By MYRON LOVE Nicole Freed was inspired to become a teacher by her mother’s example.  “I remember the moment I decided to become a teacher,” the daughter of the late Sharon Freed, who passed away suddenly in December 2019, told a gathering of some of her mother’s former colleagues and students. The event, which was held to share memories of Sharon Freed took place in the Kaufman-Silverberg Library at the Asper Campus on Thursday, March 26.
As Nicole Freed recounted, “I was sitting at the kitchen table. Mom was helping me with my homework when she suddenly got up to call a parent. I remember my mom asking if a particular student was okay because she had missed two days of school.  After she hung up, I asked her while she called. I suggested that the student was probably just sick. My mother’s response was that she cared about all of her students and wanted to make sure the girl was alright. That moment stayed with me. I wanted to be a teacher – like my mom – who cared about all of her students.”
Sharon Freed hold the record for the longest serving teacher in our Jewish school system. When she retired in 2015, she had taught continuously for 47 years, starting at the former  I.L. Peretz School, then moving on to Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, and finishing her career at Gray Academy. Over that time, she inspired two generations of students.  Among them were former students Josh and Samantha Morry and their father, Howard.  (Their mother, Hope, grew up in the south end.) In appreciation, the Morry Family has established the Sharon Freed Collection at the Kaufman-Silverberg Library in their former teacher’s memory.
Books and words were very important to Freed, recalled Kaufman-Silverberg head librarian Ana Esterin. “Sharon liked multigenerational novels, historical fiction, romance, and Russian novels, Esterin noted..  “She would frequently come in and ask what well-written new novels were in.”
Freed’s choice of literature is reflected in the new Sharon Freed Collection at the library   The collection – behind glass doors in a bookshelf in the library’s foyer sits across from a giant mural with Freed’s visage in the centre of it and a table with a scrabble board with the former teacher’s name spelled out. (Scrabble was another of her passions.)
In formally introducing the Sharon Freed Collection, Lori Binder, Gray Academy’s Head of School and CEO of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education, welcomed Freed’s family members, friends and former colleagues and students in attendance either in person or via Zoom. Binder (who is also a  former student of the beloved teacher) said the tribute to Freed was  “a deeply moving afternoon filled with laughter, tears, and the tradition of storytelling that Mrs. Freed cherished so dearly.
“As we continue to reflect on Sharon’s impact, we are reminded of the words of Rabbi Sacks (z”l), who said that to be a Jew is to know that those who came before us live on in us. Yesterday was a testament to the truth of those words. Sharon lives on in the books we have curated in her honour, the students she mentored, the friends and family she loved, the colleagues she confided in, and the community she helped build.
Thank you for helping us ensure that Sharon’s story continues to be told. That is the thing we can all hope for, that when someone passes, they are remembered through stories.”

Speaking from Israel via Zoom, Freed’s older daughter, Andrea, remembered her mother as “a very special person. It seems that everywhere I go, I run into former students of my mother who want to share with me fond memories of her.”
Nicole added that “it is evident from today’s wonderful event that my mom truly did care about all her students and had special relationships with them. I realize now more than ever what  a lasting impact a teacher can make.”
She also thanked Binder and Skye Kneller (Gray Academy’s Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations) for including Freed’s two daughters in the planning of the event.  “It meant a lot that you both wanted to make sure that our opinions and thoughts were heard,” she noted.
 
Marilyn Beloff, Freed’s younger sister, flew in from Vancouver for the inauguration.  “It’s clear to me why I’m here,” she said. “I’m here because of this deep love and respect for my sister and how much she’s taught me and lives within me each day.”
“The best way to honour her is to speak about her and keep her in your mind’s eye whenever you can…this wonderful collection will live on.”

