Local News
Michael Eskin, Ava Kobrinsky among newest inductees into Order of Manitoba
By MYRON LOVE Somewhere in the back of my mind, I dimly recall the maxim that it is preferable to be one who honours chase rather than he – or she – who chases after honours. The former is an apt description of both Michael Eskin and Ava Kobrinsky, two of the 2021 class of inductees into the Order of Manitoba.
Although Kobrinsky and Eskin hail from two quite different fields of endeavour – Eskin being a man of science (although he is also a long time chazan and musician with several CDs to his credit) and Kobrinsky’s contributions are in the field of performing arts, both share a sense of humility and thankfulness.
“I am pretty amazed to be so honoured,” says Kobrinsky of the Order of Manitoba induction. “I saw the list of the other folks appointed to the Order of Manitoba and each one has an impressive record.”
Earlier this year, Kobrinsky was also recognized at the annual Canadian Folk Music Awards with the Slaight Music Unsung Hero Award for her lifelong behind-the-scenes involvement in Canadian folk music and the careers of Canadian folk music artists.
Kobrinsky’s career in the promotion of Canadian folk music began through her relationship with the late Mitch Podolak, whom she married at the relatively young age of 22. Where Podolak was considered the “father” of Winnipeg’s folk music scene, Kobrinsky has to be considered the mother.
As she recalls, in the mid-1960s Podolak was working for CBC Radio. Podolak proposed the creation of what was to become the annual Winnipeg Folk Festival (which has had to go on hiatus for the second year in a row due to Covid) as a Manitoba Centennial project.
“Through his connections at CBC, Kobrinsky recalls, Podolak was able to gain the support of the broadcaster, and the Folk Festival was one of the few Centennial project that lived on after 1970.
At university, Kobrinsky says, she studied literature, poetry and theatre. Working with Podolak, she found herself becoming a bookkeeper, fundraiser, financial manager and writer of grant applications.
“I learned as I went along,” she says. “I just seemed to go from one project to another, all of them related to the performing arts.”
Among the organizations to which she has contributed her expertise have been the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre and Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers. Her most recent and current enterprise is “Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous” which brings individual musicians into people’s homes. She and Podolak founded “Home Routes” in 2007.
“We were inspired by the example of Pete Seeger,” she recalls. “When he was not able to book formal concerts because of his Communist beliefs, he turned to giving private performances.
“We started in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta,” she recalls. “We were able to recruit volunteers in 12 communities that were in the same region to open their homes to concerts by travelling artists.”
Today, “Home Routes”, which is now led by Ava and Mitch’s son, Leonard, operates across Canada with almost 200 volunteer who each host six shows a year in houses and small halls in their communities.
Due to Covid, Kobrinsky notes, “Home Routes” pivoted to performances being streamed online. Some of the performances are free to sign onto, she points out, while for others, you will need to buy tickets.
Kobrinsky says that despite her many years doing what she has been doing, she is still learning new skills – most recently to do with online production.
“I am not sure if I will ever retire,” she says.
She is looking forward to post-Covid when normal activities can resume – as are we all.
Michael Eskin, who is nearing his 80th birthday, is still going strong.
The press release from the Lieutenat-Governor’s office announcing the new group of Order of Manitoba inductees noted that Eskin is “a global leader in canola research and one of the world’s leading food science writers. He earned the Order of Canada in 2016 for his work on the physicochemical and functional properties of canola oil that is key to the success of the Canadian canola oil industry. His work changed the agricultural landscape in Manitoba and Canada, making canola oil the third-largest major oilseed crop in the world.”
“It is quite an honour,” Eskin says of being named to the Order of Canada.
In recent years, Eskin has also been recognized with industry awards such as the AOCS (American Oil Chemists Society) Timothy L. Mounts Award (2007), AOCS Alton Bailey Award (2013) and AOCS Herbert J. Dutton Award (2017).
The much-honoured professor in the faculty of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba Department- and a beloved chazan in our community – continues to teach online classes with over 200 students, write and compose and record songs and videos related to Torah and his academic research. Most recently, he wrote a song honoring the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of insulin in Canada, which was recorded and edited by the American Oil Chemists`Society and which was included in their Virtual Annual Meeting held in May.
