Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service programs help people recovering from addiction within Jewish context
By MYRON LOVE With the financial stress and uncertainty that many people have been experiencing over the past year as a result of Covid lockdowns, there has been a nationwide increase in alcohol and drug use (source: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction) and – according to Ivy Kopstein, Jewish Child and Family Service’s Substance Use and Addiction Services Coordinator – members of the Jewish community have been affected parallel to the larger community.
While these uncertain times are proving difficult for us all, they are presenting greater challenges and risks to people with substance use disorders and/or mental health issues.
Kopstein adds that she and her co-worker, Dorit Kosmin, are seeing increased use of cannabis use as well during the pandemic. “A lot of people think that they’re not at risk if they use cannabis, but if you are using more frequently then it can impact your health.” For some people opioids and other dangerous drugs have replaced methamphetamines – most likely because the supply of meth has been diminished as a result of the lockdown measures. Unfortunately, adulteration of street drugs can and have caused dangerous and fatal outcomes (source: Addictions Foundation of Manitoba). No community is immune to these risks, as we have seen in our Jewish community in the past year.
And, while the Winnipeg chapter of JACS (Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others) – which was an independent self-help group supported by JCFS in terms of space and resources – disbanded a couple of years ago, Kopstein reports that the JCFS’s own Substance Use and Addiction Support Service continues to provide services – as has been the case sine since 2012 – to individuals who struggle with, or are in recovery from, substance use or other addictive behaviors, and to loved ones, who want help to understand how to support their family member.
“Our goal,” she says, “is to provide support and resources, including Jewish recovery resources, to people in our community. One of the issues even pre-pandemic, has been isolation. People who may not have found a comfort level in 12-step or other self-help groups, or even if they have, may find connection with others in our community and discover what Judaism has to say about recovery. Therefore, our goal became to create a Winnipeg Jewish Recovery community. To that end, we organize group gatherings around Jewish holiday themes to provide support, community, and a Jewish perspective on recovery.”
An example of one such gathering, Kopstein notes, was a Chanukah program in 2019 featuring a Zoom session with Rabbi Mark Borovitz, the founder of Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish Addiction Treatment Center in Los Angeles. “While we munched on latkes and salad at the AJCC, Rabbi Mark Borovitz led a discussion on what Chanukah can teach us about recovery,” Kopstein recalls. “Zoom was a new concept for us then. Who would have thought it would become a household name and so much part of our lives?”
To meet the needs of loved ones who are seeking ways to support a family member with substance use or addiction issues, Kopstein notes, JCFS has a program called CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training). CRAFT has been conducted with individuals or couples, but now is being offered in a virtual group format (The most recent 10-week weekly group session began last Wednesday.), so that family members have a safe and supportive “space” to learn a new approach, possibly different from what they have been doing, and share experiences with other families grappling with similar issues. Life can be filled with worry, frustration, and exhaustion – and an important part of CRAFT is to ensure loved ones practice their own self-care, while supporting their family member.
“When the pandemic hit and restrictions were imposed, our services had to shift to phone and video calls.” Kopstein adds. “Only when there are periods of relaxing public health orders, can we meet ‘in person’ while following protocols. The challenge is that what is often needed to heal, is connection. JCFS continues to find ways to help people find connection even in Covid-imposed isolation. “
As a result of the new circumstances, she adds, the focus with clients has shifted somewhat, to managing the daily challenges of recovery during a pandemic. “With that in mind,’ she says, “we planned “Recovery Talk” (which began on February 26), which is a virtual “drop in” group every Friday morning at 10 am, to provide a safe and supportive “room” to discuss any issues that relate to living in recovery, being Jewish, and healthy coping with a pandemic. We want to support the work towards resilience, strength and wellness that our clienthave begun.
As much as the global pandemic has resulted in isolation and sometimes tragedy, Kopstein notes, “in many ways, the world has opened to us virtually. More programs in other places are being conducted on-line and are widely available”.
She cites as examples Virtual Substance Use Awareness programs that were conducted in November 2020, in which, along with local experts, guests from Beit T’Shuvah (a Jewish addiction treatment centre in Los Angeles) and JACS Toronto were invited to speak. And for Chanukah (2020), clients participated in a virtual interactive program arranged by Chicago JACS, which was followed by a virtual “gathering” of our Winnipeg community complete with the delivery of latkes and Chanukah snacks to participants’ homes.
“We are currently developing an inspiring virtual Passover experience featuring Rabbi Joseph Shamash from the Elaine Breslow Institute at Beit T’Shuvah, which will also include an actual taste of Passover with seder items,” she reports. “We continue to connect with our colleagues across the US and Canada. JCFS Winnipeg is a partner in a Pre-Passover Jewish recovery retreat called “Stepping into Liberation” (March 13th& 14th), organized by Jewish recovery programs (including JACS Toronto and JACS Vancouver) across North America.”
Relatively new is the Winnipeg Jewish Recovery Facebook page where you can find recovery related postings, local programs and relevant programs from other communities, such as those mentioned above.
