Local News
Jewish Federation to increase allocations to beneficiary agencies by considerable amount
By BERNIE BELLAN The Allocations Committee of the Jewish Federation has submitted its report to the Federation. The committee is recommending a total of $3,523,098 in allocations to the 12 beneficiary agencies of the Federation for the 2021/22 fiscal year, which begins Sept. 1, 2021.
That amount represents an increase of $163,000 in allocations over the previous year, and will be the single largest increase in allocations year over year in the history of the Federation. As we reported in our April 28 issue, the Combined Jewish Appeal did raise a record amount in 2020 – $6,439,994 (which has actually increased to $6,451,061 as of the time of writing), which is the reason the Federation is able to increase its funding of agencies by such a large amount. There were, however, some one-time donations that were earmarked for specific organizations and which were already allocated during the 2020/21 fiscal year.
Nonetheless, as Allocations Committee Chair Marcelo Aprosoff noted in the committee’s report, “The Committee was excited to have more money to allocate than ever before…They are conscious of the fact that some donations in this year were singular and will not be repeated. They would like to caution Beneficiaries not to expect or rely on continuing increases in the next few years, even as we remain hopeful about the future.”
Here are some highlights from the report:
Every single one of the beneficiary agencies will either receive an increase in allocations over the 2020/21 year or will at least receive the same (except for the Kaufman Silverberg Library, which is not actually a separate beneficiary of the Federation; it is lumped in with Gray Academy). In addition, if you read on you will see that additional funds that have come in the form of designated donations to various agencies will also mean that some agencies will be receiving considerably more in funding from the Federation than they had requested.
In the case of one agency, Jewish Child & Family Service, the amount the Allocations Committee recommended that agency will receive is actually $40 more than JCFS requested – $880,600, which represents an increase of $65,300 over the 2020/21 allocation.
The next highest increased allocation will go to BB Camp: $80,000, which represents a $20,000 increase over the previous year.
Gray Academy also received a $16,000 increase, while the Simkin Centre received a $15,000 increase.
Other notable aspects of the Allocations Committee’s report included an increase in allocation to the Jewish Learning Institute from $1,800 to $10,000. No other agency had suffered as dramatic a cutback in allocations in 2020/21 as the Jewish Learning Institute – from $5,642 in 2019/20 to $1,800 in 2020/21.
Other than noting that “The Jewish Learning Institute is reaching many more students virtually than they could in person”, there was no explanation given for the large increase in funding for the JLI.
The Committee did make specific reference to some specific challenges that agencies faced as a result of the pandemic:
“Despite almost endless challenges and disappointments, community leadership proved resilient, flexible, creative, adaptable and compassionate.
• Loss of life at the Simkin Centre was heartbreaking.
• Closures at the Rady JCC left huge gaps in social opportunities for every demographic group.
• Fundraisers were cancelled or scaled back, limiting the capacity of some organizations.
• The community has become accustomed to programs online that are free.
• Some individuals don’t do well in the virtual world and are even more isolated in a world of isolation.”
The table on this page offers readers the chance to compare allocations to agencies over the past seven years. In the meantime, here is a list of the increased allocations each agency will receive (in comparison with what they received last year), as recommended in the Allocations Committee report:
Aleph Bet Child Life Enrichment $3,000
BB Camp $20,000
Camp Massad $10,000
Gray Academy $16,000
Kaufman Silverberg Library* $1,500
Gwen Secter Centre $10,000
Kosher Meals on Wheels $5,000
Irma Penn School $2,400
Jewish Child & Family Service $65,300
Jewish Heritage Centre $2,600
Jewish Learning Institute $8,200
Rady JCC no change
Shalom Residences $4,000
Simkin Centre $15,000
*While Kaufman Silverberg Library’s allocation is listed as a separate item, it is part of Gray Academy’s allocation
**While Kosher Meals on Wheels is also a separate line item, it is run out of the Gwen Secter Centre and is part of Gwen Secter’s allocation
As mentioned, in addition to the allocations from the Jewish Federation given on the table on this page, the Federation will also be allocating funds to certain agencies that have come from donors who have designated that their donations go to those agencies. (Donors who have given at least $18,000 the previous year and donate at least as much in the current year are able to “designate” which agency will receive their donation.)
