By MYRON LOVE Lawrence Pinsky K.C. , the Progressive Conservative candidate in the recent Tuxedo by-election to fill the seat held by former Premier Heather Stefanson, says that when he was first approached to let his name stand, he initially demurred.
“I said that I would try to find someone else,” he says.  “I approached five other potential candidates. All refused. Two cited concerns about anti-Semitism. So I said that I would run.”
But it is not only in politics that Pinsky has answered the call.  In fact, the partner in the law firm, Taylor McCaffrey, has been answering the call to help students at the University of Manitoba who felt targeted for supporting Israel. For several months now Pinsky has been providing his legal services pro bono to Jewish students fighting discrimination at the University of Manitoba since shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. 
The son of the late Harry and Dvora Pinsky grew up in West Kildonan. He earned his LLB at the University of Manitoba and was called to the Bar in 1993.  He became a partner at Taylor McCaffrey in 1998.
Over the past 30 years Pinsky has built a solid career as a leader in the area of Family Law.  Among the high points of  his career have been his role as co-founder, director and president of FAMLI (the Family Arbitration and Mediation Legal Institute). He was also a co-founder and co-chair of the National Family Law Arbitration Program – and he served ten years as a member of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission adjudication panel.
As with almost everyone else in our Jewish community, Puisky was appalled by the horrors of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7.    “My wife Jennifer and I attended the community-wide rally in support of Israel shortly after,” says Pinsky, whose father was a Holocaust survivor.  “What was happening on the streets of our cities was scary.  I felt that I had to act.”
His first action was to go to Israel in November with Jennifer – under the auspices of Sar-El – and volunteer at the Tel Hashomer army base in the Tel Aviv area.
Upon his return home, he began working with Jewish students facing both physical assaults and discrimination at the U. of M.
“Several students reached out to me,” he says.  “My colleagues and I began working with B’nai Brith and Hillel to try to help the students.  We met with several students and professors and others in the community.”
One fact he learned, he says, is that there are about 3,000 Israelis living in Winnipeg. (Consulting Editor Bernie Bellan comments: That assertion is simply not borne out by a reference to the results of the 2021 Census. According to the census, only 1350 individuals in Winnipeg gave “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins in answer to the question: “What is your ethnic origin?” Furthermore, It was possible to give more than one answer to the question about ethnic origin on the census – and you were allowed to list up to six different ethnic origins, but if someone who had lived in Israel and was born in Russia or Ukraine or anywhere else for that matter didn’t give “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins, the figure of 3,000 Israelis living in Winnipeg is simply not supported by any evidence.
The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg had long been embellishing the number of Jews living in Winnipeg – with spokespersons such as former Federation President Gustavo Zentner claiming a figures as high as 17,000 Jews in Winnipeg at times in the past. In fact, after a thorough analysis of the 2021 Census, I found that, at an absolute maximum, there were no more than 14,270 Jews living in Winnipeg in 2021. And, that figure took into account a combination of individuals who said they were “Jewish” – either by ethnic origin or by religion. For instance, of the 10,700 individuals who gave Jewish as one of their ethnic origins, a full 1,245 said they were “Christian” by religion.
One other fascinating finding from the 2021 census was that, of the 1350 individuals who gave “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins, only 855 also said they were “Jewish” by religion! A full 385 of those individuals said they had no religion at all, while 105 said they were Christian by religion. Further, only 11,170 individuals in the census said they were “Jewish” by religion in Winnipeg. I’ve long argued that many people exaggerate the number of Jews, also the number of Israelis living in Winnipeg – without having any empirical evidence to support their claims. But, if it makes you feel better to say there are 17,000 Jews in Winnipeg and 3,000 Israelis, go ahead and trot out any figures you might like. Just don’t claim that those figure are supported by any evidence.)
