Local News
New Jewish Federation staff members mix of native-born Winnipeggers, new immigrants
By MYRON LOVE It is a healthy sign when an organization – such as the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg – can continue to attract new and enthusiastic staff members. Such is the case with the Federation’s three latest hires – and a diverse trio they are: Abby Flackman, Ian Baruch, and Evelyn Orlovitz.
Evelyn Orlovitz – who signed on as the Federation’s new Donor Relations and Program Manager in May – brings with her a wealth of experience working for the Jewish community in her native Uruguay. Orlovitz has been involved with community for almost 20 years. Her resumé includes leadership in Uruguay in the Betar Movement, Hillel, Genesis YWG (programming for younger Jewish adults) and Keren Hayesod Uruguay (equivalent to our community’s United Israel Appeal).
She and her husband, Andres Hirsch, landed here two years ago. “We were looking to further our careers,” she says. “We learned about Winnipeg through the Federation’s Grow Winnipeg campaign.
She notes that Montevideo’s Jewish community is about the same size as the community here, with many of the same institutions. (Montevideo is Uruguay’s capital city and home to almost all of Uruguay’s Jewish population.)
Orlovitz holds a Master’s degree in Communication Management from the University of Montevideo. After arriving in Winnipeg, she also took a course in Communication at Red River College.
“I welcomed the chance to work for the Jewish community in Winnipeg and pay this community back for the warm welcome my husband and I have received here,” she says.
According to the statement from the Federation announcing her hire as the new Donor Relations and Programs Manager at JFW, “Evelyn has the opportunity to transfer what she learned working for the community in Uruguay. At the JFW, Evelyn will also be working with the Combined Jewish Appeal’s Ben Gurion Society, leadership programming, donor relations and CJA marketing and events.“This is a perfect fit for me,” she says.
Like Orlovitz, Ian Baruch’s family (parents Nissim Baruch and Fabiana Pachter) are also originally from South America (Argentina), having arrived in Winnipeg by way of Israel in 2002 with then eight-year-old Ian. For the new Hillel post-secondary engagement co-ordinator – as of August 1 – his new role is a natural evolution in a career of leadership in Jewish youth leadership.
Baruch was educated at Gray Academy and is also a Camp Massad alumnus. It was at Massad where Baruch acquired his original experience in leadership. He notes that he worked at Massad as a staff member in the summers for nine years.
“I gained a lot from my years at Camp Massad,” he says. “I was a shy kid when I started. I came out with new confidence and an appreciation for the importance of community.”
Following university – where he regularly attended Hillel programs – and a short time in other pursuits – he became the Red River Regional Director for BBYO in Manitoba through the Rady JCC – his previous position before becoming the Hillel Post-Secondary Engagement Coordinator at the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
While in-person activities have been limited by Covid restrictions, Baruch reports that the one in-person event that he was able to organize – a program with a Holocaust survivor speaking online from Montreal – attracted 30 students.
Another program he organized linked local university students with contemporaries from Israel and Brooklyn. Over six weeks of weekly conversations, the students were able to compare and contrast their different experiences.
Coming up in March, he reports, will be a weekly online connection with ANU Museum – the new Museum of the Jewish People, located in Tel Aviv, which bills itself as what will be the “largest and most comprehensive Jewish Museum in the world”. The program will consist of a professional photographer connected to the museum teaching participating students how to document their lives through photography with their photos being included in a photo exhibit at the museum.
Abby Flackman, the newest member of the Federation’s engagement team, finds community work for her also a “perfect fit”. Flackman – who joined the Federation staff in October – was born and raised in a modern Orthodox household in the north end of Winnipeg. She spent a number of years at Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky, attended BB camp in the summer, and graduated from the University of Winnipeg Collegiate. Abby traveled to Israel after high school to work in Jerusalem and live on a kibbutz for a year. Her passion for child-led education led her to study the Montessori Method and work as a substitute teacher at Children’s House in Winnipeg. After homeschooling her children for years, and administrating her spouse’s Osteopathy clinic, she felt that it was time to shift to a career out of the home.
