Connect with us

Local News

Synagogues working on Yom Tov plans with minimal in person attendance

Outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat service at Etz Chayim

By MYRON LOVE
It is most definitely an understatement to say that this will be a yom tov like no other. In my last year’s reporting about high holiday attendance at Winnipeg synagogues (including services held at Camp Massad) in The Jewish Post & News yearly survey of high holiday synagogue attendance I noted that about 4,500 Jewish Winnipeggers at least could be found in shul – at least at peak times – for shofar-blowing, Kol Nidre and yizkor.

 

This year, however, – due to COVID-19 – in-person attendance will likely be no more than 500.
To begin with, there will be two fewer options: Camp Massad, which usually hosts services for one day of Rosh Hashonah, will not be having any services – and the Saul and Clarabelle Simkin Centre, which has made a practice of including family members of residents in the synagogue services, this year – due to government pandemic regulations – will be restricting services to residents in their units.
“As we did for Pesach and Shavuos, we will be videotaping parts of the Yom Tov services with our chazan, Stephen Hyman, and we will be broadcasting them in each of our five units,” says Marilyn Regiec, one of the spiritual health support staff at Simkin. “We will be doing the same thing for Sukkot.”
Regiec will be leading the services – with assistance from Aviva Tabac. Regiec also would like to extend a grateful thank you to Barry Kay and his Cherry Tree Productions for doing the video-taping.

As for our community’s largest congregations, both Congregation Etz Chayim and the Shaarey Zedek will be offering virtual Yom Tov services – just as they have since the province went into lockdown in late March.
“We still have to be cautious,” says Ian Staniloff, Congregation Shaarey Zedek’s Executive Director. “Although the government has raised the maximum number of people who can gather indoors to 30% of capacity or 500 (whichever is less) and we may allow some in-person attendance, all of our High Holiday services will be live-streamed.”
(Last year, the Shaarey Zedek reported an attendance of more than 1,700 for the High Holidays.)
“We have begun asking the members of our congregation if they would be interested in attending in person, but there has not been much response yet. If we do have some people who would want to come, we would limit the numbers, have people at the door to take their temperatures, maintaining social distancing and sanitizing the seats.”
Staniloff adds that the synagogue has a new set of mahzorim that would be distributed to people who are following online so that they could better follow the service.
He points out that Shaarey Zedek has been livestreaming services for several years now.
He further adds that, although the synagogue has been closed to the public since the lockdown began, Shaarey Zedek will soon begin to host B’nai Mitzvahs again – including some that were scheduled for the spring and had been postponed.
“We will be limiting the number of people in attendance to 50 and requiring everyone to wear masks except when called to the Torah,” he notes. “We will be maintaining social distancing.
“And, rather than buffet kiddushes, we will have servers behind plexiglass partitions.
“We will be trying to phase our services back in on a smaller scale at first and see what shortcomings we may have to address.”

Congregation Etz Chayim (where High Holiday attendance last year was about 850) will be offering only a virtual service this year – with the exception of ten people to form an in-person minyan.
“After careful consideration, for the safety of our members and Clergy, and given the uncertainty of distancing requirements, Congregation Etz Chayim concluded that we must offer our High Holiday Services online this year,” writes executive director Jonathan Buchwald in a letter to congregation members.
“While services are going to look, sound and feel very different than what we are used to, Rabbi Kliel, Cantor Tracy and our entire Ritual team will offer a most meaningful and memorable “Virtual Sanctuary” for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur”. Our own Virtual Voices choral ensemble under the direction of Sarah Sommer will bring a special depth and beauty to our services. We are also excited to announce that we will be using a new Mahzor this year, made possible by the very generous gift of a member family.
Also in Etz Chayim’s planning is an outdoor patio Selichot service (Saturday, September 12); Erev Rosh Hashanah Mincha and Ma’ariv services (Friday, September 18); and Tashlich the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah (Sunday September 19) – weather permitting.

