Local News
New kosher bakery opens in River Heights
By BERNIE BELLAN In our Dec. 9, 2020 issue Rebeca Kuropatwa reported on the success that a recent Israeli émigré to Winnipeg, Luba Yurchenko, had found selling her own baking in Winnipeg.
In that story Rebeca explained how Luba had taken a rather circuitous route to becoming a baker:
“When I was in my mid-20s, Luba recalled, ‘I was living with my dad, because my mom stayed in Russia and I grew up with him. He is a minimalist person. We didn’t have an oven in the house. We didn’t bake. I never baked.
“I got married in 2006, and, in 2009, Doriel was born. And, after three years, my husband (Vladimir) got me an actual oven and I started baking just for fun…just to see if I loved it or if I could do it.
“ I started to be very good at it. So, a year later, I decided to go to study it in Israel and I graduated in 2013.’
Even after graduating, Luba continued her education. She took two more courses in cake decorating and started working in a bakery in Ashkelon.
“ ‘A lot of Jewish families enjoyed our baking stuff, because it was kosher with a rabbi’s blessing,” said Luba.”
Luba and her husband Vladimir moved to Winnipeg in 2016. As Rebeca noted in her article, “Luba opted to go to culinary school, though she had already worked as a pastry chef in Ashkelon, after having earned her diploma from The Chef College in Israel.
In 2019, Luba felt she was ready to share her passion for baking with new clients. She began renting space at Adas Yeshurun Herzlia synagogue’s kitchen, selling her baked goods at farmers’ markets and to people she knew.
But, as Rebeca then explained, “Covid-19 hit. ‘We had big plans for this past summer of 2020,’ Luba said. ‘We were supposed to be at farmers’ markets and lots of places…even at the zoo market before Christmas, but all of it was cancelled.’
“Luba decided to realign her plans and spent time working on her website, making it possible for people to order goods. But then, Herzlia had to close its doors in line with the Covid-19 restrictions and shut downs, so Luba had to find another commercial kitchen to work out of – which she managed to do.”
Rebeca’s article went on to describe the many different foods that Luba has been producing, in addition to a variety of baked goods: “I’m also making food, like soups, and breads, and spreads, like baba ganoush and hummus and all kinds of stuff. I see that Indian people love me, because I use the spices, similar spices to them.”
Toward the end of her article, Rebeca added a line about what Luba’s plans were back in December: “Next up, Luba plans to open a bricks-and-mortar location in River Heights, once she has all the permits and equipment put together.”
We’re now happy to report that Luba, along with husband Vladimir, have realized that plan to open a bakery, and “Fantasy Cakes” opened at 530 Waterloo (corner of Corydon) on Tuesday, April 6.
But, here’s something else that will be of interest – and probably delight as well, to a great many of our readers: Fantasy Cakes will be fully kosher. Rabbi Yosi Benarroch of the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregation informed me of the opening of Fantasy Cakes in an email received on April 7, adding that the facility is under the complete supervision of Winnipeg’s Vaad Hakashrut.
This marks the first opening of a new kosher facility in Winnipeg in years and the first new one that falls under Rabbi Benarroch’s supervision.
“All the breads and pitas are pareve,” Rabbi Benarroch noted, “while all the other baked goods are dairy.”
“All the equipment in the bakery is brand new, “ Rabbi Benarroch added. Before opening the bakery, Rabbi Benarroch and Vladimir Yurchenko actually took all the dishes and utensils that will be used in the bakery to the mikvah in the Rady JCC and kashered them there.
Fantasy Cakes will not be open on Saturdays, Rabbi Benarroch also said.
As for what Fantasy Cakes will have to offer, Luba Yurchenko will be turning out all the same goodies that she has already been producing, first at the Herzlia, then more recently at a downtown kitchen, but she is also planning more as time moves on.
As well, while customers, as yet, are not able to sit down and eat some of Luba’s pastries in Fantasy Cakes itself, you can order a coffee while you’re there. Plans eventually will include adding some tables and chairs, once the Covid-19 regulations allow for that indoors.
One final note: Rabbi Benarroch told me for sure to try Luba’s challahs. Luba says that she will be selling challahs only on Fridays for the time being.
The phone number for Fantasy Cakes is 204-306-4050.
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
