Local News
It’s been 12 years since we left Winnipeg…how has it worked out for us?
By GERRY POSNER ecently my wife Sherna and I marked the anniversary of an event which we experienced some 12 years ago – almost to the day. Now, I am aware that there are some significant moments when history has indeed seemed to repeat itself, some of which had serious negative consequences, such as the invasion of Russia first by Napoleon, then by Hitler; the Depression and Great Recession – to name just a couple.
Our repetition of history happily had no such disastrous implications. It was just the coincidental timing of a repeated experience. Still, that repetition did bring to mind the emotions we felt the first time and now the second time and how the years in between have shaped us.
On August 6, 2012 Sherna and I left Winnipeg permanently to move to Toronto. We drove with a packed car that first day to Minneapolis. As it turned out, that day was a Canadian holiday, being the long weekend in August of that year. The next day we continued to Chicago to visit family in Highland Park, Illinois where we stayed for two nights. On August 9, 2012 we drove right through to Toronto, arrived in the city around 7 PM, and made our way to our new apartment. It was a huge change for us, with an anticipated new life ahead of us.
This year Sherna and I decided to return to Chicago to visit the same relative (sadly, her husband died not that long ago) and to stay at the very same home as we did some 12 years ago. In fact, we slept in the very same room and bed as we did then. We stayed from August 6 to August 8 – when we drove back right through to Toronto – just as we had done some 12 years earlier. This time we entered a different apartment, one that we rented some two years ago. That was not the only difference.
Twelve years ago we came as newcomers, eager to start up in a larger and noisier city. We had no preconceived notions of what we could expect, except that life would be far more complicated and that our time would not be entirely our own, as we now had grandchildren living close by. These grandchildren were an integral reason for the move to Toronto. As we reflect upon the ensuing 12 years, we now have the ability to compare and contrast. What were these 12 years all about? For many readers, I suspect you will identify with some of our thoughts.
First, we realize that when we came here in 2012, we had eight young grandchildren. The eldest was not yet eight and the youngest under two. Their parents welcomed us and the grandkids were thrilled to be with us, no matter what or when. Sleepovers were common and the total interaction was full.
Well, today, as the grandchildren have become older and bigger (two of them are well over six feet tall), we have recognized that they no longer need us. They or their parents reach out if the kids need a ride. Sleepovers are rare. Friends dominate the conversation. I get it, as this was also my world once when I was a teenager. Of course, although I was on the telephone a lot – as my father frequently made clear to me, that time pales in comparison to the time my grandkids spend on their iPhones. Twelve years ago, I had no real competition. Today I fight an uphill battle against their phones. Even when I have the kids one on one, I am not really a factor as the phone takes precedence. I suppose I would be the same if I were in their place. But that part of the move here has been a minus for us. I suppose I am not the only one waging this battle.
Second, we have had to come to grips with living in a very large city. We knew of this issue when we came here, but we really had no idea of the implications of having to drive in Toronto – and that does not even address the problem of parking the car. In this regard, the move was an unhappy one as the relative ease in driving in Winnipeg has disappeared. Moreover, there are the added noises caused by living in a large metropolitan city likeToronto. Twelve years ago, we had peace and quiet. That has long gone.
Third, in 2012, we were naive enough to think we might well integrate into the city with a new network of friends. We do know many people here, but that vision of new relationships has blurred. Establishing new close friends was and is still not an easy thing to do at an older age. So, we accept that reality. Most notably, the ability to walk through United Bakers after a meal and not really recognize anyone is one of the most difficult aspects of living here, as that just could not happen in Winnipeg. We never anticipated that kind of a feeling, that is, of being anonymous, when we moved here in 2012.
Still, with all of that said, we also know well that we made the correct decision for us. We have a very busy and rich lifestyle that we likely never would have had in Winnipeg. We are lucky to have both of my siblings here and that alone was worth the move as we interact with them regularly. I would not have forecast that possibility when we came here 12 years ago. As well, our children have been a huge help to us in ways that we did not contemplate 12 years ago – not the least of which is tech support.
We are older and perhaps wiser now. We see the negatives of moving to Toronto 12 years ago, but we are enriched by the positives from the move. Perhaps the proof of our total acceptance of our now residing in Toronto is that we now own plots here. Now, for us that was making a statement. Twelve years ago, that idea had not ever been contemplated, as we were fixed on a Winnipeg burial. Never say never.
