Local News
Shalom Square winds up a very successful week…but where was the very first Israel pavilion located in 1970?
By BERNIE BELLAN It was another very successful run for the Israel pavilion – Shalom Square, during the first week of Folklorama, from Aug 6-13.
This year marked the 51st year in which audiences were able to attend Folklorama in person, with over 7,000 individuals having attended at least one of the 19 shows put on at Shalom Square from August 6-12.
Yet, something that I wrote in our August 2 issue has led me to wonder: Where was the first-ever Israel pavilion actually located – in 1970?
That question might not seem to be of earth-shaking importance, but then again, it’s the kind of question for which, so far, no one I’ve asked has come up with an unequivocal answer.
Still, I would hope the following story might lead to a resolution of somewhat of a mystery: Where was that first-ever Israel pavilion located – in 1970?
The argument was touched off by my writing in the August 2 issue that, prior to the Israel pavilion moving to the Asper Campus in 1997, its home had always been the old YMHA on Hargrave. (I simply assumed that was the case, but I hadn’t really thought to look into it prior to my writing that.)
Sure enough, one of our readers – Roz Greenfeld, sent me an email telling me that the Israel pavilion had been held in what was called “Council House” in the Golden Age Club on Pritchard and Salter (which was also the home for the National Council of Jewish Women, hence the name “Council House.”)
Here is what Roz wrote: “Good morning Bernie. As always glad to see my Jewish Post arrived this morning ! While I was reading about Shalom Square and the connection to the Jewish Post, there is one small error. Shalom Square started at the Golden Age club in 1970! It may have also been called the Council House! It was on Pritchard and Salter – a 2 floor walk up!!
“I know, because I was the representative for Shalom Square in 1971. (Ed. note: Roz would would have been Roz Bernstein back then.) Even back then, the Jewish Post had several articles and pictures about Shalom Square and Folklorama
“They did a great job !!
“Roz”
Roz’s email got me to wondering: She says that the Israel pavilion was located in the Golden Age Club in 1970, and that may well have been the case, but she also says that she didn’t represent Shalom Square until 1971. That does leave open the possibility that the very first Israel pavilion – in 1970, might have been located somewhere else altogether.
I tried to find any reference to some sort of Israel representation – of any sort, during that 1970 festival, by looking through Jewish Posts from 1970 but, unfortunately, wasn’t able to find anything.
So, I turned to two experts whose history with Folklorama goes back quite a long time: Avrom Charach, who’s served as president of Folklorama as well as having been a long-time volunteer at the Israel pavilion – also an ambassador, and who, along with his father, Barney, has been connected to Folklorama for the longest time; and Reeva Nepon, executive director of the Chai Folk Ensemble. (I figured that, since Chai has been a part of every Israel pavilion for as long as I can remember, that there might be some record of where Chai first danced in Folklorama.)
Now, here’s where the controversy really gets heated. While Reeva answered that she couldn’t find any archival material going back earlier than 1972 – and she sent me some picture from that year of Chai dancers, she did say she would try to go through her archives at a later date.
But Avrom Charach really muddied the waters, in response to the question: Where was the very first Israel pavilion? I also told Avrom that the Wikipedia article about Folklorama does not mention an Israel pavilion as being a part of that original 1970 celebration.
With regard to the question whether there was an Israel pavilion in 1970, Avrom wrote: “Folklorama certified that we were an original founding member in 1970, that Mary Kelekis and I used to speak about this, and that we had Jewish founders of the festival; the founders were all involved in pavilions.”
Avrom added: “I have spoken to some original dancers who said they performed in 1970. It was on the stage in the small gym at Hargrave – I was there but only remember Monte Hall cutting a ribbon to open the pavilion on night 1.”
