Local News
“Students Supporting Israel” suspended by University of Manitoba Students Union

By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted March 6, 2024) In October 2022 an art history teacher by the name of Erika Lopéz Prater was fired from her position at a small liberal arts college in Minnesota, Humline University, for having the temerity to show depictions of the Prophet Muhammed to students in her art history class
Lopéz Prater had warned students in advance that images of holy figures, including the Prophet Muhammed and the Bhudda, would be shown in the course and had asked students to contact her with any concerns, but she said no one did.

One student in the class, Aram Wedatalla, who was also president of the Muslim Student Association, however, claimed to have been deeply offended by the image of Muhammed that was displayed and complained to the university administration. Subsequently Lopéz Prater was fired from her position. As an adjunct professor, however, she did not have the protections granted to tenured professors.
Lopéz Prater later sued Humline on several grounds, including unfair dismissal and emotional distress, but a judge has since dismissed almost all elements of her lawsuit.
What happened to Lopéz Prater though and the ensuing controversy provided a salutary lesson in political correctness running amuck – and the power of members of certain groups to intimidate university administrations and student groups into total acquiescence to their demands to silence any type of discussion that some members of those groups may deem objectionable.
Such apparently was also the case recently at the University of Manitoba where a Muslim speaker by the name of Bassim Eid spoke to students at that university on Monday, February 26. The event was sponsored by two groups: Bridges for Peace and Students Supporting Israel.
According to a CBC report describing what happened at that event and subsequent to it, “Political analyst Bassem Eid, a Palestinian who is a regular commentator on Israeli TV and radio, gave a lecture at a Monday event at the University of Manitoba, organized by Bridges for Peace and Students Supporting Israel, called: ‘What led to the recent war between Israel and Hamas.’
” ‘When it comes to ideology, the Muslims are blind,’ Eid is heard saying during the event’s question period, in audio reviewed by CBC News. He can also be heard calling the ideology of Muslims ‘a major problem,’ saying they aren’t ready for change.
“Belkis Elmoudi, a Muslim student at the university who attended the event, says she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
” ‘I knew I had to get out of there, because I did not feel safe,’ she told CBC News on Thursday (February 29).
” ‘I mean not only were those comments made, [but] no one stood up and said anything, so it just made me feel very isolated, alone and scared.’
Following Eid’s talk and the subsequent complaint made by Elmoudi, the University of Manitoba Students Union decided to suspend Students Supporting Israel, according to UMSU President Tracy Karuhogo, “while an investigation into the event takes place.”
We have attempted to obtain a response from someone from UMSU as to the reasons that Students Supporting Israel has been suspended.
We posed the following questions within an email on Monday, March 4:
“1. Is the suspension still in effect?
“2. If the answer to 1 is yes, can someone explain the reasons behind the suspension?
“3. Is it now UMSU’s policy to suspend an entire group because one student has a complaint about something related to that group?
“4. If UMSU does believe it was justified in suspending Students Supporting Israel, is there anything that would prevent any other student from asking that the Muslim Students Association at the University of Manitoba be suspended for any activities that a student might consider threatening? In other words, where do you draw the line?”
To date, we have not received a response. If we do hear back from someone from UMSU we will update this article.
We also emailed Jeff Lieberman and Adam Levy of the Jewish Federation, along with Gustavo Zentner, CIJA representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, asking them whether anyone from either group had attempted to intervene in the matter. (We also cc’d Haskell Greenfield, Head of Judaic Studies at the U of M.) In addition, we have reached out to a representative for Students Supporting Israel. Again, if we hear back from that person we will update this article.
We wrote:
“I’ve been trying to get more information about the suspension of Students Supporting Israel…the notion that the group has been suspended by UMSU is pretty outrageous. Does anyone know what the status of that suspension is?
“This all reminds me of a story I read last year about a Minnesota college professor who was fired from her position teaching art history at a very small college because she dared to show depictions of Muhammed.
“Apparently, even though she had told students in advance that she would be doing that – and asked whether anyone in the class objected, a Muslim student (who hadn’t spoken out prior) later claimed that they were traumatized by seeing those images.
