Local News
New documentary about David Matas chronicles his long career as a tireless advocate for human rights
By BERNIE BELLAN David Matas has achieved world-wide recognition for his life-long work advocating on behalf of repressed minorities throughout the world. Yet, as the same time as he is probably one of the most famous – and successful individuals working in the area of human rights, his unassuming and low key style would often belie the success he has achieved.
Now, in a new documentary film, titled “The Justice Hunter,” written and produced by Israeli-born Winnipegger Yolanda Papini-Pollock (who, many readers may also know is the founder and driving force behind the advocacy group, Winnipeg Friends of Israel), viewers are given the opportunity to see Matas’s life chronicled in a very interesting – and often revealing manner.
Papini-Pollock has produced other films centering around the subject of human rights, including “Never Again: A Broken Promise,” which drew upon the experiences of survivors of four different genocides (the Holocaust, Rwandan, Indigenous and Yazidi genocides); “Get Over It: A Path to Healing,” about the health crisis facing Canada’s Indigenous communities; and ‘Painful Truth: The Falun Gong Genocide,” which tells the story of the Chinese government’s horrible record of persecution – and often, execution of practitioners of Falun Gong. Stemming from Papini-Pollock’s documentary about the persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong, she developed a particular interest in telling David Mata’s story in some detail, since no one has done more to fight antisemitism and to bring to light China’s abysmal record of persecution of the Falun Gong than David Matas.
“The Justice Hunter,” however, conveys Papini-Pollock’s growth as a documentary movie-maker. Whereas “A Broken Promise” relied primarily upon interviews with four different subjects, “The Justice Hunter” uses a much faster-paced style of movie-making. Interspersing short snippets of interviews with such individuals whose lives have become interconnected with David Matas over the years, such as lawyer and former Canadian Minister of External Affairs Irwin Cotler, the film also features the voice of David Matas himself offering observations about various aspects of his career. As well, the film also includes footage showing in some detail how the Chinese government have been complicit in the persecution of the Falun Gong, along with an interesting segment explaining how Israelis had become prime recipients of organs harvested from executed Falun Gong members until that practice was exposed by Matas and he late David Kilgour, former Member of Parliament, in a book titled “Bloody Harvest,” which was published in 2005.
The film is narrated by Leah Ross, a former lawyer and student of Matas’s herself – now a music educator with the Winnipeg School Division. Ross offers her own observations about Matas’s career and how inspiring he has been to law students such as herself. In one touching scene, a group of friends gather to celebrate Matas’s 80th birthday. As the attendees at the party sing “Happy birthday,” Matas recalls the famous opening line of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” which, he suggests, is a fitting description of his career fighting for human rights around the world.
One especially interesting insight that Matas offers at one point is how he has been able to remain somewhat detached from all the many legal battles in which he has been immersed. He notes, for instance, that while he was subject to occasional antisemitism growing up in north end Winnipeg, his family did not experience the Holocaust, and thus, he did not carry any personal baggage when he began to invest time into dealing with others who had been undergoing persecution.
In addition to focusing on Matas’s long battle of behalf of Falun Gong practitioners, in which he worked together with David Kilgour, to expose the horrible Chinese government practice of executing Falon Gong prisoners so that their organs could be harvested, the film also depicts other battles Matas has waged, on behalf of Wiegers in China (who are Muslim), and Tamils (in Sri Lanka).
Late in the film, we meet Hannah Taylor, another young Winnipeg lawyer, who has also been inspired to work with Matas, helping him to research and prepare briefs for various international bodies around the world. (Although the film doesn’t mention it, Taylor herself achieved quite some renown when, as a very young girl here, she started something called “The Ladybug Foundation,” to help Winnipeggers experiencing homelessness.)
But perhaps as well known as Matas’ work on behalf of repressed minorities in all areas of the globe has been Matas’s efforts to combat antisemitism. As legal counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, Matas’s work investigating Nazi war criminals in Canada is also explored in the film. Snippets of interviews with Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada, and Alan Yusim, former Midwest Regional Representative for B’nai Brith Canada, reveal just how extraordinary Matas’s contribution to fighting antisemitism in Canada has been for many years now.
