Local News
Retiring Federation CEO Elaine Goldstine grateful for having had opportunity to serve our Jewish community
By MYRON LOVE Elaine Goldstine, our Jewish Federation of Winnipeg CEO for the past seven plus years, is – on the one hand – looking forward to stepping away from the hectic pace of her position – being on call 24-7 – and being able to relax and – as the expression goes – “stop and smell the roses”.
On the other hand, looking back over the course of 30 years serving our community, she feels a sense of satisfaction for a job well done – and gratitude for having had the opportunity.
“Through my work with the Federation, I have met a lot of truly amazing people during my career. I most likely would never have had the opportunity to get to know,” she says. “I have also had the pleasure of working with many long time, dedicated staff members.”
Elaine also has much praise for our community. “It is truly remarkable that our CJA (Combined Jewish Appeal) campaign has been able to raise more and more and more money every year,” she notes. “We have many very generous donors. Our campaign raises more per capita than any other Jewish community in North America. We really do punch above our weight. I have been very fortunate to have worked with such dedicated volunteers throughout the years.”
Then there have been all the missions and visits to Israel that Elaine has participated in over the past 30 years. “I have been to Israel 22 times,” she says.
Her first visit to the Jewish homeland, she notes, was in 1996. “Over the years, I have met people throughout the country and from all walks of life and heard many compelling speakers,” she adds.
The most impactful trip, Elaine recalls, was the mission in 2014 at the height of the Gaza conflict that year. “It was so different from any of our other visit,” she recounts. “There was no one on the beach at Tel Aviv. Our group was taken to Ashdod and Sderot. We visited hospitals. We received a briefing from the mayor of Sderot while in a bomb shelter. “I felt guilty leaving all the people behind. This experience made me really appreciate what the people of Israel go through way to often.”
For Elaine Goldstine, Winnipeg has always been “home.” She was born, the youngest of three daughters – to Ben and Sadie Raber and grew up in River Heights. After graduation from Grant Park High School, Elaine went to work at the University of Manitoba in the Budgets and Grants department. Later, she transferred to the medical mollege where she worked in the purchasing departments for both the medical and dental faculties.
Elaine has been married to Ian Goldstine for 46 year and has two sons Daniel, 41, (Lainie); and Jason, 37, (Genevieve). Elaine says she was a stay-at-home mom when the boys were young.
She notes thoughj, that throughout her life, volunteer work in the community has been a constant – and that didn’t change while she was home with the kids.
“Community involvement has been a way of life for me,” she commented in her entry in the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba’s Endowment Book of Life.. “My father was very active in the community and canvassed for the CJA for over 40 years, and my mother was involved with Histadrut, National Council of Jewish Women, Brandeis Lodge Ladies Auxiliary, as well as Combined Jewish Appeal including a term as chair of Super Sunday.
“As a teen, I was active in USY and was President of the Gabriels Chapter of BBYO. In 1979 I became involved with National Council of Jewish Women, and have served as President of the Sarah Branch, President of the NCJW Winnipeg section, and served as National Treasurer and Vice President. I have served on the PTA of Ramah Hebrew School, the Business and Professional Development Committee of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, and on the Board of the Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood.
So, when the boys both reached school age, it is not surprising that Elaine chose to rejoin the workforce in the form of service to the Jewish community. She started working half time for the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council (as the Federation was then called). When the late Gerry Koffman, who was the CJA Director, passed away in 2004, Elaine – who had served as Women’s Campaign Director and Financial Resource Development Associate – was asked to take on the role.
And, in 2015, after the retirement of long time Federation CEO Bob Freedman – and a successor who left after a year – Elaine was tapped to become the new CEO.
Elaine considers her greatest strength throughout her time as CEO has been her ability to listen to people and bring people together. “It is really important to be kind and to listen. We are a small community, and we need to work together,” she observes.
She tells the story of one member of the community who was frequently emailing her. “I contacted him and asked him if he would like to come into my office to talk about his concerns,” she recalls. “He was surprised about the invitation because, he said, it was not like he gave a lot of money to the CJA campaign.