“It all has to do with “trigger warnings”‘ and how any student can silence discussion by saying they’re traumatized by that discussion.
“Has the Federation or CIJA intervened in this matter?”
We received the following response from Adam Levy, Public Relations and Communications Director for the Jewish Federation:
“Hi Bernie,
“Thank you for reaching out regarding the suspension of Students Supporting Israel (SSI).
“Federation and CIJA have been actively advising and supporting SSI as they navigate this challenging time. We are hopeful that the investigation that has been undertaken by UMSU will clear SSI of wrongdoing, and not hold them accountable for Bassem Eid’s comments.”
We also received the following email from Haskell Greenfield:
“In his talk, Bassam made some generalizations about the ideology of Muslims. He has issued an apology since then. But the student union at the University acted precipitously, I would say rashly. They suspended SSI pending an investigation without contacting the SSI student club first. It is a recognized club for the University of Manitoba Students Union. They suspended the SSI because a Palestinian student made a complaint. They did the suspension solely on the complaint and without contacting SSI to get their point of view. We believe that SSI is working toward explaining their side of the story and hoping for reinstatement. SSI did not make any negative statements about Arabs or Muslims or Palestinians. In fact the moderator at the event disavowed the statement afterwards, saying this does not represent SSI or his own beliefs.
“The same day SSI was suspended, a motion was also put forward by the executive of the University of Manitoba Students Union that would define a new form of anti-Palestinian racism. This very problematic motion prevents anyone from denying the ‘Nakhba.’ It would make denying the ‘Nakhba’ a racist act.”
Local News
Acclaimed rabbi steps to the pulpit of Toronto’s dynamic, downtown Reform congregation

(Toronto, Ont.) – City Shul (cityshul.com) is proud to welcome its new spiritual leader, Rabbi Stephanie Crawley, who began leading the 250-member synagogue in late July and will head the downtown congregation’s 2025 High Holiday services later this month. City Shul has been hailed by the Union for Reform Judaism’s leader, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, as “unique in North America” for its merger of traditional Jewish knowledge with modern Reform values. It was founded in 2011 by Rabbi Emerita Elyse Goldstein, Toronto’s first female rabbi and a pioneering feminist scholar.
Why would a successful and beloved associate rabbi from a large, prominent synagogue relocate to Toronto to head City Shul, a small, upstart congregation?
“I wasn’t looking for just any congregation,” says Rabbi Crawley, an award-winning scholar from 800-member Temple Micah in Washington, D.C. “I was looking for the right congregation.
“I had learned that City Shul was a vibrant, forward-thinking and committed congregation. Since my husband, Rabbi Jesse Paikin, grew up in the Greater Toronto Area, it also sounded like the perfect opportunity to be closer to our extended family.”
Rabbi Crawley’s inaugural Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will offer the wider Toronto Jewish community a chance to experience her love for Judaism and her thoughtful interpretation of its depth and breadth.
“My dream is that when people think and speak of City Shul, they will know that it is a place where Judaism is celebrated joyously,” says Rabbi Crawley. “I believe a synagogue should be a living, vibrant home for Jewish life, where ritual is profound and transformative, where we are called to be and do our best for each other and the world.
“I’m excited to continue the dynamism and experimentation that is such a deep part of City Shul’s culture, and continue to innovate and grow this warm community.”
City Shul conducted an extensive international search to find a new rabbi. The search committee interviewed more than a dozen candidates, but when they met Rabbi Crawley, the connection was instantaneous.
Rabbi Crawley has begun her tenure at City Shul by leading Shabbat services and getting to know her congregants. Her arrival marks not just a new chapter for the synagogue, but a renewed invitation to explore, celebrate, and shape Jewish life together—with joy, meaning, and a bold spirit of possibility.
ABOUT RABBI CRAWLEY:
Rabbi Stephanie Crawley received her undergraduate education at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 2010 and earned a Master of Hebrew Studies and rabbinic ordination through Hebrew Union College/The Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City and Jerusalem. She graduated in 2018 with numerous prizes and academic distinctions, including the Rabbi Solomon Goldman Memorial Prize in Liturgy and the Edith Robers Memorial Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement. Her rabbinic thesis, Out of the Box and onto the Page: Elevated Voices of Female Biblical Characters in Midrash Sefer ha-Yashar, reflected her egalitarian outlook.