I asked Yolanda Papini-Pollock what led her to want to make a film about David Matas’s career?
She answered: “The idea for this film came from Professor Emeritus Maria Cheung, with whom I previously collaborated on Painful Truth: The Falun Gong Genocide. In that project, we interviewed David Matas about his groundbreaking research into the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The Falun Gong community deeply appreciated David’s tireless efforts to expose these atrocities and wanted to create a tribute to honour him. Professor Cheung along with JadeRose Film and TV productions approached me with the idea, and I was delighted to take it on, as I greatly value David’s work in human rights and his contributions to not only the Jewish but also to communities across Canada and around the world.”
Papini-Pollock says it took her about a year to make the film.
I asked her though, where it might be seen?
She says “B’nai Brith Canada is planning a screening on December 17 in Winnipeg to honor David Matas’ contributions as their senior legal counsel. They also intend to host a screening in Ottawa in February.” The film can also be viewed at https://www.ntdfilms.com/the-justice-hunter/
(I would think “The Justice Hunter” would fit well into the program schedule of a network such as Vision TV, which I’ve contacted to suggest it ought to consider airing the film).
In addition to the film, “The Justice Hunter,” Papini-Pollock has also produced a picture book by the same name, intended for grade school children. She explains that “The idea for the book came to me during the production of the film. As I learned more about David, I felt it was important to share his story with young children as well. David expressed a desire for the film to inspire others to take up human rights work, and I realized that introducing his story to children could be impactful. The challenge, however, was to present his work in an age-appropriate way—something that could inspire without overwhelming or frightening young readers. Crafting a story that balanced these elements was both a struggle and a rewarding experience.”
Papini-Pollock adds that “The book is now available for purchase on various digital platforms, including Amazon, Indigo, and Barnes & Noble, in both soft cover and digital formats. Christine Melnick from Sharing the Magic of Literacy has shown interest in distributing it to schools and remote communities.”
Local News
Ilana Shapera one of the leads in dancing dentists upcoming production of “Chicago”
By MYRON LOVE Dr. Ilana Shapera is looking forward to once again treading the boards – this time with a role that she can really sink her teeth into. One of three principals in Affinity Dental – the others being her husband, Igal Margolin, and her brother-in-law, Artiom Margolin – has been cast in the role of Velma Kelly in the upcoming Manitoba Dental Foundation’s production of “Chicago,” which is scheduled to run May 7-11 at the Theatre Cercle Moliere.
“Velma is a real fun character,” Shapera says. “I love her snarkiness.”
“Chicago” the nusical, notes Phil Corrin, the production’s musical director, is based on a 1926 play by the same name that was intended to expose political corruption and its interface with celebrity. Fifty years later, it was restaged as a musical.
“Chicago” is the MDF’s seventh all-dentist musical production. A new show is staged every second year.
Shapera, who previously appeared in the Foundation’s production of “Lucky Stiff” in 2017, says that she is looking forward to getting back to dancing – a passion she has had for most of her life – in her role as Veloma. She reports that she began taking dancing lessons when she was four years old. In her teen years, she studied with Shelley Shearer and participated in Gray Academy musical productions. For several years, she was a member of the Chai Folk Ensemble choir and, for the past six or seven years, she has been singing with the Prairie Voices’ Horizon Choir.
The mother of two young sons, Lev and Shai, expresses her appreciation to her husband, Igal, “for holding down the fort at home, allowing her to live out her Broadway dreams”.
Some readers may remember Phil Corrin for his 25 year career as a band teacher at Garden City Collegiate. He holds a Bachelor of Music (Major in Music Education) from Brandon University and a Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts (Conducting) from the University of Calgary. His first foray into the world of theatre was in the sixth grade when he played Huckleberry Finn in his school’s production of “Tom Sawyer.” Since then, he has been involved in nearly 80 productions as an actor, musician, director, producer, stagehand, audio technician, and music director. He has worked with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Rainbow Stage, Winnipeg Studio Theatre, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Little Opera Company, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous high schools (including Gray Academy) throughout Winnipeg.