Rounding out our community’s Conservative congregations is the Chevra Mishanyes congregation in Garden City. The Chevra Mishnayes Synagogue is planning on having in-person services for the High Holidays but, congregation President Marshall Kneller reports, “we are not sure what it will look like yet. We are still working on the details in consultation with our members.”

Temple Shalom, our community’s only Reform Congregation, will hold high holiday services entirely online – accessible either via a Zoom link or streamed live on the congregation’s website: , or on Facebook Live at -– as has been the practice for Shabbat services for the past several months. Ruth Livingston, the congregation’s co-President, reports that certain parts of the High Holiday service will only be available online for Temple Shalom members.

For Orthodox congregations in the city, virtual services are not possible. The board of Adas Yeshurun Herzlia congregation – our communty’s largest Orthodox shul – is still working out the details for Yom Tov. “We plan to be open and have services indoors,” says President Jack Craven. “We are considering shorter services for Rosh Hashonah and may have two same day services if time permits.”
He notes that attendance will be restricted to 50 or, possibly 75 people (now that the province has raised the maximum number of people allowed in an indoor venue) and masks will be mandatory. (The sanctuary under normal circumstances can accommodate up to 300.)

The Lubavitch Centre resumed twice-daily minyanim several weeks ago. “We have even hosted three bar mitzvahs over the past few weeks,” reports Rabbi Avrahom Altein, Chabad’s long time spiritual leader in Winnipeg. “We have moved the women’s section out of our big shul, are only allowing family members to sit together and, for kiddushes, all of the food is prepared and packaged ahead of time with people eating at their tables.”
What will make preparing for Yom Tov a little more difficult, he notes, is that the Lubavitch Centre traditionally doesn’t sell seats. “We are going to have to try to get people to register this year,” he says. “We could take out the tables to create more room – but we have to be careful about numbers. We will have lesser numbers though.”
And, whereas the tradition is that men being honoured with aliyahs come up to the bimah, recite the brachas while standing beside the Torah reader, and then follow along as the Torah reader reads, now those receiving aliyahs will say the bracha, then sit down again.

In north Winnipeg, the three Orthodox shuls are the Chavurat Tefila Congregation in West Kildonan, the Talmud Torah Beth Jacob Synagogue on Main Street and the House of Ashkenazi on Burrows Avenue.
The House of Ashkenazi has, over the past few years, been open only for morning minyanim during the week (and Sunday) and for Yom Tov. President Gary Minuk reports that the congregation is planning to restart morning services in mid-August and is planning on High Holiday services. Masks will be compulsory.

The Chavurat Tefila Congregation began having Shabbat morning services and yahrzeit minyanim again in late May. Masks will be on hand at Yom Tov for those who require them and hand sanitizer is also by the entrance.

The Talmud Torah Beth Jacob’s plans are still uncertain.

Continue Reading

Local News

New play structure – “Gan Reut” (Friendship Garden) opens at Asper Campus

By BERNIE BELLAN It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon, October 3, when Lori Binder, Gray Academy Head of School (also Board of Jewish Education CEO) welcomed about 40 individuals to the opening of a brand new play structure on the Asper Campus – situated exactly where the old play structure (which had opened in 1997 with the opening of the campus) had been.
Most of the individuals who were there that day had played a role helping to see the new play structure built – either as donors, or as members of organizations that had participated in the planning and construction of the new play structure.

Gray Academy CEO Lori Binder

As Binder explained, “We wanted to call this the Friendship Garden. We wanted it to have a Hebrew name. ‘Reut’ – play, is the language of friendship and it’s also the language of learning. And so today for the very first time, as our kids were watching the structure be built – and that too was also an amazing learning tool, they began to learn to use the structure.”

Why was there a need for a new playground, some might wonder – when the old one was only 28 years old?