 Former colleague Lawrence Goldstine spoke about his service with Freed on the Jewish school teacher’s union leadership team.  “Sharon was dedicated to fighting for the benefit of Gray Academy’s teachers,” he noted. “I considered her a mentor to me in that regard.”
Former student Ben Waldman credited Freed with how she inspired him to pursue a career in journalism. “Within this school, there’s a tradition of storytelling that begins the moment we enter,” noted the Winnipeg Free Press reporter. We become a part of the Winnipeg Jewish community in such a meaningful way, and I don’t think I fully understood how much Mrs. Freed had to do with that until after I graduated.
“As a teenager, I, like many other young people, was still trying to figure myself out,” he continued. “We were malleable and Mrs. Freed was very much a fixed entity. She knew who she was. And when you came into her room, she knew that she could help shape you, even if you weren’t ready to be shaped.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to remember her than with this gift of a collection in her memory… A celebration for Mrs. Freed is a celebration for this institution that we really do care about and love. I’m happy that a new generation of kids who may not have had the chance to be in her class will now at least know her name.”

Speaking on Zoom on behalf of the Morry family, Josh Morry said that “we had been talking for a long time about doing something to honour her memory.  I’m so happy. This collection is so perfectly themed for what she loved, which is books and imparting that to other people. I do hope that her memory will live on.  I am sure it does through all of us.”
Morry also spoke of wanting to create a “Mrs. Freed commemorative Scrabble tournament.” “I remember we used to come to her classroom and we would play Scrabble at lunch,” he recalled.  “We would talk about the Queen, and we would try to impress her with the way in which we read when she called on us.
“I think as a lawyer, I use a lot of the writing skills that she taught us.”
 
Lori Binder concluded the presentation with a “very special thank you”  to the Morry family, who joined the launch virtually.  “Their generous gift made this collection and this launch possible,” she said.
She also thanked the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba for their ongoing and vital support of the library.
 
Librarian Ana Esterin reports that the initial Sharon Freed Collection includes 13 books.  The library is encouraging individuals to consider a donation to the library to add to the collection.

