Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service stepping up to meet the needs of the neediest members of our community in this extraordinarily difficult time
By BERNIE BELLAN
With the Corona virus enveloping the entire world, and with seniors being among the most vulnerable members of our community, the agency whose mandate it is to provide social services to seniors in our community has been thrust into the role as the primary source of contact for many seniors – and others who rely upon social support.
Rather than being able to provide in person counseling and other services to its clientele, however, the Jewish Child and Family Service is front and centre among Jewish organizations in this city that have had to improvise how it provides its normal services.
According to Al Benarroch, Executive Director of JCFS, various staff members of JCFS have been working strenuously to try and assist in “reducing the social isolation of seniors” and other clients of JCFS who are finding themselves not only psychologically and physically isolated from the community, but often desperately in need of such things as groceries and prescription drugs.
“We’re checking in by phone for sure,” Benarroch said, “and where possible – electronically”, i.e., by computer.
“All of our staff are set up with Zoom, so they’re able to set up virtual appointments that way…With seniors we want to make sure that we’re reducing their sense of isolation. We want to make sure that they have essential services provided to them – particularly food and medications.”
In terms of how many clients JCFS is actually serving at this excruciatingly difficult time, Benarroch explained: “We’re prioritizing those that are at the highest risk for isolation. That would be our elderly. We deal with about 425-450 households in that category alone. We’re talking about 600-800 people. In that group we include our Holocaust survivors, our newcomer seniors; we have many seniors that are living with mental health issues.”
Benarroch added that “We have a lot of mental health clients who live in isolation; many of them are younger and can get out. However, this whole pandemic is going to impact them emotionally – with their anxiety. We’re checking in on them regularly – with those electronic meetings.”
Asked what JCFS is able to do in particular with respect to providing food for shut-ins, Benarroch elaborated, saying that “What we are able to do is help coordinate, make sure that we have food delivered to them. As an example, we had a client this morning who said: ‘I’m more than capable of getting out. I have some mobility issues. I can get to the grocery store through handi-transit, but I need to get home – and they won’t wait.’
“So we were able to coordinate a taxi for them to get back home. We can do this on a case by case basis. In most cases we want to follow all of the protocols in insuring that people stay socially distant, where possible stay at home.
“We have a driver right now who’s taking orders from clients for groceries. We’re placing them on line. We’re arranging pick-up and we’re dropping them off in a no-contact drop off for them, and we’re working out an invoicing system where clients will be invoiced by the agency for reimbursement.
“Certain pharmacies are still delivering, certain grocery stores have actually added delivery as an option. We’re trying to take every precaution to make sure that everyone stays safe, but everyone has what they need.”
Benarroch also cited the JCFS’s child welfare program as another facet of the agency’s mandate to provide specific services that is receiving priority attention: “It’s interesting because it’s a legally mandated service to make sure children are safe in their homes or where they’re living – that is the one program that often requires direct contact. Again though, there are government protocols how you deal with that.”
I asked Benarroch whether “you’re fielding an increase in requests for help from people who ordinarily wouldn’t be contacting you?”
He replied: “It’s too early right now to tell. We’re preparing for it in terms of whether there are more financial needs for people, whether there are more requests for accessing – for getting vital services to them. That’s why we’re one agency that has not laid people off. It’s actually very interesting to see how much we’re able to do remotely. It’s quite amazing.”
Looking ahead, Benarroch predicted that “the clients who are on our caseload are going to be receiving more check-ins than when we did face to face.
“Once we get our Passover hampers out – which is happening over the next two weeks, we’re also planning to have our volunteer coordinators do more. We’re planning on doing more of a community response to isolated seniors so that (while now) they may get one or two calls a week – “at minimum,” he explained, “one call a week from their social worker – we’re hoping that they may get one or more calls a week from the same volunteer. That will be more of a social call: ‘Hi, how are you? Would you like to have a conversation about something in the newspaper? Tell me about when you were younger…’ – things that will keep people engaged.”