Binder cited several reasons for wanting a new play structure: “A lot of injuries were happening because there was pea gravel, and the pea gravel was surrounded by a border of wood. And if you did not have the ability to step over or walk through the pea gravel, you could potentially have an injury.”
She added that “pea gravel is only used in 3% of playgrounds today because you might skid and need a bandaid or have a cut.”

“But we also recognized that with the broken structure and the inability for all children in our community to play we wanted to begin to envision a new structure,” Binder added.

The actual project took shape in a relatively short period of time. Design and construction was handled by a company known as Playgrounds R Us. President of the company, Matt Lacroix, noted that “typically a playground of not even this size” would take much longer to plan and build.
“We typically work with schools probably three to five years, sometimes two. So, from start to finish, for us to start a year and a half ago to now is pretty phenomenal,” Lacroix observed.

The structure can even accommodate a child in a wheelchair – as seen in the photo above, where the young girl seated has casts on both one of her arms and one of her legs

There are many new innovations included in Gan Reut, including the resilient rubber foundation, the handicap accessible play structures (that can even accommodate children in wheelchairs) and, on an unexpectedly hot October day – something that proved to be most welcome: shade everywhere you went.

Getting the project done required cooperation among Gray Academy, the Rady JCC, and the Asper Campus. When Binder first approached the Jewish Foundation for funding assistance, however, she said that initially, “we got denied.” However, rather than that being an impediment to moving forward, Binder said “it turned out to be a blessing.”

The reason, she explained, is the Jewish Foundation “plays such an integral role in matching us with potential donors, helping us bring something to light or getting something started.”
In the case of the playground project, it was the Rich family, led by Gavin Rich, who stepped up as lead donors. There were many other donors as well. (You can see all the donors’ names in the accompanying photo.) Also, the Jewish Foundation did come through with a grant – for the rubber foundation.

Names of all the donors

Binder spoke of the important role that play serves in children’s development: “Diane Ackerman states that play is the brain’s favourite way of learning. And if you go into the daycare or into any of our early childhood classrooms, you will see that they learn through play. Dr. Stewart Brown notes that nothing lights up a child’s brain-like play. And I bet some of you will want to also play because even at as adults, we like to play.”

The blue and white colour of the playground was also a deliberate choice, Binder noted. “Blue and white,” she suggested, was “very purposely chosen to match the colour of the Israeli flag and give us a reminder every day of coming to this amazing Jewish community campus.”

When it came to planning what would go into the playground, Binder thanked Rob Berkowits from the Rady JCC and Curtis Martin from the Asper Jewish Community Campus, “who were along for the journey…We also have many of our educators, an occupational therapist, early childhood specialists, elementary specialists, student life coordinators, all coming together with all of the different ideas.”

“I have to say it is overwhelming,” Binder added. “I’ve not really been involved in such a renovation project; it’s hard to make decisions. You can have a million different kinds of playgrounds.”

Not only will the playground, however, serve as a major enhancement to be enjoyed by students at Gray Academy and the Rady JCC daycare during weekdays, it will be open to everyone in the community 24/7, Binder noted.

Rady JCC CEO Rob Berkowits

Following Binder’s remarks, attendees heard from Rob Berkowits, CEO of the Rady JCC, who acknowledged the key role Binder had played in bringing the project to fruition: “I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Lori Binder, Head of School at Gray Academy, for unwavering leadership in bringing this vision to life.”

Member of Asper Jewish Community Campus Board Jill Winograd

Finally, Jill Winograd, who was representing the Asper Jewish Community Campus, offered remarks: “Spaces like this are more than slides or swings. They’re about belonging, imagination, and giving kids a safe place to grow together. So this project wasn’t about starting fresh, but renewal, taking something well used.

“So what makes this playground matter isn’t just the newer equipment or the safer surfaces, but the thoughtfulness behind it. Accessible roots, quiet corners. And spaces that welcome kids, parents and grandparents together. It’s built for inclusion and community. And I think grandparents is such a key word here because it’s really so lovely to see from our sponsors how many are in memory of grandparents and how special that time is at the playground for them.”

