Local News
Michael Paterson and Gail Asper talk about their lives and why they’ve given their support to this year’s JNF Negev Gala
By BERNIE BELLAN On June 2 the Jewish National Fund will be honouring Gail Asper and Dr. Michael Paterson, a couple that has long been associated with many aspects of the Jewish community, whether it’s been Gail’s storied philanthropic endeavours or Michael’s years of service on the board of Jewish Child & Family Service.
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Michael and Gail via Zoom. Gail was a little bit late joining in, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to ask Michael to give me an update as to what his sons, Stephen and Jonathan, are doing these days, and to ask Michael about his own activities in the scientific realm, which has been his lifelong passion.
“Jonathan is now a lawyer,” (with Duboff Edwards Schachter) “and Stephen is pursuing his PhD at St. Mary’s University in Halifax,” Michael said.
“He’s studying invasive species,” Michael added. “He’s studying earthworms.”
Now, while I would hardly have thought earthworms would be considered an “invasive species” per se, Michael explained that “they all come from Europe.”
“Really?” I asked. (You never know what you’re going to learn when you set about to interview someone without any pre-conceived questions.)
“Yah, pretty much,” Michael added. “There are a few native earthworms that are primarily in the Yukon, which is where he’s heading this summer.”
Later in the interview, I had the chance to ask Gail about her own attitude to Stephen’s area of study. I don’t think it would surprise you to learn that she’s not a real earthworm aficionado.
“I hate earthworms!” she offered by way of answering how she feels about Stephen’s chosen area of study.
“We have this Covid dog,” she continued. “And every night we take him out for a walk and I’m seeing foxes and coyotes, deer and raccoons – and huge owls. Lately the sidewalk has been littered with disgusting, fat earthworms. It’s so disgusting.”
But, I added, “I didn’t know they immigrated here from Europe. That’s so interesting” – to which Gail added this rejoinder: “And no good can come of it! They should go back where they came from!”
As for Michael’s own particular area of interest, I asked him whether he’s still involved in the study of freshwater lakes. He said he is, with the “experimental lakes area” in “Northwestern Ontario, where we basically study the effect of human activities on water quality.”
The experimental lakes area encompasses 58 different lakes in a part of Ontario which has remained largely untouched by human habitation and which offers an excellent area in which scientists can study the effects that introducing various elements have on otherwise pristine bodies of water.
The experimental lakes project, however, was in danger of being shut down completely as recently as 2012, Michael explained.
At that point Gail joined in the discussion and noted that Michael played a pivotal role in keeping the project alive. It is now under the auspices of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, which is a private institute (that receives funding from the federal government as well as a number of private sector sources). The experimental lakes project also receives funding from the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.
The fact that Michael Paterson is a scientist who is deeply concerned with the effects that humans have on freshwater lakes is significant in understanding the particular project that he and Gail have now involved themselves with through the JNF. (More about that later.)
I said to Gail that there was an interesting synchronicity in my talking to her prior to our next issue’s being published, as I told her I was also going to be doing a story about Aharon Harlap, the famous music composer, who just happens to be a cousin of Gail’s (once removed; he was actually a first cousin to her father).
Turning to the upcoming gala, which will be viewed virtually once again (as was last year’s gala, in which Ted and Harriet Lyons were honoured), I told Gail and Michael that I already had a heads up about what will be featured in the gala. (Keith Levit had spilled the beans to me.)
I said that I was told that this gala was a major production that will include some fabulous musical numbers.
“Yup, that’s all we know,” Gail noted. “We don’t know what they’re doing.”
“You don’t?” I asked in astonishment.
“No,” she said. “Big surprise.”
“Because I do,” I said. “But I’m not going to tell you.”
“Don’t tell us anything,” Gail insisted. “We heard a snippet when we were there for our taping, but we closed the door because we didn’t want to hear anything. So we’re going to be sitting on June 2nd with our little box of hummus and cookies or whatever they (the JNF) give you, and it’ll all be new for us.”
With that as preamble to the edgy interview that I had really wanted to conduct, I launched into what I thought would be a really tough question: “You must be a really hard ‘get’,” I suggested. “How many times have you been asked to be the honourees for the JNF Gala in the past?”