“Although there has been some progress,” Kopstein says, “we believe that there is still plenty of stigma in our Jewish community. This makes asking for help for a substance use or any kind of addiction and/or mental health issue, difficult for many. Addiction is a health issue. It’s hard to imagine someone not seeking help for cancer, diabetes, or a heart attack, yet it happens regularly with addiction. Connection with others and a supportive community, is so important for hope and healing, and for some, those life-saving phenomena may be more difficult to find.”
For more information about any of the above programs or services, or if you are concerned about your own or someone else’s substance use or addiction, please call JCFS Winnipeg @ 204-477-7430 or e-mail Ivy at ikopstein@jcfswinnipeg.org or Dorit at dkosmin@jcfswinnipeg.org
Local News
Beneficiary agencies of the Jewish Federation have received $210,000 less this year than last year as of September 1
By BERNIE BELLAN
For the first time in at least 10 years the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg has reduced the amount distributed to its 12 beneficiary agencies from what had been distributed the previous year. The funds were distributed September 1 for 2023-24.
The total amount distributed this year was $210,000 less than what was distributed in both 2022 and 2021 and is actually $500,000 less than the total that was requested by the beneficiary agencies. (The amount distributed last year was $216,000 less than what the beneficiary agencies had requested.)
In explaining why allocations are being reduced this year, the Federation reported that “Over the past few years, the Federation and community have collectively faced significant challenges, placing a strain on our financial resources. In response to these challenges, the Federation stepped in during our community’s time of need, dedicating over $200,000 from our reserves to sustain our beneficiary agencies.” (In a later explanation it was clarified that $100,000 was taken from Federation reserves in each of 2022 and 2021.)
It was further noted that the decrease in funds to be allocated to agencies represents a 7% decrease over the previous year. Dipping into reserves was described as an “unsustainable practice.” It was also noted that the Federation “notified our beneficiaries of a probable reduction in the amount of funding available well ahead of the allocation request deadline.
In describing the pressures that the Federation’s Allocations Committee faced this year in coming up with its allocations, committee chair Brent Schacter said that “We knew after the budget process last year we were going to be in a bind.” Schacter further elaborated that the two whammies that hit this year were the ongoing repercussions of Covid along with the rapid increase in inflation.
In discussing the pressures that the Allocations committee faced this year, it should also be noted that although the amount raised by the Combined Jewish Appeal – while not much more than the previous year ($6.3 million as opposed to $6.25 million), the negative effects of the drop in allocations are somewhat mitigated by two things:. A good portion of the amount raised by the CJA is in the form of “designated funds,” given by large donors and, while those funds are not available to the B & A committee to distribute, many of the beneficiary agencies did receive large distributions from those “designated funds.”
As well, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba increased its total distributions this year by $1.3 million over the previous year. While the Foundation’s gifts were spread among a very wide number of recipients, a number of the Federation’s beneficiary agencies did benefit from the increase in Foundation distributions.
Still, the challenges facing the Federation in meeting the needs of the community are leading to a major reassessment of how Federation planners are implementing budgetary planning.
A number of new innovations have now been adopted by the B & A committee, including:
- New application forms – one for agencies requesting more than $250,000 and one for agencies requesting less
- Beneficiaries were asked to state the anticipated outcomes of projects/programs that receive Federation funding, and to develop indicators so that they can measure those outcomes.
- Site visits took place along with periodic meetings with agencies as a whole throughout the year to ensure that the committee gets a more complete picture of beneficiaries’ activities, challenges, and plans.
In describing the process that the Federation undertook to “streamline” the budget allocation process, Federation President Gustavo Zentner said “Lay leadership and management had a responsibility to look at the business model.”
It was determined that the Federation needed “a more effective way of managing the allocations process,” Zentner stated, including “more meaningful communication with the agencies to bring to light their projects.”
Not only does the Federation want to improve its own fundraising process, Zentner continued, “We also want to help agencies to raise funds on their own.”
Despite the reductions in allocations available to agencies this year, Zentner stressed that “we wanted to address the needs of those members of the community who are most in need.”
Brent Schacter added: “We want to see people dig a little bit deeper” when it comes to giving. The Combined Jewish Appeal is now into its fundraising campaign for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
A total of 17 lawyers were appointed King’s Counsel by Order in Council on August 29. Six members of our Jewish community were among those appointed. Although appointments as King’s Counsel are usually accompanied by biographical information about those appointed, there was no press release issued by the Manitoba Government announcing the appointments. When we contacted the Manitoba Government news room to ask why there was no biographical information available, the response we received referred to KC appointments announced in February (no surprise there – these are bureaucrats we’re dealing with). When we asked again why there was no biographical information available about the most recent batch of KC appointments we were told “the Province of Manitoba is in the middle of an election blackout and department communications are limited as a result. News Room has nothing further to add.”
As a result, we present here photos of Jewish recipients of KC appointments, but without any further information.
