Local News
Simkin Centre dedicates memorial to the 11 residents who lost their lives to Covid last year – and unveils 5 new Chanukah menorahs

By BERNIE BELLAN It was a little more than one year ago that the Simkin Centre was hit hard by Covid for an almost two-month period. As I noted in a daily blog that I kept updating on this website, it was on December 14 that I was finally able to report that “as of today, there are no active cases of COVID-19 at the Simkin Centre. After almost two consecutive months with at least one active case every day – either among residents or staff, there is now reason to believe that the worst is over.”
But, what happened from October 22 – December 14 was nightmarish in scope.
A total of 40 cases were reported among both staff and residents, with 21 staff hit by Covid, while 29 residents also fell ill. While no staff died as a result of Covid, 11 residents did, beginning with Gwen Nelko on October 22 and ending with Mahmonir Vahdat on December 14.
On October 27 the Simkin Centre front entrance was the scene of a dedication of a memorial to the 11 residents who lost their lives to Covid during that terrible two-month period.
Rabbi Kliel Rose of Etz Chayim Congregation delivered remarks to members of families of the deceased who had gathered that cold October day, along with several employees who were also in attendance.
Marilyn Regiec read out the names of the 11 residents who died:
Gwen Nelko
Esther Shuster
Mary D Turner
Lena Parisien
Sheila Streifler
Luba Zalkind
Irene Fonseth
Annette Rosenberg
Gary Marantz
Hilda Loeppky
Mahmonir Vahdat
The memorial was donated by Larsen’s Memorials at no cost.
Project Menorah
Submitted by the Simkin Centre: During the darkest time of the year, when the sun is most hidden, the celebration of Chanukah shines a ray of hope through the shadows, and it is often through simple and unrecognized miracles that we are able to feel the warmth of the light.
This year, The Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre is delighted to announce “Project Menorah”. This extraordinary event will showcase five stunning nine-foot menorahs situated in the front of our building, our atrium, and all three courtyards. Residents, family, staff and the community at large will thoroughly enjoy basking in the light that these spectacular menorahs will be emitting.
The inspiration for this special event arose from the remarkable display observed at St. Boniface Hospital. As a Jewish organization we felt passionate and compelled to provide our Residents and community with a magnificent menorah display at our Centre.
Sponsorship for one menorah is $2500.00 and a donor recognition plaque will be placed on each, along with a full charitable donation tax receipt.
Don and Bev Aronovitch have chosen to sponsor a menorah saying, “Bev and I are thrilled to sponsor one of the Simkin Centre’s new menorahs. We are very pleased that there will be five that will be situated throughout the facility in order for Residents to see one of them. Chanukah brings hope during one of the darkest times of the year, and the menorahs bring light to the spirit of us all.”
If you would like to sponsor a menorah, please contact Aviva Tabac at (204) 589-9027.
May the Festival of Light bring blessings upon you and all of
your loved ones.
Simkin Centre CEO looks back on most harrowing year in history of Sharon Home and Simkin Centre
By BERNIE BELLAN
By now, the nightmarish situation in which the Simkin Centre, like so many other Personal Care Homes across Canada, was plunged in 2020, is receding like a distant memory.
But, for residents of the centre, along with their families, and the staff that was working to protect them, the two months of unremitting anxiety that began with the death of resident Gwen Nelko on October 22, 2020, and which didn’t end until almost two months later with the final death of a resident due to Covid, is a period in time that will long not be forgotten.
The Simkin Centre recently released its Annual Report. Not surprisingly, Covid dominates the content of the report.
Here, for instance, are excerpts from the message of Chief Executive Officer Laurie Cerqueti:
“The past year and a half has been dominated by Covid-19. This virus has affected every aspect of our operation. Despite all of the Covid related challenges, we have so much to be proud and thankful for.
“Our impeccable planning, execution and adaptability has served our organization and Residents well throughout our Covid journey. We have come to be seen as leaders in the management of Covid in the long term sector. Representatives from our site sit on a number of the Maples Working Groups that were formed following the tragic failure at the Maples Personal Care Home. Our communication strategies throughout the pandemic have been recognized and will be included as examples of best practices in Long Term Care during Covid in Canada. We are frequently contacted by the media for interviews on different topics related to Covid. One of our proudest moments was the media attention of our recovery parades…
“With the development of the Covid-19 vaccines, a new hope was brought to the Centre starting in January 2020. Curently, over 99% of our Residents and staff have been vaccinated. The vast majority of our staff did not require a vaccine mandate to roll up their sleeve and get the shot. They knew it was the right thing to do…
“I am thankful for our Residents who have shown great resilience during such a difficult time. We remembers, with sadness, and mourn the Residents that were lost due to the pandemic.I believe that the darkest days of the pandemic are now behind us. We look forward to the return of more normal times where we can welcome everyone back to the Centre.
Laurie Cerqueti, BA, BN, MSA, RN
Chief Executive Officer
In his own report, Fiscal Advisory Chair Avrum Senensky made the following observations:
“In all aspects, the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 was a challenging one for the Simkin Centre. This definitely included fiscal management of the Centre. It is impossible to budget for all of the unknowns that were faced during the pandemic Approximately 1 million dollars was spent on pandemic related supplies and salary costs during the fiscal year.
“The Centre ended the year with a small surplus of $15,578.”
In its statement of Operations and Changes in Net Assets, the Centre shows that, while expenses were up one and a half million dollars from 2020 to 2021, revenues were up by almost exactly the same amount. The primary factor in the Simkin Centre’s being able to show a small surplus was the huge increase in funding received from the Winnipeg Regional Authority: up from $10,275,850 in 2020 to $11,903,624 in 2021.
Local News
Beneficiary agencies of the Jewish Federation have received $210,000 less this year than last year as of September 1

