Local News
St. John’s High School class of ’73 holds 5oth anniversary reunion
By MYRON LOVE St. John’s High School has a rich and storied history in the annals of our Jewish community. The North End institution is one of Winnipeg’s oldest schools and, when I was a student there in the mid-1960s, it was the city’s largest high school. For three generations of Jewish youth, the school was their gateway to success in the wider world.
In my student days there, the school’s student population was approximately 40% Jewish (although the real percentage may have been a little lower) – and while the school’s reputation as the “Jewish” high school was somewhat changed by the mid-60s, when that pride of place was becoming increasingly challenged by the still relatively new Garden City Collegiate and Grant Park High School in River Heights.
As the Jewish population continued to move either farther north into Garden City or south to River Heights, the numbers of Jewish students enrolled in the school continued to decline. Nonetheless, the 1973 graduating class still boasted about 20 Jewish students, most of whom were among the 70 former students who participated in the 50th anniversary reunion of that graduating class over the June 23-25 weekend.
The idea for the reunion originated with Ed Zwingerman. “I got the ball rolling in February of last year,” recalls the north Winnipeg physiotherapist. “I was at a retreat and, during a period of meditation, I got to thinking about all the changes in my life and all the friends from high school who I had lost touch with over the years. It occurred to me that a class reunion might be a nice way to reconnect with people.”
Zwingerman recruited fellow Class of ’73 graduate Donna Kormylo to co-chair a reunion committee.
“The response exceeded all of our expectations,” he reports. “We had good turnouts for all of our events.”
The weekend began on Friday afternoon with a meet-and-greet in the school library. The event included a slide show, refreshments and tours of the school led by current students. There was also time for the former students to share memories and pore over school memorabilia.
In the evening, the graduates gathered at the Four Crowns Restaurant in the former Lincoln Hotel on McPhillips Street to socialize informally.
Saturday afternoon featured a barbecue at Kildonan Park (with kosher hot dogs, Zwingerman points out). Then there was the grand finale – supper (including Jeanne’s Cake) at the legion hall on Henderson Highway and a band comprised of ’73 graduates(including musician Karen Dana and vocals by Richard Yaffe) featuring music from the ‘60s
“To that end, we were able to get a grant of $350 from the local city councillor,” Zwingerman says.
Among the Jewish former ’73 graduates who came to the reunion, according to Zwingerman. were the aforementioned Karen Dana and Richard Yaffe, Sam Steinfeld, Susan Israel and, from out of town, Sandra Kraitberg and Vicki Mowchun.
Susan Israel recalls that she didn’t remember a lot of people from high school outside of her own class. “I was always one of the band students,” she says. “We tended to stick together.”
One of the highlights for her at the reunion was reacquainting herself with Brian Burdy, her former Biology teacher. “I am not a science person,” she says. “Mr. Burdy made biology interesting for me.”
She also enjoyed the concert. She notes that she was unable to be part of the band because she was away at a family simchah and unable to practice with the other band members.
For Karen Dana, as well as seeing so many familiar faces, a highlight was being able to perform with Richard Yaffe and getting to know him again. “We grew up a block apart near the Talmud Torah and we used to walk to school together,” she recounts.
“And Susan and I go back a long way. Her aunt was my piano teacher.”
Both Dana and Zwingerman also commented on the number of former teachers who put in an appearance at the reunion. A number of the teachers at the school in ’60s and ‘70s were also Jewish.
Zwingerman was particularly happy to see former teacher Marty Billinkoff, who flew in from Vancouver. “Mr. Billinkoff was gregarious and personable and a lot of fun. It was great to see him again.”
The reunion co-organizer also expresses appreciation for the support from the St. John’s Alumni Committee and the school’s principal, Doug Taylor.
“Doug is a great leader,” Zwingerman notes. “A lot of the current students continue on to post-secondary institutions.”
He adds that the reunion committee has contributed leftover funds to the school to be divided between the band and football programs.
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
