Local News
Lawyer Lawrence Pinsky has played a role in combating anti-Israel discrimination at U of M
By MYRON LOVE Lawrence Pinsky K.C. , the Progressive Conservative candidate in the recent Tuxedo by-election to fill the seat held by former Premier Heather Stefanson, says that when he was first approached to let his name stand, he initially demurred.
“I said that I would try to find someone else,” he says. “I approached five other potential candidates. All refused. Two cited concerns about anti-Semitism. So I said that I would run.”
But it is not only in politics that Pinsky has answered the call. In fact, the partner in the law firm, Taylor McCaffrey, has been answering the call to help students at the University of Manitoba who felt targeted for supporting Israel. For several months now Pinsky has been providing his legal services pro bono to Jewish students fighting discrimination at the University of Manitoba since shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
The son of the late Harry and Dvora Pinsky grew up in West Kildonan. He earned his LLB at the University of Manitoba and was called to the Bar in 1993. He became a partner at Taylor McCaffrey in 1998.
Over the past 30 years Pinsky has built a solid career as a leader in the area of Family Law. Among the high points of his career have been his role as co-founder, director and president of FAMLI (the Family Arbitration and Mediation Legal Institute). He was also a co-founder and co-chair of the National Family Law Arbitration Program – and he served ten years as a member of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission adjudication panel.
As with almost everyone else in our Jewish community, Puisky was appalled by the horrors of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7. “My wife Jennifer and I attended the community-wide rally in support of Israel shortly after,” says Pinsky, whose father was a Holocaust survivor. “What was happening on the streets of our cities was scary. I felt that I had to act.”
His first action was to go to Israel in November with Jennifer – under the auspices of Sar-El – and volunteer at the Tel Hashomer army base in the Tel Aviv area.
Upon his return home, he began working with Jewish students facing both physical assaults and discrimination at the U. of M.
“Several students reached out to me,” he says. “My colleagues and I began working with B’nai Brith and Hillel to try to help the students. We met with several students and professors and others in the community.”
One fact he learned, he says, is that there are about 3,000 Israelis living in Winnipeg. (Consulting Editor Bernie Bellan comments: That assertion is simply not borne out by a reference to the results of the 2021 Census. According to the census, only 1350 individuals in Winnipeg gave “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins in answer to the question: “What is your ethnic origin?” Furthermore, It was possible to give more than one answer to the question about ethnic origin on the census – and you were allowed to list up to six different ethnic origins, but if someone who had lived in Israel and was born in Russia or Ukraine or anywhere else for that matter didn’t give “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins, the figure of 3,000 Israelis living in Winnipeg is simply not supported by any evidence.
The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg had long been embellishing the number of Jews living in Winnipeg – with spokespersons such as former Federation President Gustavo Zentner claiming a figures as high as 17,000 Jews in Winnipeg at times in the past. In fact, after a thorough analysis of the 2021 Census, I found that, at an absolute maximum, there were no more than 14,270 Jews living in Winnipeg in 2021. And, that figure took into account a combination of individuals who said they were “Jewish” – either by ethnic origin or by religion. For instance, of the 10,700 individuals who gave Jewish as one of their ethnic origins, a full 1,245 said they were “Christian” by religion.
One other fascinating finding from the 2021 census was that, of the 1350 individuals who gave “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins, only 855 also said they were “Jewish” by religion! A full 385 of those individuals said they had no religion at all, while 105 said they were Christian by religion. Further, only 11,170 individuals in the census said they were “Jewish” by religion in Winnipeg. I’ve long argued that many people exaggerate the number of Jews, also the number of Israelis living in Winnipeg – without having any empirical evidence to support their claims. But, if it makes you feel better to say there are 17,000 Jews in Winnipeg and 3,000 Israelis, go ahead and trot out any figures you might like. Just don’t claim that those figure are supported by any evidence.)
Pinsky points out that discrimination against Zionist students and faculty by the University of Manitoba Student Union pre-dates October 7 by a number of years, but the situation has noticeably worsened over the past eight months. Among the incidents he cites have been anti-Semitic posters being put up at the Asper School of Business, a Jewish student being spat upon, sexually harassing insults being hurled at a Jewish female student, hostage posters being torn down, discriminatory differential standards at The Manitoban (the University of Manitoba Student Union newspaper) being applied against Jewish Zionist students, the refusal or failure of the editor of The Manitoban to publish articles supporting Israel despite being provided articles and requests to do so, and the suspension on February 28 by UMSU of Students Supporting Israel because of a comment made by Bassam Eid, a Palestinian Muslim human rights campaigner who spoke at the university under the auspices of SSI and others.
