Local News
Kadima Dance Company receives rave reviews for Edmonton performance earlier this month

By BERNIE BELLAN Hadera Short has been dancing since the age of three. In an April 2022 story we wrote that Hadera told “The Jewish Post & News that she ‘started doing Israeli dance when I was six. I joined Chai when I was 16.’
“In 2014, at the age of 21, Hadera said, she ‘was accepted into the Jerusalem Academy of Music for a one-year intensive program, where,’ she adds, she ‘studied ballet, contemporary and Gaga styles of dance.’
“Upon returning to Winnipeg, Hadera rejoined Chai, becoming its dance director in 2016. In 2017, after eight years performing with Chai, she retired from the group.
“After a two-year hiatus from dance, however, Hadera said she realized how much she missed performing in front of a live audience. As a result, she had the idea of forming her own dance company.
“Hadera actually began choreographing in her mother’s living room. After sharing the idea of starting a new dance company with other dancers and discussing the concept of forming a new Israeli dance group, Hadera realized the potential success that this group could hold and Kadima Dance Company was born. Kadima, meaning ‘forward’ in Hebrew, had its first rehearsal at Kazka Dance Collective studio on December 1, 2019.
“Asked why she wanted to start her own Israeli dance company, Hadera explained that ‘I started Kadima because I wanted to create a new space for adult dancers who are passionate about Israeli dance and wanted the freedom to express themselves creatively. I encourage the dancers to select their own music to choreograph to, or come to me with potential performance ideas and opportunities. I want to show off everyone’s full potential as dancers, performers and choreographers. One of my primary goals for Kadima is encouraging a balance between professionalism, creativity and fun. Our rehearsals and our relationships outside of the studio are a reflection of just that.’

Just recently Hadera contacted us to inform about Kadima’s most recent experience, when members of the group travelled to Edmonton to perform in an Israeli dance festival, known as Festival Hatzafon, which was mounted by the Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association (AIFDA) on the occasion of AIFDA’s 18th year anniversary. According to Hadera, “AIFDA was formed in 2006 by choreographer and artistic director Sari Uretsky.”
The festival, held in the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton,featured Kadima alongside other Israeli dancers and other cultural groups from across Canada in what Hadera said was a “sold out show.”
Currently Kadima has 20 dancers in the troupe, of whom 13 went to Edmonton.

Their performance elicited this reaction from Sari Uretsky: “You should be so proud!!! You guys are a strong, cohesive group in such a short time! And you’ve already accomplished so much! It was an honour to have you and your company! You are all gorgeous dancers and added so much to our festival! We cannot wait to collaborate with you in the future!”
In addition to having just performed in Edmonton, Kadima also performed in Vancouver last year in what is known as “Festival Harikud.”
Upcoming, according to Hadera, Kadima will also be performing at “MTYP April 4 for the Robyn Braha School of Dance show, and May 14 at the Rady JCC for the 3rd year in a row for Yom Ha’atzmaut.”
In the email Hadera sent to us informing about Kadima’s performing in Edmonton, she added this at the end: Follow Kadima on social media: Instagram @kadimadanceco and Facebook Kadima Dance Company, or email kadimadance@gmail.com for more information or if interested in auditioning.
Local News
Arthur V. Mauro Institute for Peace & Justice at St. Paul’s College to offer series of lectures