Asked whether JCFS has sufficient volunteers at the present time, Benarroch stated that “We’re fielding lots of requests. We have our core volunteers, but I think we’re a very giving community. I’ve been getting lots of requests: ‘What can I give? What can I do? Is there a way I can help?’
“You know, I’ve been fielding four or five emails a day – that’s just me, from individuals saying: ‘Al, is there anything we can do?’ I just got an email from Temple Shalom saying ‘Our congregation wants to do something. What can we do?’”
“The safest thing we can do is have people make phone calls, so we’re starting to coordinate those efforts.”
(Ed. note: A day after I conducted the interview with Al Bennaroch I was contacted by a representative of the Jewish Federation who informed me that the Federation is also now in the process of organizing volunteers who can call isolated members of the community. visit the Federation website.)
At that point in our conversation I digressed into something a little more esoteric, but given Al Benarroch’s own background as an observant Jew, I thought it would be somewhat interesting for him, which was to discuss how you could say kaddish if you aren’t part of a minyan. (For more on this turn to an article on page 20 .)
Benarroch noted that a recent rabbinical ordination came out from some of “the muckety muck Sephardic rabbis in Jerusalem that said for the purposes of the seder you can bring on your elderly loved one remotely – and use the computer – under certain circumstances, so you can Zoom them into a meeting – or use something like Facetime.”
I also noted that I had been emailing with Becky Chisick (executive director of the Gwen Secter Centre) about Meals on Wheels – but that I had discovered it’s quite a bit of a rigmarole to start getting them (at least a two week wait time).
Benarroch responded that “it’s not our program, but I commend Becky for stepping up some of those opportunities to do that,” adding that “Schmoozers is still providing meals. I have seen some people come in to the building and take out.”
Local News
National Christian Zionist organization holds evening of solidarity with Israel, donates $125,000 to Israeli charities
By MYRON LOVE I have known John Plantz for 25 years or so. I first met him in the late 1990s when he was volunteering as a librarian at the old Jewish Public Library on north Main Street. While he is a devout Christian – for as long as I have known him, he is also passionate about supporting Israel and the Jewish People.
Along the way in his life’s journey, John Plantz did learn that his zaida was Jewish – a revelation that further strengthened his identification with the Jewish people.
On the evening of Thursday, November 14, in his long time role as the Friends of Israel Canada Church and Fields Ministries Canada director, Plantz emceed a “Stand With Israel Night”, the highlight of which was the presentation of $25,000 in cheques to five Israel-based charities.
The event, which was held in the Multipurpose room at the Asper Campus, attracted about 100 people – comprising both members of our Jewish community and Christian supporters of Friends of Israel. Plantz noted that the funds were raised over the past few months by FOI supporters across Canada.
The evening began with music by Myron Schultz and his Klezmer Trio.
“On October 7, 2023, the world changed” Plantz observed in his opening remarks, “not just for Israel. I have a lot of Israeli friends. Israelis are stressed out. They are not sure what to do. We at FOI are praying for Israel and also redoubling our efforts to help.”
Plantz then introduced Robert Gottselig, FOI’s Canadian director. Gottselig, who lives in Regina, pointed out that FOI was founded in 1938, fully ten years before the establishment of the Jewish State, in response to the plight of the Jews of Europe.
“At the outset,” Gottselig noted, ”FOI formed a relief committee to raise funds for food, clothing and shelter for Europe’s endangered Jews. We also worked to provide passports for those who wanted to escape.
“Our mission remains constant,” he continued. “Unlike some other Christian groups whose religious philosophy is based on replacement theology (that Christianity supersedes Judaism), we stand in solidarity with our Jewish brethren. After all, the Jews gave Christians both our bible and Jesus.”
Gottselig spoke about how his own passion for Israel developed. He also spoke about FOI’s recent successful efforts, along with Regina’s Jewish community and other national Jewish organizations, to persuade Regina City Council not to raise the Palestinian flag at City Hall.