By BERNIE BELLAN
For the first time in at least 10 years the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg has reduced the amount distributed to its 12 beneficiary agencies from what had been distributed the previous year. The funds were distributed September 1 for 2023-24.
The total amount distributed this year was $210,000 less than what was distributed in both 2022 and 2021 and is actually $500,000 less than the total that was requested by the beneficiary agencies. (The amount distributed last year was $216,000 less than what the beneficiary agencies had requested.)
In explaining why allocations are being reduced this year, the Federation reported that “Over the past few years, the Federation and community have collectively faced significant challenges, placing a strain on our financial resources. In response to these challenges, the Federation stepped in during our community’s time of need, dedicating over $200,000 from our reserves to sustain our beneficiary agencies.” (In a later explanation it was clarified that $100,000 was taken from Federation reserves in each of 2022 and 2021.)

It was further noted that the decrease in funds to be allocated to agencies represents a 7% decrease over the previous year. Dipping into reserves was described as an “unsustainable practice.” It was also noted that the Federation “notified our beneficiaries of a probable reduction in the amount of funding available well ahead of the allocation request deadline.
In describing the pressures that the Federation’s Allocations Committee faced this year in coming up with its allocations, committee chair Brent Schacter said that “We knew after the budget process last year we were going to be in a bind.” Schacter further elaborated that the two whammies that hit this year were the ongoing repercussions of Covid along with the rapid increase in inflation.
In discussing the pressures that the Allocations committee faced this year, it should also be noted that although the amount raised by the Combined Jewish Appeal – while not much more than the previous year ($6.3 million as opposed to $6.25 million), the negative effects of the drop in allocations are somewhat mitigated by two things:. A good portion of the amount raised by the CJA is in the form of “designated funds,” given by large donors and, while those funds are not available to the B & A committee to distribute, many of the beneficiary agencies did receive large distributions from those “designated funds.”
As well, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba increased its total distributions this year by $1.3 million over the previous year. While the Foundation’s gifts were spread among a very wide number of recipients, a number of the Federation’s beneficiary agencies did benefit from the increase in Foundation distributions.
Still, the challenges facing the Federation in meeting the needs of the community are leading to a major reassessment of how Federation planners are implementing budgetary planning.
A number of new innovations have now been adopted by the B & A committee, including:
- New application forms – one for agencies requesting more than $250,000 and one for agencies requesting less
- Beneficiaries were asked to state the anticipated outcomes of projects/programs that receive Federation funding, and to develop indicators so that they can measure those outcomes.
- Site visits took place along with periodic meetings with agencies as a whole throughout the year to ensure that the committee gets a more complete picture of beneficiaries’ activities, challenges, and plans.
In describing the process that the Federation undertook to “streamline” the budget allocation process, Federation President Gustavo Zentner said “Lay leadership and management had a responsibility to look at the business model.”
It was determined that the Federation needed “a more effective way of managing the allocations process,” Zentner stated, including “more meaningful communication with the agencies to bring to light their projects.”
Not only does the Federation want to improve its own fundraising process, Zentner continued, “We also want to help agencies to raise funds on their own.”
Despite the reductions in allocations available to agencies this year, Zentner stressed that “we wanted to address the needs of those members of the community who are most in need.”
Brent Schacter added: “We want to see people dig a little bit deeper” when it comes to giving. The Combined Jewish Appeal is now into its fundraising campaign for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Local News
Six members of the community receive King’s Counsel appointments

A total of 17 lawyers were appointed King’s Counsel by Order in Council on August 29. Six members of our Jewish community were among those appointed. Although appointments as King’s Counsel are usually accompanied by biographical information about those appointed, there was no press release issued by the Manitoba Government announcing the appointments. When we contacted the Manitoba Government news room to ask why there was no biographical information available, the response we received referred to KC appointments announced in February (no surprise there – these are bureaucrats we’re dealing with). When we asked again why there was no biographical information available about the most recent batch of KC appointments we were told “the Province of Manitoba is in the middle of an election blackout and department communications are limited as a result. News Room has nothing further to add.”
As a result, we present here photos of Jewish recipients of KC appointments, but without any further information.
Local News
Kayla Gordon inducted on to Rainbow Stage’s Wall of Fame

