Local News
Limmud preview: Famous novelist Naomi Ragen to discuss situation of Haredi Orthodox women
By BERNIE BELLAN The following information is taken from Naomi Ragen’s website: “Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist, playwright and journalist who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She has published eleven internationally best-selling novels, and is the author of a hit play, ‘Women’s Minyan’, that has been performed more than 500 times in Israel’s National Theatre as well as in the United States and Argentine.
“Naomi has written for the Jerusalem Post and other publications in Israel and abroad, as well as to her blog list, about Israel and Jewish issues.”
The Wikipedia article about Naomi Ragen notes that “A recurring theme in her fictional works is injustice against women in the Haredi Jewish community.”
(The Wikipedia article also mentions that Naomi has been sued a number of times for plagiarism.)
Recently I contacted Naomi via email, which is how she had indicated to me she preferred to communicate.
Following is a series of questions I posed to Naomi, with the answer she gave tomy questions:
JP&N: Hi Naomi,
I see you’re going to be talking about your latest novel (“An Observant Wife”) in your Limmud presentation. I’ve only read one of your books previously: “The Devil in Jerusalem”, which was the subject of a book club discussion several years ago in a club which I had started at our Jewish Community Centre.
I was floored by that book. I realize it was extremely controversial, so I’d like to ask you one question about that book:
What has been the long-term reaction to your writing such a scathing exposé about a Haredi rabbi?
Naomi Ragen: Thanks for writing. I hope you get a chance to read the book (“The Observant Wife”), which I think is special for a number of reasons. It’s my first and only sequel. And it’s probably my last book on haredim, in which I sum up thirty years of knowledge, interaction, and understanding.
I wrote The Devil in Jerusalem as a public service – believe it or not. A very, very difficult book to write, the subject matter was horrendous. Many people have reviewed the book, saying it was difficult to read, but important. I can’t tell in the short term if it’s made people more wary of wonder rabbis, but more and more we are getting people who are speaking out about rabbinical abuse, so perhaps there’s a trend here which I’m happy to be a part of.
JP&N: Now, turning to your most recent book, “An Observant Wife”, I just read the lengthy review on bookreporter.com, so here are my questions:
What led you to wanting to write a sequel to “An Unorthodox Match”?
NR: This is the first time in my career that I really didn’t want to part with my characters from a previous book, An Unorthodox Match. First of all, when you end a book, you leave your characters to live on in your reader’s imaginations. I felt highly protective towards the characters in this book, the newly engaged mixed couple Leah and Yaakov, the young girl Shaindele undergoing such hardships, the children orphaned of their mother Chasya and Mordechai Shalom. I wanted to take their futures home with me and raise them myself.
Also, I think of all my characters Lola/Leah is very close to my own life, and I’d never really explored Chozrim beteshuva in my books, so I was eager to keep exploring her character.
JP&N: From what Pamela Kramer writes about “An Observant Wife” in her review, it seems that a recurrent theme in this book and your others is that the ultra Orthodox are no different in most respects than any other human beings in terms of their needs. What I often wonder though is whether the kind of repression that I associate with ultra Orthodox life masks greater psychological problems among ultra Orthodox Jews than non ultra Orthodox?
NR: From my personal experience, it all depends on the sect. I view modern Orthodox as pretty much the same as secular society when it comes to repression. After all, no one does exactly what they feel like doing because of the consequences. Chassidic sects are something else. In my opinion they are pretty much all cults and yes the repression can be psychologically damaging as it is in any cult.
JP&N: The notion of someone from a non-observant background, such as Leah in this novel, adopting fully the role of an ultra Orthodox wife is something that I’ve seen over and over again in real life, including in my own family.
Invariably these women become “holier than thou”. Do you think there’s a common thread that runs through women who come from non-observant backgrounds and become ultra Orthodox?
NR: As you’ll see when you get into An Observant Wife, the newly Orthodox are usually looked down upon by those born into the tradition who consider themselves holier than though. The newly religious are always apologizing for the things they don’t know. But if you are referring to the need of people who become religious to clash with people living their former lifestyle, I would say that holds true of anyone who becomes a true believer, whether religious or vegetarians, or people who give up gluten. I think whenever you take restrictions upon yourself, you feel the need to justify it and reject everyone else, just to reassure yourself you are doing the right thing, especially when it gets hard.
JP&N: Are you going to be talking only about your new book in your presentation?
NR: Actually, I’ll be discussing a whole range of subjects including how difficult it has been to have started the whole genre of books about the ultra Orthodox. I was considered a whistle blower, and still am.
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