As an Associate Rabbi at Temple Micah in Washington, D.C., Rabbi Crawley was involved in all aspects of the congregation, including education, long-term planning, music, outreach, pastoral care, prayer, spirituality and social justice. During her rabbinic studies and afterward, she received numerous fellowships to enhance her learning or assist her in her endeavours, such as the North America-wide Bonnie and Daniel Tisch Rabbinic Fellowship, which focused on congregational leadership and innovative thinking, and the Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship, designed to increase knowledge of interfaith inclusion issues and create communities of belonging for couples and families. In addition, she is a talented poet and musician.
ABOUT CITY SHUL:
City Shul is a downtown Reform Jewish congregation founded in 2011 by internationally renowned Rabbi Emerita Elyse Goldstein with a group of committed laypeople, including academics and Canadian Jewish leaders.
Local News
Premier Wab Kinew wows an audience of seniors at the Gwen Secter Centre

By BERNIE BELLAN (Sept. 11, 2025) There was a mood of heightened expectancy the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10, at the Gwen Secter Centre. The premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, was scheduled to arrive at approximately 1:30 pm to speak to a large audience of over 60 seniors (including this writer).
(Seniors are able to come to the Gwen Secter Centre every Wednesday for a delicious lunch, followed either by entertainment or a speaker.)
But Premier Kinew had been scheduled to come to the Gwen Secter Centre a couple of months prior to this particular day – but was forced to cancel due to something unexpected that had come up in his busy schedule, as things are wont to do when you’re the premier.

This time though, three other NDP MLAs arrived prior to the premier and – because none of them looked like a senior – although I didn’t have a clue who any of them were, I assumed that they weren’t there simply for no reason at all, so I asked one of them, who happened to be a nice, young woman: “Is the premier going to show or is he going to bail again?”
I don’t think she particularly liked the tone of my question (Obviously she didn’t know who I was either, otherwise she wouldn’t have been surprised at my cheekiness), but she responded quite warmly, reassuring me that he was on his way. She also asked me what I was doing there – because I was standing outside the auditorium when everyone else was seated by that point, so I said: “Hey, I’m a senior – so I’m entitled to be here, but I’m also a very annoying reporter – and I’m here to cover this.”
But where was the security detail that one would normally expect to see in advance of a VIP as important as the premier? I wondered.
It turns out there was one lonely security guy – in a suit, but not wearing an earpiece. (I asked him if he was security because he was dressed too nicely for the Gwen Secter Centre – and he wasn’t talking with anyone.) He admitted that he was security, but when I said that I thought there would be more like him considering it was the premier of Manitoba who was coming, he answered that they consider the kind of audience that will be at an event when planning security for the premier – and no one thought that audience that day was going to be overly dangerous. Also, the premier was scheduled to arrive after everyone in the audience had had lunch; he was wise not to arrive before lunch because seniors, especially Jewish seniors, generally don’t care who it is they’re going to hear from – all they want to know is whether the food is going to be served on time!
As it was, Premier Kinew was only a few minutes late and, after mingling with the Gwen Secter staff for a few minutes, made his way directly to the microphone situated at one end of the auditorium. There was no grand entrance accompanied by a phalanx of minders – only the premier, who had a big smile on his face as he navigated the tables of seniors. (Clearly he hadn’t been advised that every Jewish event starts late and that no one as important as a premier simply walks in unaccompanied by a large retinue of self-important toadies.)
Dan Saidman, who is program coordinator at Gwen Secter, introduced the premier with a few brief remarks. Thereupon Premier Kinew stood in front of the auditorium and, being a polished speaker whom we’ve all learned is totally comfortable in front of a mic, spent about 20 minutes talking about what his government has done.
There wasn’t much that anyone who follows Manitoba politics wouldn’t have heard before, but unlike so many other politicians, the premier seemed to be totally at ease and engaged as he spoke.