The Mauro Institute is very pleased to be offering the first two events in a new series – The Hersh and Arna Shefrin Dialogues on Peace and Conflict Resolution.
Dialogue #1 – Wednesday, September 17 | 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm | Hanley Hall (Room 220) St. Paul’s College (reception to follow)
The Hersh and Arna Shefrin Dialogues on Peace and Conflict Resolution
Resisting the Perceived Limits of Dialogue
Middle powers such as Canada depend on the power of dialogue to create institutions and agreements with dispute settlement mechanisms designed to level the playing field with big powers. The post-war architecture of multilateralism that depended on American leadership and involvement and the willingness to underwrite the global operating system is fractured with President Donald Trump’s premise to “make America great again”. This presentation by former Canadian diplomat, Colin Robertson and roundtable discussion will consider if it can be put back together or how it should change, and what forms of dialogue that would entail.
Panelists will include Dr. Ursula Lehmkuhl and Dr. Manuel Fröhlich of Trier University, and Dr. James Fergusson and Dr. Stephan Jaeger of the University of Manitoba. The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Dr. Andrea Charron, Director, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, and Professor, International Relations University of Manitoba
Reserve your free tickets to the lecture 7:00 pm, in-person at St. Paul’s College
Livestream on the Mauro Institute YouTube channel.
Dialogue #2 – Thursday, September 25 | 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm | Fr. Jensen SJ Theatre (Room 100) St. Paul’s College
The Hersh and Arna Shefrin Dialogues on Peace and Conflict Resolution
Leading With Compassion Amid Conflict and Violence
Deep human connection and providing service from a place of compassion is increasingly difficult in our complex and polarizing world. In our quest for peace and justice, is compassion simply a pollyannish illusion? Come, hear, and have a conversation with our panelists who have strived to bring compassion into their work in different ways. Hear their challenges and triumphs as they dared to lead with compassion in times of conflict and violence.
Panelists will include Dr. Bob Chrismas, Team Lead, Winnipeg Community Safety Team, Dr. Shauna Labman, Executive Director, Global College and Associate Professor, University of Winnipeg, and Devon Clunis, Former Chief of Police, Winnipeg Police Service, Author, and International Consultant. The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Dr. Melanie Soderstrom, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba
The Hersh and Arna Shefrin Dialogues on Peace and Conflict Resolution are free and open to all. The dialogues are both in-person and available to be streamed on the Mauro Institute’s YouTube channel.
Reserve your free tickets to the lecture 7:00 pm, in-person at St. Paul’s College (free pre-lecture reception from 6:30 pm)
Livestream on the Mauro Institute YouTube channel.
[ALSO: Save the Date – the 2025 Sol Kanee Lecture on Peace and Justice is Monday, November 3, 7:00 pm at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights]
The Hersh and Arna Shefrin Dialogues on Peace and Conflict Resolution are generously supported by a gift from Dr. Hersh [BSc(Hons)/70] and Arna Shefrin [DipDHyg/70; BA/71]. The Shefrin Dialogues were established to invite two (or more) leading thinkers / speakers with different views of a specific conflict to present and exchange perspectives on topical issues related to peace, justice, and conflict resolution.
The Hersh and Arna Shefrin Dialogues on Peace and Conflict Resolution are free and open to all. The dialogues are both in-person and available to be streamed on the Mauro Institute’s YouTube channel.
Local News
Winnipeg Friends of Israel to present 2 interesting talks

Winnipeg Friends of Israel are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ted Rosenberg on Sunday, September 14 at 7:00 PM for a presentation that promises to be powerful, timely, and deeply moving.
Dr. Rosenberg will share insights from his new book, Ayekha (Where Are You?), and speak about his experiences at the University of British Columbia — where he made national headlines after resigning from the medical school in protest of its failure to address antisemitism. His story is both courageous and inspiring, and it calls on each of us to consider: Where are we when our community is under attack?
The evening will be moderated by Dr. Bryan Shwartz, and will include time for Q&A with Dr. Rosenberg.
📖 About the Book
Ayekha draws from Torah, the October 7 Hamas massacre, and today’s alarming rise in antisemitism. It challenges Jews and allies to confront hate with clarity, action, and moral responsibility. All book sales support the first Jewish day school in Victoria, BC, founded on October 7, 2024.
Copies are available on Amazon, and thanks to Dr. Cathy Moser, you can also pre-order directly (email: cathy.g.moser@gmail.com). Dr. Rosenberg will gladly autograph your copy after the event.
📅 Date: Sunday, September 14
🕖 Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Shared upon registration
👉 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/mv8tvwhv
📰 Dr. Rosenberg was recently featured in the Canadian Jewish News. You can read more here: CJN article
Don’t miss this inspiring and thought-provoking evening — one that speaks to our moment in history and to the responsibility each of us carries.

We are also invited to attend another timely and exciting event and hope you could join us.
The Druze of Syria and Israel: A New Chapter
Join us for a rare and intimate fireside chat with Carlos Matni and Adham Tayfour — both members of the Syrian Druze community now living in Manitoba.
🌿 Discover the untold struggles, resilience, and hopes of the Druze community in Sweida, Syria.
🤝 Learn how Israel is stepping in during a time of crisis.
🌍 Explore the possibilities for collaboration between the Druze and Jewish communities — a conversation of unity, survival, and shared future.
📅 Thursday, September 18
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 Location provided upon registration
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insight, ask questions, and be part of an important dialogue that bridges cultures and communities.
👉 Register now to reserve your spot:
https://shorturl.fm/SoWuv

Local News
Long-time Winnipeg doctor and Israeli colleague make medical app available to general public

