Local News
Prolific author Bryan Schwartz has put out five new works within past year
By MYRON LOVE Professor Bryan Schwartz is the very model of a modern-day Jewish Renaissance scholar. The popular legal educator, passionate Zionist, and student of the Holocaust as an in-demand commentator on modern legal and constitutional issues has written or contributed to 34 books and over 300 publications in all – in a legal and teaching career that stretches back more than 40 years. His works encompass legal and governmental issues as well as commentary on the entire gamut of Jewish life – from ancient times to the Holocaust to the current Jewish situation.
In addition to his work as an author, lawyer and academic (as a professor in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law), Schwartz is also a poet, playwright, and songwriter. And his literary output over just the past year reflects the full gamut of his interests and talents.
Since January 2023, Schwartz has produced five quite different works. His most recent work is “It’s About Time:104 Dimensions of Time During Passover” – which readers can download for free on his website –sacredgoof.ca – is a comprehensive overview of the Pesach holiday from a novel perspective.
In a series of what used to be called “quick snappers”, Schwartz points out, for example, that Pesach actually combines two ancient Jewish spring festivals – the sacrifice of the first-born lamb and the first fruits of the harvest of the grain that was planted in the late fall or winter.
He groups his explanations and commentaries into 21 categories related to time. The first group – Cyclical Time – discusses Pesach’s connection to Purim preceding it and Shavuot seven weeks later. He further explains Pesach in Israel and why, in Israel, only one seder is designated as compared to two in the diaspora, how the date for the first seder is officially determined, and what the rules are when the seders overlap with Shabbat.
Other groups include an overview of Pesach’s place in different histories, Pesach within the family context, ritual, the Exodus in world history, Pesach and historical memory, the history of the Haggadah, the bringing together of past, present and future – and many more interesting explanations and fact.
The inspiration for “About Time: 104 Dimensions of Time During Passover”, Schwartz explains in his introduction on his website, came last year at Passover. “I noticed that the text of the Haggadah contains some explicit references to time,” he noted on his website.
“We begin by thanking the Creator for separating the ordinary days from holy days,” he pointed out. “We are enjoined to tell the Passover story “as if” we were personally redeemed from that captivity. We experience, in the now, the coming together of families and communities…as the Israelites did on the night of Passover. We are invited at the end to proclaim, “next year in Jerusalem” – and with the cup of Elijah, think of a Messianic age beyond the present.”
At first, he wrote, he was aiming to write a single blog piece for The Times of Israel, an Israeli-based online newspaper to which Schwartz has become a regular contributor. “Yet the more I looked, the more I found,” he noted.
‘The Jewish tradition is largely about taking a concrete starting point – like an episode related in the Haggadah or the egg on the Seder plate – and finding more and more ways to think about it. The saying is that the Torah has seventy faces. I did not expect to ever get to seventy dimensions of time in Passover, but here I am so far, with one hundred and four…so far.”
While this year, Pesach has now passed. I would encourage interested readers to peruse “About Time: 104 Dimensions of Time During Passover” and print out sections that you might consider introducing into your seders next year.
“My aspiration,” Schwartz writes on his webpage, “would be for the book, in some form or other, to become a familiar companion to the Haggadah as we re-experience Passover every year, For some readers, it might help to make everything old seem new again.”
Schwartz published two other books of note last year. In January, he spoke about the themes in “Re-Enlightening Canada: A Legislative Program for promoting Open, Democratic and Rational policymaking” (available on Amazon) in a question and answer session at the Berney Theatre, with Ruth Ashrafi, Bnai Brith Canada Regional Director for Manitoba, in which he discussed the ills plaguing today’s universities and recommended some solutions.
“When I began my teaching career (at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law) over 40 years ago,” universities were places which encouraged freedom of expression, open dialogue and diversity of opinion,” he recalls. “That is no longer the case. DEI (diversity, equity and inclusiveness) as it has been developed over the past few years is antithetical to traditional liberal values and is, in particular, hostile to Jews because Jews, within the DEI context, are considered White and White people are considered bad.
“For Jewish students and faculty members, the University of Manitoba has become a hostile environment.”
