Local News
“Rainy River Girl” new account of growing up Jewish in non-Jewish environment
By MYRON LOVE In the first half of the last century, virtually every town and village in North America was home to at least one (and often several) Jewish families – be it the general store owner – or doctor – or, in the case of Toby Gershfield, the dentist.
In her memoir, “Rainy River Girl”, co-written by Gershfield and her, son, James, the daughter of the late Dr. Nathan and Sophie Helman (and granddaughter of the esteemed Rabbi Israel Kahanovitch – western Canada’s foremost rabbi in the interwar years and beyond) recounts her early life in Rainy River, Ontario – a small community about a two hour drive southeast of Winnipeg in the Lake of the Woods area.
For those of us of a certain age – myself included – “Rainy River Girl” brings back memories of growing up Jewish in rural communities where there were few if any other Jewish families. My father’s family, the Kanees, were most closely identified with Melville, Saskatchewan. MY grandparents also operated businesses in several other Saskatchewan communities and I spent my early years in the small town of Shoal Lake in Western Manitoba. We moved into Winnipeg in the mid-1950s just before I turned seven.
In “Rainy River Girl”, Toby Gershfield – who recently turned 91, begins by outlining her family’s origins in Poland and Lithuania, how her parents met, and their decision that her father should become a dentist. She further writes about the history of Rainy River. Then she proceeds to paint vivid pictures of the town and its people in the 1930s, her father’s dental office, the family home, her mother trying to encourage her to learn to play a musical instrument (piano), her father teaching her some Hebrew, her early schooling, and the challenges of a Jewish family trying to keep kosher and follow the traditions in such an alien environment.
She also has a chapter of anecdotes stemming from living with her illustrious zaida. In 19040, when she was 7, her parents sent her to Winnipeg for a year to get some proper Jewish schooling (at the Talmud Torah).
Finally, she writes about the family moving back to Winnipeg , her father enlisting in the Canadian dental corps in 1942 and going off to war in Europe, and his dental practice back in Winnipeg postwar.
“Rainy River Girl” is published by Scribal Scion Publishers, the publishing company that James Gershfield founded in Teaneck, new Jersey, just two years ago. His mother’s memoirs are the fifth book that Scribal Scion has published – the others being Ashkenazi and Sephardi versions of “The Illuminated Omer Counting Book”, “How Jewish laws and Customs Develop Over Time” and, most recently, Rabbi Shawn Zell’s “Meaningful Mourning” (see last issue of the Jewish Post).
James Gershfield has come rather late in life to publishing. Gershfield was born and raised in Manhattan where his father, Winnipeg-born Rabbi Edward Gershfield, was Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at JTS (the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in Manhattan). Rabbi Gershfield received his ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1958. He followed that up with two MAs from Columbia and a P.hd from Oxford.
Rabbi Gershfield taught at JTS for four decades. He was also an expert in Jewish divorce, and administered and wrote thousands of Gittin during his career at JTS. Rabbi Gershfield passed away in 2019.
James Gershfield is a graduate of Yeshiva University High School and Columbia University, where he majored in computer science. For most of his career, he was a software developer. A couple of years ago, he decided to change direction and founded Scribal Scion Publishing LLC, a small publishing company dedicated to publishing – under the Scribal Scion imprint – Jewish books that inspire and comfort. Genres include memoir, biography, religion, and comfort for mourners.
Gershfield notes that he is particularly interested in books that bring together Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions.
“I have always enjoyed books,” Gershfield says. “And with modern technology, it is not difficult to set up a publishing company. The challenge for a small publisher is marketing our books. I hope to grow not only by focusing on Jewish themes but also expanding into self-help and related books via other imprints within the company.”
He reports that he began working with his mother on her memoirs a couple of years ago – after she moved to New Jersey.
He says that his next project is a biography of his father – which is scheduled to be released at the end of this month. Readers who may be interested in buying “Rainy River Girl” can go to Amazon.com. Information about the company can be obtained at scribalscionpublishing.com.