Yes, in our case, history was repeated and happily, we are able to appreciate the changes that have occurred in the past 12 years.
Local News
Nakba exhibit at human rights museum set to open despite mounting criticism
By NOAH STRAUSS (posted June 25) The Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ Nakba exhibit is scheduled to open this Saturday, June 27, despite growing criticism and calls for it to be delayed or revised. The exhibit has sparked public debate in Winnipeg and beyond regarding how it presents the history surrounding the creation of the State of Israel.
Earlier this week, Mark Berlin resigned from the museum’s board. In his resignation letter, he expressed concern that the exhibit presents a one-sided narrative and does not adequately address the experiences of Jewish communities affected by the events surrounding Israel’s independence.
The Nakba, an Arabic word meaning “catastrophe,” refers to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1947–1949 conflict that followed the creation of the State of Israel. Critics of the exhibit argue that it focuses primarily on Palestinian displacement without sufficiently acknowledging the broader regional consequences of the period.
Some Jewish advocacy groups also point to the experiences of Jews who left or were expelled from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries in the decades surrounding Israel’s creation. Estimates suggest that between 850,000 and 950,000 Jews left or were displaced from countries including Iraq, Egypt, and Yemen, under a range of circumstances including persecution, expulsion, and confiscation of property.
In his resignation letter, Berlin, a faculty member at McGill University specializing in human rights law, wrote, “Telling the story with a one-sided perspective chosen by the museum serves to deepen division and contributes to further hostility toward Jews in Canada.”
Following his resignation, CIJA President Noah Shack released a statement saying, “The resignation of the museum’s only Jewish board member is a clear indictment of the museum’s handling of the controversial ‘Nakba’ exhibit.”
The exhibit’s VIP opening is expected to include invitations to representatives from all three levels of government. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham had initially been invited but later declined following discussions with representatives from the Jewish community, including CIJA Manitoba Vice President Gustavo Zentner and Jeff Lieberman, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
Members of Winnipeg’s Jewish community are also planning a peaceful rally outside the museum on Friday at 5 p.m., according to organizers.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is expected to release a formal statement ahead of the exhibit’s opening.
Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service helped over 1800 families in 2025
By BERNIE BELLAN Jewish Child and Family Service will be entering the 75th year of its existence in 2027.
With a budget over $4,300,000, JCFS is also the largest beneficiary of funding from the Jewish Federation of the 12 Winnipeg Jewish community agencies that are beneficiaries of the Federation. (To see a list of the 12 agencies go to Funding for Beneficiary Agencies.)
Its impact has grown over the years as JCFS has expanded its horizon, continually adding to the many services it provides. During the JCFS’s Annual General Meeting, held in the Seniors’ Lounge of the Asper Campus on Tuesday evening, June 23, the important role that JCFS plays in the lives of so many members of the Jewish community – also a significant number of non-Jews as well, various speakers cited the many ways in which JCFS has continued to have such a huge impact.
With total revenues of $4,325,160 in fiscal year 2025 (which ended March 31, 2026), but slightly fewer expenses, JCFS not only delivered a wide gamut of services, it managed to deliver those services without incurring a deficit in 2025, despite some significant financial challenges.
As outgoing Board Chair Elana Grinshteyn observed, JCFS had to navigate some major reductions in funding, including a cut in funding from the federal government to the tune of $100,000, plus the loss of funding from the Claims Conference, which had provided support for Holocaust survivors.
Yet, despite those setbacks in funding, Grinshtein reported, “Together, we insured that services remained intact.
“We increased access to interest free loans,” she noted, “doubling” the amount that had been allocated in 2024.
And, amidst the ever-increasing demand for services, “JCFS has continued to navigate space limitations,” Grinshteyn noted. (I should note that as far back as 2019 I reported in an interview I had conducted with JCFS CEO Al Benarroch about the JCFS’s dire need for more space. Here is an excerpt from what Benarroch had to say about the JCFS’s need for more room back in 2019: “…we’ve been looking for roughly 3,000 more square feet of space. We have a footprint right now of roughly 5,000 square feet for over 40 staff. We’ve given up a board room here. It’s been taken over by older adult service staff. We have a conference room which is adjacent to the board room; we’ve moved two staff in there.