“We actually have not been asked,” Gail answered. “I mean our family was honoured a few years ago. The Asper Foundation and my family were honoured, so we were up on stage a few years ago. So, this was the first official ask for us. I didn’t think we needed to be asked because the Foundation has been recognized – and we’re part of that. But, it was with a lot of trepidation (that we accepted) because along with the honour comes a lot of responsibility.
“I happen to be very fond of the work the Jewish National Fund does,” Gail continued, “and the project this year – the Climate Solutions Prize, is also meaningful, so we felt it was appropriate to accept this wonderful honour.”
I turned to Michael to ask him about his own involvement in fund raising for the Jewish community. I noted that I had received a phone call from him back in the fall when he was phone soliciting for the Jewish Child & Family Service. I wondered whether that was something he’s been doing on a regular basis, i.e., phone soliciting for different organizations?
“Oh yah,” he answered. “Frankly, I don’t know why I’m being honoured. I am involved with a bunch of organizations. I sat on the board of Jewish Child & Family Service, on and off, for over 20 years, and I was the chair of the board many years ago,” to which Gail added, “and he was the first non-Jewish chair of the board, for which he received a Shem Tov Award.”
Of course, Gail being Gail, she had to add: “He received the Shem Tov Award for being the only chair who started and ended the meetings on time. He was so beloved!”
Michael also observed that, in addition to being on the JCFS board for many years, “I was also on the (Jewish) Federation board. I’ve been on the Federation Allocations Committee in the past, I’ve been on the (Jewish) Foundation’s Allocations Committee.” In addition to those Jewish organizations, Michael noted that “another organization I’ve been very involved with has been the Nature Conservancy of Canada. I’ve been on the regional board and the national board, on and off, since 2000. I’m currently the regional co-chair and I have been the chair in the past.”
He added that he’s also been involved with the Public Interest Legal Centre “on their board.”
I said that I wanted to take a step back and ask how Gail and Michael had met? (I had remembered reading that they had met at university, but I had the wrong university in mind when I asked whether they met in Halifax?)
“We met at the Elizabeth Dafoe Library,” Gail corrected me. “We both worked part time there. It was 1979. I was in Arts and Mike was in Science.”
I asked whether they met in the stacks?
“That would be a good story,” Gail retorted: “Love among the stacks. No, I was actually in ‘circulation’,” (to which I had to comment: “What a great double entendre”), “but every time Mike from ‘reserve’ would walk by, all my friends would look at cute ‘Mike from reserve’ as he bounded by to his little reserve area, and Thursday nights, for 20 minutes, we had our break together in the cafeteria. I got to know him, he got to know me, I would give him rides home; I really liked him so I asked him out on a date in March of the following year (1980). I asked him out to a Jets game in March – and it was a very wonderful night, but like, nothing happened, so I thought, ‘Okay, I guess we’re just going to be friends’ and I was going off to Europe with Jonathan Kroft – my dear friend – just a platonic friend, and I went to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and there’s a song: ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’ so I stood on the edge of the Trevi Fountain, and I sang that song, and I wished for true love with Michael James Paterson – threw my coin in the fountain, and the next day I went to American Express to pick up my mail, and there was a letter responding to a letter I had written to Mike where I expressed my affection for him and wondered what was wrong with him to not feel the same way about me – and he wrote back, saying ‘I thought anyone traveling in Europe with a guy is otherwise engaged – and, if you’re not, let’s get together’,” and so, when Gail did get back they did get together and, as she noted: “We’ve been together ever since.”
“We got married in June of ’84,” Gail noted. “I was going to law school here.”
Mike explained that he had been “doing a Masters in Indiana” prior to their getting married, “and then we went to Halifax where I started on my PhD at Dalhousie.”
It was in Halifax also that Gail articled as a lawyer. “So it was in Halifax that we started our married life together,” she said. “We had no family, we didn’t know anyone. It wasn’t a bad way to start out,” she observed.
The discussion turned to politics and how both Michael and Gail have been able to navigate the sometimes choppy waters of dealing with politicians of different stripes (and bureaucrats) at various times in their lives – Michael in his efforts to kept the experimental lakes area alive, and Gail, most notably in her efforts to get the Human Rights Museum built.
Michael described his experiences to me, but in the end he put it succinctly: “It’s not that I don’t have political opinions, but I like to think that I’m reasonably respectful of different points of view.”