Pinsky points out that discrimination against Zionist students and faculty by the University of Manitoba Student Union pre-dates October 7 by a number of years, but the situation has noticeably worsened over the past eight months.  Among the incidents he cites have been anti-Semitic posters being put up at the Asper School of Business, a Jewish student being spat upon, sexually harassing insults being hurled at a Jewish female student,  hostage posters being torn down, discriminatory differential standards at The Manitoban (the University of Manitoba Student Union newspaper)  being applied against Jewish Zionist students, the refusal or failure of the editor of The Manitoban to publish articles supporting Israel despite being  provided articles and requests to do so, and the suspension on February 28 by UMSU of Students Supporting Israel because of a comment made by Bassam Eid, a Palestinian Muslim human rights campaigner who spoke at the university under the auspices of SSI and others. 
Eid’s “offensive” statement (according to one Muslim student who made the complaint that got SSI suspended) was in response to a question from the audience. Eid said that “the major problem here, I call it the ideology of the Muslims. When it comes to ideology the Muslims are blind”.
 Notes Pinsky, who also helped SSI  get reinstated (on March 27), the SSI should never have been held responsible for Eid’s comment.  “The suspension was in violation of UMSU’s own guidelines,” he says.  “In addition, Mr. Eid made the comment in response to a question. The SSI organizers had no possible way of knowing or foreseeing Eid’s answer.”
The most recent disturbing situation on campus was sparked by an emergency session of the UMSU board  to consider a motion that would have approved a new definition of anti-Palestinian racism – as defined by the Canadian Arab Lawyers Association – which appears to contradict existing UMSU policy, and which would essentially ban any criticism or disagreement  of the official Palestinian narrative. Pinsky alleges that the student union proceeded in a manner that is contrary to existing UMSU bylaws.
“This is utter nonsense,” he states.  “It is an attempt to rewrite history and a violation of freedom of speech.  This is obscene.”
 On April 5, Pinsky and his colleagues filed on behalf of his clients – a group of Jewish students at the University of Manitoba –  a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission against the University of Manitoba Student Union (UMSU), the Manitoban, and other named individuals. 
Whereas Jewish Zionist students and faculty at other universities in Canada and the United States beleaguered by systemic anti-Semitism have gone  to court to seek redress,  Pinsky explains that the University of Manitoba students sought intervention by the Manitoban Human Rights Commission instead because the MHRC writ is broader in this province.
 “The recent actions of UMSU, The Manitoban and named respondents in regard to Jewish students and their supporters is unacceptable,” Pinsky states.  “They are a violation of the Human Rights Code, according to the complaint that was initiated.  UMSU, The Manitoban and the other named respondents would seem to have certain requirements that are applied only for Jewish Zionist students, restricting  them in a  way that would be unacceptable for any other groups . My clients are fighting to make sure that the UMSU, The Manitoban and the University generally becomes an environment where all students are treated equally and in a manner free of discrimination. Sadly, we have a long way to go.”
The vote on the UMSU motion was initially put off for two weeks to give both advocates and opponents more time to make their case and, shortly after the MHRC filing, was shelved indefinitely.
While he concedes that it could take several years before the MHRC  puts out its report and recommendations on the matter,  he is hopeful that he, his colleagues, and his clients will be able to work with UMSU, and the other respondents to find a positive way forward.
 “I remain optimistic,” he says.
He adds that this case is important not only for the Zionist students on campus.   In principle, any group could be similarly marginalized against,” he says. “I stand against all forms of discrimination.”
As to the situation at the many others campuses across Canada and  the U.S. being consumed by anti-Israel hate and anti-Semitism,  Pinsky comments that “The bottom line is that it is up to all universities administrations and student unions and all of their mechanisms and outlets to take the lead in acting strongly against hate before things escalate to the level that is roiling campuses such as Columbia, Harvard and McGill.
 ”To the extent that they fail to do so, governments should be enforcing or passing appropriate legislation to ensure a safe environment for all students without exception for hate targeted at Jewish students who happen to abide by the creed that the oldest still existent indigenous people of that land, have a right to the autonomy of a state there.”