The total of those designated funds came to $520,098, bringing the total amount to be received by the beneficiary agencies to $3,523,098. Interestingly, of all the agencies, the only ones that will not be receiving at least as much as thay had requested are Aleph Bet Child Life Enrichment ($50,000 less than requested) and the Kaufman Silverberg Library (which will receive $20,000 less than requested).
Here is how much more some agencies will receive than their requested allocations:
Gray Academy $25,250
Gwen Secter Centre $30,091
Jewish Child & Family Service $256,681
Jewish Heritage Centre $66,100
Jewish Learning Institute $5,000
Rady JCC $110,650
On top of the allocations to beneficiary agencies the Jewish Federation will be allocating another $2,918,693 to various programs, including $269,900 to the following:
Birthright Israel
GrowWinnipeg
Hillel Winnipeg
March of the Living
PJ Library & PJ Our Way
Young Adult Division
Other funds
A further $1,052,732 in designated funds will be given, some to the programs just listed.
As well, $525,000 will be sent outside Winnipeg to such organizations as The Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs.
Finally, the Federation operates a number of initiatives, such as government relations, combating anti-Semitism, 50+ programs, and many more. The total for those initiatives plus operations of the Federation comes to $667,472.
Local News
New Israeli restaurant opens in River Heights
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 6, 2025) It’s been a long time since our community has been able to welcome the opening of a restaurant that specializes in Israeli food.
That void is now going to be filled with the opening of The Green Falafel, at 1833 Grant (corner of Centennial – next to the Subway).
The restaurant is the fulfillment of a dream long held by the husband and wife team of Ariel and Eden Maudi, who have been living in Winnipeg the past 11 years.
Ariel, who was born in Israel and grew up in Beer Sheva, says that he worked in telecommunications in Ramat Gan for several years. He adds though that he had always dreamed of owning his own falafel stand in Israel, but life was difficult there and he decided to come to Canada as a tourist to see whether there were any opportunities here for him, Eden and their two young children.
Eden, who was born in Russia and moved to Israel with her family in 1996, stayed behind with the two kids, who were both pre-schoolers, while Ariel tested the waters in Canada first.
Ariel says he came to Canada as a tourist in 2013. His first stop was in Toronto, where he acquired his 1st class driver’s license. At the end of 2013 he moved to Winnipeg where he began working as a truck driver. Soon he found himself employed as a successful sales person at Vickar Nissan where, he says, he once achieved the status as the top car sales person in Canada. After working at Vickar Nissan for a number of years, Ariel began working as an installer for Bell MTS.
Meanwhile, Eden began working at a Walmart, later at the Costco on Regent.
But, when the opportunity to move into a space that had been previously occupied by another restaurant, but which had closed, became available, Ariel and Eden decided to open their own Israeli restaurant in an area that hadn’t seen Israeli food served since the controversial closure of Bermax Café in 2019.
The Maudis say that they will be serving a variety of Israeli dishes – all vegetarian, and that they will be fully kosher.
The “green” in Green Falafel, by the way, Ariel Maudi explains, comes from the cilantro and parsley that are added to the chickpeas. In addition, their pitas will be coming from Israel and will be baked fresh daily.
The Green Falafel will be open from 10-8 daily. Delivery will be available through Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Call 204-557-7837 for information.
Local News
Previews of shows with Jewish performers at this year’s Fringe Festival July 16-27
For show dates and venues go to winnipegfringe.com
By BERNIE BELLAN As has been our custom for many years now we try to find shows that have either Jewish performers or themes that would have particular appeal for Jewish audiences. Many of the Jewish performers at this year’s festival have been here before, but several are new. In no particular order here are blurbs about the shows we’ve found that fit the criteria I’ve just described. (By they way, if we’ve omitted a show that should be included in our list there’s plenty of time to get added to this post. Just drop me a line at jewishp@mymts.net.)