Myron Love It was in the summer of 1984 when Kayla Gordon was appearing in the Rainbow Stage production of “Kismet,” that the long time actor/director/producer/photographer found herself doing her make-up sitting next to Nia Vardalos, the writer and star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” fame, who was also appearing in the production.
“We both were playing opposite each other in the comic roles as the Ayahs to the Wazir (the main lead), and we began talking about our plans for the future,” Gordon recalls. “Nia was talking about moving to Toronto and joining the Second City company. As for me, I was in a comedy troupe in Winnipeg and just found out I was pregnant with my first child. My plan was to stay in Winnipeg, even though I was a bit jealous that she was going off to pursue her dream and I was staying put. That was my ‘Kismet’ and I never looked back.”
Rainbow Stage is where Gordon began her career in musical theatre at the age of 17 in a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” After a career of more than 40 years, both on stage and behind the scenes – it is fitting that one of the leading lights of community theatre in our city has been recognized for her contributions by Winnipeg’s longest-running theatre company. On Wednesday, August 17, Gordon was one of the five inductees to Rainbow Stage’s Wall of Fame under the “Builder” category. The award is given to someone who has been part of nurturing and building our theatre community.
“It was a wonderful surprise,” says the honoree. “It brings my career full circle.” Previous honours for Gordon include the Leadership Award from the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Theatre Educator’s Award from the Winnipeg Theatre Awards for her long-time leadership within the arts community.
Gordon reports that the induction ceremony, attended by about 100 friends and family members of the inductees and Rainbow Stage staff, was held just prior to the opening night performance of “The Little Mermaid,”,the second of three shows the company is putting on this summer and early fall.
“It was also special to have one of my grandchildren, my husband Art Maister, my mom Ethel, and my aunt Evelyn Hecht at the induction ceremony,” she adds. (Evelyn also performed at Rainbow Stage in the 1950s.)
Gordon notes that while she appeared onstage in seven Rainbow Stage productions – from 1977 to 1993, she was honoured not for her acting, but for her role as a nurturer of talent through teaching acting and musical theatre at the University of Winnipeg for 18 years, as well as teaching at the University of Manitoba, Prairie Theatre Exchange and The Manitoba Theatre for Young People – also, later as the Artistic Director of Winnipeg Jewish Theatre for over 10 years and Winnipeg Studio Theatre, which she founded in 2006.
“I get a lot of satisfaction watching actors I’ve directed and students I have taught and nurtured performing at Rainbow Stage and other venues in the city,” Gordon notes. Many of them have gone on to work professionally and have appeared across Canada, as well as in Broadway productions. Some of them include: Alexandra Frohlinger (Soul Doctor/Broadway), Samantha Hill (Phantom of the Opera/Broadway), Jaz Sealey (Aladdin/Broadway), Andrea Macasaet (Six/Broadway), and Nyk Bielak (Book of Mormon/Broadway).
Gordon was an actor and high school drama teacher at West Kildonan Collegiate for the first 15 years of her career. By the mid-1990s she found herself becoming more interested in working behind the scenes as a director/producer. In 1994, she became the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s second artistic director – succeeding WJT founder Bev Aronovitch – a role she played until 2006. Following her time at WJT Gordon observed that local theatres were not hiring many female theatre directors.
“I realized that if I wanted to work as a director, I would have to create my own projects,” she recalls. So, she started Winnipeg Studio Theatre (WST) in 2006. Soon after forming the company, she invited her longtime theatre associate Brenda Gorlick to run the StudioWorks Academy, a program for emerging artists.
In 2021 she stepped down from her position at WST. “I am still interested in directing – but without the added pressures of being a producer or the full-time responsibility of running a professional theatre company,” she observes. “I like having the freedom to pick and choose the projects I want to work on.” I still plan to work on independent contracts directing theatre and creating entertainment for special events or fundraising activities in the community.”.Last year she produced and directed the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Negev Gala tribute honouring Gail Asper and Michael Paterson. As well, stepping down from her responsibilities with WST has also allowed Gordon to devote more time to her other passion – photography. “I have been interested in photography since I was 15,” she recounts. “My father Ralph had a dark room in our basement.”
Over the past couple of years, she has achieved accreditation with the Professional Photographers of Canada in four different areas of photography: street photography (her favourite), portraiture, performing artists, and figure study. And, last year, she co-authored a coffee table book – “The Murals of Winnipeg,” with fellow photographer Keith Levit as a fundraiser for Take Pride Winnipeg, with 80 pages of photos, which sold out in two weeks and the funds will go to emerging mural artists. (That story can be found on the jewishpostandnews.ca website.)
Kayla is grateful to have stayed in Winnipeg and she sums up her career, and how and why she managed to work in theatre all these years with a quote from Henry Winkler (aka ‘The Fonz’) “I live by tenacity and gratitude. Tenacity gets you where you want to be, and gratitude allows you not to be frustrated along the way”.