“Phil is happy to once again sink his teeth into the world of All-Dentist Musicals – having previously served as Associate Music Director for “Young Frankenstein” in 2015,” says Frank Hechter, currently the Manitoba Dental Foundation’s executive director (since 2018), who is also a member of the production’s organizing committee.
Hechter will be the conductor for the show and will also be a member of the ensemble. For Hechter – who began practising dentistry almost 55 years ago, appearing in “Chicago” will allow him to recreate his St. John’s high school operetta days, renew and create new friendships, challenge himself, and “move beyond his comfort zone,” he says.
A second Jewish member of the organizing committee is Bonnie Antel, the wife of Dr. Joel Antel, a former president of both the Manitoba Dental Foundation and Manitoba Dental Association and who is currently the Canadian Dental Association president. Bonnie says that while she would have loved to be in the “Chicago” cast, she isn’t a dentist. She has, however, been involved in music – both as a singer and choir leader, most of her life.
“I developed a love for music and singing in high school (Grant Park),” she recalls.
Bonnie has a Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education from University of Manitoba and recently retired from teaching music in the Pembina Trails School Division.
As with Ilana Shapera, Bonnie Antel is a Chai alumna. For many years, from the time she was 13, she was a member of the Shaarey Zedek Choir. She adds that in the 1990s, she was the choir director and conductor. Currently, she is the Yom Tov choir leader at the Simkin Centre. “Chicago” is the second Dental Foundation all-dentist musical production that she has been involved with.
“We are all really thrilled that we were able to get the rights to “Chicago” this year,” remarks Antel, who has been involved in the all-dentist musical productions since their inception.. “We do these shows every second year but there has always been another production of “Chicago” somewhere else in the province taking place.”
“Our purposes in producing musical theatre with all dentist performers has always been to create opportunities for dentists with an interest in musical theatre to come together; create opportunities for students and graduates of performing arts programs to gain experience, refine their expertise to enhance their career paths; and to raise funds to support educational and mentorship programs in the performing arts and other charitable organizations,” Hechter points out. “We appreciate the contributions of everyone who has participated in our productions.”
He reports that the net proceeds from the productions have provided funding over the years for the Manitoba Dental Foundation – as well as the Harvey Speigel Bursary in the College of Dentistry (U of M), the Theatre and Film program at the U of W, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg Studio Theatre Scholarship, the Rainbow Stage Professional Mentorship Program, the Never Alone Cancer Foundation, and Cancer Care Manitoba. The net proceeds from the production of “Chicago” will be divided evenly between Theatre Cercle Moliere and the Manitoba Dental Foundation.
Readers who may be interested in supporting the MDF and seeing the show can contact Dr. Frank J. Hechter (mdf.ed@manitobadentist.ca) or phone 204-782-8146.
Local News
Japanese author Akira Kitade recounts for Winnipeg audience role of foreign diplomats in saving Jewish lives in WWII
By MYRON LOVE One of the lesser known histories of the Holocaust was the role of various diplomats who saved thousands of Jewish lives through issuing visas to endangered Jews desperate to escape Nazi-occupied Europe. The best known of those diplomats was Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish special envoy in Budapest in 1944 who issued Swedish passports to thousands of Hungarian Jews and – with the financial support of American Jewish organizations – hid them in numerous safe houses throughout Budapest.
Sadly, he himself met a tragic fate. When the Soviets liberated Budapest in late 1944, the courageous Swede was arrested, shipped back to Russia – and never seen again.
Lesser known diplomats also pitched in to save Jewish lives. One of these Holocaust heroes was Chiune Sempo Sugihara. Japanese consul in Kovno, Lithuania, who provided thousands of Japanese transit visas to Jewish refugees who had fled from Poland and elsewhere in Europe to the Baltic capital city in a desperate effort to escape the clutches of the Nazis.
On Sunday, March 23, about 100 individuals, largely from the Jewish and Japanese communities, were in attendance at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights for a special presentation by Japanese author Akira Kitade describing Sugihara’s exploits.