Schwartz’s grim conclusion is that “Woke” ideology has entirely conquered most universities and that universities are not capable of reforming themselves. The only way they will be restored to a public space where diverse opinions are welcome and freedom of expression again flourishes, he says, is through strong government actions – a recipe for which he outlines in “Re-enlightening Canada”.
’The program,” he explains, “is intended to appeal to reasonable people across the political spectrum. It is a proposal for how people of good faith in democracies can “reason together.” “It is intended to be a moderate and practical response to the ideological excesses of our time.”
The multifaceted Schwartz’s third project – completed last year, was his contribution to the second edition of “Humanity in Doubt”, the reflections of his late father-in—law Philip Weiss, a Holocaust survivor who built a successful furniture manufacturing business here and became a leader in Holocaust education in the schools.
Weiss died in 2008 at the age of 85.
This new, updated edition includes a eulogy by Schwartz and an afterword written by Frances Winograd, one of Weiss’s daughters: “Furnishing an Identity” – based on her Master’s thesis in Interior Design, which places Weiss’s career in design in the context of the Jewish contribution to modernism.
Schwartz co-edited this second edition with his daughter, Lainie (who work at Yad Vashem), and John Richthammer.
Both “Humanity in Doubt” and “ReEnlightening Canada” are available from Amazon or Schwartz’ website – bryanpschwartz@gmail.com
Readers may also be interested in checking out Schwartz’s latest compilation of 24 songs – entitled “The Sacred Goof”- which you can listen to for free online. Schwartz points out that “The Sacred Goof” is a follow up to “Consoulation: A Musical Meditation,” a Jewish-themed musical that successfully premiered at the Gas Station Theatre several years ago. The author/composer hopes to both bring back Consoulation as well as see a production of “The Sacred Goof” in the next year.
An illustrated booklet (with illustrations by Maren Amini) with all the lyrics – can be purchased online by typing in the album name.
Then there is Schwartz’s “Online Dispute Resolution in the Time of Covid”, which is part of a trilogy that he is overseeing, as Co-Editor in Chief of The Manitoba Law Journal, on how the Canadian legal system adapted during the COVID period, and how many of those innovations will bel enduring
Schwartz is available for group presentations.
Local News
Jewish Federation now says Jewish population of Winnipeg in 2021 (according to the census) was 13,940 – not the 16,000 figure that the Federation had been touting for years
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted Oct. 27, 2026) Longtime readers of The Jewish Post & News (and this website) would probably know that I have long had a very strong interest in establishing as accurate figures as possible when it has come to reporting the size of Winnipeg’s Jewish community.
For years I argued that our Jewish Federation was exaggerating the size of our Jewish population. I heard the figure of 16,000 bandied about by leaders in our community quite often when it came to reporting the size of our Jewish population – without any empirical evidence to back that figure up.
I had long maintained that the only reasonably accurate figures when it came to reporting the size of Winnipeg’s Jewish population were those produced by the late Evelyn Katz, when she was the unofficial demographer for the Jewish Federation – over 30 years ago. What Evelyn would do is keep careful track of births, deaths, numbers of newcomers but, perhaps most important: the number of people who had left our community.
Thus, in August 2022 when I interviewed Faye Rosenberg Cohen who, at the time, was just about to retire as the Jewish Federation’s Chief Planning and Allocations Officer, I was somewhat astonished to hear Faye say, when I asked her what proportion of our Jewish community was made up of immigrants, she answered that “I can honestly say when I look at those numbers it’s somewhere around 1/3 of the community.”
In response, I asked: “So you’d say it’s somewhere between 4-5,000?”
Faye said: “I think it’s more than that.”
I wrote in that article, “I indicated my skepticism at that time, saying ‘You know that I’ve always been skeptical about the numbers that have been used by the Federation for the population of the Jewish community. I think though that it’s always been more of a case of identification – who identifies as Jewish.’ ”
Later, after the results of the 2021 census were released, I wrote that “if you take into account the results of the 2021 census, the Jewish community cannot be larger than 14,270 at a maximum. But that figure would also include anyone who had either said either their ethnic origin was Jewish or their religion was Jewish.”
Since many of the individuals who had said on the 2021 census that their ethnic origin was Jewish, but their religion was something else, I maintained that ascertaining the real size of our Jewish community was highly problematic.