Although ordinarily one might have expected that, this having been an interview that would be published just prior to the JNF Gala, I would have led off my questions by asking about the particular project for which Michael and Gail agreed to lend their support by becoming this year’s Winnipeg honourees for the Gala. Instead, in a short piece following this article, you can read about the Climate Solutions Prize, which is that project.
For Gail, the notion of contributing to further scientific study in an area as important as the climate crisis is an extension of what the Asper Foundation has been doing for years with various Israeli institutions of higher learning, she observed.
“I’m involved with Hebrew U, we’ve supported Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion (University), lots of other places. It’s strengthening Israel – and that’s aligned with our values; it’s helping the world, and that’s aligned with our values. I like to think that Israel can come up with something that will help the world – and that’s good for Israeli ‘hasbara’.”
As well, Gail noted that she “likes the idea of the JNF getting back to its ‘roots’ (“no pun intended,” she added), “and doing something more environmentally focused.”
For his own part, Michael noted that some years back he was invited to attend a water quality conference in Israel sponsored by the JNF. “I had the opportunity to meet some of the researchers on water quality in Israel and they were really an amazing, inspiring group. It was a reminder of all the research power in Israel.
“Of course, I’m deeply concerned about the environment and one of the biggest threats to the environment is climate change. It’s stating the obvious, but any threat to the environment is a threat to all of us if we care about the future – of our economy, our health, our way of life, our well being in general. I’ve given my professional career to protecting the environment, so the idea of bringing together Israeli innovation and research power and the environment is very attractive, so when the JNF brought this project to us for us to lend our support – of course, it made a lot of sense.”
In addition, some of the proceeds from the Gala will be going to JCFS, along with the World’s Jewish Museum in Tel Aviv (which is also a project in which Gail is deeply involved).
Local News
New play structure – “Gan Reut” (Friendship Garden) opens at Asper Campus
By BERNIE BELLAN It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon, October 3, when Lori Binder, Gray Academy Head of School (also Board of Jewish Education CEO) welcomed about 40 individuals to the opening of a brand new play structure on the Asper Campus – situated exactly where the old play structure (which had opened in 1997 with the opening of the campus) had been.
Most of the individuals who were there that day had played a role helping to see the new play structure built – either as donors, or as members of organizations that had participated in the planning and construction of the new play structure.
As Binder explained, “We wanted to call this the Friendship Garden. We wanted it to have a Hebrew name. ‘Reut’ – play, is the language of friendship and it’s also the language of learning. And so today for the very first time, as our kids were watching the structure be built – and that too was also an amazing learning tool, they began to learn to use the structure.”
Why was there a need for a new playground, some might wonder – when the old one was only 28 years old?
Binder cited several reasons for wanting a new play structure: “A lot of injuries were happening because there was pea gravel, and the pea gravel was surrounded by a border of wood. And if you did not have the ability to step over or walk through the pea gravel, you could potentially have an injury.”
She added that “pea gravel is only used in 3% of playgrounds today because you might skid and need a bandaid or have a cut.”
“But we also recognized that with the broken structure and the inability for all children in our community to play we wanted to begin to envision a new structure,” Binder added.
The actual project took shape in a relatively short period of time. Design and construction was handled by a company known as Playgrounds R Us. President of the company, Matt Lacroix, noted that “typically a playground of not even this size” would take much longer to plan and build.
“We typically work with schools probably three to five years, sometimes two. So, from start to finish, for us to start a year and a half ago to now is pretty phenomenal,” Lacroix observed.
There are many new innovations included in Gan Reut, including the resilient rubber foundation, the handicap accessible play structures (that can even accommodate children in wheelchairs) and, on an unexpectedly hot October day – something that proved to be most welcome: shade everywhere you went.
Getting the project done required cooperation among Gray Academy, the Rady JCC, and the Asper Campus. When Binder first approached the Jewish Foundation for funding assistance, however, she said that initially, “we got denied.” However, rather than that being an impediment to moving forward, Binder said “it turned out to be a blessing.”
The reason, she explained, is the Jewish Foundation “plays such an integral role in matching us with potential donors, helping us bring something to light or getting something started.”
In the case of the playground project, it was the Rich family, led by Gavin Rich, who stepped up as lead donors. There were many other donors as well. (You can see all the donors’ names in the accompanying photo.) Also, the Jewish Foundation did come through with a grant – for the rubber foundation.