The story is a central element in Kitade’s most recent book, “Emerging Heroes: World War II Era Diplomats, Jewish Refugees and escape to Japan”, which was a sequel to his previous book, “Visas of Life and the Epic Journey:How the Sugihara Survivors Reached Japan.”
The program, a joint venture between the CHHR and the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, began with remarks by Takehiko Wajima, the Japanese Consul General in Calgary. (Local immigration lawyer Ken Zaifman, Japan’s honorary consul in Winnipeg, was also in attendance.)
Belle Jarniewski, the Jewish Heritage Centre’s executive director, then set the table, so to speak, for the guest speaker. She pointed out that “the medal awarded to those recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority features the inscription – from the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5), “Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe.” Yad Vashem explains further that the quote is particularly appropriate when we think of the survivors and their many descendants and their many contributions to society. Chiune Sugihara did not save a single life – he saved thousands”.
She recounted that when the Nazis attacked Poland, some 15,000 Jews fled eastward, including to the then still independent Lithuania, which had been a centre for Jewish life since the 14th century. Caught between the Nazis and the Soviets, the Jews desperately sought ways to emigrate. After the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviets in the summer of 1940, all foreign diplomats were ordered to leave by August 9.
By then, the Jews were in very dire straits and could find no safe haven. Jan Zwartendijk, a Dutch consul in Kaunas at the time, agreed to stamp thousands of Jewish passports to visa-free Dutch Curacao, a Dutch colony in the Caribbean. The visas were, of course, bogus. With Europe engulfed in war, the only plausible means of escape was across the Soviet Union. For this, the refugees required transit visas showing Japan as their final destination.
As Sugihara and his family were packing their belongings, a delegation of Jews came to him with a desperate request for transit visas. They were led by Zerach Warhaftig – a Jewish refugee who, years later, was to become a minister in the government of the State of Israel. Seeing the desperation of the refugees, Sugihara began issuing the transit visas despite objections from Tokyo. Overall, he issued approximately 2140 transit visas—some of them for entire families.
The refugees rode the TransSiberian railroad across Russia to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. From there, they were transferred by boat, the Hikawa Maru, to Kobe in Japan. Many of the refugees were able to move on from Kobe to the United States and other places. The remainder – about 1,000 – were eventually relocated to the foreign quarter in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, where there was an existing community of German-Jewish refugees and a small number of prosperous Jewish merchant families from India.
Akira Kitade’s interest in Sugihara and the Jewish refugees, he noted, was sparked almost 30 years ago when he heard the firsthand account from Tatsuo Osaka, his boss at the Japanese Tourist Bureau, – who captained the Hikawa Maru carrying Jewish refugees from Vladivostok to Kobe. The retired diplomat recalled that, during a visit in the late 1990s, Osaka showed him an album with photos of eight of the refugees – one man and seven women – along with words of gratitude in various languages representing the many different European countries from which they were fleeing. After Osaka’s passing on 1993, his daughter gave Kitade the album.
His initial goal, the author recalled, was to find out what became of the individuals in the album. Over the next 10 years or so, he accomplished this mission. He shared with his audience at the CMHR what he learned about each of the survivors. All of them eventually reached America ,where they enjoyed successful careers and lives. Most married and had children.
Kitade’s research into the lives of the eight survivors in the album brought into contact with many more Sugihara transit visa holders and their descendants. He noted that while there are estimates that as many as 6,000 refugees – individual and family members, were saved by the Japanese consul’s actions, his view is that the real number is about 3,000. Their descendants, he suggested, are around 50,000.
The author also spoke about three European diplomats who aided Sugihara in facilitating the further movement of the transit visa holders. The problem for the refugees once they landed in Kobe was that the visas were only good for 14 days. Jan Zwartendijk, a Dutch businessman and diplomat, who was director of the Phillips factories in Lithuania and part-time acting consul of the Dutch Government in exile, provided 2,345 visas for Jewish refugees for the Dutch colony of Curacao, an island in the Caribbean.
Nicolaas Arie Johannes (Niek) de Voogd was the Dutch consul in Kobe at that time, and he also provided visas for Jewish refugees for Curacao. De Voogd returned to Japan as the Dutch ambassador in the early 1960s.
