Local News
Operation Ezra one of seven local organizations that received unexpected gifts totalling $1.5 million US
By BERNIE BELLAN I was recently contacted by Michel Aziza, who has spearheaded the drive to help Yazidi refugees known as “Operation Ezra”. Michel told me about a totally unexpected donation of $150,000 to Operation Ezra that was received from something called the Dorothy Strelsin foundation.
I was intrigued by this surprise gift to Operation Ezra. It turns out that the gift to Operation Ezra was just one of seven gifts made to local organizations by the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation.
Here is what I learned, after talking to an individual who had helped to guide the gift-giving process for a foundation about which no one here had heard until cheques started arriving recently.
Dorothy Strelsin, born Dorothy Dennis in 1913, was a one-time Broadway showgirl who had married a wealthy industrialist by the name of Alfred Strelsin.
According to information we were able to glean from the internet, Dorothy Strelsin had been an ardent supporter of the arts. Apparently, upon her death, a foundation was started in her name. The foundation has been under the direction of a good friend of Dorothy Strelsin’s, who has asked us not to divulge her name.
It turns out that the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation has grown considerably in the 20 years since its creation and, in that time, it has made donations to over 100 different organizations. From what we were told by an individual who has a close connection to the manager of the foundation, and who played a key role in suggesting Winnipeg organizations that were worthy of financial assistance, the person who has been managing the foundation wishes to bring it to a close. As a result, there has been a recent outpouring of gifts to a great many different organizations, including seven which have strong Winnipeg connections.
The six other local organizations, in addition to Operation Ezra, which received donations from the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation, include:
• The Assiniboine Park Conservancy’s Polar Bear Rescue & Care Team
• Harvest Manitoba (formerly Manitoba Harvest)
• Gaining Resources Our Way (G.R.O.W.) – a non-denominational program started by Karyn Lazareck in 2002 to help promote greater independence and self-reliance for young adults with special needs
• Siloam Mission
• BB Camp – to set up a fund to provide scholarships for Indigenous children in the Kenora area to be able to attend BB Camp’s day camp on Town Island
• The Rady JCC – for special needs programs
The funds allocated by the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation for each of the above organizations have already been distributed. As the individual who played a direct role in determining where funds from the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation would go in Manitoba told me, “it has been a humbling and rewarding experience”, first determining where those funds would go, and then seeing the impact that giving those funds has already had.
We have not heard from any of the organizations that received gifts from the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation, other than Operation Ezra. Here is what Michel Aziza of Operation Ezra wrote to me:
The generous and unexpected donation from the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation comes at a critical time for the Operation Ezra project as it continues to look for ways to help and assist many of the Yazidi families brought to Canada by the Government in 2017 and 2018.
While all the families privately sponsored by Operation Ezra through the generous contributions of our community are doing very well and have gained full independence, the 40 + families brought in by the government continue to face many financial and emotional challenges. As a result of this , Operation Ezra shifted its focus several years ago to helping these families. Many of the privately sponsored Operation Ezra families have become active volunteers for Operation Ezra in the resettlement and integration of these other struggling families.
The funds received from the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation will be applied to three main projects which include; The establishment of a small cemetery for the entire Yazidi community in Winnipeg; The expansion of the very successful farming project run in partnership with the Shelmerdine Garden centre; and an extensive and sustainable Food Assistance program for families who are still struggling financially .
A small committee has been established to discuss ideas for sustainable food assistance and this committee will oversee the management of the donated funds as well.
This most generous donation will have a significant impact on the Yazidi community. A Yazidi cemetery, the first and only one of its kind in Canada, has been on the Yazidi community wish list for several years. Its establishment will be key to a solid foundation for the long term sustainability of the community in Winnipeg. The farming project typically engages over 30 regular volunteers working the fields and providing fresh and healthy produce to a total of 52 families (approximately 400 individuals). The donated funds will allow Operation Ezra not only to expand the project to possibly other types of farming involving additional volunteers, it will also allow for the purchase of equipment and tools to help the Yazidi volunteers continue with this very successful project. The Yazidi community is paying it forward as well by donating approximately 10,000 lbs. of produce to local charities each year as a way of helping others.
All those involved with Operation Ezra are extremely grateful to the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation and its board of trustees for making it possible to continue to help build a resilient Yazidi Community in Winnipeg.
Post script: The unexpected donation to Operation Ezra is reminiscent of another large and unexpected donation ($725,000) that was made two years ago – to the Simkin Centre Foundation, by something called the Myer and Corrine Geller Trust. As I wrote around the time of that donation, I surmised that Myer Geller’s mother had been a resident of the Sharon Home.
The donation to Operation Ezra is also reminiscent of the $900,000 donation that was made by an anonymous “angel” in 2015 that went toward the purchase of the Gwen Secter Centre from the National Council of Jewish Women. (By the way, the NCJW had said that it wanted to sell the Gwen Secter Centre so that it could do something for addiction treatment here. I’m still waiting to hear what’s happened with that $900,000.)
I’ve also kept my word not to reveal the name of the angel who stepped up to save the Gwen Secter Centre, although I did discover who that person was.
There’s nothing like a surprise gift of hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a smile on someone’s face, is there?
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!