You’ve Been Served: A One-Woman Show About Divorce, Cults, and Coming of Age at Midlife
Noemi Zeigler
You are hereby summoned… to laugh, cry, and maybe belt out a Streisand number in solidarity. You’ve Been Served is a raw and riotous solo comedy by writer-performer Noemi Zeigler. It all begins when Noemi is served divorce papers on top of a garbage bin lid while taking out the trash—an undignified start to a full-blown midlife unraveling.
At 50, still clinging to her dream of becoming a singer, she falls under the spell of a music producer slash self-help guru, joins a spiritual cult, and, instead of landing a record deal, she lands in jail. Behind bars, with help from her long-buried inner child, she begins to reclaim her voice and her power. Turns out, dreams really do come true—just not the way she expected.
The show features vividly drawn characters—including a manipulative cult leader, a toxic ex-husband, and a jail guard named Roach who shares Noemi’s obsession with the fashion of Charlie’s Angels (the ‘70s TV version, of course.)
With salsa dancing, twerking, and a belting rendition of Don’t Rain on My Parade, Zeigler dives into abandonment, reinvention, and self-rescue. As she confronts perimenopause, she discovers it’s not the end—it’s the new puberty. The show touches on grief, sexuality, and spiritual confusion, but Noemi’s childlike optimism asks: What if your breakdown is actually your breakthrough?
You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself
Written & Performed by Natacha Ruck
France, 1981: The first socialist president is about to be elected and young Natacha is ready to implement her own political platform. But first, she has to take down the schoolyard bully,emasculate the rules of French grammar and make off with grandmother’s chocolate.
If you think you know the limits of Jewish mothers, evil grandmothers and transcontinental lovers, meet Natacha Ruck’s family. This true tale of three generations of women, facing three world wars, is equal parts hilarious, shocking and zany.
A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Beauty and the Beast NEW WORK!
Written & Performed by Alli Perlov
Be our guest! Local high school drama teacher Alli Perlov is back for a tale as old as time. Can she sing? Not really. Can she act? That’s debatable. Will you laugh? Oh… probably.
Perlov plays dozens of characters, some human, some animal, and many objects, in a comedic exploration of Beauty and the Beast.
In an homage to this brilliant musical adventure, through witty commentary and unstoppable energy, Perlov aims to entertain an audience that isn’t forced to be there like her students.
Hockey Sticks and Beaver Pie
Written & Performed by Melanie Gall
Take a trip around Manitoba. From the 30,000 ft. St. Adolphe snow maze to the Narcisse snake dens! After all, where else holds both the title of Slurpee Capital of the World and the Guinness Record for the most people simultaneously howling like wolves?
Deanna Durbin, Terry Jacks and Burton Cummings are among the many homegrown stars, and Hockey Sticks features their music along with original songs and the stories that make this province unique.
Starring Melanie Gall from past shows Piaf & Brel, Ingenue and Toast to Prohibition
Nerohilarity Exposed
Produced by Adam Schwartz
We all sometimes feel exposed, whether that’s as a fraud or a pretender.
The performers of the award-winning Neurohilarity show, Danielle Kayahara (Laugh Out Loud CBC), Carole Cunningham (Yuk Yuks, The Debaters), Adam Schwartz (Winnipeg Fringe) and Rollin Penner (Yuk Yuks, CBC, Rumors, Winnipeg Comedy Festival), apply a comedic spin to the experiences that make us feel insecure, stripping away the emotional weight with nittygritty jokes and stories that will have you laughing uproariously.
Brilliantly awkward.
A Lesbian in the Kitchen
Willow Rosenberg
Professional lesbian Willow Rosenberg takes you on a journey through the centuries, superstitions and tablespoons of her lifelong passion for baking in this spiritual successor to 2024’s Jenny Award-nominated A Lesbian in a Bear Store.
Whether you have a favourite spatula, bake once or twice a year, or live in constant fear of being told to “just fold it in”, this one-woman show about family, joy, tradition (but make it gay),
Judaism, comfort, home (but make it gayer*), love, chemistry and magic is for you!