Local News
Video interview: Mary Poppins choreographer Josh Assor talks about his career and Rainbow Stage’s production of “Mary Poppins”
By BERNIE BELLAN (August 13) Two months ago we posted a story by Myron Love about Winnipeg-born Josh Assor, who has developed a very successful career as a choreographer since he left this city 15 years ago. (You can read that story here: Josh Assor returning home to choreograph Mary Poppins.)
We had a chance to sit down with Josh while he was taking a break from rehearsing Mary Poppins at Rainbow Stage to talk with him about what led to his becoming a choreographer and where his career has taken him thus far. (I should explain that I had actually spoken with Josh for over 5 minutes before I realized I hadn’t turned pressed “record” on my phone. That might explain my several references to questions I had already asked Josh.)
You can watch the full interview here: Josh Assor interview
And, to see a trailer for Rainbow Stage’s production of Mary Poppins, click here: Mary Poppins
Local News
Canadian Human Rights Commissioner Resigns Following B’nai Brith Advocacy
(submitted by B’nai Brith Canada) August 12, 2024 OTTAWA – The Department of Justice on Monday announced the resignation of Birju Dattani from the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) following an independent inquiry demanded by B’nai Brith Canada.
“Dattani’s departure is a major relief for the Jewish community,” said David Granovsky, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Government Relations. “Considering his track record, serious questions were raised about his ability to perform the functions of chief commissioner of the CHRC in an objective and unbiased manner.”
B’nai Brith expressed alarm over Dattani’s selection after it was revealed that he had repeatedly expressed antisemitic views on social media, including in a post comparing Palestinians in Gaza to Jewish prisoners in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. The Government’s investigation has substantiated several reports about Dattani’s past activities – including that he participated in a panel alongside an individual associated with Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist organization listed by the United Kingdom, for one, as a terrorist entity.
“The Dattani saga highlights critical flaws in the Government’s process for vetting candidates,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy. “We call for a thorough investigation to ensure such oversights are prevented in the future.”
Local News
Some more reflections on that controversial medical school valedictory address – and why are there so few Jewish medical students?
By BERNIE BELLAN I wanted to return to the subject of Dr. Gem Newman’s valedictory address in front of an audience of graduating U of M medical students, their families, and other guests on May 16, which is almost three months ago.
While Newman’s controversial remarks continue to reverberate – most recently with the forced departure of the Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Manitoba President-elect, Dr. Matthew Bzura, in June of this year, there were several other aspects to the story of that valedictory address that deserve mention.
The first aspect – and one which may have been overlooked by many readers if they hadn’t read a very short column in The Jewish Post by Freda Glow about the graduation ceremony – which she attended because a granddaughter was a member of the graduating class, was Freda’s observation that there were only five Jewish students in this year’s graduating class.
I’m not sure about the accuracy of that observation; after all, as I’ve tried to show time and time again on this website – deciding who is and who isn’t Jewish these days is not at all easy.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s agree that, if not absolutely accurate, Freda’s observation was reasonably close to the mark. Now, I don’t have bona fide statistics on how many Jewish students have graduated from the Faculty of Medicine over the years, but prior to the quota system that was imposed upon Jewish students entering into Medicine by the then-dean, Alvin Mathers, in 1932, one out of every four incoming students in Medicine had been Jewish for quite some time. From 1932-1944, however, the number of incoming Jewish students was reduced to a little over 10 each year.
Even when the quota was lifted, it took some time before Jewish students began to enter into Medicine at the University of Manitoba in substantial numbers. Still, according to Eva Wiseman in her history of Jewish physicians in Manitoba, titled “Healing Lives” (published in 2019), more than 400 Jewish physicians have practised in Manitoba since 1881.
So, if Freda Glow’s observation about how few doctors who were part of this year’s U of M medical school graduating class were Jewish is true, it certainly says a lot about how different our community is today from what is was 30, 40, or 50 years ago when Jewish students comprised a huge chunk of the total medical school enrolment.
When you combine that observation with one that was made by Dr. Michael Boroditsky, who was the then-President of Doctors Manitoba, when he spoke to the Remis lecture group, also in May, that “in a 2023 poll of physicians here, to which one third of active physicians responded, 12% of physicians said they were likely to retire within the next three years; 14% said they were likely to leave Manitoba; and 26% said they were likely to reduce their hours,” we can expect the number of Jewish physicians practising in Manitoba in the near future to soon be a fraction of what it once was.