“As it happens, when I received the call about the Order of Manitoba, from (the honourable) Janice Filmon, she also asked me whether I had done any new raps,” he notes. “She had worked with me on the 100th Anniversary of the Faculty of Human Ecology and was very familiar with my videos.
“I sent her the video on the discovery of insulin.”
The video has already received many positive responses, he adds. (You can watch it at https://youtu.be/4lwyW4WA6C8.
It was also broadcast on CBC at the following link:
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-29-information-radio-mb/clip/15841830-if-hum-it…you-remember-it-an-80-year-old-u
Local News
The Jewish Post Ltd. launches new website for food lovers
By BERNIE BELLAN Three months ago I wrote a story about something my daughter, Shira, had started doing on social media that had proved to be wildly successful – much to her own surprise. That story was titled: Local foodie finds fame by trying foods on Facebook Marketplace
What Shira was doing was going on to Facebook Marketplace and trying different foods that she was able to buy from local vendors. She often didn’t know what the heck it was she was ordering, but each time she would get a new food she would film herself reacting to that food.
The results have been consistently entertaining – often hilarious, to the point where Shira now has over 10,300 followers on Instagram, as well as on Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube. (You can find her Instagram page at Winnipeg Marketplace Food Finds.)
I suggested to Shira that she ought to parlay the success she’s found by posting on social media into a further venture: creating a website that would give wider exposure to the food vendors whose food Shira liked the most.
As a result, Shira and I teamed up with the marvellous web designer whose name is Mario Lacunza who is responsible for the design of jewishpostandnews.ca -to create a brand new website called Winnipeg Marketplace Food Finds.
On that website you will find pictures of some of the most popular foods Shira has tried from Marketplace, along with links to the original Instagram posts where she reviewed those foods – and links that will take you directly to the vendors’ Facebook pages.
There are so many brilliantly creative people selling food on Marketplace and Shira’s social media posts have brought many of them a lot of new business. Our hope is that our new website will bring them even more business.
The website will also offer stories about food from a variety of sources. So, take a look at the new site and be amazed at the originality of the foods being produced on Facebook Marketplace.
Local News
UNVEILING for the headstone of Dr. Velimir Kon (Sept. 18, 1950-June 27, 2025)
A true mensch and person of many talents and profoundness, Dr. Velimir (Shlomo) Kon is deeply missed and loved by his family and friends.
Known for his warmth, kindness, integrity and love of learning and teaching, Velimir continues to inspire all who knew him and his memory warms our hearts and souls. Velimir is deeply missed.
You are invited to helps us remember and honour our beloved husband and father who passed away almost a year ago.
We, Branka, Deborah and Lea Kon, wish to inform our relatives and friends of the unveiling of a headstone dedicated to his loving memory on FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2026 at 11:00am at the HEBREW SICK CEMETERY (2605 McPhillips Street) followed by lunch at the Chabad Lubavitch of Winnipeg – Jewish Learning Centre (1845 Mathers Avenue). Please come say a l’chaim in his honour.
In Memoriam
1st Yahrzeit
In loving memory of Dr. Velimir (Shlomo) Kon who passed away June 27, 2025, 12 Days in Tammuz.
⁃ Forever and deeply loved and missed by his wife of over 50 years, Branka, and daughters Deborah and Lea Kon. Velimir brought joy to our lives with his boundless kindness and gentleness, irrepressible humour, great intellect and love of people, tikun olam and Judaism.
Not a day goes by that we do not mention Velimir and feel his presence with us. Our lives are not the same without him and we deeply miss and cherish him. We can never forget his presence that was larger than life, yet also his humility and thoughtfulness.
A gentleman to the very core, Velimir was respected as a scientist, academic, professor, researcher, and later as a teacher and mentor. He always endeavoured to make every place he worked and lived at better and was able to bridge many cultures. He was Abraham of his generation and made many personal sacrifices; giving up status, position and privilege in order for his family to have a better and peaceful future.
May his memory always be a blessing. He left us at only 74 years young and we wish we had had more time together. Indeed, to know him was to love him.
Local News
Younger Jewish talents continue to shine in their respective categories at annual Winnipeg Music Festival
By MYRON LOVE A number of younger members of our community were repeat stars at the most recent (108th annual) Winnipeg Music Festival – which takes place annually in March. Among the repeat Jewish singers and musicians in the ranks of high achievers this year were” Yale Rayburn-Vander Hout, Gregory Hyman, Alex Schaeffer, Juliet Eskin, Noah Kravetsky, and Lyla Chisick.