By MYRON LOVE In the words of the late, great Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, “for evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.”  In light of the ongoing Iranian and Muslim Brotherhood- (of which Hamas is a charter member) pogrom, not only against Israel but also Jews throughout Western Europe and North America, it is fitting that the upcoming Friends of JNF Canada Negev Gala – which is scheduled for  Wednesday, May 5, will be recognizing a group of Winnipeggers who are taking action against the unprecedented upsurge in antisemitism in Manitoba’s medical system – with particular emphasis on the situation at the University of Manitoba’s Maxwell  Rady College of Medicine.
“We are honoured to be recognized by the Friends of JNF Canada for our efforts to support Jewish trainees studying at the Medical College who are dealing with ongoing anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment,” says Dr. Charles Bernstein, the current chair of the still relatively new Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba (JPAM). 
“We know that most Jews in Winnipeg love Israel and support the JPAM’s goals.”
Bernstein described the project that is being funded by this year’s gala –  the Medical Clinic at the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre – as  a worthwhile institution that helps provide critical care and rehabilitation services in Israel to those who need it most.
(The gala this year is also featuring Yohay Sponder. the creator of his hit show “Self Loving Jew,” in which he is  known for his sharp wit and bold humour, Yohay has performed for audiences around the world.)
“I have never seen the level of antisemisim here that we have been experiencing since October 7, 2023,” says Dr. Bernstein, an internist and gastroenterologist  – with a particular focus on inflammatory bowel disease – who has been practicing in Winnipeg since1993.
While there were restrictions limiting the number of Jewish students who were allowed to enrol in medicine at the University of Manitoba prior to and during World War II, he notes, that quota system was brought to an end in the late 1940s.
(I would refer readers who wanted to learn more about the efforts to abolish the quota system to read Eva Wiseman’s account in her book, “Healing Lives: A Century of Manitoba Jewish Physicians,” which is available at the Kaufman-Silverberg Library.)
“We have had a comfortable life here in the medical school since the quota system was ended more than 75 years ago,” Bernstein observes. 
“In my medical class of 100, 35 of us were Jewish.  There was never any problem with antisemitism in the medical profession, the medical school or the hospitals.  In fact, the St. Boniface Hospital and Health Sciences Centre allowed large menorahs in front of their entrances without any incidents.”
That changed suddenly after October 7 – especially in the medical school. Bernstein referenced in particular the notorious case of the 2024 medical school valedictorian who sparked a tsunami of outrage when he chose to use his valedictory speech to his fellow 2024 University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine graduates to disparage Israel.
 He gave over half of his 25 minute presentation to the Israel-Hamas conflict, demanding an immediate ceasefire in the conflict with Hamas, which was raging at that time, while decrying the widespread destruction in Gaza and claiming that the number of dead Palestinians was 35,000– a figure that even the United Nations had discredited.  He further charged Israel with deliberately targeting healthcare workers.  He specifically challenged Doctors Manitoba and the Canadian Medical association to add their voices to the call for a ceasefire.
“It has been a difficult couple of years,” Bernstein says.  “Despite entreaties by JPAM and other Jewish community organizations, Newman faced no consequences – from the medical school, the university, Doctors Manitoba or the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.
“We pointed out (in letters to the above-mentioned institutions and organizations)  that this kind of hatred against any other religious, racial or ethnic group would not be tolerated – to no avail.”
 He reports that there may be some hope that karma will catch up to the antisemitic valedictorian. He is still posting hateful messages online. As a result, there is hope (and an expectation) that the requisite medical bodies will investigate and take action. 
Bernstein, however, is not optimistic about a positive outcome.
Of greater concern, Bernstein notes, is that a Muslim Brotherhood-0influenced group on campus called “Students for Justice in Palestine” has put out a “target list” of six Zionist University of Manitoba professors – including Bernstein.
“We have a real concern that someone may be influenced to take action and attack one of us,” he says.
Last year, he continued, Belle Jarniewski, the executive director of the Jewish Heritage centre of Western Canada and a world leader in Holocaust education, was invited to speak to the Medicine I  class about antisemitism. 
“She gave a detailed and informative speech,” Bernstein says.
After her presentation, he points out, there was an online campaign led by a first year medical student to demonize her as “being unworthy and inflammatory to other groups ,” and demanding that she be prevented from speaking to medical students again.
 “The problem is not so much in the hospitals as it is in the medical college,” Bernstein notes.
Bernstein reports that the idea behind JPAM originated with Drs. Michael Boroditsky and Laura Chisick in the fall of 2023. The official launch was in June 2024, with Bernstein being chosen as the first chair.
He notes that the membership currently stands at  161 and this year has opened up associate membership to other health care professionals such as nurses,  chiropractors physiotherapists, and occupational therapists.
He adds that since JPAM’s founding, Jewish physicians in most other provinces have formed sister organizations (although Ontario already had such a group.) and that there is now a Canadian Alliance of Jewish Physicians led by Toronto-based Dr. Ayelet Kuper, who is best known for publicly exposing – in December, 2022 – the alamring level of antisemitism at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
Bernstein also reports that current Jewish students in medicine here have formed their own junior version of JPAM (the Jewish Medical Students Association)
“We are not demanding special treatment,” Bernstein says of JPAM.  “We are only asking that Jewish physicians and trainees be treated like any other ethnic or racial group and that there be consequences for hateful words and actions directed against Jews.”   
Readers who are interested in supporting JPAM, the Friends of JNF Canada, and the medical clinic in Ashdod, can contact the Friends of JNF Canada office at 204 947-0207 or online at Winnipeg@friendsofjnfca.org.

By MYRON LOVE Despite the many pressures buffeting our and other Jewish communities across Canada, Carrie Shenkarow remains upbeat. “These are scary times,” says the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg Chair, “but I prefer to focus on the positives. Our Jewish community is thriving. We have an outstanding CEO in Jeff Lieberman. He and his staff are operating like a well-oiled machine.”
 
Carrie Shenkarow, who was appointed to her current position in mid-December, has a lifelong record of community participation and leadership starting from a young age. The daughter of Barry and Rena Shenkarow attributes her attitude toward giving back to the community to her parents and her grandparents, Sam and Shirley Shenkarow, and Paul and Ruth Stajer.
 
“I remember sleepovers at my mom’s parents’ home when I was growing up,” Shenkarow says. “They were Holocaust survivors. I was really impressed by how my grandparents and the many other Holocaust survivors here formed a community together and rebuilt their lives.”
 
Her parents and paternal grandparents set the example for her in terms of community involvement.
 
