Local News
Revocation of the JNF’s charitable status; appointment of Charles Adler to the Senate…Can we expect those decisions to be reversed?
By BERNIE BELLAN (Aug. 21, 2024) Two stories circulating in the news these days reflect the often obscure manner in which decisions are taken by governments or agencies ostensibly acting upon direction from governments.
In the one case – like a bolt out of the blue, the CRA revoked JNF-Canada’s charitable status.
In the second case, well-known former broadcaster and current Free Press columnist Charles Adler was appointed to the Senate of Canada, but whether that appointment will be rescinded remains a matter of great curiosity as of the time of writing.
The earth-shaking decision by the CRA to revoke JNF-Canada’s charitable status cannot be overestimated in its ramifications.
As noted in a story elsewhere in this issue the decision taken by the CRA and which was announced in the Canada Gazette on August 10 seems to have taken the JNF totally by surprise. While the CRA had been investigating JNF-Canada for many years and had been threatening to revoke its charitable status for some time, the actual announcement came as a total shock to both JNF-Canada and its many supporters.
But, as so many of use have experienced in our own dealings with the CRA, that organization is totally autonomous and not subject to government interference – or so we’re led to believe.
If you’re wondering how far-reaching the decision by the CRA to cancel JNF-Canada’s charitable status extends, just consider this observation taken from the Canadian Jewish News: “Experts say losing the charitable status means JNF Canada can no longer issue tax receipts for donations; it has one year to wind down business, and dispose of all its financial assets or pay 100 percent tax on the millions in its accounts.” (emphasis mine)
This is simply not for believing. Has there ever been a more powerful Jewish charitable organization in Canada than the JNF? Each year the galas it holds in major cities across Canada raise tens of millions of dollars and it’s hard to conceive of any other Jewish charitable organization that holds as high a profile within this country.
Well-known writer Ellin Bessner, who does a regular podcast for the CJN, dove deep into the background of the CRA decision during her August 14 podcast, which you can listen to at https://thecjn.ca/podcasts/jnf-blindsided-after-ottawa-fully-revokes-charity-status-whats-next/.
Joining Ellen was lawyer Mark Blumberg, who specializes in charity law and keeps track of some 86,000 different Canadian charities on a website known as canadiancharitylaw.ca. . During the podcast Blumberg made the astonishing observation that there are “some 1,000 Jewish charities registered in Canada that hold $12 billion in assets.” I’ve reached out both to Mark Blumberg and Ellin Bessner to ask them about that statement. In the one case I asked Blumberg how he arrived at the $12 billion in assets figure and in the other case I asked Bessner whether she would want to investigate that further?
Blumberg offered many other illuminating observations during that interview, among which was that JNF-Canada has “about $30 million in cash, so it’s not like they need the money or they’re going to go under tomorrow. They’ve got enough for about a year to a year and a half of operation even if they didn’t take in any money…”
Yet, how does that jive with the previously noted warning that JNF-Canada “has one year to wind down business, and dispose of all its financial assets or pay 100 percent tax on the millions in its accounts?” Both those statements can’t be correct. Whatever the case, however, what’s happening right now with JNF-Canada is of monumental significance.
And sure, we’re getting the expected expressions of support for JNF-Canada from MPs like Ben Carr and Anthony Housefather, but the problem, as Mark Blumberg well explains, is that if the CRA were to prove susceptible to political pressure it would lose all credibility.
As for the claim made by JNF-Canada that the CRA’s decision is shrouded in “antisemitism,” according to Blumberg, the CRA provided hundreds of pages of documentation explaining its decision – and although that documentation is not publicly available, he said it was disclosed to JNF-Canada.
And, while it’s true that one group, Independent Jewish Voices, has been lobbying the CRA for years to revoke JNF-Canada’s charitable status, Blumberg says that doesn’t necessarily mean that IJV’s lobbying had anything to do with the CRA’s decision. He notes that of the five charities to have their charitable status revoked over the years, four have been Jewish. But, when you consider there are over 1,000 Jewish charities operating in Canada, four out of 1,000 is relatively insignificant. It’s just that when it’s as powerful a charity as JNF-Canada that we take note.
Still, having said all that, I can’t believe that an organization like JNF-Canada won’t be able to leverage the huge support it commands, not only within the Jewish community, but the general community as well, to at least get the CRA to say they’ll reconsider such a drastic decision.