Still, for the sake of argument I was willing to accept that, realistically, it was somewhere between 13,000-14,000 – but nowhere close to the figure of 16,000 that had come to be suggested by our then president of the Jewish Federation or by other leading figures in our community.
So, it was with a sense of satisfaction that I heard Sharon Graham, who is now the Jewish Federation’s Community Planning and Allocations Lead say to an audience of over 50 people who were at the Gwen Secter Centre on Thursday, October 22, that the Jewish community in 2021 was – at a maximum: 13,940.
Sharon was at the Gwen Secter Centre to speak to Remis Lecture attendees. Her presentation preceded a presentation by Jewish Federation CEO Jeff Lieberman. Sharon used a PowerPoint presentation to provide some very interesting insights into where our Jewish community was at in 2021- and I’m offering some parts of her presentation here for you to read because I thought they were so interesting.
I had actually made many of the same observations about the results of the 2021 census in my own reporting back in 2022, but seeing what I had written confirmed by the Jewish Federation’s point person on planning told me that Sharon has a much more realistic view of our community than did Faye Rosenberg Cohen.
Here, for instance, is a slide that shows the proportion of our Jewish community that is made up of immigrants. It’s slightly under one fifth, not the one third percentage that Faye had suggested.
But, what really set Sharon’s presentation apart from anything else I’ve ever seen presented by someone from the Jewish Federation – other than the aforementioned Evelyn Katz, was the slide she projected which showed that, while there had been a large influx of newcomers to Winnipeg’s Jewish community between 2016-2021 there had also been a significantly high number of people who had left our Jewish community in those same years, as you can see in the following slide:
That is something we just don’t hear discussed by leaders of our Jewish organizations, but let’s be realistic: For many newcomers who came to Winnipeg and were counted as new members of our Jewish community, Winnipeg – for a variety of reasons, was a stepping stone to other communities. It may have been for reasons of better job opportunities, moving closer to other family members, or – the reason that we hear so often when it comes to people saying they want to leave Winnipeg: the weather.
But, whatever the reason, Sharon’s figures show that, as much as GrowWinnipeg may have been an abiding success when it’s come to attracting newcomers to our Jewish community here, getting them to stay long term is a different story.
And, while there were other aspects of Sharon’s presentation that certainly merit discussion, especially the figures she produced about intermarriage, rather than delving into them here, I thought it useful simply to insert them for you, the reader, to see – and draw your own conclusions.
Local News
Marty Green expands his protest against extremist Jewish settlers to two more venues – and is arrested twice more
(Tuesday, October 27) We received the following press release about Marty Green being arrested again, both at the University of Manitoba and at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue:
Both sides came to blows on Saturday, October 24, at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue as security personnel sought to prevent Marty Green from interfering with synagogue traffic as he protested just outside synagogue grounds against the actions of religious settlers in Israel’s occupied West Bank territory. Synagogue Executive Director Rena Secter Elbaze quickly intervened to prevent further escalation. Police arrived shorty thereafter and detained Green for 45 minutes before driving him home and releasing him. It is not clear whether their decision not to lay charges was the result of their own onsite investigation or whether it was at the request of the synagogue executive.
Green has now been arrested four times in the last month and faces multiple charges for disturbing the peace, including two episodes at the Asper Campus and one more this past Friday (Oct. 23) at the University of Manitoba. While Green says initially he was merely handing out leaflets (at the Asper Campus), since his first arrest on September 23, he has returned to the campus with a large placard and an acccordion, accompanying himself while singing songs with lyrics that include such phrases as “The Jews Are Bananas….B-A-N-A-N-A-S”. In addition to listing actions of the religious settlers as including arson, vandalism, and theft, he pointedly alleges that the IDF has been backing up the settlers in their actions.
Green had earlier notified the Shaarey Zedek that he was contemplating bringing his protest to the synagogue. He was told that if he attempted to enter the grounds he would be prevented from doing so. At that time, Secter Elbaze told Green that his intentions were inappropriate, declaring the synagogue to be “a house of worship dedicated to prayer, learning, community, and spiritual engagement.” Green responded that if the synagogue were willing to contact the Crown and inform them that “that there was never any legal basis for their claims that I was conducting myself inappropriately at the Asper Campus” (with regard to his earlier arrests) that he would “voluntarily refrain from carrying his informational campaign to the synagogue(s).”