Flackman had trained as a 911 operator but, while waiting for a job opening, she heard of the opportunity at the Federation. “I love the idea of being involved in the Jewish community,” she says.
Flackman – who is a member of the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregation along with her family – adds that she appreciates having a job where she can observe all the Jewish holidays.
Her new role includes responsibility for the PJ Our Way program – a followup program for 9-12 year olds – to the popular PJ Library program – as well as the Federation’s Israel and Overseas portfolio. Under the latter umbrella are P2G (Partnership Together – a teacher and student exchange program between Gray Academy and the Brock Corydon Hebrew Bilingual program here and Kiryat Shemona’s Danciger High School and elementary schools in northern Israel), the March of the Living, Birthright (to some degree) and other missions to Israel.
“We are planning ahead and fundraising for these travel programs and hoping for the best,” she says. “These have been challenging times, but the lack of activity has given me more time to better learn what my position involves. We hope come May to be able to hit the ground running.”
Local News
New Israeli restaurant opens in River Heights
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 6, 2025) It’s been a long time since our community has been able to welcome the opening of a restaurant that specializes in Israeli food.
That void is now going to be filled with the opening of The Green Falafel, at 1833 Grant (corner of Centennial – next to the Subway).
The restaurant is the fulfillment of a dream long held by the husband and wife team of Ariel and Eden Maudi, who have been living in Winnipeg the past 11 years.
Ariel, who was born in Israel and grew up in Beer Sheva, says that he worked in telecommunications in Ramat Gan for several years. He adds though that he had always dreamed of owning his own falafel stand in Israel, but life was difficult there and he decided to come to Canada as a tourist to see whether there were any opportunities here for him, Eden and their two young children.
Eden, who was born in Russia and moved to Israel with her family in 1996, stayed behind with the two kids, who were both pre-schoolers, while Ariel tested the waters in Canada first.
Ariel says he came to Canada as a tourist in 2013. His first stop was in Toronto, where he acquired his 1st class driver’s license. At the end of 2013 he moved to Winnipeg where he began working as a truck driver. Soon he found himself employed as a successful sales person at Vickar Nissan where, he says, he once achieved the status as the top car sales person in Canada. After working at Vickar Nissan for a number of years, Ariel began working as an installer for Bell MTS.
Meanwhile, Eden began working at a Walmart, later at the Costco on Regent.
But, when the opportunity to move into a space that had been previously occupied by another restaurant, but which had closed, became available, Ariel and Eden decided to open their own Israeli restaurant in an area that hadn’t seen Israeli food served since the controversial closure of Bermax Café in 2019.
The Maudis say that they will be serving a variety of Israeli dishes – all vegetarian, and that they will be fully kosher.
The “green” in Green Falafel, by the way, Ariel Maudi explains, comes from the cilantro and parsley that are added to the chickpeas. In addition, their pitas will be coming from Israel and will be baked fresh daily.
The Green Falafel will be open from 10-8 daily. Delivery will be available through Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Call 204-557-7837 for information.
Local News
Previews of shows with Jewish performers at this year’s Fringe Festival July 16-27
For show dates and venues go to winnipegfringe.com
By BERNIE BELLAN As has been our custom for many years now we try to find shows that have either Jewish performers or themes that would have particular appeal for Jewish audiences. Many of the Jewish performers at this year’s festival have been here before, but several are new. In no particular order here are blurbs about the shows we’ve found that fit the criteria I’ve just described. (By they way, if we’ve omitted a show that should be included in our list there’s plenty of time to get added to this post. Just drop me a line at jewishp@mymts.net.)