Which leads me to make some observations about another decision taken in secret and then announced surprisingly – which was the appointment of Charles Adler to the Canadian Senate.
Readers may recall that the last member of the Jewish community in Manitoba appointed to the Senate was Dr. Harvey Chochinov – in October 2016, but in February 2017 Dr. Chochinov revealed that he was declining the appointment, citing “personal, family and professional reasons.”
Now, however, with the surprise announcement of Charles Adler’s appointment – but with the angry backlash from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in response to that announcement, I predict that it is only a matter of time before the Liberal Government backs down and rescinds that appointment.
I found it quite interesting that another Free Press columnist, Dan Lett, dug even deeper into some of Adler’s past remarks when he was a radio host than the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs had dug to unearth a series of comments Adler had made over the years, which he wrote about in the Tuesday, August 20 edition of the paper. (You have to wonder whether Lett hadn’t been keeping a file on Adler which he was just waiting to use as ammunition against him. For that matter, I wonder how well it sat with other Free Press writers to see someone with as controversial a past as Charles Adler handed the prestigious position of a regular spot on the paper’s op-ed page?)
I have no brief to bear for Charles Adler. I met him long ago and wrote my own profile of him many years ago when he was CJOB’s morning talk show host. I note in looking at past mentions of him in the pages of The Jewish Post & News that he often volunteered to serve as a panelist at Jewish events during his first go-round in Winnipeg starting in the 1980s, and he even co-hosted a show known as “WJCC Presents,” along with Evelyn Hecht, for a time during the 1980s.
And, while I thought Adler was a master radio talk show host – who had also achieved considerable success on both television and radio in the U.S. prior to coming to Winnipeg, you just had to know that in an age when every public remark ever made by someone could later be dug up and used as ammunition against them, Adler’s appointment to the Senate was bound to be met with fierce criticism in many quarters.
That the most immediate criticism came from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs comes as no surprise. It’s hard to imagine any prestigious appointment to any position in Canada gaining acceptance if there is strong opposition to it within the Indigenous community.
Having said that, now the problem for the Liberal government is how to back down from what was, politically, not a very astute move. I rather expect that there will soon be an announcement made – either by the government or Adler himself that, after due consideration, he has decided not to accept the Senate appointment.
Local News
This man – Michael Kalo – has been defaming prominent Winnipeggers online for years, but now he’s getting a taste of his own medicine
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted May 3, updated May 8, updated May 11) There’s a particularly ugly side that often comes with being in the public eye – and that’s being on the receiving end of some of the most vile and awful comments, often threats – sometimes on social media, sometimes in emails, and sometimes on websites.
For years now many prominent Winnipeggers (almost all of them Jewish) have had to endure just that kind of vicious attack from someone by the name of Michael Kalo. But how do you fight back against someone who writes some of the most awful things – and then sends them out to various members of the media (including me), all the while hiding behind a series of aliases? There’s no point in suing him for defamation; he’s penniless. (The police have seized his computer in the past and are well aware of him, but the individuals whom he has defamed have always been reluctant to have the Crown press charges, thinking that it will only draw more attention to him – which is what he seems to want.)
But I’m different – and I’ve finally had enough of his crap.
In my original column I had posted the email Kalo had sent out to a great many individuals in which he defamed Jacob Brodovsky, who was forced to resign as co-executive director of BB Camp after a website called the j.ca launched a series of attacks on Jacob over his perceived “anti-Zionist” attitudes. I suppose these days who defines “Zionist” is a decision made by certain individuals who reserve for themselves the right to define what support for Israel means. I guess all those hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have been marching on the streets protesting Netanyahu’s deliberate strategy of letting the remaining hostages linger in tunnels in Gaza – however many may still be alive) are also “anti-Zionist.”
Anyway, I’ve now removed that vile email. If anyone still wants to see it, email me at jewishp@mymts.net and I’ll send it to you.
Something else I’ve now removed from this article is my referring to Michael Kalo’s very accomplished daughters. My intention was to attempt to induce them to use their influence to sway their father to stay off the internet and stop defaming members of Winnipeg’s Jewish community. But then I received an email from a prominent member of our community who asked me to remove my references to Michael Kalo’s daughters. That person wrote, in part: ‘His daughters don’t have anything to do with him. They don’t talk to him.”