“For me, every community member matters, My door is open to anyone in the community. The Federation is supposed to be the representative for the entire Jewish community and everyone is important.”
One important form of ”listening” for Goldstine has been the focus groups with newcomers to the community, a program that began shortly after she became CEO. “Laurel Malkin was our president at that time, and we thought it was important that we reach out to hear how they were doing. The focus groups were inspiring,” Elaine recalls. “A couple of times a year, we get together with 20-25 people who have come to Winnipeg from different parts of the world and listen to their stories and why they chose Winnipeg. Even though, many come from much larger cities, they all talk about how they love living in Winnipeg and being part of such a warm and welcoming Jewish community.
“It has been gratifying to hear.”
Elaine Goldstine will be retiring at the end of August. While she says that she has no plans yet after retirement, she expects that she will continue to volunteer her time and is looking forward to doing some travelling with Ian (who retired a couple of years ago) and spending time with family – especially baby granddaughter Abby.
Local News
Winnipeg-born Elliot Lazar to star as Paul Simon in “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” at Centennial Concert Hall
By BERNIE BELLAN Elliot Lazar’s career has long been chronicled in the pages of The Jewish Post & News. Do a search for his name in our “Search Archives” button and you will find a multitude of stories about Elliot from the time he was five years old.
A talented singer, musician, and musical arranger, also a graduate of Gray Academy, the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, and the Boston Conservatory, Elliot has appeared many times in Winnipeg, including most recently last summer in Rainbow Stage’s production of “Rent.”
He’s been constantly busy – as a review of some of his past acting credits reveals. Last season alone, in addition to his performing in “Rent,” Elliot also appeared in the National Tour of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “The Band’s Visit” (Huntington/Speakeasy Stage).
We’re excited to announce that Elliot will be appearing in Winnipeg for one night only, May 21, starring as Paul Simon in “The Simon & Garfunkel Story.”
Here’s Elliot’s own story about his growing up in Winnipeg:
“I grew up in Garden City, attended Gray Academy (K-12) and majored in vocal performance at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music. I lived in Winnipeg until I was 22, so I’m pretty connected with the arts scene there still. The venue we’re playing, the Centennial Concert Hall, I was last seen in Guys and Dolls in concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Rainbow Stage (2019), and before that I sang with the Manitoba Opera Chorus in 3 productions there. My last performance in Winnipeg was in Rent with Rainbow Stage this past summer. Other local performing arts companies I have a history with there are Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Winnipeg Studio Theatre, Dry Cold Productions, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Manitoba Underground Opera, Little Opera Company, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. I grew up going to see shows at the Concert Hall, so it’s a wonderful full circle moment for me.”
About “The Simon & Garfunkel Story”:
Nostalgia-inducing unforgettable hits! The internationally-acclaimed hit theater show The Simon & Garfunkel Story (www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com) returns to the road in 2024 with a North American tour to more than 25 cities. Kicking off in Richmond, Kentucky on January 28, 2024, the immersive concert-style tribute show will recreate the magic and authenticity of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel on stage and chronicles the amazing journey shared by the iconic, GRAMMY-award winning folk-rock duo. It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry, to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ‘60s, and to their dramatic split in 1970. The Simon & Garfunkel Story culminates with the pair’s famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 which had more than half a million fans in attendance. Tickets are on sale now.
The show features a set list of nearly 30 songs and uses state-of-the-art video projection, photos and original film footage. A full live band will perform all of the hits including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and many more complete with the unmistakably perfect harmonies that will transport audiences down memory lane.
With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable songs and poetic lyrics poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 GRAMMY Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, the Brit Awards honored their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album with Best International Album. In 2003, Simon & Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Local News
Ida and the late Saul Alpern have donated 2 ambulances and a scooter to Magen David Adom in past 4 years
By BERNIE BELLAN Saul Alpern passed away in 2022, but before he died he and his wife Ida had decided to make Magen David Adom a major recipient of their generosity.
As Myron Love noted in an October 2020 article the Alperns had been contributing small amounts to the Canadian Magen David Adom for some time, but it was in that year they decided to donate $160,000 for the purchase of a Mobile Intensive Care Unit for Israel’s Magen David Adom.
