Local News
Jewish synagogues react to rapid spread of Omicron variant – most put temporary end to in-person services
By BERNIE BELLAN With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant it comes as no surprise that many local synagogues have taken a proactive approach to dealing with the pandemic. For the time being, however, the Rady JCC is maintaining its existing schedule, although that may change quickly depending on possible new restrictions that may be issued by the provincial government.
The Shaarey Zedek, Etz Chayim and Temple Shalom congregations have all reverted to on-line services.
Shaarey Zedek
In a bulletin issued by the Shaarey Zedek on December 29, the following information was given:
As COVID-19 Omicron variant rapidly circulates in our province, it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to close the shul once again for the safety of the congregation, clergy, and staff. The closure will affect our operations in the following ways:
Prayer Services — In-person attendance is cancelled as of December 30, 2021. We will pivot back to online services only and offer online Aliyot and honours. We will communicate plans to re-open as soon as permissible.
Life Cycle and Related Events — In-house events will not be allowed in January 2022, however, our Rabbi may be available to attend some life cycle events virtually. We will revisit this approach in the coming weeks. Funerals will continue to be held graveside with clergy attendance, and in the shul when temperatures are below -27°C. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Facility Rentals — New bookings for in-house events in the short-term will not be scheduled, including private meetings, luncheons, parties, and other facility rentals.
Social-Cultural Programs, Events, and Adult Education — For the time being, all offerings will be planned for online participation only.
Gift Shop – The store is currently closed but can be opened for purchases by appointment.
Catering – Our catering team is available for take out orders.
Etz Chayim
In an email received from Etz Chayim Executive Director Jonathan Buchwald on December 30, in response to a question about what steps Etz Chayim may also have taken to deal with the rapid spread of the virus, Jonathan wrote: “For the months of November and December we had resumed in-person services.
“They were by registration only and we were limiting attendance to 50 people. Proof of full vaccination was required to attend.
“In the last few days since Omicron has taken over we have made the unfortunate decision to cancel in-person services for the first two Shabbatot in January (1 and 8), and most likely for the entire month until we see how what will happen with the variant.
“We will continue to hold on-line Shabbat morning and daily morning/evening services as we have throughout the pandemic.
“Our office will remain open through telephone and e-mail but will remain closed to the public for in-person business.
“Our takeout catering service is also available as it has been throughout.”
Temple Shalom
In response to a similar question whether Temple Shalom had also canceled in-person services which was posed to Rabbi Allan Finkel of Temple Shalom Congregation, Rabbi Finkel wrote: “Hi Bernie, we were the first to do so, as of last Friday evening. It may interest you to know that the Wpg Council Rabbis set up a WhatsApp group quite some time ago, and we keep each other up to date on our responses to COVID and we share protocols and synagogue implementations with each other as well. As a result, there is a high degree of consistency across the community, more confidence and less guesswork as we address these challenges.”
Adas Yeshurun-Herzlia
In contrast to the three other major Winnipeg congregations, the Adas Yeshurun-Herzlia congregation issued the following information within a bulletin sent to congregation members:
“At this point we will not be closing the synagogue. We will continue to follow the government guidelines. We have done everything to create the safest possible environments. This includes: vaccination mandate, masks at all time, social distancing, shortened service, no after service gathering, hand sanitizers, and a very responsible clientele.”
The bulletin further noted that “For all services singing will be held to a minimal amount.
Regarding Torah reading, Aliyot will be given out. The person called to the Torah will have a designated place to stand, which will be distanced from the Torah and reader. They will recite the blessings from the designated spot. Upon completion of their aliyah they will return to their seats.”
In response to a query sent to Rabbi Avrohom Altein of the Jewish Learning Centre, Rabbi Altein responded: “We definitely implement careful Covid protective procedures. Attendees to shul are limited and must wash hand on entry, wear masks, sit 2 metres apart and are vaccinated. When someone feels ills they are required to isolate until they confirm with a test that they are negative.
“But at the same time, we are doing our best to continue. We have a day school, a child care program, adult classes for men and women and programs for Israeli immigrants, and daily shul services, and a very active kitchen that provides kosher meals to many, many Winnipeggers. Of course, there are challenges along the way, but just as we need to continue living, so does Jewish life have to continue.”
No other Winnipeg congregations were contacted for this report.
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Talented Winnipeg composer Sara Kreindler teams up with her mother Reena Kreindler to create new satirical show to premiere here in May
By BERNIE BELLAN It’s been many years since I’ve heard from Sara Kreindler. Sara’s name first appeared in The Jewish Post & News in 2002 when a satirical musical titled “A Touch of Class” was reviewed by the late Arnold Ross. That particular production featured songs from popular Broadway shows that touched upon themes such as “greed, poverty, oppression, and social unrest.”
When she appeared in that show, Ross noted, Kreindler had just recently returned to Winnipeg from England, where she had obtained a doctorate in Social Psychology from Oxford University.