Eid’s “offensive” statement (according to one Muslim student who made the complaint that got SSI suspended) was in response to a question from the audience. Eid said that “the major problem here, I call it the ideology of the Muslims. When it comes to ideology the Muslims are blind”.
Notes Pinsky, who also helped SSI get reinstated (on March 27), the SSI should never have been held responsible for Eid’s comment. “The suspension was in violation of UMSU’s own guidelines,” he says. “In addition, Mr. Eid made the comment in response to a question. The SSI organizers had no possible way of knowing or foreseeing Eid’s answer.”
The most recent disturbing situation on campus was sparked by an emergency session of the UMSU board to consider a motion that would have approved a new definition of anti-Palestinian racism – as defined by the Canadian Arab Lawyers Association – which appears to contradict existing UMSU policy, and which would essentially ban any criticism or disagreement of the official Palestinian narrative. Pinsky alleges that the student union proceeded in a manner that is contrary to existing UMSU bylaws.
“This is utter nonsense,” he states. “It is an attempt to rewrite history and a violation of freedom of speech. This is obscene.”
On April 5, Pinsky and his colleagues filed on behalf of his clients – a group of Jewish students at the University of Manitoba – a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission against the University of Manitoba Student Union (UMSU), the Manitoban, and other named individuals.
Whereas Jewish Zionist students and faculty at other universities in Canada and the United States beleaguered by systemic anti-Semitism have gone to court to seek redress, Pinsky explains that the University of Manitoba students sought intervention by the Manitoban Human Rights Commission instead because the MHRC writ is broader in this province.
“The recent actions of UMSU, The Manitoban and named respondents in regard to Jewish students and their supporters is unacceptable,” Pinsky states. “They are a violation of the Human Rights Code, according to the complaint that was initiated. UMSU, The Manitoban and the other named respondents would seem to have certain requirements that are applied only for Jewish Zionist students, restricting them in a way that would be unacceptable for any other groups . My clients are fighting to make sure that the UMSU, The Manitoban and the University generally becomes an environment where all students are treated equally and in a manner free of discrimination. Sadly, we have a long way to go.”
The vote on the UMSU motion was initially put off for two weeks to give both advocates and opponents more time to make their case and, shortly after the MHRC filing, was shelved indefinitely.
While he concedes that it could take several years before the MHRC puts out its report and recommendations on the matter, he is hopeful that he, his colleagues, and his clients will be able to work with UMSU, and the other respondents to find a positive way forward.
“I remain optimistic,” he says.
He adds that this case is important not only for the Zionist students on campus. In principle, any group could be similarly marginalized against,” he says. “I stand against all forms of discrimination.”
As to the situation at the many others campuses across Canada and the U.S. being consumed by anti-Israel hate and anti-Semitism, Pinsky comments that “The bottom line is that it is up to all universities administrations and student unions and all of their mechanisms and outlets to take the lead in acting strongly against hate before things escalate to the level that is roiling campuses such as Columbia, Harvard and McGill.
”To the extent that they fail to do so, governments should be enforcing or passing appropriate legislation to ensure a safe environment for all students without exception for hate targeted at Jewish students who happen to abide by the creed that the oldest still existent indigenous people of that land, have a right to the autonomy of a state there.”
Local News
Jewish Child and Family Service helped over 1800 families in 2025
By BERNIE BELLAN Jewish Child and Family Service will be entering the 75th year of its existence in 2027.
With a budget over $4,300,000, JCFS is also the largest beneficiary of funding from the Jewish Federation of the 12 Winnipeg Jewish community agencies that are beneficiaries of the Federation. (To see a list of the 12 agencies go to Funding for Beneficiary Agencies.)
Its impact has grown over the years as JCFS has expanded its horizon, continually adding to the many services it provides. During the JCFS’s Annual General Meeting, held in the Seniors’ Lounge of the Asper Campus on Tuesday evening, June 23, the important role that JCFS plays in the lives of so many members of the Jewish community – also a significant number of non-Jews as well, various speakers cited the many ways in which JCFS has continued to have such a huge impact.