Ribbon cutting by Gavin Rich and Marni Slonim

And, with that – and a ceremonial ribbon cutting by Gavin Rich and Marni Slonim, Grade 2 students from Gray Academy descended upon the structure – many with parents in tow, to demonstrate all the many features of the beautiful new playground.

Continue Reading

Local News

Gray Academy registration numbers continuing their upward trajectory

Gray Academy Head of School Lori Binder

By MYRON LOVE Lori Binder, Gray Academy’s Head of School and CEO of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education, is happy to report that this year’s enrolment stands at 517 – the highest back-to-school number since 2013-2014.  “We have had to add a second Junior Kindergarten class and, for the second consecutive year, a third kindergarten class,” she says.
Gray Academy students speak of feeling safe and being able to connect with their roots.  As Binder points out, many of the students have parents and even grandparents who attended Gray Academy or its founding high school, Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate. In addition, 25% of the staff are Gray Academy alumni. 
 
The school also plays an integral role in helping families moving to Winnipeg from Israel, Argentina, Brazil and other countries to adapt to their new homes.  Over the past two years, the EAL (English as an additional language) program has expanded significantly to accommodate growing needs.
Gray Academy is one of the only JK-12 Jewish day schools in Canada. The school remains committed to academic excellence, along with programming that builds community and connection. Gray Academy was the first Jewish day school in Canada to receive accreditation from Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), a community of independent schools that meet and exceed rigorous national standards that inspire excellence and ongoing school improvement.
 
New this year, Binder notes, is the just-built AJCC Gan Re’ut (Friendship Garden), a fully accessible playground that children of all ages and abilities can use and enjoy. A new rubber foundation and accessible equipment make the new playground safer and more accessible for everyone.
She further reports that the four-year-old Gray Academy-Tough Duck Community Ice Rink, located on Danzker Field, has been enhanced with an asphalt base so that the facility can be used year-round for a wider variety of activities.
The school has also expanded its after-school music programs this year. In addition to traditional band and drumline programs, students can also take part in jazz, rock and vocal ensembles.
 
Binder notes that parents and grandparents of children are welcome to engage with the school.  “Last year we launched a new “Grandpals” program for grandparents,” she says.  “We offer several different ways for grandparents or any special seniors in students’ lives to engage with the school while being able to see their grandchildren.”
 
And did I mention that, over the years, Gray Academy’s outstanding debating program has been placing very well in national and international competitions?
In terms of tefillah and spirituality, Binder reports that the school is building on past informal connections with local clergy to allow more student interaction with our community’s rabbis and cantors.  Throughout the year, clergy from various congregations will be coming in to the school in a more formal way.
 
A very important part of Gray Academy’s mission is fostering a love of Israel.  Over the years, quite a few Gray Academy graduates have made Aliyah.
 
An important part of Israel education has been the nearly 30-year-long Jewish Federation of Winnipeg P2G (Partnership 2Gether) student and teacher exchange programs linking Gray Academy high school students with their counterparts at Danciger High School in the northern Israeli community of Kiryat Shmona and Nachshonei Hachula Elementary School in Yesod Hamala in the Hula Valley. For many years, Gray Academy would send groups of six to eight Grade 10 and 11 students to visit Danciger. Likewise, Danciger would send students to visit Gray Academy. 
In fact, a group of Danciger students and faculty happened to be in Winnipeg on October 7, 2023. When the group was forced unexpectedly to extend their stay in Winnipeg until flights to Israel could resume, Danciger students and staff participated in our community’s subsequent show of support for our brothers and sisters in Israel.
 
While the program has been paused since then, Binder reports that she was in Israel in July and visited both schools.  “With many Israelis having been able to return to their homes in the north after nearly 18 months of displacement, we are hoping to restart the exchange programs in the spring,” she says. 
 
