Local News
‘STAND-UP NATION” – New book highlights Israel’s many contributions to world through international development
Review by BERNIE BELLAN Elsewhere on this website we have a story about an event that was sponsored by JNF Canada at Camp Massad on Sunday, September 1, during which the guest speaker was someone by the name of Aviva Klompas.
As we noted in that story, Klompas is the author of a recently published book whose title, “STAND-UP NATION” is an unabashed emulation of the wildly successful ‘”START-UP NATION,” which was published in 2009.
As I noted in my review of ‘START-UP NATION” in the December 16, 2009 issue of The Jewish Post & News, “This book, simply put, is one of the most uplifting pieces of writing about Israel that has come out in a very long time. For anyone who is a strong supporter of Israel, the stories that (Dan) Senor and (Saul) Singer relate about Israel’s emergence as a high-tech superpower will be reminiscent of past stories about Israel’s military brilliance.”
Fifteen years later, Klompas adopts a very similar style that Senor and Singer employed in their book, which was to provide a series of case studies that illustrated how Israeli creativity and entrepreneurship combined to turn Israel into an economic success story.
While “START-UP NATION” suggested that Israel’s brilliance in the economic sphere was something that had only been a relatively recent development – beginning in the 1990s and fuelled largely by the influx of massive numbers of Russian immigrants, Aviva Klompas’s thesis is that Israel has had a tradition of international development and aid from the very beginning of the foundation of the state.
Her book was 10 years in the making, she explained in an interviews she gave at a recently held event near Boston. It first took root when she was Israel’s sole speech writer at the United Nations (from 2013-15), she said. In that capacity, Klompas noted, she had to immerse herself in a whole range of subjects – including international aid and development – about which, she admitted, she knew very little prior to her period of service at the UN.
But, as she learned more about how much international aid development had been a part of the very fabric of Israel’s founding ethos – especially as it was promoted by Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, Klompas began to develop an especially keen interest in finding out as much as she could about how Israel came to be one of the very first nations that advanced the notion of international development in third world countries.
As Klompas explains in the book, the tremendous challenges that the newborn State of Israel faced in the first two years of its existence – when it absorbed over 800,000 new immigrants comprised of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Arab countries – leading to a doubling of Israel’s population almost overnight, “Despite the small population and lack of natural resources, the country’s leaders had big ambitions. Ingenuity and entrepreneurship were celebrated. Chutzpah took root as a national ethos. As time passed, the country’s confidence grew, and its citizens turned outward. They shared their success with other countries confronting similar challenges. With each passing decade, as Israel grew more secure and prosperous, it became a model and inspiration to developing countries that sought to achieve the same transformation.”
How Klompas came to write this particular book is an interesting story in itself. She said, during the interview that, after she left the UN, she began something called “Project Inspire,” in which she took young people on study tours to third world countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Nepal, Guatemala, and India.”
During those tours she encountered project after project that had been started by Israelis who had been inspired by a combination of idealism and experience. Of course, she uses the phrase “tikkun olam” quite often in her book, but that particular phrase is trotted out so often by Jewish organizations and is so general in its meaning that it loses its impact.
Instead, what Klompas does is tell a series of 20 different stories in which Israelis – often Americans who emigrated to Israel by the way, turn to using education and skills that they acquired in Israel into very imaginative projects in countries all around the world.
It was during the Covid epidemic that Klompas first thought of writing a book filled with stories of Israelis who had travelled to distant lands to initiate a variety of aid projects – often without any assistance at first, but then through a combination of fund raising and appealing to the governments of countries to which they had travelled, had achieved remarkable success almost always through their own ingenuity and resourcefulness,
What is so remarkable about many of these individuals is that their stories begin with travelling to a particular country, often backpacking – usually seeking adventure, and during the course of their experiences in those countries, they come to realize that they are well suited to providing exactly the sort of expertise that is so sorely needed in those countries.
Whether it’s in the areas of agriculture – which is a very common theme in the book, or often health care, Israelis time and time again have gone into some of the poorest parts of the world to offer assistance. And, in contrast to many other individuals from other countries that have also become involved in development projects, many of the Israelis profiled in “STAND-UP NATION” have stayed for years, rather than mere months. Often they’ve learned native languages – and customs, and rather than attempting to inject foreign concepts into the lives of the people with which they’re living, they adapt those concepts to native traditions.