Now, ordinarily one might have thought that, after all, it was the premier of Manitoba, so how much time would he have had to spend at the Gwen Secter Centre in the midst of a weekday afternoon?
But, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the premier, following his remarks, say: “I’m willing to take any questions if anyone has them.” Okay, I thought, a few minutes maybe, but I was amazed to watch the premier of Manitoba listen to question after question, and answer them all thoughtfully – for over 45 minutes.
The questions covered quite a wide range of issues. Two questioners asked about the security situation at the Health Sciences Centre and one of those questioners struck a particular chord when he began his question by saying that he has two daughters who work as nurses at HSC – and they’re frightened to walk to their cars at night when they leave.
I had thought before I even rode my bike to Gwen Secter Centre (which I like to do because I’m a thrill seeker and riding a bike in Winnipeg is nothing if not thrillingly dangerous) that, if I had the opportunity to ask the premier a question, I was going to ask him about renewable energy.
So, when Dan Saidman handed me the mic, I did ask him a question along those lines, but I began by saying to the premier that the impact he made upon the Jewish community in October 2023 – and this was shortly after the NDP had won the election, when he spoke at the massive rally that was held at the Asper Campus, and touched anyone who was there by the support he showed for the Jewish community and how heartfelt he was, was very much appreciated.
But, I went on to say, we all know that the health file is an almost impossible challenge, that crime is another almost impossible challenge – so is homelessness but, for gosh sakes, he’s an NDP premier and the government seems to have given up on renewable energy as a goal.
The premier responded that, in fact, the government is engaged in quite a massive build-out of wind power which ultimately, will end up adding 600 megawatts to Manitoba’s total energy supply – amounting to “ten percent” of Manitoba’s total energy capacity when all is said and done.
He went on to describe in some detail three different projects, each of which will add approximately 200 megawatts to our energy capacity.
I admit I was quite surprised to hear the premier’s answer because there have been so many letters to the editor and opinion columns in the Winnipeg Free Press decrying Manitoba’s almost total reliance on hydro power, also the construction of a new natural gas energy plant. I’m not expert enough to know whether Premier Kinew’s answer was based on real, hard commitments or not, but he seemed to be thoroughly acquainted with the details of the plan to add a massive amount of wind power to the infrastructure we already have. When all three components of the wind power plan are implemented, Premier Kinew said, it will quadruple the amount of wind power we presently have in Manitoba.
As he stood there, fielding question after question, listening patiently and always answering thoughtfully, even though it’s not the first time I’ve been in an audience when Wab Kinew has spoken, I thought to myself: He genuinely likes people. I’ve met a lot of politicians in my day, but the only other politician who I also thought honestly seemed to enjoy meeting people was Justin Trudeau, but that was before he became prime minister. I remember Justin Trudeau attending Shalom Square in 2015, accompanied by Jim Carr, and watching him climb over chairs in the Rady JCC gym to shake hands with people, to get hugged by oodles of women, all the time with a big smile on his face.
Of course, as Charles Adler once remarked on his radio show, “Once you can fake sincerity, the rest is easy,” so who’s to know what people like Wab Kinew and Justin Trudeau really would be thinking when they were working an audience?.
But, when he finished answering all the questions that anyone had, Dan Saidman asked the premier one more: “Who were the people whom he admired most in life?”
Kinew’s answer was: “His mother and his father.” He told a particularly poignant story about his father, who had been a chief during his lifetime. When his father lay dying in a hospital, Wab said he would go visit him every day. He hadn’t been all that close to his father until that time, he said, but after spending those final days with his father, he realized that not only was his father his father, he was his “best friend.”
And, following that final remark, the premier of the province said that he was going to stick around and chat with anyone who wanted to talk to him – which he proceeded to do for another half hour.
As Gerry Posner might say: “What a mensch!”