Well, if his daughters don’t want anything to do with him, then I suppose there’s no point in retaining what I had written about them – so that’s gone too.
What’s left now though is a video of Michael Kalo that gives anyone who has never heard of him – or seen him in pubic, a clear idea of what type of person he is.
The video that was sent to me shows Kalo engaging in an argument with someone (and the identity of that person was not revealed to me by the person who sent me the video.) In it you can hear Michael explain why he’s consistently called Ben Carr a “kike”, “a spoiled Jew boy,” along with some other choice epithets. (Kalo has sent out numerous emails defaming Ben Carr using the name “Mohammed Greenberg” as the sender.)
But, I did respond to Kalo, whom I’ve know for many years, starting with when he achieved notoriety by being banned from entering the Asper Campus over 30 years ago. Here’ what I wrote to him:
“You know what I’m going to do Michael. I’m going to print your letter on my website – but I’m going to say that it was sent by someone named Michael Kalo, who has been defaming various Winnipeg Jews for years. That way it will have the opposite effect of what you’re intending. I’m also going to post the video in which you call Ben Carr (and the person filming the video) a kike. And if you want to come after me the way you’ve been going after anyone and everyone who provokes your ire, go right ahead. (You seem to have a real hate on for successful Winnipeg Jews. Is it because you’re such a failure in life yourself?) And I’m going to bcc this email to some of the people you’ve been defaming so that they can see how much of a fool you”ve been making of yourself for years.
-“Bernie”
Here’s the video of Michael (who is apparently walking away with a Ben Carr sign tucked under his arm):
Local News
Rabbi Matthew Leibl’s Friday afternoon service at Simkin Centre has grown in popularity
By BERNIE BELLAN In November 2023 I published a story in The Jewish Post & News about the first-ever Friday afternoon “Erev Shabbat” service at the Simkin Centre, which was held October 27, 2023.
It was an opportunity for me to see how much of an impact the newly spiritual care aide at the Simkin Centre, Rabbi Matthew Leibl, was having on residents. But that was in 2023 – only 2 years after the Simkin Centre had emerged from the most harrowing period in its history.
As you may recall, when Covid 19 began to spread in early 2020, it was personal care homes across Canada that were hit hardest – and the Simkin Centre was not spared the ravages of Covid. A total of 11 residents passed away at the Centre in 2020 and 2021.
Another result of the Covid epidemic was that the number of non-Jewish residents at the Simkin Centre jumped by quite a large number during the epidemic. Here are some figures showing how many more non-Jewish residents moved into the home by 2021 than had been there previously:
2017 – 67 non-Jewish or 33.5%
2018 – 63 non-Jewish or 31.5%
2019 – 71 non-Jewish or 35.5%
2020 – 61 non-Jewish or 30.5%
2021 – 86 non-Jewish or 43.0%
According to Laurie Cerqueti, CEO at the Simkin Centre, as of May 2, 2025, 44% of the residents are non-Jewish while 56% are Jewish.
Rabbi Leibl had been hired in the spring of 2023. His hiring was enabled by a grant from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. Here is how the Foundation explained what its purpose was in making a grant to the Simkin Centre for the hiring of a full-time spiritual care aide:
“I know how important spiritual care is in our type of setting,” said Laurie Cerqueti, Simkin Centre CEO. “For our residents, our families, and our community.”
Since she took over the CEO role, Laurie’s thoughts had been directed to ‘How can we serve our people even more than we are now? How can we make this bigger and better?’
This sparked the idea that someone should be brought in to look at what they were doing regarding spiritual care to see where gaps and opportunities lay to develop the program.
The Simkin Centre hired Rabbi Matthew Leibl as the person to fill the role, someone Cerqueti thought would be a perfect fit f for what they’were hoping to do.
“As I spoke with Matthew about this opportunity, we see it as an opportunity to make a significant difference for the residents and their families,” said Cerqueti.
This interaction with the Simkin Centre is not Rabbi Leibl’s first. He has been involved with the Simkin Centre for over 15 years, first working there at age 21. That year, he did concerts three times per week for the residents.
“I found that the music and performing was an incredible way to connect with the people there,” said Rabbi Leibl.
He recalled a story from that time frame where he was performing Oseh Shalom, and one resident who had been, to that point, without her memory and less present, began to mouth the words along with him. The song helped her break through what she had been dealing with.
