-reports-a-surplus-for-the-2022-23-fiscal-year/), this past month saw the completion of Gustavo Zentner’s term as Federation President. Our community has been most fortunate to have had Gustavo in that position, not only for the tremendous contribution he has made to streamlining so much of the Federation’s operations and putting it on a very stable path going forward, but in particular, for his having stepped forward to lead this community these past two months in what has been a most difficult period. Gustavo’s eloquence, which has often been put to the test at a series of rallies called to bring us together since October 7, has been inspirational. When events called for a leader, Gustavo Zentner stepped up and we are all in his debt. Thank you Gustavo.
Local News
Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder contribute $1 million to ongoing Shaarey Zedek Synagogue Capital Campaign
By MYRON LOVE “We really welcome the decision of Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder to donate $1-million to our ongoing capital campaign,” said Rena Secter Elbaze, the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue’s executive director, on October 9. “They and their families have a long history of supporting our community organizations and the State of Israel. Their contribution to the Shaarey Zedek is inspirational.”
The husband and wife team officially presented the cheque to Elbaze at a brief ceremony at the synagogue the morning of October 9, in the newly renamed Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder Auditorium.
In their remarks, both Morantz, the president and CEO of Globe Property Management, and Walder, a lawyer who is a former partner in the law firm Myers LLP, spoke of their long family connection to the Shaarey Zedek. “My mother’s family were Jewish pioneers in Winnipeg,” Walder noted. “My great-grandfather, Samuel Cohen, for whom I am named, was an original member of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. I started coming here with my own grandfather, Sidney Cohen, when I was about two years old. I remember exactly which pew we sat in and how my grandfather helped me to follow along in the siddur during services. Shaarey Zedek has always been a place of great comfort for me.”
Morantz added that his own bar mitzvah took place at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on April 29, 1972. “I learned my maftir from the legendary Rabbi Berkal,” he recalled. “We continued to celebrate here with our own children’s bar and bat mitzvahs. I am very grateful that we got to watch our own children shine on the bimah.”
It was the Hamas-led assault on Israel and subsequent tsunami of antisemitism worldwide that prompted the couple to consider stepping up and contributing to the Shaaray Zedek campaign in such a magnanimous way.
“I have never been a religious person,” Morantz remarked. “While I may be more secular, I strongly believe in the traditions of Judaism. I had a charmed upbringing in the 60s and 70s in River Heights. It is not the case that I experienced no antisemitism, but those experiences were very minimal. Post-October 7th, I found myself, for the first time in my life, having to judge every situation and every person I came across before divulging the fact that I am Jewish or discussing Israel. I came to the realization, during the process of considering this donation, that a primary driver for us is that this synagogue is a safe place for Jews, where we can comfortably be ourselves.”
Walder pointed out that while her mother’s large family were Jewish pioneers, her father was a Romanian Holocaust survivor, with almost no family after the war. “Family matters a great deal to us,” she said. “In addition to strongly agreeing with Richard that the tragedy of October 7th and continuing and growing anti Semitism are big drivers for us in making this donation, we also want to see Shaarey Zedek be a safe and special part of the lives of our now adult children and the generations that will follow them. It is very fulfilling to us that we are contributing to making that happen.”
Walder further credits the encouragement of her old friend and law school classmate, Neil Duboff, for helping to clinch the decision for her and her husband to make the donation. “Neil has worked so hard for the synagogue and our community for so many years and we applaud his efforts and commitment,” she noted.
(Duboff is a past president of the Shaarey Zedek and chaired the capital campaign.)
Walder also mentioned the support of Gail Asper in making the decision. “I met Gail on our first day of law school in 1981,” she recalled, “and we have been very close ever since. While we can all agree that Gail certainly knows how to talk, she also really knows how to listen. Through all of our discussions with her about making this donation, she listened hard, she came up with solid answers, and she was instrumental in leading us to the decision to donate. Shaarey Zedek is extremely lucky to have such a talented fundraiser.”
“We have to make special mention of Rena Secter Elbaze,” Morantz noted. “Rena literally blew me away when I met her for a tour of the synagogue. Her passion and knowledge are remarkable. We believe that our synagogue is in great hands and we feel much comfort and confidence making this donation.
“We are very proud of the recent renovations and upgrades to the synagogue,” he added. “This place is absolutely beautiful. We also feel privileged to have met with Rabbi Carnie Rose. We know he will be a great asset to the synagogue and all of its members for a long time to come.
“We are so honoured to be here with you today and to feel that we are making a difference to this special place”.
He concluded his remarks with an observation by Elie Wiesel that “a synagogue is a house of memory as well as a house of prayer. It reminds us of who we are and where we come from.”
Local News
Winnipegger Charlotte Kittner traces ancestry back to the Jewish expulsion from Spain
By MYRON LOVE Ladino was long the spoken language of the Jews from the Iberian peninsula and North Africa just as Yiddish was the day to day language of the Jews of Eastern Europe. Charlotte Kittner is most likely the only Winnipegger – and one of the few left in the world – who still speaks Ladino.
But Ladino is just one of eight languages that Kittner, who turned 100 in August, can speak – the others being Bulgarian, Romanian, Czech, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Turkish and English.
Charlette (Sarlota) Kittner was born in Bulgaria – in a Jewish community whose members were largely descended from the Jews who were forced out of Spain in 1492 (and Portugal a few years later) by the Spanish expulsion.
A few days after her birth, that part of Bulgaria became part of Romania. She was so small at birth, she recounts, that the doctor had little hope she would survive more than a few years. She slept in a drawer of a chiffonier lined with many layers of cotton for the first year.