Local News
JNF Canada says a new charity called “Friends of JNF Canada” will be able to issue tax receipts to donors

By BERNIE BELLAN (Sept. 11, 2025) It’s a complicated – and very confusing story – and it goes back to an earth-shaking decision issued by the Canada Revenue Agency on August 10, 2024. That decision, which was published in the Canada Gazette (which is where an announcenment about any charity whose charitable status has been revoked is published) was to revoke the Jewish National Fund Canada’s charitable status.
To give you an idea how important charitable donations have been to JNF Canada, according to the most recent audited financial statements that are available, “In 2023, JNF Canada received $20.2 million in donations and had a total revenue of $22.2 million.”
We’ve written numerous times about what led up to CRA’s decision to revoke JNF Canada’s charitable status and the resulting aftermath – in which JNF Canada was thrown into disarray.
Much of the reporting on this story was done by Ellen Bessner, writing for the Canadian Jewish News. Bessner was stolid in her research and although a good portion of what she wrote laid the blame for what happened to JNF Canada at the feet of JNF Canada itself, she provided exhausting detail about what lay behind CRA’s decision. If you want to read past articles that follow the chronology of events following that August 10, 2024 decision by CRA, you can simply enter JNF in the search engine on jewishpostandnews.ca, and you’ll find a great many stories about not only what led up to CRA’s decision to remove JNF Canada’s charitable status, but what steps JNF Canada took subsequent to that momentous decision.
During the past 13 months though, JNF Canada has been embroiled in a legal battle against CRA on different levels – in two different courts: The Federal Court and the Federal Court of Canada. You’ll have to read an article posted on June 17 this year on jewishpostandnews.ca to understand the difference between the two courts. For the purpose of this article, however, it is only important to note that JNF Canada’s appeal to the Federal Court was turned down by that court – for technical reasons, i.e., the Federal Court ruled that it was not the proper court to hear the particular matter that JNF Canada had brought forward; however, the appeal to the Federal Court of Canada is still underway. It may take quite some time before that court issues a decision and, if it also goes against JNF Canada, there is a strong likelihood JNF Canada will take its case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The upshot is that it may be years before the legal battle JNF Canada has been waging with CRA may be resolved.
In the meantime though, JNF Canada had been working to come up with a solution to the challenge of its having been deregistered by CRA as a charity able to issue tax receipts.
On September 2, JNF Canada sent out an email to its supporters in which it gave a preview of what was about to happen. That email noted: “This past year has been challenging for JNF Canada and for Jewish communities across the country.
“Even without charitable status and amid an ongoing legal dispute with the CRA JNF Canada has remained committed to its mission… The absence of our charitable status has limited our ability to operate effectively and our supporters have told us they want their donations to have the full impact, including the ability to receive charitable receipts… In response wonderful friends stepped forward to dedicate their charity to caring out similar work and have appropriately renamed it “Friends of JNF Canada” (emphasis mine).
What did that mean? I wondered. The email also noted that “JNF Canada will continue to operate as it fights its legal battle against the CRA, for its right to fair treatment.”
So, JNF Canada is still alive as an organization called JNF Canada – but it has now managed to find a way to issue tax receipts to its supporters. The September 2 email didn’t go into any detail as to what “Friends of JNF Canada” was – and how it had come about.
But, in a story issued by the CJN on September 4, it was noted that “JNF Canada, whose charitable tax status was revoked by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in 2024, has created a new charitable entity linked to the organization. The new charity, Friends of JNF Canada, officially launches on Sept. 8.”
“A new charitable entity?” I wondered. What did that mean?
The CJN story, written by Jonathan Rothman, went on to note that “Friends of JNF Canada will have the ability to issue charitable tax receipts, (Nathan) Disenhouse (National President, JNF Canada) told the National Post in an interview, saying the new organization’s fundraising for Israel would be done ‘in a similar way that JNF Canada did, but with the ability to issue tax receipts.’
My reaction upon reading Rothman’s story was: “What? This sounds just like JNF Canada, but with a new name. Isn’t this really an end-around that would allow JNF Canada to circumvent CRA’s removal of JNF Canada’s charitable status?”
So, on September 5, I wrote to CRA, asking this question: “Can you confirm that ‘Friends of JNF Canada’ is now a registered charity, able to issue tax receipts?”
