Local News
Sandy Sheegl honoured after retiring as executive director of G.R.O.W. Winnipeg
By BERNIE BELLAN It was in the late 1990s that a group of individuals gathered at the old YMHA on Hargrave to discuss the lack of opportunities for individuals with special needs in the Jewish community. A steering committee was formed, under the leadership of Karyn Lazareck.
In an article written for The Jewish Post & News by Fern Swedlove in 2010, Fern explained how that steering committee eventually came to create a program known as G.R.O.W. – which stands for “gainresourcesourway.”
Here is how Fern described the evolution of G.R.O.W. from a seed of an idea to a thriving organization that serves the needs of a great many young adults with special needs in our community:
“In 2002, G.R.O.W. in Gimli was founded as a project of the Steering Committee for Persons with Disabilities in the Jewish Community. The committee of volunteers was led by Karyn Lazareck, and through partnering with the University of Manitoba Department of Occupational Therapy, a unique summer life skills program for young adults (age (18- 24)) with social and intellectual disabilities was developed. The program provided the opportunity for individuals to learn and practice life skills and social skills in a safe environment. The partnership with the university supported the development of evidence-based curricula as well as quality assurance through the establishment of a program evaluation process.
“The G.R.O.W. in Gimli Program quickly became known in the community, and based on its success, the G.R.O.W. in Winnipeg Program was established in 2010. Originally, both of the programs were piloted under the auspices of the Rady Jewish Community Centre. In November of 2013 further success and development of the program facilitated G.R.O.W. becoming an independent registered, charitable organization governed by a Board of Directors comprised of parents and professionals
“The G.R.O.W. in Winnipeg Program is an innovative, transitional day program for young adults (21 and older) preparing for independent living. Centered on the individual with a goal oriented approach, the program focuses on life management, health and healthy living, and the development of social, recreational, and pre-vocational skills.”
In a subsequent article that I wrote in 2022 about the 20th anniversary of the G.R.O.W. in Gimli program, I noted that Sandy Sheegl was the executive director of the G.R.O.W. program. What I didn’t know at the time was that Sandy was the only executive director G.R.O.W. had ever had.
On Thursday, April 10, a large group composed of parents of G.R.O.W. participants over the years, along with many participants themselves, gathered at the home of Barb Ivans, who was one of the members of that original steering committee which led to the development of G.R.O.W.
The purpose of the evening was to honour Sandy Sheegl who, after 23 years as executive director of G.R.O.W., will be retiring from that position.
Karyn Lazareck paid tribute to Sandy’s long years of service. She described how she first met Sandy at one of those early steering committee meetings: ”And there I was chairing a meeting in a hallway and in way over my head. The meetings were unbelievable. We had all kinds of very knowledgeable people who had a lot to say, and as an inexperienced chair, I let them say it. And so the meetings were marathons. At one of those meetings, I leaned over to ask my friend Joanie Sheps: ‘Who that young woman was silently crying in the corner?’ and Joanie told me ‘That’s Sandy Sheegl and her son was just diagnosed with autism’ and Joanie and I knew firsthand how hard it was for parents seeking support, especially within the Jewish community. So she (Joanie) looked at me and said, as only she could, ‘Well, she better get a grip,’ and I think we can all agree because Sandy got her grip.
“Sandy joined our committee and, over the next 30 years took on numerous roles, culminating as the executive director of G.R.O.W. She co-chaired the special needs steering committee, working alongside Jan Thompson, and together this committee lobbied the synagogues, schools and camps to promote inclusionary policies.”
Lazareck went on to describe how Sandy Sheegl oversaw the growth of G.R.O.W. from what was originally just a summer program in Gimli to a full-time program with the purchase of a house at 93 Willow.
Sandy Sheegl has worked tirelessly to insure the success of the G.R.O.W. program. Karyn noted that ”One of Sandy’s greatest moments in leadership came during the dark days of Covid. While most programs shut down, Sandy ensured that G.R.O.W. remained active. She and the team held Zoom meetings twice daily, hosting games, contests, and even delivering bingo cards to participants’ homes.
“She secured funding that allowed for a staggered reentering, ensuring that doors at G.R.O.W. were open well before any other program. And I don’t know of any other professional in the field who did what she did, out of love and compassion… and dedication. Sandy brought that competitive spirit to fundraising and under her leadership, our events became more successful each year.”
One of the ongoing aspects of the G.R.O.W. program has been a hockey tournament held as a fundraiser. Karyn noted that, although the tournament was not held last year, it will be mounted again this coming May 31st. Participants come from many different areas. If you would like to participate or perhaps know someone else who might like to participate you can email G.R.O.W. at info@growyourway.ca or call 204-505-3799.
In one final moment of tribute, Lazareck noted that she herself will soon be honoured with the presentation of a “meritorious service medal from the Governor General acknowledging G.R.O.W. and its influence beyond this province. I knew the honor must be shared with her, and so I’m inviting Sandy to join me in Ottawa for the presentation.”
Local News
Application filed by two former members of Etz Chayim Congregation against the congregation to have their memberships restored dismissed by judge
The following is taken from the Canadian Jewish News website: “Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench has dismissed Hadass Eviatar and David Hoult’s application challenging the termination of their membership at Congregation Etz Chayim. In his decision, Justice Vic Toews noted that, although Hoult’s letter describing a hypothetical attack on the synagogue may have lacked sensitivity given the political climate, he did not intend to threaten violence against congregants. However, the judge ruled that the court did not have jurisdiction to intervene in the membership dispute under Manitoba’s Corporations Act, finding that the couple had no financial, proprietary or economic interest that would entitle them to the remedies they sought. The judge concluded that religious organizations are generally free to determine their own membership rules and ordered each side to bear its own legal costs.”
If you would like to read the original article that broke the story about the battle between Hadaass Eviatar and David Hoult with Etz Chayim Congregation you can go to Epic Court Battle.”
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.