Following a break for refreshments, John Plantz introduced one by one the recipients of the $250,000 in donations. The first was the Canadian Magen David Adom, Israel’s world leading, largely volunteer, national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service.
Accepting the cheque on behalf of Canadian Magen David Adom Canada was Israeli-born Sharon Fraiman, the Calgary-based CMDA director for western Canada.
“The Magen David Adom’s history reflects the history of Israel,” she commented. “Every dollar CMDA raises counts.”
She noted that CMDA raises money in Canada to buy ambulances, medical equipment, supplies and blood testing kits to support the life saving efforts of MDA in Israel.
The second recipient was the Jewish National Fund. Plantz observed that he himself has been a supporter of the JNF for many years. Speaking on behalf of David Greaves, the JNF’s executive director for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Nola Lazar thanked the FOI and noted how much she appreciated being in a room full of welcoming allies.
The third recipient was an organization that I am not familiar with: Christian Friends of Leket Israel, which raises funds in support of Leket Israel – which has been feeding the hungry in Israel since 2003. In a video appearance, Ray MacDonald, the director of Christian Friends of Leket Israel, expressed his appreciation for FOI”s donation and spoke about the organization’s work on behalf of disadvantaged Israelis.
“We provide about 255,000 Israelis weekly with nutritious food and meals,” he reported. “We supply 330 non-profit partners that deal with poverty.”
He added that, surprising, there is a high level of homelessness in Israel and that 20% of Israeli children go to bed hungry, also that the situation has worsened over the past year due to the war.
MacDonald described Leket Israel as a “food rescue” organization that gathers its food from a variety of sources. “We work with 500 farmers (at least that was the situation before the war) that share their crops with us,” he said. “we also source food from hotel and resorts.”
According to the Leket website, “millions of tons of healthy, fresh food are wasted or destroyed because of excess quantity, minor imperfections, or financial cost.
“Food waste has severe consequences for society, the environment, and the economy. Food rescue addresses these problems by productively using surplus food instead of destroying it. With Leket’s fleet of 27 refrigerated trucks and vans, our staff and volunteers transport thousands of tons of rescued food throughout the country.
“All rescued produce is brought to the logistics center or other cold storage facilities, where it is sorted, stored, and prepared for delivery to one of our 330 nonprofit partners.
“All rescued cooked food is either brought directly from where it was cooked to a recipient nonprofit partner, or brought to one of our regional hubs to be stored overnight and reheated the following morning for timely service of a hot lunch. The food rescued by Leket Israel is distributed to 296 nonprofit organizations, including homeless shelters, soup kitchens, elderly centers, battered women’s centers, community help organizations, and schools for at-risk youth.”
Ariel Karabelnicoff is well known to many in our community. He came to us from Argentina by way of Israel and held a series of high profile positions here – including as the State of Israel Bonds’ point man here, executive director of the local chapter of the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – followed by filling the same role for the JNF here. In 2019, he was lured to Toronto by former employer Israel Bonds to serve as national sales director.
About two years ago, Karabelnicoff left Israel Bonds for a new gig as executive director of Canadian Friends of Haifa University. It was in the latter capacity that he thanked FOI for its substantial donation to the university.
“We are honoured to be the recipient of your generous donation,” he said.
In an earlier interview with the Jewish Post, he noted that among the largest universities in Israel, the University of Haifa is the youngest. Fully accredited in 1972, the university has an enrolment of 18,000 students – with a student body that reflects the diversity of Israel’s population. About 40% of the students come from the Druze, Circassian and Arab communities and – among the Jewish students – there are many whose families are from Ethiopia.
The University of Haifa , he adds, also boasts the highest percentage among Israeli universities – of students who are the first generation in their families to attend university.
Among the feathers in the university’s cap is the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences that offers the only graduate program in Israel in that field..
Coming soon for the University of Haifa, Karabelnicoff reported, will be a new school of medicine. “There is a serious doctor shortage in Israel,” he pointed out. “The University of Haifa is proud to lead in the efforts to train medical doctors and to be able to serve and take care of the population in the North of Israel.”