I received a response that same day saying that someone would get back to me with an answer.
The answer arrived September 10: “The public may consult the CRA’s List of charities and certain other qualified donees to confirm whether an organization is a registered charity or other qualified donee. For clarity, the public may also confirm in the same registry: the registration number, the current status of the charity, the date since the status has been valid, the type of qualified donee, the designation, and the website of a specific charity. We can confirm that Friends of JNF (emphasis mine) was registered as a public foundation effective September 22, 2022. Note that the governing documents in our records reflect a legal name change from ‘The Benzimra Foundation’ to ‘Friends of JNF’ effective August 14, 2025.”
Note that the email from CRA referred twice to the charity as “Friends of JNF,” not “Friends of JNF Canada.” Was that just a typing error or was it more significant? I again wondered.
Adding to the confusion, JNF Canada issued another email on September 10, in which it said, in part, that …wonderful friends stepped forward to dedicate their charity to carrying out similar work (to what JNF Canada had been doing) and have appropriately renamed it Friends of JNF Canada. With our Board of Director’s (sic.) full endorsement this organization will continue supporting the kinds of projects that have always defined JNF Canada’s mission: serving Israelis in need through charitable projects that help the vulnerable, enhance environmental sustainability, and support the mental & physical health of Israelis in need.”That email did not name the Benzimra Foundation as the charity that had agreed to change its name to Friends of JNF Canada but, as you can see in the email from CRA, CRA disclosed that information.
We wondered whether Friends of JNF and Friends of JNF Canada are one and the same. We received an explanation from Lance Davis, who was formerly CEO of JNF Canada and is now CEO of Friends of JNF Canada: “Our lawyer filed the name Friends of JNF. We were given additional input from supporters that it may be confusing as there are many JNFs around the world and we should specify Canada so that it’s clear that we are an independent Canadian charity funding Canadian directed projects. We are not a subsidiary of any other charity, as we are totally independent.
“Therefore, we decided to operate as Friends of JNF Canada.
“It is extremely common for businesses to have an operating name that is slightly different that the registered name. At this point we have so much to do to get our activities and campaigns started, so we will not be revisiting this now. However, in the future, the board may want to do so.”
But, in an October 2024 article in CJN, it was noted that another Canadian charity known as the Ne’eman Foundation had also had its charitable status revoked in August 2024. Subsequently, that same article reported, “the organization, which distributes funds to various causes in Israel, began instructing prospective donors to contribute through another recently formed Canadian charity (emphasis mine).
“Six weeks later, Canadian officials imposed a one-year suspension on that charity, called the Emunim Fund, according to its listing on the Canada Revenue Agency website.
“CRA regulators had previously raised concerns about particular Ne’eman Foundation projects in Israel, and a volunteer with Jewish pro-Palestinian group had alleged to the agency that the Ne’eman Foundation was using the Emunim Fund to skirt the revocation (emphasis mine).
“The agency has not publicly disclosed why it suspended the Emunim Fund, and said in a statement that it is barred by law from commenting on individual cases.”
Thus, there are two questions for which we’re awaiting answers: Is the name of the charity which JNF Canada now says will be able to issue tax receipts to donors who might previously have donated to JNF Canada “Friends of JNF” (as the CRA email said was the name) or is it “Friends of JNF Canada,” which was what the emails from JNF Canada says it its name?
Second, although the CRA email would seem to indicate that it has granted registration to this new charity – whether its name is Friends of JNF or perhaps Friends of JNF Canada, given CRA’s previous revocation of the registration of a charity linked to Israel when it changed its name from the Ne’eman Foundation to the Ne’eman Fund, will CRA follow suit and suspend the new charity whose name closely resembles JNF Canada’s name?
As I wrote – this is all so confusing. Even though spokespersons for both CRA and JNF Canada have been quick to respond to emails from me in which I’ve been asking questions trying to sort out exactly what has been going on, it seems that each email leads me to ask yet more questions.
If I receive more information from either CRA or JNF Canada that helps to clarify the questions I’ve asked, I’ll update this story – so keep checking back.