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In midst of war, Technion reaches significant milestone
By MYRON LOVE This year, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology – is marking the occasion of its 100th anniversary – although, as Technion Professor Wayne Kaplan pointed out in speaking to a Winnipeg group on November 14, “celebrating” may not be quite the right word here considering the current war still raging. ‘Marking the occasion’ may be a more appropriate terminology.”
The Technion’s Vice-President for External Relations and Resource Development, Kaplan was in Winnipeg to address a gathering of about 100 Technion Canada supporters at the new-look Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.
The American-born and raised Technion professor opened his remarks with an account of how the Haifa-based university has continued to function over the past year.
“It has not been a simple matter,” observed Kaplan, who has been associated with the Technion for almost 40 years – first as a student and – since 1995 – as a member of the faculty.
“We began to plan our course of action even before we learned of the full extent of the atrocities committed on October 7,” he reported. “One of our biggest challenges initially was how to alleviate the effects on our many students who were drafted for military reserve duty.
He explained that the Technion has more students in residence – about one-third of the student body of 15,000 – than any other Israeli university. (About 1,000 students are foreign students coming from 30 different countries.)
While the government does subsidize university tuition to a degree, these subsidies do not cover the cost of living and, unfortunately, neither do they cover the extra costs associated with supporting students living on campus in a time of war.
“It was a huge undertaking providing for our students’ additional needs in this time of war,” Kaplan said. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of our Technion supporters worldwide.”
Then there were the number of students who were called up – about 3,000. “We were worried,” Kaplan recalled. “We weren’t sure when we could start the new academic year. Students could have lost an academic year. There were also financial implications for our students.”
As it turned out, the academic year was able to begin in mid-January (instead of late October) – and the current academic year was only delayed by a week.
Kaplan further noted that the Technion’s programs are intense and that the war increased the stress level on students. “We added to our team of psychologists to help students with the additional stress,” he reported.
Another potential problem was potential friction between the Technion’s Jewish and Arab students. The latter make up about 25% of the student body – similar to the percentage of Israelis who are Christian or Muslim Arabs. Fortunately, he noted, that didn’t become a problem.
One problem at the outset of the conflict was that the Technion didn’t have enough bomb shelters to accommodate all faculty, staff and 15,000 students. Kaplan noted that the solution was to erect temporary shelters all around the campus.
“Unfortunately, some of our students and alumni were killed in the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon,” Kaplan reported. “We hope that this war will be over as soon as possible. I remain confident that we are going to win.”
Turning to the Technion’s history, Kaplan noted that the cornerstone for the university was first laid in 1912. “Back in the day, when a Jewish state was still only a dream,” he pointed out, “our visionaries recognized the need to begin building the infrastructure for the hoped-for future state.”
When the Technion opened its doors in 1924, it was the future State of Israel’s first university. From the beginning, the Haifa-based institution has been a pioneer in research and science education – with a focus on architecture, engineering and science. The Technion also houses Israel’s only faculty of aerospace engineering.
“Our focus,” Kaplan explained, “is on fundamental science and its potential applications to new technology.”
He pointed out that one of the fruits of the Technion’s research is Israel’s leading edge Iron Dome missile defense system.
He further added that the university has 60 research and development centres – led by Technion faculty– which have attracted numerous high tech leaders – such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and IBM – to open high tech development centres – which employ many of its graduates.
The university has 18 academic departments, 17 of which give degrees. The Department of Humanities and the Arts exists to provide humanities courses to the students.
As is the case with many other Israeli universities, the Technion has spun off numerous start-up companies – 15 of them in the past year alone. The difference between the Technion’s and other universities’ approach to spinning off start-up companies is that the Israeli institution takes back just 50% of the profit as compared to the normal cut of 60% taken by most other universities.
In the question and answer session that followed, the moderator and executive director of the host Shaarey Zedek, Rena Elbaze asked about a substitute beef hamburger – developed by Technion researchers – based on bovine cells grown in vats. The benefits of the lab-grown meat substitute are the need for a lot less land, and less stress on the environment.
And it’s kosher, Kaplan added. You can have a kosher cheeseburger.
“We are also working on developing lab-created honey, milk, fish and other sources of protein,” he added.
Kaplan was asked about the Technion’s partnerships with other universities around the world. Of particular interest is the Guangdong (China) Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) which was inaugurated in 2017, also a joint venture with Cornell University in New York City.
The latter agreement came about as a result of former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pledge of a $100 million donation toward the creation of a high-tech campus in New York City. The Technion won the competition to partner with Cornell University to create Cornell Tech . The new campus welcomed its first group of students in 2013.
The Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a joint cooperative higher education institution – affiliated with Shantou University – and brokered by Li Ka Shing, China’s wealthiest individual. It was officially established on April 9, 2015 – and grants Technion engineering degrees.
The language of instruction at GTIIT, Kaplan noted, is English.
In introducing Kaplan, Elysa Greisman, Technion Canada’s executive director, noted that the organization has been active in Canada for the past 80 years – with a presence in Toronto and Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
Kaplan expressed his appreciation, on behalf of the Technion, to the members of his Winnipeg audience, as well as to Technion supporters all over the world. “In these difficult times,’” he commented, “with your help, not only have we been able to cope, but also to continue to be able to support our communities under siege in northern Israel.”
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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.”
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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.”