“Yesterday I gave up my office for the entire morning so that staff could interview clients.
“We need to relieve the pressure we’re facing right now – yet alone plan for expanding and growing.
“Whatever space we’d be looking at would be temporary. It’s now 22 years that we’ve been in this facility. The campus has taken over squash courts, it’s taken over a museum – internally, to accommodate the growth in services. Maybe it’s time now to look at growing outside this building…”
As the saying goes: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (That’s me, trying to impress.)
While I tried to take notes during Al Benarroch’s CEO report, I realized following his remarks that there was so much important information conveyed, also a slew of statistics, that it might be more helpful to reprint a good portion of what he said verbatim, so I asked Al to send me a copy of his remarks. (That’s one of the nice things about writing on a website. There’s an infinite amount of room to print the kind of stuff that nerds like me pretend to read.)
During his CEO’s report, Benarroch enumerated the many challenges JCFS encountered in 2025.
Among those challenges, Benarroch noted, were:
• The rising and high cost of living
• Food insecurity
• Housing issues
• Our aging population demographics
• The complex needs of our newcomer families
• The increasingly complex needs in mental health & youth mental health
Yet, despite all those challenges, Benarroch said, “As always… we rose to meet those head on, and with the support of our community.”
In particular, Benarroch cited the support of the Jewish Federation, which contributed $948,800 to JCFS in 2025. (The largest portion of JCFS funding, by the way came from the Province: over $1,100,000.)
Fundraising also played a significant role in contributing to JCFS revenues, with almost $700,000 raised through that route, including direct donations of over $320,000 and bequests over $40,000.
As Benarroch noted, “Every year, we look forward with hope that it will be a quiet year.
“Well, if that’s the case, we are in the wrong business.
“We happen to be in the reflect, respond and pivot business.
“This is the nature of the human existence.”
Benarroch went on to add some more statistics about how JCFS played such a pivotal role in the lives of so many people. In 2025 JCFS:
• Served 1,800 client households – impacting almost 5,000 people.
• Assisted 15 foster children.
• Served 70 families in Child Welfare….
“But what is even more important is that we assisted 90 children that remained at home with their families,” Benarroch said.
The year 2025 also saw the inauguration of what is known as the “Asper Empowerment Program”, through which:
• 311 clients were assisted (including Passover Assistance)
• $80,000 was disbursed in financial assistance
• Over $20,000 was given out in interest-free loans.
• 6,500 kg of food were disbursed
In the area of mental health and counselling services, Benarroch noted that JCFS:
• Supported over 50 adults with mental health challenges
• Our Friday Mental Health Wellness Group participants took part in 22 group activities or outings
• We support some 20 individuals and families impacted by addictions through individual and group services.
• We delivered almost 1,100 counselling sessions, over half of which were subsidized on our sliding scale.
• We continued to support individuals, families, and partner Jewish organizations with the ongoing emotional impacts of the war in Israel and high levels of global antisemitism.
In the area of support for older adults, JCFS served over 250 seniors including:
• 70 newcomer seniors
• 50 seniors living with mental health differences
• 65 Holocaust Survivors (including celebrating “25 years of our Holocaust Survivor Drop-in Group, a partnership with the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.”)
In the area of settlement services, JCFS:
• Welcomed almost 80 new families
• Almost 50 families from Israel, seeking reprieve from the ongoing stresses and pressures of the war.
Benarroch noted that “These families are dealing with the deep trauma of displacement, having lived under constant stress, fear and the ensuing post-traumatic impact, family and parenting challenges as a result, emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and more.
“Thanks to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, we hired a trained specialized support worker, with a background in therapy, to help these families cope, adjust, and receive much needed emotional supports.”
Benarroch went on to describe many more initiatives in which JCFS was engaged in 2025, but I want to return to the retirement of Elena Grinshteyn from the Board of JCFS after nine years serving on the Board, including the last two as Chair. Grinshteyn will be succeed by Bradley Abells, who has been on the Board since 2021. In his remarks, Abells noted that he is an actuary at Canada Life and that he first joined the Board when his particular expertise as an actuary proved extremely helpful in helping to solve a problem that had arisen, and he found the experience so rewarding he decided to remain on the Board ever since .
Also on the Board is Michael Schacter, who is returning as Treasurer and who looks the way you’d expect a finance guy to look.
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