Myron Love It was in the summer of 1984 when Kayla Gordon was appearing in the Rainbow Stage production of “Kismet,” that the long time actor/director/producer/photographer found herself doing her make-up sitting next to Nia Vardalos, the writer and star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” fame, who was also appearing in the production.
“We both were playing opposite each other in the comic roles as the Ayahs to the Wazir (the main lead), and we began talking about our plans for the future,” Gordon recalls. “Nia was talking about moving to Toronto and joining the Second City company. As for me, I was in a comedy troupe in Winnipeg and just found out I was pregnant with my first child. My plan was to stay in Winnipeg, even though I was a bit jealous that she was going off to pursue her dream and I was staying put. That was my ‘Kismet’ and I never looked back.”
Rainbow Stage is where Gordon began her career in musical theatre at the age of 17 in a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” After a career of more than 40 years, both on stage and behind the scenes – it is fitting that one of the leading lights of community theatre in our city has been recognized for her contributions by Winnipeg’s longest-running theatre company. On Wednesday, August 17, Gordon was one of the five inductees to Rainbow Stage’s Wall of Fame under the “Builder” category. The award is given to someone who has been part of nurturing and building our theatre community.
“It was a wonderful surprise,” says the honoree. “It brings my career full circle.” Previous honours for Gordon include the Leadership Award from the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Theatre Educator’s Award from the Winnipeg Theatre Awards for her long-time leadership within the arts community.
Gordon reports that the induction ceremony, attended by about 100 friends and family members of the inductees and Rainbow Stage staff, was held just prior to the opening night performance of “The Little Mermaid,”,the second of three shows the company is putting on this summer and early fall.
“It was also special to have one of my grandchildren, my husband Art Maister, my mom Ethel, and my aunt Evelyn Hecht at the induction ceremony,” she adds. (Evelyn also performed at Rainbow Stage in the 1950s.)
Gordon notes that while she appeared onstage in seven Rainbow Stage productions – from 1977 to 1993, she was honoured not for her acting, but for her role as a nurturer of talent through teaching acting and musical theatre at the University of Winnipeg for 18 years, as well as teaching at the University of Manitoba, Prairie Theatre Exchange and The Manitoba Theatre for Young People – also, later as the Artistic Director of Winnipeg Jewish Theatre for over 10 years and Winnipeg Studio Theatre, which she founded in 2006.
“I get a lot of satisfaction watching actors I’ve directed and students I have taught and nurtured performing at Rainbow Stage and other venues in the city,” Gordon notes. Many of them have gone on to work professionally and have appeared across Canada, as well as in Broadway productions. Some of them include: Alexandra Frohlinger (Soul Doctor/Broadway), Samantha Hill (Phantom of the Opera/Broadway), Jaz Sealey (Aladdin/Broadway), Andrea Macasaet (Six/Broadway), and Nyk Bielak (Book of Mormon/Broadway).
Gordon was an actor and high school drama teacher at West Kildonan Collegiate for the first 15 years of her career. By the mid-1990s she found herself becoming more interested in working behind the scenes as a director/producer. In 1994, she became the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s second artistic director – succeeding WJT founder Bev Aronovitch – a role she played until 2006. Following her time at WJT Gordon observed that local theatres were not hiring many female theatre directors.
“I realized that if I wanted to work as a director, I would have to create my own projects,” she recalls. So, she started Winnipeg Studio Theatre (WST) in 2006. Soon after forming the company, she invited her longtime theatre associate Brenda Gorlick to run the StudioWorks Academy, a program for emerging artists.
In 2021 she stepped down from her position at WST. “I am still interested in directing – but without the added pressures of being a producer or the full-time responsibility of running a professional theatre company,” she observes. “I like having the freedom to pick and choose the projects I want to work on.” I still plan to work on independent contracts directing theatre and creating entertainment for special events or fundraising activities in the community.”.Last year she produced and directed the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Negev Gala tribute honouring Gail Asper and Michael Paterson. As well, stepping down from her responsibilities with WST has also allowed Gordon to devote more time to her other passion – photography. “I have been interested in photography since I was 15,” she recounts. “My father Ralph had a dark room in our basement.”
Over the past couple of years, she has achieved accreditation with the Professional Photographers of Canada in four different areas of photography: street photography (her favourite), portraiture, performing artists, and figure study. And, last year, she co-authored a coffee table book – “The Murals of Winnipeg,” with fellow photographer Keith Levit as a fundraiser for Take Pride Winnipeg, with 80 pages of photos, which sold out in two weeks and the funds will go to emerging mural artists. (That story can be found on the jewishpostandnews.ca website.)
Kayla is grateful to have stayed in Winnipeg and she sums up her career, and how and why she managed to work in theatre all these years with a quote from Henry Winkler (aka ‘The Fonz’) “I live by tenacity and gratitude. Tenacity gets you where you want to be, and gratitude allows you not to be frustrated along the way”.