By MYRON LOVE Seven years ago, Dr. Gerald Minuk, Canada’s first hepatologist (liver specialist), partnered with Israeli computer science student Daniel Iluz-Freundlich in founding Refuah Solutions Ltd (RSL). Their goal was to create an app – which they called PI-enroll (“PI” stands for “Principal Investigator”), which was designed to be used by clinical trial investigators that would save them time and effort so they could be more personally involved in seeing their trial patients.
Last month, they released their second app, this time for patients. The app, called Patient-empower, informs patients about clinical trials underway for their condition and helps them make an informed decision as to which trial best meets their specific needs and preferences.
“I was approaching retirement,” recalls Minuk, now Rady School of Medicine Professor Emeritus, who has been in practice in Winnipeg since 1987, and “I couldn’t see myself filling my days doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku. I wanted to be able to continue contributing to medical research and patient care.”
It just so happened that, at the time, Minuk was introduced to an Israeli student, Daniel Iluz-Freundlich, who had just finished studying Computer Sciences at the University of Winnipeg. (Minuk notes that Iluz-Freundlich – on graduating – received the Gold Medal in Computer Science.)
“Daniel is an exceptionally talented young man,” Minuk says. “So I tapped his computer programming skills to create our PI-enroll and subsequently, our Patient-empower apps.”
The friendship continued after Iluz-Freundlich returned to Israel in 2020 to begin medical school on a Phil and Elle Kives Scholarship, where he earned numerous honors. Iluz-Freundlich is currently an intensivist anesthesiologist at the Beilinson Hospital in Israel. Despite his new professional responsibilities, including caring for IDF forces wounded in Gaza– he has remained active with Refuah – as vice-president of the company.
Minuk adds that a dozen other senior professors of medicine also contributed to Refuah’s software design. “Together,” he reports, “the company represents 400+ years of clinical trial experience. That experience is being applied to identifying and addressing the major challenges investigators and patients face when conducting or participating in clinical trials.”`
He adds that Refuah Solutions has established a truly global network with company personnel in San Diego, São Paulo, Mexico City, London, Barcelona, Nairobi and Delhi thus far.
According to Minuk, the company has enjoyed worldwide success – with over 2,000 doctors in 40 countries and 50 drug companies signed on for the PI-enroll app. He attributes this success to the app’s impressive results. In a recent global clinical trial, Minuk reports, within 3-6 months of implementing PI-enroll, investigator personal involvement increased by 60% and with that, patient enrolment increased by 80%, patient drop-outs decreased by 50% and there were 20% fewer protocol deviations (mistakes made). In addition, 90% of PIs rated the App 8 out of 10 in terms of usefulness.
He adds that one site that had not enrolled any patients for 12 months, subsequently became the trial’s leading enrolment site.
Regarding the newly released Patient-empower app, Minuk notes that despite the many benefits patients derive from clinical trials including free and early access to new and often safer and more effective treatments, fewer than 10% of patients who would qualify for a clinical trial are ever invited to consider that option. “The problem,” he explains, “is that most Health Care Providers are either unaware of what clinical trials are underway in their area or if they are aware, don’t have the time to discuss the trials with their patients.”
Therefore, Minuk, Iluz-Freundlich and their team designed and recently released their second app – Patient-empower – which informs patients of what clinical trials are underway for their condition and empowers them to select the trial that prioritizes their needs over those of industry.
The platform, he explains, uses AI to generate concise, easy-to-understand summaries of clinical trials tailored to the patient’s location—city, state, country, or globally, depending on their preference. Each summary includes clear explanations of the patient eligibility criteria and key practical details, such as the likelihood of patients receiving a placebo, the number of required site visits, and other important practical considerations. It also suggests questions that patients should consider asking the investigator before they consent to enrolling. The trial information is presented in a shareable format to facilitate discussions with family, friends, and local healthcare providers—supporting both patient confidence and continuity of care.
Once a trial is selected, Minuk continues, Patient-empower provides the contact information for the trial investigator closest to the patient’s location, the trial’s sponsor and, where available, the world’s experts in the field.
The feature Minuk is most enthusiastic about is the “Recent Findings” page which keeps patients up to date on newly published clinical trial results and discoveries relevant to their condition.
“Patient-empower is available to patients from internet venues (App Store or Google Play) or through NFP organizations, associations, societies and patient support group web-sites,” he adds. “Although only recently released, we have already attracted interest from the American Diabetes Association, the Alzheimer’s Society of America, the Canadian Liver Foundation, Colorectal Cancer Canada, the American Myasthenia Gravis Society and many others.”
“Overall, Patient-empower informs patients, and more informed patients benefit everyone involved. After all, it’s the patient’s health; their voice should be heard,” Minuk concludes.