As Myron wrote in that 2020 article, an MICUA (which is larger than an ambulance, is staffed by paramedics, and responds only to the most medically serious cases) was donated “to the people of Israel in memory of Saul Alpern’s parents and siblings who perished in the Holocaust.
“It is an expression of my love for my family and my love of Israel,” Saul Alpern said at the time.
In early 2022 the Alperns donated yet another $170,000 for the purchase of a second MICU for Magen David Adom.
Saul Alpern passed away in November 2022, but Ida Alpern has now continued the legacy of giving to Canadian Magen David Adom that she and Saul had begun several years before. Just recently Ida contributed $39,000 toward the purchase of an emergency medical scooter. According to the CMDA website, “the scooter, which is driven by a paramedic, can get through traffic faster than the Standard Ambulance or MICU and provide pre-hospital care. It contains life-saving equipment, including a defibrillator, an oxygen tank, and other essential medical equipment.”
I asked Ida whether she wanted to say anything about the motivation for her and her late husband’s support for CMDA. She wrote, “Having survived the Holocaust, and being a Zionist, Saul felt that supporting Israel was of the utmost importance.”
On May 7, CMDA will be honouring Ida and Saul z”l Alpern at a dinner and show at the Centro Caboto Centre. Another highlight that evening will be the announcement of the purchase of an ambulance for CMDA by another Winnipegger, Ruth Ann Borenstein. That ambulance will be in honour of Ruth’s late parents, Gertrude and Harry Mitchell. The evening will also commemorate the late Yoram East (aka Hamizrachi), who was a well-known figure both in Israel and here in Winnipeg.
For more information about the May 7 event go to https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/canadian-magen-david-adom-for-israel/events/cmda-winnipeg-an-evening-of-appreciation/ or to purchase tickets phone 587-435-5808 or email sfraiman@cmdai.org
Local News
Simkin Centre looking for volunteers
We received the following email from Heather Blackman, Simkin Centre Director of Volunteers & Resident Experience:
Happy Spring Everyone! Hope you all are well. We have a number of upcoming volunteer opportunities that I wanted to share with you. Please take a look at what we have listed here and let me know if you are available for any of the following. I can be reached at heather.blackman@simkincentre.ca or 204-589-9008.
Save the date! The Simkin Stroll is on June 25th this year and we need tons of volunteers to assist. This is our annual fundraiser and there is something for everyone to help with from walking with Residents in the Stroll to manning booths and tables, event set up and take down and much more. Volunteers will be needed from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on this day. Come and help for the full event or for any period within that timeframe that works for you.
Resident Store – This tuck shop style cart will be up for business shortly. Residents will be assisting to stock and run the store for 2 hours 2- 3 times per week in the afternoons. Volunteer support is needed to assist residents with restocking items and monetary transactions.
Passover Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to assist with plating Seder plates for Residents (date to be determined for plating)
Volunteers are needed to assist Residents to and from Passover Services and Come and Go Teas.
Times volunteers are needed for services/teas:
April 22cnd – First Seder 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 23rd – Passover Service Day 1 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 23rd – Second Seder – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 24th – Passover Service – Day 2 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 29th – Passover Service – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 29th- Passover Tea – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 30th – Passover Service – 9:30 -11:30 a.m.
April 30th – Passover Tea – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Admin/Paperwork Volunteers – Volunteers are needed to assist with filing and other administrative duties. A monthly volunteering job is also available to input information on programming into Recreation activity calendars. Support would be provided for this.
Adult Day Program – A volunteer is needed to assist with the Mondays Adult Day Program Group. A regular ongoing weekly commitment on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Assist with Recreation programming and lunch supervision for our Adult Day Program participants that come in from the community for the day.
Biking Volunteers – Take our residents out for a spin on one of our specialty mobility bicycles. Training is provided and volunteers will be needed throughout the Spring, Summer and early Fall.
With summer coming there is also opportunity to assist with outings and other outdoor programming! Please let me know if you are interested!
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