Now, I had a couple of issues with Avrom’s response. First, why would the very first Israel pavilion have been at the Y – in 1970, only to move to the Golden Age Club (a much smaller venue) in 1971? Second, in an article in The Jewish Post in 1971, it was noted that Chai was to perform only one night during Folklorama in 1971. (The entertainment on the first night of Folklorama in 1971 was provided by none other than Rabbi Zalman Schachter as a raconteur and someone named Ted Nyder as a singer.) Chai performed only on the Monday night of the festival that year. Also, there were different entertainers every night of the festival, with none performing more than one evening. So, the notion that dancers from Chai remembered dancing at the Y in 1970 might also be attributable to foggy memories from whomever it was that Avrom contacted.
Yet, Avrom added this in a later email: “I will concede that as a four-year-old my memory could be of the NCJW building on Pritchard, but I do strongly remember being on my father’s shoulders and looking at a permanent raised stage. If Pritchard had that type of stage the location in my mind could be wrong.”
Thus, the issue where the first Israel pavilion was located remains unresolved. Also, while we’re pretty sure the Israel pavilion moved to the Y for the next 25 years in 1972, we’re not absolutely sure of that. If anyone could shed some light on the questions raised here, you can either email me at jewishp@mymts.net or call me at 204-694-3332.
Post script: Since this article first appeared in the August 16 issue of The Jewish Post & News, and thanks to responses from some readers of the paper, I was able to determine conclusively, not only where the Israel pavilion was held the first year of Folklorama – in 1970, also where it was held every year thereafter.
But, if you’ve read this far you’re going to have to wait until after the August 30 issue of the paper is published for answers. I owe it to readers of the paper to give them first dibs on the resolution of the mystery.
Local News
New Israeli restaurant opens in River Heights
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 6, 2025) It’s been a long time since our community has been able to welcome the opening of a restaurant that specializes in Israeli food.
That void is now going to be filled with the opening of The Green Falafel, at 1833 Grant (corner of Centennial – next to the Subway).
The restaurant is the fulfillment of a dream long held by the husband and wife team of Ariel and Eden Maudi, who have been living in Winnipeg the past 11 years.
Ariel, who was born in Israel and grew up in Beer Sheva, says that he worked in telecommunications in Ramat Gan for several years. He adds though that he had always dreamed of owning his own falafel stand in Israel, but life was difficult there and he decided to come to Canada as a tourist to see whether there were any opportunities here for him, Eden and their two young children.
Eden, who was born in Russia and moved to Israel with her family in 1996, stayed behind with the two kids, who were both pre-schoolers, while Ariel tested the waters in Canada first.
Ariel says he came to Canada as a tourist in 2013. His first stop was in Toronto, where he acquired his 1st class driver’s license. At the end of 2013 he moved to Winnipeg where he began working as a truck driver. Soon he found himself employed as a successful sales person at Vickar Nissan where, he says, he once achieved the status as the top car sales person in Canada. After working at Vickar Nissan for a number of years, Ariel began working as an installer for Bell MTS.
Meanwhile, Eden began working at a Walmart, later at the Costco on Regent.
But, when the opportunity to move into a space that had been previously occupied by another restaurant, but which had closed, became available, Ariel and Eden decided to open their own Israeli restaurant in an area that hadn’t seen Israeli food served since the controversial closure of Bermax Café in 2019.
The Maudis say that they will be serving a variety of Israeli dishes – all vegetarian, and that they will be fully kosher.
The “green” in Green Falafel, by the way, Ariel Maudi explains, comes from the cilantro and parsley that are added to the chickpeas. In addition, their pitas will be coming from Israel and will be baked fresh daily.
The Green Falafel will be open from 10-8 daily. Delivery will be available through Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Call 204-557-7837 for information.
Local News
Previews of shows with Jewish performers at this year’s Fringe Festival July 16-27
For show dates and venues go to winnipegfringe.com
By BERNIE BELLAN As has been our custom for many years now we try to find shows that have either Jewish performers or themes that would have particular appeal for Jewish audiences. Many of the Jewish performers at this year’s festival have been here before, but several are new. In no particular order here are blurbs about the shows we’ve found that fit the criteria I’ve just described. (By they way, if we’ve omitted a show that should be included in our list there’s plenty of time to get added to this post. Just drop me a line at jewishp@mymts.net.)