Binder spoke of the important role that play serves in children’s development: “Diane Ackerman states that play is the brain’s favourite way of learning. And if you go into the daycare or into any of our early childhood classrooms, you will see that they learn through play. Dr. Stewart Brown notes that nothing lights up a child’s brain-like play. And I bet some of you will want to also play because even at as adults, we like to play.”
The blue and white colour of the playground was also a deliberate choice, Binder noted. “Blue and white,” she suggested, was “very purposely chosen to match the colour of the Israeli flag and give us a reminder every day of coming to this amazing Jewish community campus.”
When it came to planning what would go into the playground, Binder thanked Rob Berkowits from the Rady JCC and Curtis Martin from the Asper Jewish Community Campus, “who were along for the journey…We also have many of our educators, an occupational therapist, early childhood specialists, elementary specialists, student life coordinators, all coming together with all of the different ideas.”
“I have to say it is overwhelming,” Binder added. “I’ve not really been involved in such a renovation project; it’s hard to make decisions. You can have a million different kinds of playgrounds.”
Not only will the playground, however, serve as a major enhancement to be enjoyed by students at Gray Academy and the Rady JCC daycare during weekdays, it will be open to everyone in the community 24/7, Binder noted.
Following Binder’s remarks, attendees heard from Rob Berkowits, CEO of the Rady JCC, who acknowledged the key role Binder had played in bringing the project to fruition: “I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Lori Binder, Head of School at Gray Academy, for unwavering leadership in bringing this vision to life.”
Finally, Jill Winograd, who was representing the Asper Jewish Community Campus, offered remarks: “Spaces like this are more than slides or swings. They’re about belonging, imagination, and giving kids a safe place to grow together. So this project wasn’t about starting fresh, but renewal, taking something well used.
“So what makes this playground matter isn’t just the newer equipment or the safer surfaces, but the thoughtfulness behind it. Accessible roots, quiet corners. And spaces that welcome kids, parents and grandparents together. It’s built for inclusion and community. And I think grandparents is such a key word here because it’s really so lovely to see from our sponsors how many are in memory of grandparents and how special that time is at the playground for them.”
And, with that – and a ceremonial ribbon cutting by Gavin Rich and Marni Slonim, Grade 2 students from Gray Academy descended upon the structure – many with parents in tow, to demonstrate all the many features of the beautiful new playground.
Local News
Gray Academy registration numbers continuing their upward trajectory
By MYRON LOVE Lori Binder, Gray Academy’s Head of School and CEO of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education, is happy to report that this year’s enrolment stands at 517 – the highest back-to-school number since 2013-2014. “We have had to add a second Junior Kindergarten class and, for the second consecutive year, a third kindergarten class,” she says.
Gray Academy students speak of feeling safe and being able to connect with their roots. As Binder points out, many of the students have parents and even grandparents who attended Gray Academy or its founding high school, Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate. In addition, 25% of the staff are Gray Academy alumni.
The school also plays an integral role in helping families moving to Winnipeg from Israel, Argentina, Brazil and other countries to adapt to their new homes. Over the past two years, the EAL (English as an additional language) program has expanded significantly to accommodate growing needs.
Gray Academy is one of the only JK-12 Jewish day schools in Canada. The school remains committed to academic excellence, along with programming that builds community and connection. Gray Academy was the first Jewish day school in Canada to receive accreditation from Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), a community of independent schools that meet and exceed rigorous national standards that inspire excellence and ongoing school improvement.
New this year, Binder notes, is the just-built AJCC Gan Re’ut (Friendship Garden), a fully accessible playground that children of all ages and abilities can use and enjoy. A new rubber foundation and accessible equipment make the new playground safer and more accessible for everyone.
She further reports that the four-year-old Gray Academy-Tough Duck Community Ice Rink, located on Danzker Field, has been enhanced with an asphalt base so that the facility can be used year-round for a wider variety of activities.
The school has also expanded its after-school music programs this year. In addition to traditional band and drumline programs, students can also take part in jazz, rock and vocal ensembles.
Binder notes that parents and grandparents of children are welcome to engage with the school. “Last year we launched a new “Grandpals” program for grandparents,” she says. “We offer several different ways for grandparents or any special seniors in students’ lives to engage with the school while being able to see their grandchildren.”
And did I mention that, over the years, Gray Academy’s outstanding debating program has been placing very well in national and international competitions?