Sam Shenkarow was a pharmacist and businessman who served on the board of Ramah Hebrew School and was a founder of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. Shirley Shenkarow was also involved in the community.
“From all four grandparents, I learned the value of family, the merit of hard work and perseverance, and the importance of building a good name for yourself. They were people of good character.”
 
Carrie’s father, Barry, is best known as one of the owners of the original Winnipeg Jets and served as president and governor of the team. From 1977 to 1996, the Shenkarow household revolved around the team. In 1987, Rena founded and chaired the Winnipeg Jets Goals for Kids Foundation, which distributed over $2 million to children’s charities in Manitoba.
 
Both Barry and Rena have been strong supporters of Israel and active in community life. Barry has served on the board of the Health Sciences Centre Research Foundation, chaired the board of the Asper Jewish Community Campus, and served on both the investment committee and board of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. In addition to Goals for Kids, Rena has been active with Hadassah, ORT, NCJW, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. 
 
Our new Federation Chair attended Ramah Elementary School and Balmoral Hall, where, she says, despite Balmoral’s Christian roots, her experiences at the school strengthened her sense of Jewish identity.
 
In her teen years, Shenkarow was a member of USY and BBYO youth groups. She attended BB Camp for several seasons and later joined the staff.
It was after she was married, she recounts, that she was encouraged to become a community volunteer. It was at that time that she began volunteering for the Federation.
“I took a break from the Federation after a few years,” she notes.
During that period, she served on the boards of BB Camp and Shaarey Zedek. In 2014, she rejoined the Federation as a board member and Chair of the March of the Living committee.
“One of the things I’m most passionate about is March of the Living,” she said in an interview last year with the Post while commenting on receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal. “I have been chairing the committee since 2017. I chaperoned the program in 2018.”
Shenkarow is returning to central and eastern Europe again in July, this time with her youngest daughter, Shirley, as part of a 30-person Holocaust Memorial Sites Study tour for educators organized by Westwood Collegiate history teacher Kelly Hiebert, University of Winnipeg history professor Jody Perrun, and Na’ama Samphir, a teacher at Gray Academy, all of whom teach about the Holocaust. The group, two of whom are non-Jewish educators, will be visiting Austria, Germany, and Poland. The tour will include visits to the site of the Warsaw Ghetto; the preserved camps at Auschwitz, Birkenau, Majdanek, and Mauthausen; the Jewish districts in Krakow and Vienna; the killing centre at Hartheim; Berchtesgaden; the Obersalzburg and other sites.
In 2022, Shenkarow chaired the CJA campaign. After October 7, 2023, she was asked to chair the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s newly established Public Affairs Task Force to advocate for the community and collaborate with other local organizations.
“In light of the upsurge in antisemitism post-October 7,” she says, “our task force began reaching out to other communities.”
One of those organizations was the Rainbow Resource Centre. “We worked to educate Pride members,” she recalls. “Many didn’t know a lot about the situation in Israel. We formed J-PIC (Jewish Pride & Inclusive Committee). We held a joint Shabbat dinner and other programs and have forged a strong relationship with them.”
She further reports that the Task Force is also reaching out to the Filipino community. “We are having a joint program with the Filipino community on May 7 at the Filipino Cultural Centre,” Shenkaorw says. “The evening will be about sharing our cultures and providing opportunities to socialize.”
She also mentions a community clothing drive for newly arriving Yazidi families.
“What we do best in our community is fundraise through the efforts of the Combined Jewish Appeal,” she notes.
And while the CJA campaign seems to hit new heights almost every year, she points out that the needs of our communal organizations continue to grow apace, with a special emphasis on increased funding for security across all institutions and programs.
 “We are trying to reach out to younger adults in our community, both in terms of donations and volunteering,” she says. “In the past few months, we have met with many younger people to help them understand what exactly the Federation does. Many of them don’t know.”
Shenkarow also expressed surprise at learning how many members of the community are Israeli. “We estimate that about half of our Jewish population of roughly 13,000 to 14,000 are newcomers, not just from Israel. That is a credit to how effective our 26-year-old Grow Winnipeg initiative has been.”
“We are constantly working toward making Winnipeg a better place for our community,” she concludes, “and we look forward to continuing to celebrate our achievements.