Tadeusz Romer was the Polish ambassador in Japan until the Polish embassy in Japan closed in July 1941. From August 1940 to November 1941, he otained transit visas in Japan, arranged asylum visas to Canada and other countries, immigration certificates to Palestine, and immigrant visas to the United States and some Latin American countries for 2,000 Polish-Lithuanian Jewish refugees who had arrived in Kobe. He created a ‘Polish Committee to Aid the Victims of War’ and appointed his wife, Zofia, to be president of the committee. They worked to financially support Jewish communities in Yokohama and Kobe by campaigning in Far Eastern countries for funding.
Belle Jarniewski completed the Sugihara narrative. The diplomat himself was posted to a number of different places, but in 1944 he was arrested by the Soviets along with a number of other diplomats. He was ultimately released, went to work for the Japanese Foreign Service in 1947, and held a variety of other jobs after that. Shortly before his death, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Israel, declared Sugihara “Righteous Among the Nations” for his aid to the refugees in Lithuania during World War II. Yad Vashem conferred the title in 1984, honoring the former Japanese consul with a ceremony in Jerusalem in January 1985.
“The number of people recognized as Righteous Among the Nations – is staggeringly small when you consider the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered,” Jarniewski pointed out.. “However, the impact of the Righteous – those who mustered extraordinary courage and who acted with conscience and caring is immeasurable. Today, the global Jewish community finds itself facing a sustained resurgence of antisemitism unprecedented since the end of the Holocaust. The silence of far too many we had considered as friends and allies has been shocking. We need to see the kind of courage of conscience that Chiune Sugihara so inspiringly displayed.”
One final note. Towards the end of the program, it was noted that in the audience was Winnipegger Rochelle Zucker, whose father, Meyer, was one of the Sugihara survivors. In answer to a question as to how the Jewish refugees in Shanghai survived, she spoke of her own father’s story. As with most of the refugees, they found work. Meyer Zucker was a printer by trade and was hired by a British-owned printing company. After the war, he, like most of the others, applied to go wherever he could. He had a cousin in Calgary who was able to bring him to Calgary to work in the printing industry. In Calgary, he met his wife, Miriam Pearlman, and, in 1948, they moved to Winnipeg where Meyer and Miriam both had family. In Winnipeg, Zucker worked as a printer for the Israelite Press/Yiddishe Vort until just a couple of years before his passing n 1977.
Local News
BB Camp reverses decision to retain Jacob Brodovsky as co-director
BB Camp parts ways with co-director, who had held a variety of positions at BB Camp for the past 15 years
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted April 17) In an email just issued by BB Camp, the camp’s Board of Directors has announced that “the Board of Directors and co-Executive Director Jacob Brodovsky have amicably agreed to part ways, having regard to the best interests of the Camp and the community at large.”
There is no mention in the announcement as to the status of Brodovsky’s co-director (also his wife), Lexi Yurman.
The decision announced today constitutes a complete reversal of the Board’s earlier decision to retain Brodovsky as co-director. The Board had issued a statement on April 9 in which it said that “After conducting painstaking due diligence, the BB Camp Board of Directors unanimously voted to retain Co-Executive Director, Jacob Brodovsky, following his full apology for his serious error in judgement on social media.”
The statement by the board issued today (April 17) goes on to say that “the Camp Board expressly and unequivocally rejects and denounces the nature and content of the social media posts that were ‘liked’ (by Brodovsky) and in no way does that personal activity reflect the views of BB Camp or its Board.”
That statement refers to several social media posts which were posted by someone (or perhaps a group) that goes by the name “Rusty Robot,” which were posted in the spring of 2024, and to which Jacob Brodovsky attached his name as “liking” them.
There had been a myriad of accusations levelled against Brodovsky on social media, and one website in particular had been leading the charge to have him dismissed. That website not only ran several articles demanding that Brodovsky be fired, it allowed a slew of comments to be posted – many of which contained highly incendiary accusations against Brodovsky. (There were also a great many comments coming to his defence.)