Which leads me back to Dr. Gem Newman’s valedictory address in May when he said, “I call on my fellow graduates to oppose injustice -and violence – individual and systemic. I call upon you to oppose settler colonialism, both at home and abroad. I call upon you to stand in solidarity with Indigenous people everywhere, here in Treaty One Territory, where an Indigenous man can expect a life ten years shorter than mine – and in Palestine (ed. note: loud cheers erupted at that point from among the students), where Israel’s deliberate targeting of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure has led to more than 35,000 deaths and widespread famine and disease.
“Many medical organizations, including the W.H.O. and Medecins sans Frontiere, and countless unions, including the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union, have repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while there has been deafening silence from the Canadian Medical Association, Doctors Manitoba and PARIM (Professional Association of Interns and Residents of Manitoba), and so I call upon you to join me in calling for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Join me in calling for unrestricted humanitarian and medical aid in Gaza. Join me in calling for an end to the targeting of medical facilities, medical staff, and journalists.
“I’m sure that some of you here today are worried that you may face censure for speaking out against the genocidal war that Israel is waging upon the people of Palestine, that it could jeopardize your career before it’s even begun. I understand that fear…”
I noted in my report on that speech that “Dr. Newman’s speech was greeted with a standing ovation from his fellow graduating doctors.”
And that might be the most important aspect of what went down that day in May. In subsequent weeks Jewish physicians in Manitoba organized themselves into a new group, “The Jewish Physicians of Manitoba.” As Dr. Michael Boroditsky noted when I asked him about the reasons for the formation of that group, “Jewish physicians in cities across Canada and the U.S. have been forming formal associations in response to heightened antisemitism following the Hamas massacre of October 7.”
While university administrators across North America (including here, both at the U of M and the U of W) cowered in the face of anti-Israel protests that shook their campuses and university teachers who added to the intimidation that Jewish students have been experiencing (such as that notorious teach-in about Israeli genocide and colonialism conducted by U of W professors in November, not too long after the Hamas massacre of October 7), some notable Jewish politicians have not been afraid to challenge the cowardice of university administrations.
Foremost among those politicians has been Josh Shapiro who, until quite recently, was considered the favourite to be Kamala Harris’s running mate in the U.S. presidential election.
By most accounts Shapiro had the prerequisite attributes that should have led Harris to choose him as her V-P candidate, but Shapiro had angered many in the left wing of the Democratic party over this overt support for Israel.
Here’s what the NY Times had to say back in May about Shapiro and his refusal to lay down before the leftist activists who had taken over so many university campuses across the U.S., including the University of Pennsylvania: “As university officials have struggled to define where free speech ends and hate speech begins, a tension upending the final weeks of the school year, Mr. Shapiro has issued stern warnings about their responsibility to protect students from discrimination. The issue hits close to home: On Friday, police cleared an encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators off the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Shapiro had said it was “past time” for Penn to do so.”
Did Shapiro’s strong support for Israel cost him a place on the presidential ticket? In time, I suppose we’ll know.
To end this column, I wanted to return to my observation at the beginning of this column that “there were several other aspects to the story” of Gem Newman’s valedictory address that deserve mention.
Aside from the intimidating effect that the resounding cheers Newman received that day must have had on Jewish students (or other students who were made deeply uncomfortable by Newman’s remarks and the standing ovation he received from his fellow classmates), there were some very thoughtful and articulate responses to Newman that I published on this website.
One was by former Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, titled “First Do No Harm,” which was a lengthy and well researched response to Newman. The other was a more impassioned response by former Winnipegger Dr. Solly Dreman, titled “We Must Not Be Silent.” Both those pieces have been viewed over 4,000 times each on this website since they were first published.
I know that I’ve been hugely critical of Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza from the get-go, but having said that I have nothing but admiration for members of our community, wherever they are, who have been taking strong stands denouncing the antisemitism that permeates so much of the criticism that has been a constant theme of much of the criticism of Israel – beginning the day after the October 7 massacre. Still, the chilling effect on Jewish student that the support individuals like Gem Newman received from his classmates is bound to reverberate for some time to come.