While at Oxford, Kreindler found time to compose a satirical musical titled “Charity,” which played to rave reviews there, and was performed five times.
Continuing in the theme of writing satirical musicals, Sara has now teamed up with her mother, Reena, to write a new musical titled “A Perfect Man,” which is set to run at the Gargoyle Theatre from May 6-17.
According to a press release we received, “A Perfect Man” is “a satirical musical, set on a fictional analogue of ‘The Bachelor’.
“The story follows an anthropologist who arrives to research TV’s hottest reality-dating show — only to discover she’s been made a contestant, and the bachelor is her high school crush. Past and present collide against an exuberant pastiche score that uses vintage musical styles to highlight modern absurdities.”
“Praised as ‘a musician [who] can make biofuels funny’ (CBC), Sara is known for whip-smart satire on a panoply of topics. Her digital musical, ‘Larry Saves the Canadian Healthcare System, created during her former life as an academic, has garnered over 84,000 YouTube views. Naturally, she had a field day with the subject of reality dating.
“The topic just begs for campy zaniness, which I think we all need in these times — but also for a more cerebral critique of what these shows say about the culture that spawned them,” says Kreindler. And thanks to the romance context, the satire is woven into a deeper, more personal story. “It’s satire with a heart.”
Here is some more information about Sara Kreindler, taken from a 2009 article I wrote about her:
“Born in Israel, Sara’s precocious talent was nurtured by her mother, Reena, whose own particular talent is literary, not musical. According to Reena, however, Sara was singing from the time she was a baby, and she began to study piano at the age of four.
“As a young girl, Sara began writing her own songs and poems, along with the “occasional musical”, notes Reena. Yet, Sara’s rare talent put her at odds with the typical interests of other children her own age, on top of which she attended a school to which she was exposed to a fair degree of antisemtism.
“As a result, Sara says, being bullied was a common aspect of her childhood. On one occasion, when she was nine, she notes, Sara fought back against one particular bully by reciting the following little ditty:
“I write so many epigrams to you that all the people laugh.
I’m tired of writing epigrams.
I want to write your epitaph!”
“Sara went on to compose a musical titled ‘Flutesong’ while she was a student at Vincent Massey Collegiate, she says. After doing her undergraduate work at the University of Manitoba, majoring in Psychology, Sara won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University.
“Sara eventually earned a doctorate in Social Psychology and returned to Winnipeg, where she began teaching at the University of Manitoba, but she said she didn’t enjoy the “mass production” style of teaching upwards of 300 students at a time, so she switched careers and began doing health research for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.”
All the while Sara has been continuing to compose and perform her own songs, often teaming up with her mother, as she has for “A Perfect Man.”
Showtimes and ticket information for The Perfect Man are available at:
http://www.thegargoyletheatre.com/upcoming-events/the-perfect-man
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Rabbi Kliel Rose to leave Congregation Etz Chayim for new post in Ottawa
The following email from Congregation Etz Chayim Executive Director Morissa Granove was sent to members of the congregation on Friday, April 10:
“Dear Members and Friends,
“As we know, Rabbi Kliel recently spent a weekend with Kehilllat Beth Israel where he has since been offered a position. After much thought and consideration, he has made the decision to sign a contract in Ottawa. He will continue to lead our congregation through Yom Kippur.
“This news marks a significant ending for our Etz Chayim community, and at the same time with change comes opportunity. Congregation Etz Chayim will soon embark on our own Rabbinical search with excitement as we look for our perfect candidates and explore the new possibilities that will help us to continue to shape a strong future for our synagogue and members.”
Kliel Rose took up the position of rabbi at Etz Chayim in August, 2018.
In an article announcing his appointment to the position in the June 6, 2018 issue of The Jewish Post & News, Myron Love wrote:
The congregation has been without a permanent rabbi since last summer when Rabbi Larry Lander chose to retire – after ten years here – and relocate to Toronto.
Kliel Rose is already a well-seasoned rabbi. He was ordained in 2004 by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
He previously served as spiritual leader at the West End Synagogue in Nashville and Temple Enamu-El in Miami Beach. His current posting is Beth Shalom Synagogue in Edmonton.
Following the example of his parents, Kliel Rose has been active in interfaith dialogue and human rights work for which he was honoured in 2014 with the Human Rights Hero Award by Truah: The Rabbibic Call for Human Rights.
He has also participated in the Kellogg Management Education for Jewish Leaders program at Northwestern University and was most recently chosen to be among 20 rabbis from different denominations chosen to train in the Clergy leadership Incubator – a two-year program, under the leadership of Ranni Sidney Schwarz, intended to educate younger rabbis in innovative thinking, change management and institutional transformation.
In Edmonton, Rose also served as Jewish chaplain at the University of Alberta and took the lead on a program called “Faith and Inclusion”, whose mandate was to support individuals with cognitive and physical learning challenges to feel more welcome within various faith communities.