In terms of tefillah and spirituality, Binder reports that the school is building on past informal connections with local clergy to allow more student interaction with our community’s rabbis and cantors. Throughout the year, clergy from various congregations will be coming in to the school in a more formal way.
A very important part of Gray Academy’s mission is fostering a love of Israel. Over the years, quite a few Gray Academy graduates have made Aliyah.
An important part of Israel education has been the nearly 30-year-long Jewish Federation of Winnipeg P2G (Partnership 2Gether) student and teacher exchange programs linking Gray Academy high school students with their counterparts at Danciger High School in the northern Israeli community of Kiryat Shmona and Nachshonei Hachula Elementary School in Yesod Hamala in the Hula Valley. For many years, Gray Academy would send groups of six to eight Grade 10 and 11 students to visit Danciger. Likewise, Danciger would send students to visit Gray Academy.
In fact, a group of Danciger students and faculty happened to be in Winnipeg on October 7, 2023. When the group was forced unexpectedly to extend their stay in Winnipeg until flights to Israel could resume, Danciger students and staff participated in our community’s subsequent show of support for our brothers and sisters in Israel.
While the program has been paused since then, Binder reports that she was in Israel in July and visited both schools. “With many Israelis having been able to return to their homes in the north after nearly 18 months of displacement, we are hoping to restart the exchange programs in the spring,” she says.
Binder adds that two young Israelis volunteering with Shaarey Zedek Congregation in something called the “ShinShinim program” (which is a year of service in the Diaspora prior to serving in the IDF) have recently arrived in Winnipeg and will be paying weekly visits to the school. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s ShinShinim program sends Israeli Grade 12 graduates to Jewish communities in the diaspora to enhance the teaching of Hebrew and love for Israel.
To commemorate October 7, the school – for the third year in a row – will be holding “Havdallah for Hope,” a memorial program for high school students, followed by Havdalah for the entire student body and community guests.
Binder points out that the school has a strong focus on affordability. “It is very important to us that no child is turned away because a family can’t afford to pay,” she says.
She notes that Manitoba is one of only a few Canadian provinces that fund independent schools such as Gray Academy, with the school receiving approximately 50% of comparable public school funding per student. Binder adds that the school offers a robust Bursary Assistance program, strongly supported by funding from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Combined Jewish Appeal. “Over 60% of our families receive some level of bursary support,” she reports. “We work with every family to ensure that no child is ever turned away because of inability to cover the full parental contribution.”
Just weeks into the new school year, Gray Academy is already looking ahead to enrolment for next September.
For more information about what Gray Academy has to offer and application dates, phone 204 477-7425 or email admissions@grayacademy.ca.
Local News
Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper headlines B’nai Brith Canada’s 150th anniversary celebration
By MYRON LOVE There have been very few – if any – Western leaders who have been more supportive of Israel and the Jewish people than Stephen Harper. On Wednesday, September 10, Canada’s former prime minister (2006-16) was the guest of honour at B’nai Brith Winnipeg’s gala evening in celebration of B’nai Brith’s 150th anniversary.
In a fireside chat with media personality Ben Mulroney, Harper demonstrated that he continues to maintain his moral clarity.
Two hundred B’nai Brith supporters showed up at the Fort Garry Hotel to celebrate the longevity of Canada’s oldest human rights organization. The discussion between Harper and Mulroney was preceded by about 90 minutes of fine dining and shmoozing. The formal program began with Dr. Ruth Ashrafi, B’nai Birth Canada’s Winnipeg Regional Director, reciting a prayer for the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Ashrafi introduced B’nai Brith Canada COO Judy Foldes and Jay Harris, Chair of B’nai Brith Canada’s Board, – who were both in town for the event – along with Simon Wolle, BBC’s new CEO, who is replacing the late and much appreciated Michael Mostyn.
Just before Harper and Mulroney began their conversation, Mulroney spoke with Jay Harris via video about the organization’s storied history and ongoing wrap-around services. Mulroney highlighted B’nai Brith’s long record of fighting antisemitism and advocating for human rights and its many programs aimed at bringing people together and helping the needy – not only in the Jewish community but in the broader community as well.
Stephen Harper congratulated B’nai Brith on its 150th anniversary and praised the organization for its unflinching efforts in pushing back against antisemitism and fighting for human rights.