With total revenues of $4,325,160 in fiscal year 2025 (which ended March 31, 2026), but slightly fewer expenses, JCFS not only delivered a wide gamut of services, it managed to deliver those services without incurring a deficit in 2025, despite some significant financial challenges.
As outgoing Board Chair Elana Grinshteyn observed, JCFS had to navigate some major reductions in funding, including a cut in funding from the federal government to the tune of $100,000, plus the loss of funding from the Claims Conference, which had provided support for Holocaust survivors.
Yet, despite those setbacks in funding, Grinshtein reported, “Together, we insured that services remained intact.
“We increased access to interest free loans,” she noted, “doubling” the amount that had been allocated in 2024.
And, amidst the ever-increasing demand for services, “JCFS has continued to navigate space limitations,” Grinshteyn noted. (I should note that as far back as 2019 I reported in an interview I had conducted with JCFS CEO Al Benarroch about the JCFS’s dire need for more space. Here is an excerpt from what Benarroch had to say about the JCFS’s need for more room back in 2019: “…we’ve been looking for roughly 3,000 more square feet of space. We have a footprint right now of roughly 5,000 square feet for over 40 staff. We’ve given up a board room here. It’s been taken over by older adult service staff. We have a conference room which is adjacent to the board room; we’ve moved two staff in there.
“Yesterday I gave up my office for the entire morning so that staff could interview clients.
“We need to relieve the pressure we’re facing right now – yet alone plan for expanding and growing.
“Whatever space we’d be looking at would be temporary. It’s now 22 years that we’ve been in this facility. The campus has taken over squash courts, it’s taken over a museum – internally, to accommodate the growth in services. Maybe it’s time now to look at growing outside this building…”
As the saying goes: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (That’s me, trying to impress.)
While I tried to take notes during Al Benarroch’s CEO report, I realized following his remarks that there was so much important information conveyed, also a slew of statistics, that it might be more helpful to reprint a good portion of what he said verbatim, so I asked Al to send me a copy of his remarks. (That’s one of the nice things about writing on a website. There’s an infinite amount of room to print the kind of stuff that nerds like me pretend to read.)
During his CEO’s report, Benarroch enumerated the many challenges JCFS encountered in 2025.
Among those challenges, Benarroch noted, were:
• The rising and high cost of living
• Food insecurity
• Housing issues
• Our aging population demographics
• The complex needs of our newcomer families
• The increasingly complex needs in mental health & youth mental health
Yet, despite all those challenges, Benarroch said, “As always… we rose to meet those head on, and with the support of our community.”
In particular, Benarroch cited the support of the Jewish Federation, which contributed $948,800 to JCFS in 2025. (The largest portion of JCFS funding, by the way came from the Province: over $1,100,000.)
Fundraising also played a significant role in contributing to JCFS revenues, with almost $700,000 raised through that route, including direct donations of over $320,000 and bequests over $40,000.
As Benarroch noted, “Every year, we look forward with hope that it will be a quiet year.
“Well, if that’s the case, we are in the wrong business.
“We happen to be in the reflect, respond and pivot business.
“This is the nature of the human existence.”
Benarroch went on to add some more statistics about how JCFS played such a pivotal role in the lives of so many people. In 2025 JCFS:
• Served 1,800 client households – impacting almost 5,000 people.
• Assisted 15 foster children.
• Served 70 families in Child Welfare….
“But what is even more important is that we assisted 90 children that remained at home with their families,” Benarroch said.
The year 2025 also saw the inauguration of what is known as the “Asper Empowerment Program”, through which:
• 311 clients were assisted (including Passover Assistance)
• $80,000 was disbursed in financial assistance
• Over $20,000 was given out in interest-free loans.
• 6,500 kg of food were disbursed
In the area of mental health and counselling services, Benarroch noted that JCFS:
• Supported over 50 adults with mental health challenges
• Our Friday Mental Health Wellness Group participants took part in 22 group activities or outings
• We support some 20 individuals and families impacted by addictions through individual and group services.
• We delivered almost 1,100 counselling sessions, over half of which were subsidized on our sliding scale.
• We continued to support individuals, families, and partner Jewish organizations with the ongoing emotional impacts of the war in Israel and high levels of global antisemitism.
In the area of support for older adults, JCFS served over 250 seniors including:
• 70 newcomer seniors
• 50 seniors living with mental health differences
• 65 Holocaust Survivors (including celebrating “25 years of our Holocaust Survivor Drop-in Group, a partnership with the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.”)