“That moment was truly a game changer for me. I’m so excited to be able to give back to a place that helped people in my own family and was a great place for me while I was figuring out my way many years ago,” said Rabbi Leibl.
“Simkin is such a special place, and what they’re doing there is awesome.”
In the year and a half since I was present at Rabbi Leibl’s first ever Friday afternoon service at the Simkin Centre much has changed. Most of the new residents who have moved into the centre have, once again, been Jewish. But, in recognition of how many residents are not Jewish the centre has begun offering services for different denominations as well. The May calendar of events lists a Catholic Mass, an Anglican service, a Christian Bible Study, and a Hymnsing.
But it was Rabbi Leibl’s Erev Shabbat service I was interested in seeing again – some 18 months after the first service he had conducted, to see whether it had changed – and how many residents came to watch.
The atrium of the centre was filled with residents on Friday, April 26 – quite a few more than that October 2023 service. The increased number of attendees was also a reflection of how many more of the centre’s residents, once again, are Jewish. (In case you weren’t aware, if there’s a vacant unit at the Simkin Centre and someone who is Jewish is on the wait list to gain admission into the centre, that individual will be given first crack at moving into the centre. I had been told by Laurie Cerqueti that the 14 most recent new residents in the centre were all Jewish.)
There was one other aspect to Rabbi Leibl’s service which was brought to my attention. One of the residents at the Simkin Centre, Carol Manishen, also has a son living in a Shalom Residence: Josh Manishen. When Carol’s husband, Wayne, saw me at that Friday service he told me that he often comes early with Josh – before the start of the regular service at 4:00 pm, and Josh sings various Hebrew prayers, accompanied by Rabbi Leibl on the keyboard. To watch a video of Josh singing, click here:
Two more things to add though: First, Rabbi Leibl is now a regular participant on a podcast that is put on by CJN (what used to be known as the Canadian Jewish News) called “Not In Heaven.” You can find it simply by Googling CJN and scrolling down under the Podcasts link.
Also, since Rabbi Leibl and I go a long way back – and we both have a fond taste for sarcasm, he singled me out from among the audience and said to everyone there: “We’ve even got a reporter from the Jewish Post here.”
I couldn’t help but respond – in my usual facetious manner, that I was there to do an exposé.
To which, Rabbi Leibl retorted: “You can call it “Sex, Drugs, and Candlesticks.” Hmm, I wonder how much more there is about the Simkin Centre that I haven’t learned yet?
Local News
Well, that didn’t take long…BB Camp Board announces hiring of two new co-directors
(Posted April 27) In a span of a little more than two weeks, BB Camp has gone from parting ways with one of its co-executive directors, Jacob Brodovsky, to the hiring of two new co-directors. (We have been attempting to ascertain the status of Lexi Yurman, who was also camp co-executive director with Jacob – who also happened to be her husband, and who is now on maternity leave. Would she be entitled to return as co-executive director once her maternity leave is up, we wonder?)
The BB Camp board released a press release announcing the new hires at 12:42 pm today. Interestingly, there is no mention whether the positions that are to be filled by the two individuals, Sarah Gould and Aliza Millo, are to be permanent or temporary. Also, the two women are referred to as co-camp directors, not co-executive directors. Is there any significance to that, we wonder? Since no one from the BB Camp board has responded to any questions we have posed to them since this whole mess began, we won’t hold our breath waiting for answers to any of the questions we’ve just asked here either.
Here is the complete text of the BB Camp board announcement:
Dear BB Camp Community,
On behalf of the Board, we wanted to let you know that we acknowledge that the last week has caused much stress and uncertainty. We have felt it too and have been working very hard to ensure that the summer season unfolds as we all expect.
We are extremely excited to share with you that our 2025 summer senior Camp leadership team is now in place!
Please give a BB Camp W-E-L-C-O-M-E to Sarah Gould and Aliza Millo!
Sarah Gould: co-Camp Director (Wilderness and Operations)
Sarah is returning to BB Camp as co-Camp Director (Wilderness and Operations). Sarah’s history with BB Camp stretches back decades. She spent many formative summers on Town Island—as a camper, counselor, canoe instructor, and AC out-tripper. After BB, she took her skills to Camp Hatikvah in BC, where she helped develop and expand their wilderness and out-tripping program. Sarah has an intimate knowledge of wilderness programming, the importance of integrating Jewish values into outdoor education, and as camp alumni and a current camp parent, has a clear understanding of our community’s interests and hopes for BB Camp’s future.