Vocalist Yale Rayburn-Vander Hout, the oldest of this year’s group of Jewish repeat winners, was competing in his fifth straight festival, where he continued to build on his accomplishments in previous festivals. This year, the 20-year-old son of Samantha and Peter finished first in two musical theatre categories – songs from musical theatre productions between 1965 and 1999, and shows from the past 26 years. Yale sang “I’m Allergic to Cats,” from the 2016 musical “The Theory of Relativity,” and “Suppertime,” from the 1967 musical, “You’re a Good man, Charlie Brown.”
The former Gray Academy student is currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music in the Choral program. Yale says that he is hoping to get into the performance track in the fall with the goal of earning a degree in Classical Voice Performance en route to pursuing a career in musical theatre.
As reported previously, Gregory Hyman is a multi-faceted artist who can do it all. The 18-year-old son of Hartley and Rishona Hyman is a singer/songwriter/musician (guitar) who records and performs under the stage name, GMH. His versatility shone through once again in his eighth Music Festival, in which he registered first-place finishes for vocal performances in both “Popular and Contemporary Music” and “TV and Movie Music “categories.
Gregory notes that he was also recommended to compete in the provincial finals in June. The St. John’s-Ravenscourt student (and soon-to be) graduate continues to be busy on stage. In January, he headlined a sold out solo show at Sidestage on Osborne featuring some of his new material. In March, he released an album of his newest songs. Readers can check out his latest compositions on any of the music streaming platforms as well as his own social media (thegmh) on Instagram.
Gregory also continues to host his own podcast: “Talk and Rock with GMH – now in its fifth season – in which he interviews various people in the music business across Canada.
While Gregory says that a musical career is his “dream,” he reports that he is hedging his bets and considering different potential career opportunities. Come September, he will be enrolled at the University of Manitoba in a University One program, which will allow him to select from a variety of courses that can count toward a degree.
Sixteen-year-old Alex Schaeffer won first place this year in the “Musicals Prior to 1965, 16 Years and Under” category with “Try Me” from “She Loves Me,” and was runner-up in the “Musicals 1965 to 1999, 16 Years and Under” category with “On My Own,” from “Les Misérables.” For the son of Marc Schaeffer and Kae Sasaki, this was his fifth year competing in the festival.
The Grant Park High School student made his big stage debut three years ago as Kurt von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” followed by playing Michael Hobbs in “Elf the Musical” this past winter at the Royal MTC.
Alex recently performed in Grant Park High School’s production of “Something Rotten!” This summer Schaeffer can be seen again at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, where he will be appearing in a production staged by Rem Lezar Theatre.
Rounding out the voice winners is Lyla Chisick. The daughter of Daniel and Baillee was competing in her second music festival. This year, she scored Gold performances in the “Vocal Solo,” “Manitoba Composers,” and “TV/Movie Musical, 12 and under” categories.
Lyla reports that she began taking voice lessons from Jessica Kos-Whicher three years ago. She says she regularly takes part in the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue Family Service and has sung at several community events. Lyla adds that she is already looking forward to next year’s music festival.
Nate Kravetsky and Juliet Eskin competed in the festival as musicians rather than singers. Juliet, 16, plays the viola, and is also is the violist in the Assiniboine String Quartet. In this, her fifth go-round at the festival, Juliet, the daughter of the musically talented Kelly Robinon and Josh Eskin, had first place finishes in the “Viola Solo, level 8,” “Baroque or Classical Concerto,” and “Romantic Composers” categories.
Juliet originally took up the violin – adding the viola a couple of years after. She also just finished performing in the Grant Park High School production of “Something Rotten!”
Nate Kravetsky is currently in Grade 5 level piano. He studies with Erica Schultz and has been taking lessons from her since age 5.
Nate competed in three categories at the Winnipeg music festival: “Baroque,” “Sonata,” and “Contemporary/own choice.”
His own choice selection was the theme from his favourite video game, “Hollow Knight.”
Nate, who is in Grade 7 at Gray Academy, is also preoccupied preparing for his upcoming bar mitzvah.
We look forward to the continued musical success off Yale, Gregory, Alex, Nate, Juliet and Lyla, and what new talent may be unveiled at next year’s Winnipeg Music festival.
.