By GERRY POSNER This is my story, but it just as easily could have been yours. Even at my older age, a new relative popped into the family. This was unexpected to me and the whole family and indeed the new family member as well.

Put the blame on or credit to DNA. What transpired I suspect is happening all over the world these days. That is, there is now a new first cousin in the family. Call her KBP. It seems that KBP took a test through ancestry.com not that long ago, just as I had done years ago. When you take the test, you end up receiving messages from Ancestry from time to time identifying people who have similar genetic markers to you, some closer than others. I have looked at these messages and have identified people I know to be my cousins just from the initials. However, most of the initials listed are completely unknown to me. These lists of relatives go on for pages and pages. I struggle with the value of trying to reach these distant relatives because, even if I can connect with any of them, no one can figure out just how we are related. What would we even talk about should we ever meet? Often, I just ignore the lists as there seem to be too many names to contemplate a possible contact.

As it turned out, KBP also took the same test with the same company, ancestry.com. But she also failed to notice a connection between her and anyone else. This story would have ended there but for the intervention of another cousin who also had taken the DNA spit test with Ancestry. This cousin spotted the relationship and alerted me. Once that occurred, we established a connection and then the rest of this story developed.

What took place some almost seventy years ago was the cause of this new relationship. Recall ( and this is particularly relevant to young readers) the decade of the 1950s was an era when abortion, though present, was in back lanes or in the shadows. Most of the time a child born out of wedlock was put up for adoption. In this case, an uncle and his then non-Jewish partner elected to put the child up for adoption and she was adopted into a family located in Alberta where she grew up. That would have been the end of the story – but for DNA.

My new cousin was ecstatic to find out about the whole new family she was now a part of and whose history was now hers. Even though she is now a Mormon, she was eager to explore her Jewish origins and indeed even came with me and my wife to synagogue at the Beth Tzedec Synagogue in Calgary not that long ago. She had much in common with the family. Most of all, she was so happy to delve into a past previously unknown. On the other hand, her birth mother, still alive at 93, rejected meeting her daughter from so long ago. KBP respects that view and has made peace with just her new association with Dad’s family.

Of course, what made this secret such a well kept secret for so long is that the uncle died young and never told anyone. Who then could have known? The truth is out and I, for one, am glad it is now out there. Not everyone in my family agrees with me, but the main protagonist in this tale, KBP, was supportive of my writing this article. Of course, the real test now is to see if and how this new relationship with KBP unfolds, if at all.

As I said in the beginning, this is not an isolated story. You can bet there are hundreds, maybe thousands of such stories out there waiting to be unearthed and told. It is all about DNA.

By BERNIE BELLAN The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba had a very successful year in 2023, with almost $7 million distributed in grants. And, sometime in 2024 the Foundation will have distributed its 100 millionth dollar since its inception in 1964.
Those were two of the take aways from the Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report, which was released on Monday, June 17, also the same day as the Foundation’s Annual General Meeting.

Other highlights of the Annual Report:
The Foundation now has 4500 different funds under its management.
In 2023 the Foundation received $5.8 million in contributions. It now has over $160 million in assets under its management, an increase of $13.5 million from 2022.
A large part of the growth in the Foundation’s assets was attributable to its investment portfolio showing a growth of 12.3% in 2023 (net of fees).
The Foundation also changed the manner in which it distributes funds to grant recipients. In his report Foundation CFO Ian Barnes noted that “grant disbursements (now) occur prior to the commencement of a particular project, rather than the previous method of disbursing only after the project is complete and invoices submitted. Trust agreements are entered into with each recipient, and project invoices must be submitted upon project completion. This philosophy provides the recipient with a more appropriate cash flow over the project’s life.”
As well, Barnes wrote that “the Foundation is committed to increasing its annual distribution rate to 5.0% over the next few years (currently 4.4%). This will put more dollars into the community sooner rather than later, which is a priority for the Board.”
Of the almost $7 million in grants given by the Foundation, $5,532,147 were in the form of designated grants, while $1,453,215 were decided by the Foundation’s Grants Committee.
In their own joint message, Foundation Chair Bonnie Cham and Foundation CEO John Diamond wrote that “The Foundation had a terrific year, seeing 66 new funds opened, awarding scholarships to 63 students, and distributing $6.98 million in grants. Just as we have done since1964, we maintained the stable framework our community knows it can rely upon.”

Of the designated fund recipients the largest grants given were:
Combined Jewish Appeal – $812,815
Saul & Claribel Simkin Centre – $600,714
Jewish Federation of Winnipeg – $560,929
Jewish Child & Family Service – $509,286
Gray Academy of Jewish Education – $455,638
Asper Jewish Community Campus – $454,082
Jewish National Fund – $363,688
Rady JCC – $143,477
Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada – $129,420