Sarah has been fortunate to spend every summer of her life at Lake of the Woods. Her family cottage is on Channel Island, directly across from Town Island. She has strong ties to our Lake of the Woods neighbours and an ability to navigate the lake and Kenora. Sarah also was a key volunteer on the Friends of Town Island campaign, through which Camp was able to successfully partner with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to have Town Island designated as a protected area—ensuring its legacy for generations to come.
Professionally, Sarah has years of experience in education, research, and community organizing. She taught anthropology and international development at Trent and the University of Toronto and now works as a researcher and consultant in health studies. In her community life, she leads a neighborhood organization in Toronto, where she has spearheaded grassroots initiatives—from building a skating rink to coordinating with city officials and local stakeholders on community improvement projects. Sarah is also active in the Jewish community, including advocacy for Israel and supporting students facing antisemitism on campus.
Sarah is excited to be returning to Town Island and the BB Camp family for an amazing summer of 2025.
Aliza Millo: co-Camp Director (Programs)
Aliza’s history with BB Camp dates back decades as well. She spent many years at Camp as a camper, counselor, section head, and LTP Coordinator. After Camp, Aliza pursued a career she felt was most adjacent to working at Camp and transitioned into the classroom. She moved to Toronto to pursue her education degree, where she also completed a Jewish Education Certificate at York University.
For the next seven years, Aliza taught at the Toronto Heschel School, a school dedicated to tikkun olam and social justice, with a particular focus on environmental stewardship and sustainability. While there, Aliza taught grades three through seven, with a greater focus on the upper elementary years, teaching Judaics, Hebrew, and General Studies in a pluralistic, integrated setting.
After 10 years in Toronto, Aliza was happy to move back home to Winnipeg. Aliza met her future husband David Azuelos at BB Camp many years ago; to get a sense of how important BB Camp is to Aliza, she had her wedding on Town Island. Since her return to Winnipeg, Aliza has worked at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School, teaching Grade 4, cultivating an environmental leadership team at the Junior School level, and even bringing groups of Grade 4 and 5 students to Town Island for Outdoor Ed. Aliza has also helped organize and fundraise for Kendra’s Walk, a student-led initiative at SJR supporting teens living with cancer.
Aliza’s true passion lies in building community, whether in the classroom or at Camp. Since her time as a camper, she has enjoyed returning to the island for Work Weekend, volunteering in the kitchen, and serving on the Alumni Committee ahead of the 70th Alumni Weekend. She is most passionate when working with children and believes in strong communication with parents to build meaningful and supportive relationships. Having worked in a kindergarten to Grade 12 school setting, she has enjoyed maintaining lifelong relationships with students and families in the community.
Aliza is excited to be bringing her two boys, Judah and Dubie, to Camp. She is thrilled to be returning in this position — working with and mentoring the already incredible staff, and helping to foster deep and meaningful connections to Jewish values, traditions, and culture. Aliza looks forward to helping build a strong, nurturing community where every camper feels a sense of comfort, belonging, and pride in who they are — and in being a BB Camp camper.
***
The Camp Board of Directors is grateful that Sarah and Aliza, two lifelong BB Campers who together have an exceptional skill set, will be leading our community’s beloved Camp this summer. We are looking forward to another great Camp summer, full of amazing Camp memories. We will be reaching out directly to Camp families with more information. Please bear with us as our new leadership team gets up to speed and starts working with our current staff. Reach us at info@bbcamp.ca
Ed.note: Here’s a comment we received through our “contact us” link: (Readers of this website should be aware that it is run independently of The Jewish Post newspaper. I will forward any comments sent to me that are meant to be letters to the editor of the paper, but the proper email address for the paper is contact@thejewishpost.ca)
Letter to the Editor re BB Camp
I am a former member of the Board of BB Camp and served as Board Chair for a number of years. I am disgusted in the manner in which the current Board responded to to the public assassination of its Executive Director by dishonest Israeli extremists in our community. I am equally disgusted that what should have been a private internal human resource issue at the Camp was made public by the Board through its e-mails to the community which essentially made it impossible for the Executive Director to continue in his position and which likely tarnished his reputation. All I can say that is that I hope Jacob received a large monetary settlement from BB Camp.
-Irwin Corobow