By BERNIE BELLAN (August 27, 2024) If you’ve been following the Byzantine story of what’s been happening between the CRA and JNF-Canada as it’s been reported by the CNJ’s Ellin Bessner you can be forgiven for wondering just what the hell is going on? We reported the original story about JNF-Canada losing its charitable status on August 14: “Canada Revokes Charity Status of JNF-Canada”
Ellin Bessner is a great journalist – and she seems to be doing her best to get to the bottom of this story – even so far as to pore over 358 pages of documents that were sent to her by the CRA recently. (How often does the CRA bother to contact a journalist to try to explain a decision – and send that journalist reams of material that have remained confidential to that point?)
Then, to make things even more complicated, after Ellin published a story on August 26 titled “Read about why JNF Canada lost charitable status after a decade of problems“, also on August 26, JNF-Canada responded in the form of an angry email sent out to supporters, which read:
“We wanted to reach out to you tell you that we are aware of the CJN article that was published today. The CJN did not ask us for our position, nor did it even attempt to interview us or ask any questions regarding any of the issues raised in this article. This is contrary to journalistic standards and is particularly disappointing, coming from an important information medium in our community.



”As you know, we are challenging the CRA in Court, and we reject its findings and conclusions. That is why we are disappointed that the CJN did not allow JNF the opportunity to address the CRA’s points before printing them as facts.



“We want to be clear that the upcoming guest appearance by our CEO, Lance Davis, on the CJN podcast was recorded prior to this article, and is in no way a response to the egregious misinformation represented in the article.”

Ooh…this is getting nasty, isn’t it… a fight between JNF-Canada and Canada’s leading Jewish news medium?
Then, today (August 27), the CJN followed up its earlier story with another lengthy story about what’s going on between the CRA and JNF-Canada: “JNF Canada fights back after losing its charitable status”.
I listened today to Ellin Bessner’s podcast interview with JNF-Canada CEO Lance Davis, followed up by an interview with charity law expert Mark Blumberg – and was left even more confused, so I sent an email to Ellin:
“Hi Ellin,
“I can imagine the heat you took from the JNF over your reporting – and I’ve been following everything you’ve been writing – as well as listening to your podcasts, but I have to say I am totally confused as to what charities are entitled to do.
“From what you wrote yesterday the essence of the CRA’s complaint with JNF-Canada had to do with the employment of underprivileged workers in Israel. It all seems so hard to understand.
“I had thought the problems revolved around 2 issues: Projects over the green line and projects on IDF bases. But it’s so much more complicated than that.
“And, after listening to Lance Davis – and then Mark Blumberg again, I still have no idea what the CRA is focusing on. 358 pages of documents? Years of requests for compliance? It’s all so dizzying.
“But where does this leave all other charities that send money to Israel? I didn’t realize there are so many conditions attached as to what can be done with the money.
“Am I the only one who is totally confused?
“Regards,
“Bernie Bellan”

Ellin responded:
“Here are the documents. If you are confused, then I didn’t do a good job.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yh1pv4jy1z7bc82mecjli/ABhIxQNxdLDpMShyARdfTfY?rlkey=0dwkxmzx2hxuuz8t3eqlpxnwa&e=4&st=z7gw7v9z&dl=0

Hey, I’m not a lawyer; I’m not even a professional journalist any more. (I run this website as a hobby.) But, we’re talking about an organization whose impact upon the history of the Canadian Jewish community cannot be overestimated.
We’ve got Members of Parliament like Ben Carr and Anthony Housefather stepping into the fray on this website: “MPs Ben Carr & Anthony Housefather on the CRA’s decision to revoke JNF-Canada’s charitable status”.
Am I going to read the 358 pages of documents that the CRA sent to Ellin Bessner? No.
But what’s going on is so unprecedented in the history of Canadian charities – and Jewish organizations for that matter, I have to admit I’m absolutely fascinated by what’s going on. Still, I’ll wait for much smarter people to try to understand what’s happening. Finally, how much will donations to the JNF begin to dry up if they can’t issue charitable tax receipts for those donations any longer? So many questions – and it’s all so hard to understand.

By MYRON LOVE The creative process when it comes to art can take a number of different forms.  For Aaron Rosenblatt, for example, his is the art of designing and building furniture.
Among the pieces that the son of Roberta and Fred Rosenblatt has produced are a framed mirror, a standing lamp with a geometric base,  wine containers, wall shelves, a hanging coat rack, a wall clock and board with hooks for keys.
“I enjoy experimenting with different patterns,” he says.  “I take pictures of building features and nature – anything that catches my eye.”
Rosenblatt’s fascination with designing and building furniture was piqued in an unusual way.  For many years, the graduate of the Brock Corydon Hebrew Bilingual program and Kelvin High School was a passionate skateboarder.  He was drawn to furniture design through the example of a couple of fellow skateboarders he much admired who themselves were building furniture.
“I decided that I wanted to try it,” he recalls.
That was 10 years ago.
Rosenblatt borrowed some money from his parents and bought himself a drill, mitre saw, router and table saw and was soon on his way.  “I began learning through trial and error,” he recounts. “Once I started, I found that the more involved I got, the more I wanted to learn.
”I find cutting wood and doing the sanding relaxing.”
For the first few years, Rosenblatt worked out of his parents’ River Heights garage.  Last year, he moved his woodworking equipment into his Uncle Hymie’s basement in north Winnipeg.
”I have a lot more space now and can help  my uncle out, driving him to appointments,” he says.
Rosenblatt’s day job is working for the City of Winnipeg Community Services at a leisure centre with a gym and library.  He works at his furniture building on his days off on Mondays and Tuesdays.
He reports that it takes him about a month to design and build a piece of furniture.  He sources his wood from lumber and hardware stores and occasionally lucks out and finds a block of wood on the boulevard  from a tree that was recently cut down.
He notes that he only began selling his finished products a couple of years ago.  Previously, he was giving them away to friends and co-workers as gifts.  That has led to some demand, he reports.
”I am marketing my pieces on social media – mainly  Instagram,” he notes.  ”I have sold a few pieces and demand is beginning to grow.
”While I enjoy my  work at the leisure centre, it would be nice if one day I could devote myself full time to designing and building furniture.”