Even after they’ve returned to Israel a great many of the individuals Klompas describes in the book have kept going back to the countries where they helped to initiate projects – often to check up on those projects or to begin new ones.
At the beginning of the book, Klompas describes Israel’s very first international development agency, known as MASHAV, and how it actually preceded international development agencies from countries such as the US, Canada, and Britain, as well as the UN’s own international aid agencies.
While Klompas does concede that, to a certain extent, MASHAV was intended to improve Israel’s image within third world countries, she notes that even to this day, MASHAV has training programs for thousands of individuals coming from countries that have been highly critical of Israeli policies – especially since Israel’s incursion into Gaza.
Given that the book was released only recently, Klompas often refers to how much Israel’s image in the world has changed for the worse since October 7. Yet, in a series of often poignant post scripts that she includes at the end of many of her chapters, Klompas quotes from many individuals who have either been working closely with Israelis in their respective countries or who have benefited from receiving training and education in Israel itself. In many of those excerpts from emails sent by various individuals, they remark upon how much anguish they feel for Israelis – also for Palestinians.
One question that did occur to me as I read this very well written book (and Klompas’s years of experience as a speechwriter shine through as she manages to imbue each story she tells with a freshness that keeps the book from bogging down into repetitiousness) is: How many of the many aid projects that had been undertaken by Israeli-based organizations have been severely affected by how badly Israel’s image has suffered in the past year? In many of the cases Klompas cites – and these were situations in which Israelis had gone to countries that either had no relations with Israel at all or had very poor relations with Israel, the Israelis going into those countries hid their identities as much as they possibly could.
Klompas also describes how Israeli disaster relief teams have gone into countries – such as Turkey and even Syria, to provide relief, often at great danger to the members of those teams.
One final note: Considering that Aviva Klompas was the special guest speaker at an event sponsored by JNF Canada Manitoba-Saskatchewan Region, and JNF Canada is now in the midst of a terrible situation in which its charitable license has been revoked by the CRA, I thought it appropriate to refer to a section of “STAND-UP NATION” in which Klompas writes about the many projects in which the JNF has been involved that have directly led to enormous benefits, not only for people in many third-world countries but, at least prior to October 7 – Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza as well. (Again, I would have liked to know to what extent projects involving students from the West Bank and Gaza have now had to cut ties with students from those areas since October 7. What a tragedy.)
Klompas writes about the Central Arava Research and Development Centre, “which is developing new crops and improving existing techniques so farmers in the Arava Valley can compete in the global produce market;” about the Kasser Joint Institute for Food, Water, and Energy Security, “which develops techniques and technologies to aid communities in arid and hyper-arid low income countries in addressing their food, water, and energy insecurities cost effectively and sustainably;” about the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, which brings together “students from Israel and Jordan, along with Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip…who train together in the fields of sustainability and the environment;” and the Arava Institute for International Training, which is “attracting young men and women from developing countries all over the world.”
While Klompas doesn’t specify exactly how much the JNF has been involved in each of those projects, the point is that the JNF’s contributions to research in the areas of crop development in even the harshest, most arid conditions, have been of benefit not only to Israel, but to countries all over the world – also to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. And to think: the CRA has questioned JNF Canada’s “charitable object.”
Just as Israeli international aid organizations have been motivated by a combination of a desire to do good – as in the concept of “tikkun olam,” also to a certain extent, Israel’s desire to improve Israel’s image in the third world, what difference does it make so long as all those individuals working in third world countries are contributing so mightily to the well being of the people with whom they are working?
The same can be said of JNF Canada. While the CRA may be nit picking individual projects in which JNF Canada has been involved, saying the paperwork trail is deficient, how can one question the incredible humanitarian contribution that the JNF has been making for years – in ways Klompas cites?
Perhaps at some point we’ll be able to find out from Klompas how each of the 20 projects she profiles in this very important book have been affected by what’s been going on in Gaza the past 11 months. But, if anyone needs to get a better idea how enormous an impact Israel has had in the area of international development – on a scale the country has had in the area of entrepreneurship – as described in ‘START-UP NATION,” read “STAND-UP NATION.”
“STAND-UP NATION…Israeli Resilience in the Wake of Disaster”
By Aviva Klompas
213 pages
Published by Wicked Son, 2024
Available at the JNF office in Winnipeg (phone 204-947-0207) or an Amazon.ca
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