You’ve Been Served: A One-Woman Show About Divorce, Cults, and Coming of Age at Midlife
Noemi Zeigler
You are hereby summoned… to laugh, cry, and maybe belt out a Streisand number in solidarity. You’ve Been Served is a raw and riotous solo comedy by writer-performer Noemi Zeigler. It all begins when Noemi is served divorce papers on top of a garbage bin lid while taking out the trash—an undignified start to a full-blown midlife unraveling.
At 50, still clinging to her dream of becoming a singer, she falls under the spell of a music producer slash self-help guru, joins a spiritual cult, and, instead of landing a record deal, she lands in jail. Behind bars, with help from her long-buried inner child, she begins to reclaim her voice and her power. Turns out, dreams really do come true—just not the way she expected.
The show features vividly drawn characters—including a manipulative cult leader, a toxic ex-husband, and a jail guard named Roach who shares Noemi’s obsession with the fashion of Charlie’s Angels (the ‘70s TV version, of course.)
With salsa dancing, twerking, and a belting rendition of Don’t Rain on My Parade, Zeigler dives into abandonment, reinvention, and self-rescue. As she confronts perimenopause, she discovers it’s not the end—it’s the new puberty. The show touches on grief, sexuality, and spiritual confusion, but Noemi’s childlike optimism asks: What if your breakdown is actually your breakthrough?
You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself
Written & Performed by Natacha Ruck
France, 1981: The first socialist president is about to be elected and young Natacha is ready to implement her own political platform. But first, she has to take down the schoolyard bully,emasculate the rules of French grammar and make off with grandmother’s chocolate.
If you think you know the limits of Jewish mothers, evil grandmothers and transcontinental lovers, meet Natacha Ruck’s family. This true tale of three generations of women, facing three world wars, is equal parts hilarious, shocking and zany.
A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Beauty and the Beast NEW WORK!
Written & Performed by Alli Perlov
Be our guest! Local high school drama teacher Alli Perlov is back for a tale as old as time. Can she sing? Not really. Can she act? That’s debatable. Will you laugh? Oh… probably.
Perlov plays dozens of characters, some human, some animal, and many objects, in a comedic exploration of Beauty and the Beast.
In an homage to this brilliant musical adventure, through witty commentary and unstoppable energy, Perlov aims to entertain an audience that isn’t forced to be there like her students.
Hockey Sticks and Beaver Pie
Written & Performed by Melanie Gall
Take a trip around Manitoba. From the 30,000 ft. St. Adolphe snow maze to the Narcisse snake dens! After all, where else holds both the title of Slurpee Capital of the World and the Guinness Record for the most people simultaneously howling like wolves?
Deanna Durbin, Terry Jacks and Burton Cummings are among the many homegrown stars, and Hockey Sticks features their music along with original songs and the stories that make this province unique.
Starring Melanie Gall from past shows Piaf & Brel, Ingenue and Toast to Prohibition
Nerohilarity Exposed
Produced by Adam Schwartz
We all sometimes feel exposed, whether that’s as a fraud or a pretender.
The performers of the award-winning Neurohilarity show, Danielle Kayahara (Laugh Out Loud CBC), Carole Cunningham (Yuk Yuks, The Debaters), Adam Schwartz (Winnipeg Fringe) and Rollin Penner (Yuk Yuks, CBC, Rumors, Winnipeg Comedy Festival), apply a comedic spin to the experiences that make us feel insecure, stripping away the emotional weight with nittygritty jokes and stories that will have you laughing uproariously.
Brilliantly awkward.
A Lesbian in the Kitchen
Willow Rosenberg
Professional lesbian Willow Rosenberg takes you on a journey through the centuries, superstitions and tablespoons of her lifelong passion for baking in this spiritual successor to 2024’s Jenny Award-nominated A Lesbian in a Bear Store.
Whether you have a favourite spatula, bake once or twice a year, or live in constant fear of being told to “just fold it in”, this one-woman show about family, joy, tradition (but make it gay),
Judaism, comfort, home (but make it gayer*), love, chemistry and magic is for you!