If you’d like to see more samples of Aaron’s creations on Instagram, go to https://www.instagram.com/arwoodcrafts/
Readers who may want to contact Rosenblatt can send him  an email at aaronrose1983@gmail.com or phone 204 299-3903.

By MYRON LOVE “Winnipeg is a much better city now than when I first came here,” observes Howard Kideckel.  “In truth, it was rather depressing.  But now, there is a lot more going on and the community is much more diverse.”
The former Torontonian who moved here close to 40 years ago is one of those who has made our community better by his presence – and our community has been the richer for it.  On September 26, our community is expressing its gratitude to Kideckel – and not for the first time.   This year,  Kideckel is the Gwen Secter Creative Retirement Centre’s honoree for one of  our Jewish Federation’s annual Kavod Awards – to be presented at the newly-reopened and expanded Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.  This will be Kideckel’s scond Kavod Award. He was previously nominated by the Federation.
There are few Jewish community institutions which have not benefitted from this quintessential community volunteer’s involvement and leadership.   Take Etz Chayim for example. He has been an active member almost from the moment he came to Winnipeg – including serving a term as president.
At Gwen Secter, he is the treasurer.
He is on the Federation Planning Committee and canvasses for the CJA. 
He is treasurer of Limmud Winnipeg and played a key role in the organization receiving its charitable registration.
He is a regular attendee at the shul at the beach in the summer months. 
And he has served on the board of the Chesed Shel Emes.  In fact, almost anyone who has attended funerals at any of our community’s four main cemeteries will have come across Howard Kideckel.  He would have most likely been one of the volunteer  pallbearers.
As far back as he can remember, Kideckel has always been involved in the Jewish community.  As he wrote in his entry in the Jewish Foundation’s Endowment Book of Life, the grandson of Yiddish-speaking immigrants from what is now PoIand and Latvia grew up in downtown Toronto. The high school that he attended – although once 95% Jewish – was still about 30% Jewish when he was in Grade 10.  From the time he was six, he was a regular visitor to the neighbourhood YMHA .  He attended Jewish summer camps and, as a young adult, joined a B’nai Brith chapter.
At the University in Toronto, he was active in Hillel – which is how he met his wife-to-be, the former Hope Jeroff, who was originally from Winnipeg. (Howard and Hope remain on friendly terms althugh they have long since divorced.) 

At university, he earned a BA Honours degree in history and political science and first thought that he would try teaching.  “I quickly learned that there was little demand for history teachers, so I switched to accounting,” he recalls.
After completing his honours degree in history and political science, Kideckel entered the Faculty of Education and received a teaching degree in business education. He taught accounting and law at university for a couple of years before he and Hope decided to move back (for Hope) to Winnipeg.
“We felt that Winnipeg would be more conducive to raising children and slowing down our hectic pace,” he says.  “While I didn’t know that much about Winnipeg,” he continues, “I did know the reputation of Winnipeg’s north end as it was very reminiscent of the Toronto area that I grew up in. One of my terms for moving to Winnipeg was to live in the ‘north end,’ so we moved to the extended north end, and I have never regretted it. The feelings of a warm Jewish community emanated from this end of town. I could never get enough of Selkirk Avenue and all the other streets that serve as a shrine to immigrant Jewish culture. I found Winnipeg to be a very cosmopolitan and compassionate community. The friendliness of the population, as well as their desire to have quality in their education and cultural facilities was, and still is, very uplifting.”

In Winnipeg, Kideckel went to work as an internal auditor for the Province of Manitoba.  He worked for the province for 32 years before  retiring 14 years ago.
“It was a great job,” he recalls.  “I got to travel all over Manitoba.”
Once in Winnipeg, Kideckel quickly picked up where he left off in  Toronto when it came to Jewish community involvement.  He joined B’nai Brith and the former Rosh Pina Synagogue (which became Etz Chayim after the merger of the three largest north end congregations in 2001.)
He quickly became an integral part of his new community.
 
“I have always had a strong commitment to Judaism and I devote virtually all my volunteer time to Jewish organizations,” he wrote in his Endowment Book of Life entry.  “I understand how important it is that our community has sufficient resources to enable it to meet its obligations in the future. These resources are not only financial but also human in the form of volunteering. Winnipeg is probably the best city in Canada when it comes to people volunteering their time so that those not as fortunate can be serviced.”
Adds the father of two (David and Brent) and zaida of three, “We have good people here, but we are always in need of more volunteers.”