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Synagogues taking staged approach to reopening – masks & proof of vaccination still required

Winnipeg’s two largest congregations, Shaarey Zedek, and Etz Chayim, have announced that they are taking similar approaches to reopening, even though the Province of Manitoba has announced that it is removing all Covid restrictions as of March 15.
Following are excerpts from announcements issued by the two congregations:

Shaarey Zedek

Effective Wednesday, March 16, Shaarey Zedek will reopen for in-person Social-Cultural Programs, Adult Education, Life Cycle Events, Private Functions, and Services with some limitations and exceptions:

• Immunization Card and Government-Issued Photo ID must be presented by adults entering the building. We will accept parental confirmation of immunization for teens and children that do not have Immunization Cards since these are not widely available for younger demographic.

• Masks must be worn, even when seated, until further notice.

• Room capacity limits are in affect to ensure appropriate physical distancing for those who wish to do so.

• Morning Kiddush Breakfast and Shabbat Morning Kiddush Luncheon will not be offered until Manitoba COVID-19 test positivity rate drops below 10% consistently, with the exception that kiddush for simchas and meals of consolation will continue to be offered.

• Shabbat Morning In-Person Services will be launched to the general public on April 2. Saturday morning services in March are pre-booked for B’nai Mitzvahs and their guests which take up seating capacity (Max 180).

Upcoming opportunities to join us in-person beginning Wednesday, March 16 include:
 
• Daily Minyan – In-person services in the Chapel twice daily with our clergy team. Check-in will begin 15-minutes before the service and will end 15-minutes after the service has started. Registration is NOT required to attend. Capacity limit of 20 people. (Check the website for service times.)

• Kabbalat Shabbat Service – each Friday at 5:30 PM with Rabbi Anibal Mass, and the first Friday of each Month with Leslie Emery on Guitar. Check-in begins at 5:15 PM and ends at 5:45 PM. Registration is NOT required to attend. Capacity limit of 20 people.

Etz Chayim
• Shabbat Morning Services
• Beginning March 19, 2022 we are pleased to announce that we will be returning to in-person Shabbat morning services.  Capacity will be limited to 100 people – by registration only – with full vaccination required for all those eligible to be vaccinated (age 5 and older). ON-LINE Shabbat morning services will be available for those who are not comfortable to attend in person just yet.  Visit our SERVICES page on our website for livestreaming information.

• Daily Minyan
• Daily services for morning and evening will remain online at this time.  Upon resumption of in-person daily services there will be a 15 person maximum.  
• Kiddush
• Once the test positivity rate in Manitoba reaches 10% or less we will begin to allow for public in-person Kiddush on Shabbat and possibly breakfast once daily minyanim resume.
 
• B’nai Mitzvah
• Due to capacity limits, B’nai Mitzvah will include invited guests only.  We will permit 100 guests in the sanctuary and up to 20 more in our small chapel to allow us to maintain social distancing between households.  Kiddush will be permitted with a served buffet with a limit to the number of guests seated at each table.  Food is to be consumed at tables only and guests are required to wear masks when not eating.  

• Funerals
• In-person funerals will be permitted to a maximum of 50 people with proof of vaccination and masks to be worn. The lesser limit is due to the nature of this type of lifecycle event along with the challenge of requiring pre-registration.
 
• Programming
• We will be permitting 100 people for in-person programming in the synagogue auditorium.  Pre-registration will be required and social distancing will be maintained in coordination with any event.  On-line Beit Chayim programming will continue as scheduled. 

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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students

By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard.  Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.  
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology  – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging. 
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the  Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty.  “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”

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Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition

Gray Academy staff (l-r): Daniele Miller, Lindsey Leipsic, Nick Maier

By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”

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