Green further argues that the recent “psak” (religious ruling) by leading Israeli rabbi Rov Dov Lior, in which Lior declares that it is not merely permissible but praiseworthy for Jews to steal olives from Arab orchards….that this ruling brings his protest within the proper realm of religious discourse. He says further that if the local rabbis were willing to speak out to their congregations against the aforesaid psak, that he might have refrained from taking his campaign to their grounds.
Although Green was released on Saturday without charges, police confiscated his placard. They explained that it was being held as evidence pending an investigation by Major Crimes as to whether it constituted hate literature.
There was no further information given as to what happened at the University of Manitoba.
Local News
Third annual JFest Winnipeg will be offering programs for all ages
By MYRON LOVE JFest Winnipeg is back with a good variety of musical performances, a book launch, popular Jewish-themed films, children’s activities, and a family-oriented Shabbat dinner.
“JFest,” observes Laura Marjovsky, the Rady JCC Director of Programming, “is an opportunity for our community to experience Jewish art and culture. With our range of JFest events, we are trying to reach out beyond what has been our base audience and appeal to all ages. We have a commitment to bring top notch Israeli performers to share the highest caliber of Israeli entertainment with our audiences.”
The week-long festival (November 14-21) kicks off with a performance by top-ranked Israeli singer-songwriter Harel Skaat. The popular Israeli star began singing as a child. He shot to fame when he finished second in the second season of “Kochav Nolad” – Israel’s version of “American Idol.” His first album was released in 2006 and achieved Platinum status – with one of the songs being ranked as “song of the year.” He followed that up in 2009 with a second album that reached Gold status. In 2010, he represented Israel at the Eurovision competition.
Skaat’s performance is scheduled for the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre (which is attached to Garden City Collegiate) beginning at 8:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 14. Patrons will have the opportunity to purchase an enhanced ticket to attend a meet and greet with Harel.
All other JFest programs and activities will be at the Rady JCC.
Music Producer Karla Berbrayer says Ben Caplan’s performance on Saturday, November 21 will also be another highlight. “Ben Caplan redefines what it means to be a modern folk artist,” Berbrayer says. “His music and stories are matched by his larger-than-life stage presence. This concert focuses on how his Jewish upbringing has influenced his entire performance career.”
“Flatland Famous” is returning by popular demand. This quintet, known for its performances at Winnipeg Jets games, will be presenting its concert, “Jewish Soul of Rock and Roll,” on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:30 pm. This year’s show will feature songs by Amy Winehouse, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Simon and Garfinkel, and other famous Jewish icons.
On Tuesday, November 17, local author Deborah Schnitzer will be taking centre stage with the launch of her new book, “The Woman Who Swallowed West Hawk Lake.” The University of Winnipeg English Professor Emeritus’s new novel explores intergenerational trauma related to Nazi breeding programs. Joining Schnitzer on stage will be a panel of professionals who have experience working with children who have experienced trauma.
And of course, “Best of the Fest” is back. Films to be presented will include“The Floaters” and “We Met at Grossingers,” two wildly popular movies at last spring’s Winnipeg International Jewish Film Festival.
“The Floaters,” to be screened on Monday , November 16 at 7:00 pm is a funny and bang-on depiction of Jewish summer camp culture.
“We Met at Grossingers” is a loving look back at the Borscht Belt in New York’s Catskills, where generations of young Jewish performers earned their dues and developed their acts. The film will be screened on Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 P.M.
On Friday November 20, JFest will host a Family Shabbat dinner featuring Anat Kriger, an Israeli-born, Toronto-based musician, actor, and children’s performer, who has made several appearances in Winnipeg at major communal events.
Kidfest on Sunday, November 15, will be a day-long potpourri of programming that will include live performances, workshops, bouncy castles, games and crafts, and much more.
Readers seeking more information about JFest can contact Laura Marjovsky at 204 477-7539 or lmarjovsky@radyjcc/com