You’ve Been Served: A One-Woman Show About Divorce, Cults, and Coming of Age at Midlife
Noemi Zeigler
You are hereby summoned… to laugh, cry, and maybe belt out a Streisand number in solidarity. You’ve Been Served is a raw and riotous solo comedy by writer-performer Noemi Zeigler. It all begins when Noemi is served divorce papers on top of a garbage bin lid while taking out the trash—an undignified start to a full-blown midlife unraveling.
At 50, still clinging to her dream of becoming a singer, she falls under the spell of a music producer slash self-help guru, joins a spiritual cult, and, instead of landing a record deal, she lands in jail. Behind bars, with help from her long-buried inner child, she begins to reclaim her voice and her power. Turns out, dreams really do come true—just not the way she expected.
The show features vividly drawn characters—including a manipulative cult leader, a toxic ex-husband, and a jail guard named Roach who shares Noemi’s obsession with the fashion of Charlie’s Angels (the ‘70s TV version, of course.)
With salsa dancing, twerking, and a belting rendition of Don’t Rain on My Parade, Zeigler dives into abandonment, reinvention, and self-rescue. As she confronts perimenopause, she discovers it’s not the end—it’s the new puberty. The show touches on grief, sexuality, and spiritual confusion, but Noemi’s childlike optimism asks: What if your breakdown is actually your breakthrough?
You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself
Written & Performed by Natacha Ruck
France, 1981: The first socialist president is about to be elected and young Natacha is ready to implement her own political platform. But first, she has to take down the schoolyard bully,emasculate the rules of French grammar and make off with grandmother’s chocolate.
If you think you know the limits of Jewish mothers, evil grandmothers and transcontinental lovers, meet Natacha Ruck’s family. This true tale of three generations of women, facing three world wars, is equal parts hilarious, shocking and zany.
A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Beauty and the Beast NEW WORK!
Written & Performed by Alli Perlov
Be our guest! Local high school drama teacher Alli Perlov is back for a tale as old as time. Can she sing? Not really. Can she act? That’s debatable. Will you laugh? Oh… probably.
Perlov plays dozens of characters, some human, some animal, and many objects, in a comedic exploration of Beauty and the Beast.
In an homage to this brilliant musical adventure, through witty commentary and unstoppable energy, Perlov aims to entertain an audience that isn’t forced to be there like her students.
Hockey Sticks and Beaver Pie
Written & Performed by Melanie Gall
Take a trip around Manitoba. From the 30,000 ft. St. Adolphe snow maze to the Narcisse snake dens! After all, where else holds both the title of Slurpee Capital of the World and the Guinness Record for the most people simultaneously howling like wolves?
Deanna Durbin, Terry Jacks and Burton Cummings are among the many homegrown stars, and Hockey Sticks features their music along with original songs and the stories that make this province unique.
Starring Melanie Gall from past shows Piaf & Brel, Ingenue and Toast to Prohibition
Nerohilarity Exposed
Produced by Adam Schwartz
We all sometimes feel exposed, whether that’s as a fraud or a pretender.
The performers of the award-winning Neurohilarity show, Danielle Kayahara (Laugh Out Loud CBC), Carole Cunningham (Yuk Yuks, The Debaters), Adam Schwartz (Winnipeg Fringe) and Rollin Penner (Yuk Yuks, CBC, Rumors, Winnipeg Comedy Festival), apply a comedic spin to the experiences that make us feel insecure, stripping away the emotional weight with nittygritty jokes and stories that will have you laughing uproariously.
Brilliantly awkward.
A Lesbian in the Kitchen
Willow Rosenberg
Professional lesbian Willow Rosenberg takes you on a journey through the centuries, superstitions and tablespoons of her lifelong passion for baking in this spiritual successor to 2024’s Jenny Award-nominated A Lesbian in a Bear Store.
Whether you have a favourite spatula, bake once or twice a year, or live in constant fear of being told to “just fold it in”, this one-woman show about family, joy, tradition (but make it gay),
Judaism, comfort, home (but make it gayer*), love, chemistry and magic is for you!
*Who’re we kidding, it’s all gay!
Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany
Written & Performed by Ingrid Garner
(Ed. note: Although Ingrid Garner isn’t Jewish, we thought the theme of this show might have a special appeal for Jewish readers.)
Based on Eleanor Ramrath Garner’s best-selling memoir, this 16x internationally award-winning adaptation – performed by her granddaughter, Ingrid Garner – details Eleanor’s youth as an American caught in Second World War Berlin.
Punctuated with humour and accompanied by cinematic sound and video, Garner embodies her ancestors in this coming-of-age odyssey, delivering an account of war that is more relevant than ever.
Reviewing The Free Press 2
Benji Rothman
The Winnipeg Free Press has run amok, reviewing each and every Fringe show over the past two decades without consequence or recourse. Now, it’s their turn… again.
In this refurbished work that debuted at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe, Benji Rothman once again takes the Winnipeg Free Press to task. In this (mostly) new, (hopefully) hilarious 45-minute show, Rothman dives deep into their past and exposes their faulty journalism, imbalanced reporting and, of course, embarrassing typos.
Local News
Jewish performers at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival July 10-13
The Black Sea Station
Long ago, there were the klezmorim, itinerant musicians who roamed the back streets of Eastern Europe, playing at parties for meals and a few coins. The sound they honed then was a visceral exploration of life’s joy, and its loss; they could whip audiences into a frenzy of dancing, or bring them to tears with the mournful wail of a clarinet. Today, Winnipeg’s own The Black Sea Station is carrying on this tradition. Featuring Daniel Koulack (bass), Victor Schultz (violin) and Myron Schultz (clarinet) — cofounders of seminal local klezmer act Finjan — along with Moldovan accordion wizard Nikolai Prisacar and multi-instrumentalist Ben Mink, the quintet transports listeners to a time and place long past. Through a mix of original songs rooted in history, and traditional tunes spun up with modern zest, they whirl through the exuberant klezmer sounds of their Eastern European heritage, tending the old ways with deep love and respect.
The Black Sea Station will be performing Sunday, July 13, at 1:00 pm in Snowberry Field.
Romi Mayes
Romi Mayes has taken some hard knocks in her life, but she’s never faded away. For more than 25 years, Manitoba’s first lady of blues-rock has been a lynchpin of the Canadian roots scene. She earned that position the old-fashioned way, through her gritty, passionately emotive music. With her sizzling guitars and full-throated rasp, the Juno-nominated performer howls and purrs through razor-edged lyrics, rocking out wherever she can find a stage. She’s long been one of the hardest-working musicians on the circuit, keeping a busy slate of gigs and mentoring up-and-coming artists to get a foothold on the trails she blazed. Now, after a nine-year hiatus from the studio, Mayes has put her scintillating sound back on record with her long-awaited seventh album, Small Victories — a return that leaves no doubt, no matter the ups and downs, Mayes is here to stay.
Romi will be performing Friday, July 11, at 1:00 pm in Burr Oak.
Leonard Podolak (with Matt Gordon)
Ireland’s Matt Gordon is a fiddler and singer, whose fleet-footed clogging and thigh-slapping hambone has taken stages by storm since the 1980s. Leonard Podolak is a virtuosic master of the clawhammer banjo, who for decades has whipped up some of Manitoba’s wildest roots parties with his band, The Duhks. Put those talents together, and they can promise you this much: we’re all gonna have a real good time. Longtime friends and musical collaborators, Gordon and Podolak deliver an exhilarating trip through old-time Appalachian music. Their performances seamlessly blend intricate instrumental lines with heartfelt singing and dazzling dance. They’ve teamed up on a few records over the years, including 2020’s bigband extravaganza Power Wagon: Live At Shanley’s. But the best way to experience this duo’s toe-tapping, hand-clapping chemistry is to see it live.
Podolak and Gordon will be performing A concert with a side of clogging Sunday, July 13, at 3:00 pm in Folk School.