The final recipient of the FOI’s largesse was another organization I am not familiar with: Operation Lifeshield. Operation Lifeshield’s mission is to provide bomb shelters for threatened Israeli communities. Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, Operation Luifeshield’s executive director, was in Winnipeg to accept the FOI cheque.
He reported that the organization was formed 18 years ago by a small group of American olim and Israelis who were visiting the Galilee during the second Lebanon war in 2006 and found themselves under rocket attack – along with thousands of others – with no place to go. Th y decided to take action.
“Our shelter construction design and manufacturing process conform with the strictest guidelines and approval of the Israel Defense Force Home Front command,” Bowman reported. “Several types of shelters are available in order to best protect schools, kindergartens, synagogues, parks, sidewalks, bus shelters and senior centres.”
He noted that Lifeshield’s more than 1,000 shelters have been donated by caring individuals and organizations – both jewish and Christian – from around the world.
He closed his remarks with a “dvar Torah” based on God’s admonition to King David that he “will not fear terror that comes by night or the arrow that flies by day”.
owman wondered aloud how that is something that Hashem can command? “David understood that to mean that he should find a solution that would remove the threat,” the rabbi commented.
This admonition also applies to Israel and Operation Lifeshield’s bomb shelters.
John Plantz concluded the evening with the hope that we can all gather again next year to celebrate other Israeli non-profits that will be benefitting from Christian Friends of Israel’s largesse.
Local News
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.”
Local News
New Israel Fund to hold event in Winnipeg December 11
The Road Ahead: Israelis Fighting for Peace and Democracy in a Trump-Netanyahu Era
with Ben Murane, Executive Director, and Michael Mitchell, Board Member
of the New Israel Fund of Canada
Wednesday, December 11th at 7:30-9:00 pm in the Grant Park area
Advance registration required — exact location provided upon registration. Registration link at the end of this post.
Co-sponsored by Canadian Supporters of Women Wage Peace
As President-elect Trump’s return to the spotlight stirs tensions globally, the Israel-Hamas war drags on, and the hostages are not any closer to coming home, NIFC’s work takes on new urgency in confronting a government that continues to undermine democracy and human rights.
Israeli progressives are determined not to let this extremist agenda win again — they’re modeling a powerful vision of a more peaceful, shared future for the region and pushing back against the forces of division, inequality, and authoritarianism. They’re fighting for both the release of hostages and aid to Gazans, as well as civil liberties, Jewish-Arab partnership, religious freedom, and for an end to this bloody conflict.
Join this private discussion with our Executive Director Ben Murane to hear how NIF-fueled civil society initiatives are fighting today and preparing for a better tomorrow.
About our Executive Director and Board Member
Ben Murane is the Executive Director of the New Israel Fund of Canada and a leading voice of millennial engagement with Israel. For over fifteen years, Ben has led at the intersection of Jewish life, social justice, and Israel. He previously worked for NIF’s U.S. branch, won Jewish innovation awards for his work in environmentalism and campus life, and founded both online and offline Jewish communities. In 2012, he received the prestigious Dorot Leadership Fellowship in Israel, where he studied comparative nationalism and consulted for social action groups. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two young children.
Michael Mitchell is a board member of the New Israel Fund of Canada. He is Vice-Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and an Arbitrator/Mediator in private practice. Michael was a senior partner at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, a leading labour law firm in Toronto and Ottawa for almost forty years, where he also served as the managing partner. Michael was President of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, and the President of Darchei Noam, the Toronto Reconstructionist Congregation. He is a long time donor and supporter of the New Israel Fund and participated in the NIFC study tour of Israel in 2018. Michael is married to Lynne Mitchell, has three daughters, Rachel, Alisa and Sara, and has six grandchildren.
About the New Israel Fund of Canada
Since 1986, NIFC has contributed over $10 million to more than 100 organizations in Israel that fight for socio-economic equality, religious freedom, civil and human rights, shared society and anti-racism, Palestinian citizens, and democracy itself.
To register, click here: NIF event
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