In the area of settlement services, JCFS:
• Welcomed almost 80 new families
• Almost 50 families from Israel, seeking reprieve from the ongoing stresses and pressures of the war.
Benarroch noted that “These families are dealing with the deep trauma of displacement, having lived under constant stress, fear and the ensuing post-traumatic impact, family and parenting challenges as a result, emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and more.
“Thanks to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, we hired a trained specialized support worker, with a background in therapy, to help these families cope, adjust, and receive much needed emotional supports.”
Benarroch went on to describe many more initiatives in which JCFS was engaged in 2025, but I want to return to the retirement of Elena Grinshteyn from the Board of JCFS after nine years serving on the Board, including the last two as Chair. Grinshteyn will be succeed by Bradley Abells, who has been on the Board since 2021. In his remarks, Abells noted that he is an actuary at Canada Life and that he first joined the Board when his particular expertise as an actuary proved extremely helpful in helping to solve a problem that had arisen, and he found the experience so rewarding he decided to remain on the Board ever since .
Also on the Board is Michael Schacter, who is returning as Treasurer and who looks the way you’d expect a finance guy to look.
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Local News
Jewish Foundation’s asset base surpasses $200 million for first time
By BERNIE BELLAN The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba continues to show stellar growth – having achieved total assets over $200 million in the 2025 fiscal year (a 7.4% increase from the 2024 fiscal year), also having distributed $8.2 million in grants during the year.
Those were among the highlights reported at the JFM’s Annual General Meeting, held Wednesday evening July 18, in the multipurpose room of the Asper Campus.
JFM CEO John Diamond noted that one of the most successful aspects of the year just past was the launch of what is known as “Fund Match II” which, he explained, is “building on the success of the original FundMatch project introduced in 2012.”
Under the terms of the new Fund Match program 18 initial organizations that created endowments with a combined value of $689,388 at the JFM benefitted from matching funds of $178,000 that were added to those endowments, with an additional four other organizations having joined in the program during the course of the year.
Other highlights (which can all be perused in the JFM’s annual report, available simply by going to the JFM website) include the JFM having “awarded 72 scholarships and academic awards totalling $230,759.”
JFM Board treasurer Bruce Caplan also spoke of some other notable achievements of the JFM in 2025, including a 12.64% return on investments and $4.27 million in new contributions.
The AGM also saw a number of changes to the composition of the board. Most notable among them is the retirement of Dan Blankstein as Board Chair – after having served two two-year terms, to be succeeded by Dafna Shore.
Also, the current longest-serving member of the board, Bonnie Cham, is retiring from the board after having served on it for 13 years, including three terms as Chair.
One other significant retirement announced at the AGM was that of Chief Financial Officer Ian Barnes – who will be retiring in December after 26 years as CFO During his remarks to the audience Barnes noted that “When I arrived at the Foundation, the assets were $29 million.” As noted, that figure has now grown to $200 million.
He also noted that “Since the Foundation was established in 1964, total grants and
distributions are $113.6 million.”
Barnes paid tribute to the three Chief Executive Officers with whom he worked: David Cohen, Marsha Cowan, and John Diamond. With regard to Marsha Cowan, Barnes said that “Marsha taught me about business – and how to dress!” (Barnes will be succeeded as CFO by Lynda Joyal.)
One of the annual customs of the JFM AGM is to thank the JFM staff – and to announce how many years each staff member has served at the JFM. While there are a number of individuals who have been with the JFM for a fairly long time, no one comes close to Patti Boorman, Director of Administration, who has been with the JFM for 37 years.
Among the largest new grants given by the JFM in 2025 were: a grant of $122,000 to the Asper Jewish Community Campus, Gray Academy of Jewish Education and Rady JCC to support the construction of a “new accessible outdoor play structure, ensuring safe, inclusive play for children and families; a grant of $150,000 to the Simkin Centre for the hiring a Volunteer Engagement Specialist – a three-year project to modernize volunteer programs and enhance resident, family, and intergenerational involvement.
Among the leading recipients of distributions from donor-recommend endowment funds – all of which had received grants in the past were:
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada $149,618
Rady JCC 154,746
Gray Academy 168,535
Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University 163,488
Jewish Child & Family Service 447,471
Simkin Centre 858,654
Asper Campus 431,099
Combined Jewish Appeal 907,688
Jewish Federation of Winnipeg 531,076
Note: A number of the above organizations also received community impact grants – which are one-time grants given for special purposes.