*Who’re we kidding, it’s all gay!
Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany
Written & Performed by Ingrid Garner
(Ed. note: Although Ingrid Garner isn’t Jewish, we thought the theme of this show might have a special appeal for Jewish readers.)
Based on Eleanor Ramrath Garner’s best-selling memoir, this 16x internationally award-winning adaptation – performed by her granddaughter, Ingrid Garner – details Eleanor’s youth as an American caught in Second World War Berlin.
Punctuated with humour and accompanied by cinematic sound and video, Garner embodies her ancestors in this coming-of-age odyssey, delivering an account of war that is more relevant than ever.
Reviewing The Free Press 2
Benji Rothman
The Winnipeg Free Press has run amok, reviewing each and every Fringe show over the past two decades without consequence or recourse. Now, it’s their turn… again.
In this refurbished work that debuted at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe, Benji Rothman once again takes the Winnipeg Free Press to task. In this (mostly) new, (hopefully) hilarious 45-minute show, Rothman dives deep into their past and exposes their faulty journalism, imbalanced reporting and, of course, embarrassing typos.
Local News
Jewish performers at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival July 10-13
The Black Sea Station
Long ago, there were the klezmorim, itinerant musicians who roamed the back streets of Eastern Europe, playing at parties for meals and a few coins. The sound they honed then was a visceral exploration of life’s joy, and its loss; they could whip audiences into a frenzy of dancing, or bring them to tears with the mournful wail of a clarinet. Today, Winnipeg’s own The Black Sea Station is carrying on this tradition. Featuring Daniel Koulack (bass), Victor Schultz (violin) and Myron Schultz (clarinet) — cofounders of seminal local klezmer act Finjan — along with Moldovan accordion wizard Nikolai Prisacar and multi-instrumentalist Ben Mink, the quintet transports listeners to a time and place long past. Through a mix of original songs rooted in history, and traditional tunes spun up with modern zest, they whirl through the exuberant klezmer sounds of their Eastern European heritage, tending the old ways with deep love and respect.
The Black Sea Station will be performing Sunday, July 13, at 1:00 pm in Snowberry Field.
Romi Mayes
Romi Mayes has taken some hard knocks in her life, but she’s never faded away. For more than 25 years, Manitoba’s first lady of blues-rock has been a lynchpin of the Canadian roots scene. She earned that position the old-fashioned way, through her gritty, passionately emotive music. With her sizzling guitars and full-throated rasp, the Juno-nominated performer howls and purrs through razor-edged lyrics, rocking out wherever she can find a stage. She’s long been one of the hardest-working musicians on the circuit, keeping a busy slate of gigs and mentoring up-and-coming artists to get a foothold on the trails she blazed. Now, after a nine-year hiatus from the studio, Mayes has put her scintillating sound back on record with her long-awaited seventh album, Small Victories — a return that leaves no doubt, no matter the ups and downs, Mayes is here to stay.
Romi will be performing Friday, July 11, at 1:00 pm in Burr Oak.
Leonard Podolak (with Matt Gordon)
Ireland’s Matt Gordon is a fiddler and singer, whose fleet-footed clogging and thigh-slapping hambone has taken stages by storm since the 1980s. Leonard Podolak is a virtuosic master of the clawhammer banjo, who for decades has whipped up some of Manitoba’s wildest roots parties with his band, The Duhks. Put those talents together, and they can promise you this much: we’re all gonna have a real good time. Longtime friends and musical collaborators, Gordon and Podolak deliver an exhilarating trip through old-time Appalachian music. Their performances seamlessly blend intricate instrumental lines with heartfelt singing and dazzling dance. They’ve teamed up on a few records over the years, including 2020’s bigband extravaganza Power Wagon: Live At Shanley’s. But the best way to experience this duo’s toe-tapping, hand-clapping chemistry is to see it live.
Podolak and Gordon will be performing A concert with a side of clogging Sunday, July 13, at 3:00 pm in Folk School.