“I really grieve for the Jewish people” he continued. “I understand how tough it is out there right now. When I took strong stands in support of Israel as prime minister, I always believed that the great majority of Canadians supported my positions. They were just quiet about it. While the loudest voices get all the attention, I still believe that most Canadians still quietly support Israel and understand that not only is Israel a democratic sates and an ally, but also that the Jewish people in Canada have made such a disproportionate contribution to our business life, charitable life, and public service. So just know that you are widely appreciated across the country.”
Following some discussion on the assassination of young American conservative leader Charlie Kirk a couple of weeks ago, the dangerous state of public discourse in the United States and concomitant worsening situation in that regard in Canada as well, Harper commented that “I just hope that people on both sides of the border will begin to pull back and can engage in vigorous arguments without ostracization, cancellation and assassination,” he said.
In response to a question from Mulroney about what is driving antisemitism in Canada, Harper suggested that “we have allowed certain institutions to make antisemitism – framed a certain way – socially and politically acceptable. After the Second World War,” he noted, “we, as a society, agreed that what we considered far right ideology– the idea that dividing people into categories – with some groups considered superior to others – and the people in inferior groups could be discriminated against, marginalized and, ultimately, killed – was socially and politically unacceptable – beyond the pale.
“But we have permitted in our universities and media the idea to germinate far left ideology, but that is the mirror image of the far right – that people can be divided into oppressors and oppressed – and that the oppressors can be ostracized, marginalized and killed. This is rampant in academic institutions – institutions that we overwhelmingly fund with public money – given on the basis that they represent free and democratic values such as individual, human dignity and small l liberal values. This should not be acceptable”
“This is not just about the Jews,” he added. “It is an entire intellectual framework and people who propagate it should be defunded and removed from their posts. My father taught me that antisemitism, no matter from the left or the right, is the first sign of a political movement and a society going to a dangerous extreme,” Harper said.
Mulroney observed that anti-Israel, antisemitic groups can never be propitiated. (Ed. note: I had to look up the meaning of “propitiated.” Here’s what I found:
Mulroney continued: “We have the most pro-Palestinian government in our history, yet we still see protests popping up in front of government ministers’ homes.”
In response to Mulroney’s questions, Harper pointed out the long-standing and close friendship between Canada and Israel (at least up until this current federal government). “There should be no question that Israel has the right to exist,” he stated, “and every country should be fighting terrorism.”
In response to a question about why Canada should support Israel, Harper noted that it is not about geopolitics or religion, it is a matter of basic common sense. “Israel and Canada are both free and democratic countries,” he pointed out. “The friends of Israel are friends of Canada. The enemies of Israel are enemies of Canada – who are also intent on destroying Canada. If the leaders of a country don’t get that, I don’t know what they understand about international affairs. To me, it is distressing that you have to explain this to so many world leaders.”
Mulroney asked Harper about the worldwide condemnation of Israel for “escalating the conflict by taking out Hamas leaders in Qatar.
“This not escalation,” Harper said. “This is de-escalation. By taking out Hezbollah, Israel has made Lebanon a better place. And the subsequent fall of Assad in Syria has made Syria a better place – although the jury is still out on that. The Israeli and American bombing of Iran has made the world a safer place.
“When I was prime minster, I was in virtually daily battles with the people in Canada’s Foreign Affairs department who wanted to oppose Israel,” he recalled. “It was just so ingrained. I saw it in a lot of other Western foreign affairs departments.”
One of Israel’s challenges, Harper pointed out, is that while there are 50 Muslim states (not all of them hostile to Israel ) in the world and 25 Arab states, there is only one Jewish state. He recalled that, “Too often, diplomats see their responsibility not in representing the interests of their home countries but rather, representing the global community.
“With so many more Muslim and Arab states, he observed, “it is all too easy to go along with the consensus to get along.”
Harper noted that in many of his meetings with foreign leaders, they privately agreed with him – but they didn’t want to fight the media and the academic establishment, so they just went along. “That is not leadership,” he said. “And leaders who don’t support Israel are jeopardizing their own countries’ future.”
Turning to the political situation in Canada, Harper was strongly critical of the Trudeau government which, he said, left Canada in a really bad place. He is hopeful that Mark Carney, our current prime minister, will adopt many of the policies that Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre is proposing, and make the necessary changes. If not, he noted, there will be a change in government.
In closing, Ruth Ashrafi thanked Earl and Cheryl Barish, the honorary gala co-chairs, noting how much their generosity and leadership has enriched both our Jewish and the wider community at large.