In its announcement of Brodovsky and the camp parting ways, the Board goes into great detail about where certain areas of the camp’s operation need to be strengthened. The announcement says “Through this period, we have undertaken a careful and thoughtful review of our Camp’s policies and have taken guidance from experts in the community. While we believe strongly that the Camp has been, and will continue to be, a safe Jewish place for children, we have nonetheless identified areas where improvement is warranted, and the Board has agreed to pursue these steps to benefit the Camp.”
The announcement outlines the areas in which it is seeking to improve certain aspects of the camp experience:
- The Board has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and will incorporate it into our Code of Conduct. We believe taking this step gives formality to the Camp’s existing and unbending commitment to Jewish safety and outright rejection of any form of antisemitism or anti-Zionism. Our adoption of the IHRA definition will be posted to our website.
- We will review and update the Camp’s mission statement and core values statement to better reflect the Camp’s fundamental support of Israel.
- Employees and Board members will be required to sign the Code of Conduct, which will outline support of the IHRA definition and include confirmation that they will not publicly promote ideas that are contrary to the mission of the Camp or which are contrary to the IHRA definition.
- We will take steps to hire a Jewish Education Coordinator to develop and implement enhanced Jewish and Israeli programming at Camp.
- We will strike a community outreach sub-committee of the Board to formally engage with Israeli and other community organizations in order to repair relationships and enhance opportunities for collaboration.
- We will take steps to ensure that all Camp staff have a formal ability to communicate directly with the Board.
Yet, nowhere does the Board describe in any way how Brodovsky failed to meet any of the areas which the Board says it will seek to strengthen. It does say though that “Our campers will continue to do what they have been doing for decades: proudly sing Hatikvah daily while the Israeli flag is lowered, participate in meaningful and inclusive daily prayer services, enjoy the “Shabbat Procession” and Friday challah, and feel a connection to Israel and Judaism through our programming.”
Further, the announcement issued by the Board also says that the Board “would like to highlight we were particularly proud of what our Executive Directors initiated last year to support Israelis in need. They engaged with the community to raise funds which were used to bring young Israeli campers from destroyed communities in the Gaza envelope, along with a chaperone, to Camp for a session. This provided an incredible relief to those kids and gave our community’s kids a chance to connect with Israelis who have suffered so greatly.”
It should also be noted that the Board of the Jewish Federation issued a statement on April 14 that gave a forewarning that the BB Camp Board was coming under great pressure to part ways with Brodovsky.
The Federation statement said: “We are aware of the concerning situation regarding BB Camp.
“While BB Camp is governed by its own board of directors and operates independently — as do all of the Federation’s beneficiary agencies — we have listened closely to the concerns of community members, whose trust in the camp has been shaken. The Federation takes these concerns with the utmost seriousness. “Our Executive has already held a number of emergency meetings, and our Board will be meeting on Tuesday night to further discuss the matter. A formal statement will be shared with the community this week.” If there is a statement issued by the Federation we will provide an update to what is clearly an ongoing story. How the camp will reorganize itself this close to the opening of camp season is not explained in the announcement issued by the BB Camp Board. What it does say is that “The Board is actively working on a transition plan that ensures that Camp operates as it always has – as a safe Jewish place for campers to spend their summers, build leadership skills and create memories in an incredible wilderness environment. The Board has great confidence in our returning staff team, including our exceptionally talented Operations, Program and Wilderness Directors, each of whom held the same position last year. Camp has a culture guided by the dozens of amazing staff who commit their time and energy for the benefit of our community’s children. We are blessed to have a strong and capable staff team ready to welcome our campers this summer, and the Board will work hand in hand with them to ensure the Camp’s continued success.” |
Hats off to that hateful website which played such an instrumental role in seeing the departure of someone whom the Camp Board thanks for his “tireless efforts for the Camp over the last four years as Co-Executive Director and his dedicated service in a variety of Camp positions over the last 15 years.” If there is anything more to report on this story, we will do our best to do that here, but in past instances of administrators of Jewish organizations in Winnipeg leaving suddenly, it has consistently been the practice of neither the board involved in that person’s departure nor the person – him or herself, to say anything for public consumption that might explain their sudden departure.