*Who’re we kidding, it’s all gay!
Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany
Written & Performed by Ingrid Garner
(Ed. note: Although Ingrid Garner isn’t Jewish, we thought the theme of this show might have a special appeal for Jewish readers.)
Based on Eleanor Ramrath Garner’s best-selling memoir, this 16x internationally award-winning adaptation – performed by her granddaughter, Ingrid Garner – details Eleanor’s youth as an American caught in Second World War Berlin.
Punctuated with humour and accompanied by cinematic sound and video, Garner embodies her ancestors in this coming-of-age odyssey, delivering an account of war that is more relevant than ever.
Reviewing The Free Press 2
Benji Rothman
The Winnipeg Free Press has run amok, reviewing each and every Fringe show over the past two decades without consequence or recourse. Now, it’s their turn… again.
In this refurbished work that debuted at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe, Benji Rothman once again takes the Winnipeg Free Press to task. In this (mostly) new, (hopefully) hilarious 45-minute show, Rothman dives deep into their past and exposes their faulty journalism, imbalanced reporting and, of course, embarrassing typos.
Local News
Jewish performers at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival July 10-13
The Black Sea Station
Long ago, there were the klezmorim, itinerant musicians who roamed the back streets of Eastern Europe, playing at parties for meals and a few coins. The sound they honed then was a visceral exploration of life’s joy, and its loss; they could whip audiences into a frenzy of dancing, or bring them to tears with the mournful wail of a clarinet. Today, Winnipeg’s own The Black Sea Station is carrying on this tradition. Featuring Daniel Koulack (bass), Victor Schultz (violin) and Myron Schultz (clarinet) — cofounders of seminal local klezmer act Finjan — along with Moldovan accordion wizard Nikolai Prisacar and multi-instrumentalist Ben Mink, the quintet transports listeners to a time and place long past. Through a mix of original songs rooted in history, and traditional tunes spun up with modern zest, they whirl through the exuberant klezmer sounds of their Eastern European heritage, tending the old ways with deep love and respect.
The Black Sea Station will be performing Sunday, July 13, at 1:00 pm in Snowberry Field.
Romi Mayes
Romi Mayes has taken some hard knocks in her life, but she’s never faded away. For more than 25 years, Manitoba’s first lady of blues-rock has been a lynchpin of the Canadian roots scene. She earned that position the old-fashioned way, through her gritty, passionately emotive music. With her sizzling guitars and full-throated rasp, the Juno-nominated performer howls and purrs through razor-edged lyrics, rocking out wherever she can find a stage. She’s long been one of the hardest-working musicians on the circuit, keeping a busy slate of gigs and mentoring up-and-coming artists to get a foothold on the trails she blazed. Now, after a nine-year hiatus from the studio, Mayes has put her scintillating sound back on record with her long-awaited seventh album, Small Victories — a return that leaves no doubt, no matter the ups and downs, Mayes is here to stay.
Romi will be performing Friday, July 11, at 1:00 pm in Burr Oak.
Leonard Podolak (with Matt Gordon)
Ireland’s Matt Gordon is a fiddler and singer, whose fleet-footed clogging and thigh-slapping hambone has taken stages by storm since the 1980s. Leonard Podolak is a virtuosic master of the clawhammer banjo, who for decades has whipped up some of Manitoba’s wildest roots parties with his band, The Duhks. Put those talents together, and they can promise you this much: we’re all gonna have a real good time. Longtime friends and musical collaborators, Gordon and Podolak deliver an exhilarating trip through old-time Appalachian music. Their performances seamlessly blend intricate instrumental lines with heartfelt singing and dazzling dance. They’ve teamed up on a few records over the years, including 2020’s bigband extravaganza Power Wagon: Live At Shanley’s. But the best way to experience this duo’s toe-tapping, hand-clapping chemistry is to see it live.
Podolak and Gordon will be performing A concert with a side of clogging Sunday, July 13, at 3:00 pm in Folk School.