The youngest of three sisters, she recalls growing up comfortably in a warm and observant community. Her father, Avram, who operated a textile factor, attended synagogue on Shabbat and all the Yom Tovim.
The family – along with all the other Jewish families in Romania, fell on hard times with the advent of World War II. Although Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany and was never occupied, members of the Romanian Iron Guard – the local equivalent of the Nazis – could be just as sadistic and murderous as their German counterparts. Although most Romanian Jews outside of Bucharest were murdered, those living in the capital city, while facing much discrimination and many restrictions – were spared internment and deportation.
Kittner notes that mother, Minduch, died in 1945 and she lost her father in 1946.
During the war Charlotte and her sister, Lisa, were assigned to a factory making linens and garments for the Nazis.
She recalls that life was tough after liberation and continued to be difficult after the coming of Communism in immediate post-war Romania.
After the war, Kittner trained as an accountant and found work with a large manufacturer. That is where she met her husband, Mike (Misu) Kittner. They were married in Bucharest in November,1952.
Kittner’s sisters, Suzanna and Lisa, both made aliyah after the war. Charlotte and Mike followed in 1964. They lived in Israel for three years. Charlotte quickly learned Hebrew and found work as an accountant.
But life in Israel was difficult economically in those days. Mike’s brothers, Fred and Serge, had previously settled in Winnipeg and encouraged Mike and Charlotte to join them. They did – in May 1967.
The next year, Chralotte’s sister Lisa and husband, Nick, also moved to Winnipeg.
Their other sister, Suzanna, and her husband, Selu, a well known painter, remained in Israel.
Over the years, Kittner has visited Israel – where she has numerous nephews, nieces and cousins – as well as having taken trips back to Romania and to other European countries.
Once in Winnipeg, she and Mike quickly found work in the garment industry. She was first hired as a bookkeeper by Stall and Son. After a short time she moved over to Silpit Industries, where she served as chief accountant for many years. Kittner has favourable memories of her boss, the late community leader Harry Silverberg. She later worked for another Silverberg firm, Brown and Rutherford, a lumber processing operation.
Mike only worked in the garment industry for a short time. He found his niche in insurance sales – where he excelled. He also founded Broadway Agencies and became a booking agent for budding new performing artists in Europe whom he brought to Winnipeg to appear in popular local night clubs.
Mike and Charlotte’s nephew, Brad Kittner, recalls as a youngster going with his
parents, aunts and uncles to those clubs and watching what he describes as “these fabulous singers.” He says that they inspired him to pursue his own successful career as a karaoke singer and performer for hire.
Charlotte and Mike first lived in East Kildonan for a year, then moved to Partridge Avenue in West Kildonan. A few years later, they bought a new house on Drimes Place, north of Templeton, in northwest Winnipeg.
While Mike Kittner passed away in 1991, Charlotte continued to work into her 70s.
Through the years, she has led a busy social life with family and friends. As Brad Kittner notes, even at 100, “Aunt Charlotte continues hosting friends and family for full course meals and gatherings at her place.”
Charlotte celebrated her hundredth birthday with more than 20 relatives and friends at the Ichiban Restaurant.
Although hard of hearing and somewhat frail of body, her mind remains relatively clear. She still enjoys reading fiction, doing crosswords and looking forward to her weekly card games with her sister-in-law, Sylvia, who also lives at Chateau West on Jefferson, and other friends.
May she live to 120!
Local News
Over 2000 supporters turned out for walk for Israel despite overcast skies, rain
By MYRON LOVE October 5 started out overcast and rainy. The rain – which fortunately stopped just before the Walk for Israel began – didn’t prevent over 2,000 supporters of Israel – both members of our Jewish community and those from outside of our community from turning out for the second annual Walk for Israel commemorating the horrific events of October 7 – two years ago – the darkest day in post-Holocaust Jewish history
As with last year, the 45-minute walk began and ended at the Asper Campus. While last year the walk was followed by speeches from community leaders and various politicians, this year the only speaker was Paula Parks, President of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, who pointed out that the ongoing anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations- post October 7- have strengthened the bonds within our community and spurred more people to affiliate with our communal organizations. She further noted that more of us are speaking out and we need to continue to do that.
“The number of people who participated was inspirational,” says Gustavo Zentner, the representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “We had numerous allies as well as members of our Jewish community. We had people from all walks of life.”
“We had a fantastic turnout,” added Jeff Lieberman, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s CEO. “Paula spoke very well. Her comments were meaningful.”
He expressed his hope that the hostages would be released very soon, the war would be ended, and Israelis can finally live in peace.
The commemoration’s focus this year was primarily on visual images rather than words. The walk featured a number of photos taken by local members of the Winnipeg Jewish community who visited the Nova site in person or attended the Nova exhibit that travelled to various parts of Canada and the United States. The photos were displayed for the day along the fence on Doncaster Avenue – the first stage of the walk. Participants were handed Israeli flags and kalaniot (red anemones) flowers, the official flower of Israel, and were encouraged to place them around the photos on the fence.
As well, as part of the October 7 commemoration, 33 paintings depicting some of those taken hostage on October 7 were put on display along Main Street of the Campus from the week of October 3-October 10. The paintings were the work of well-known Israeli illustrator, cartoonist, humourist, performance artist and political activist, Zeev Engelmayer.
The walk on October 5 concluded with Israeli shimshinim – Israeli youth representatives here in Winnipeg from Israel – and other young people from our community reciting a prayer for the hostages (who were finally freed last week), and members of the IDF, followed by the singing of “O Canada” and “Hatikvah.”