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Jewish National Fund – Canada holds event at Camp Massad featuring former Israel speechwriter at UN Aviva Klompas
By BERNIE BELLAN (Sept. 2, 2024) Despite the recent news that the CRA has revoked JNF-Canada’s charitable status, JNF-Canada is plowing ahead with a full slate of activities.
Included among those was a brunch program held at Camp Massad in Sandy Hook on Sunday, September 1, attended by some 150 individuals who had registered in advance. In addition to a delicious brunch prepared under the direction of Camp Massad head cook Marilyn Ingram, there was an hour-long question and answer session featuring someone by the name of Aviva Klompas.
Attendees were welcomed by Camp Massad executive director or – as he is known by campers, “Abba” Danial Sprintz, along with JNF-Canada Manitoba Saskatchewan executive director Danial Greaves.
Given the news that six Israeli hostages had just been found murdered, there was a somber overtone to the event, as Danial Sprintz recited the names of each of the victims.
Audience members also heard from Dr. Ted Lyons, himself a past Negev Gala honouree, also CIJA Man.-Sask. Representative Gustavo Zentner.
After brunch, Greaves conducted a question and answer session with special guest speaker Aviva Klompas. Klompas, who was born in Toronto, obtained her B.Sc from the University of Toronto, an MPA from New York University, and has extensive experience in the public sector.
Klompas was a Senior Policy Adviser to the Government of Ontario (2009-2013), when she helped with the settlement of Syrian refugees in that province. She was also the Director of Speechwriting for Israel’s Mission to the UN (2013-2015) when, she said, she had a hand, in every speech and bulletin prepared at Israel’s mission. She was also Associate Vice President of Israel and Global Jewish Citizenship from 2016-2021, based in Boston..
For the past three years Klompas has headed an organization which she co-founded known as “Boundless Israel,” whose mission, according to its website, is “to identify and disrupt the challenges impeding leaders and organizations from meaningfully educating about Israel, engaging with Israel, and combating Jew-hatred.”
Also on the website, it is noted that Boundless Israel is “data driven,” works together with polling organizations to study “the root causes, misconceptions, and historical contexts” of antisemitism,” and partners “with community leaders to develop targeted interventions that foster greater societal awareness and a safer, more inclusive society.”
In her just-released book, “Stand-Up Nation,” Klompas focuses on the many areas in which Israeli aid organizations have played vital roles in humanitarian projects around the world.
By titling her book, “Stand-Up Nation,” Klompas admitted, she was clearly capitalizing on the similarity between her book’s title and “Start-Up Nation,” written by Dan Senor and Saul Singer, which came out in 2011. But, rather than her trading without permission on the name of that wildly successful book, Klompas explained that Dan Senor himself had written a blurb for the back of her book, praising “Stand-Up Nation.”
During the question and answer session with Greaves, Klompas covered a wide range of topics, including how Israel has contributed so much to the betterment of third-world nations by promoting the concept of “tikkun olam.”
However, much of the discussion veered into the tremendous upsurge in antisemitism that the world has seen since October 7.
Klompas was quite critical of Prime Minister Trudeau, noting that her own parents’ synagogue in Toronto had been marked by antisemitic attacks five times since October 7.
(I should note that I was asked not to record the day’s event. I had rather anticipated that, based on that request, we might have heard something controversial or surprising. In truth, other than the criticism of Trudeau, there was nothing particularly newsworthy in anything that was said.)
Following the question and answer session Lawrence Pinsky told audience members about an upcoming event that will be featuring British Colonel John Spencer. The date of the event is September 11 but, Pinsky said, the location will not be publicly disclosed except to individuals who register in advance for the event. Those individuals will receive information as to the location shortly before the actual event for reasons of security.
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
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Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”