Binder adds that two young Israelis volunteering with Shaarey Zedek Congregation in something called the “ShinShinim program” (which is a year of service in the Diaspora prior to serving in the IDF) have recently arrived in Winnipeg and will be paying weekly visits to the school. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s ShinShinim program sends Israeli Grade 12 graduates to Jewish communities in the diaspora to enhance the teaching of Hebrew and love for Israel. 
 
To commemorate October 7, the school – for the third year in a row – will be holding “Havdallah for Hope,”  a memorial program for high school students, followed by Havdalah for the entire student body and community guests.
Binder points out that the school has a strong focus on affordability.  “It is very important to us that no child is turned away because a family can’t afford to pay,” she says.
 
She notes that Manitoba is one of only a few Canadian provinces that fund independent schools such as Gray Academy, with the school receiving approximately 50% of comparable public school funding per student.  Binder adds that the school offers a robust Bursary Assistance program, strongly supported by funding from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Combined Jewish Appeal. “Over 60% of our families receive some level of bursary support,” she reports.  “We work with every family to ensure that no child is ever turned away because of inability to cover the full parental contribution.”
 
Just weeks into the new school year, Gray Academy is already looking ahead to enrolment for next September. 
 
For more information about what Gray Academy has to offer and application dates, phone 204 477-7425 or email admissions@grayacademy.ca.

Continue Reading

Local News

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper headlines B’nai Brith Canada’s 150th anniversary celebration

Ben Mulroney with former Prime Minister Stephen Harper

By MYRON LOVE There have been very few – if any – Western leaders who have been more supportive of Israel and the Jewish people than Stephen Harper.  On Wednesday, September 10, Canada’s former prime minister (2006-16) was the guest of honour at B’nai Brith Winnipeg’s gala evening in celebration of B’nai Brith’s 150th anniversary.
In a fireside chat with media personality Ben Mulroney, Harper demonstrated that he continues to maintain his moral clarity.
Two hundred B’nai Brith supporters showed up at the Fort Garry Hotel to celebrate the longevity of Canada’s oldest human rights organization. The discussion between Harper and Mulroney was preceded by about 90 minutes of fine dining and shmoozing.  The formal program began with Dr. Ruth Ashrafi, B’nai Birth Canada’s Winnipeg Regional Director, reciting a prayer for the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Ashrafi introduced B’nai Brith Canada COO Judy Foldes and Jay Harris, Chair of B’nai Brith Canada’s Board, – who were both in town for the event – along with Simon Wolle, BBC’s new CEO, who is replacing the late and much appreciated Michael Mostyn.
Just before Harper and Mulroney began their conversation, Mulroney  spoke with Jay Harris via video about the organization’s storied history and ongoing wrap-around services.  Mulroney highlighted B’nai Brith’s long record of fighting antisemitism  and advocating for human rights and its many programs aimed at bringing people together and  helping the needy – not only in the Jewish community but in the broader community as well.    
Stephen Harper congratulated B’nai Brith on its 150th anniversary and praised the organization for its unflinching efforts in pushing back against antisemitism and fighting for human rights.
“I really grieve for the Jewish people” he continued.  “I understand how tough it is out there right now. When I took strong stands in support of Israel as prime minister, I always believed that the great majority of Canadians supported my positions.  They were just quiet about it.  While the loudest voices get all the attention,  I still believe that most Canadians still quietly support Israel and understand that not only is Israel a democratic sates and an ally, but also that the Jewish people in Canada have made such a disproportionate contribution to our business life, charitable life, and public service. So just know that you are widely appreciated across the country.”
Following some discussion on the assassination of young American conservative leader Charlie Kirk a couple of weeks ago, the dangerous state of public discourse in the United States and concomitant worsening situation in that regard in Canada as well, Harper commented that “I just hope that people on both sides of the border will begin to pull back and can engage in vigorous arguments without ostracization, cancellation and assassination,” he said.
In response to a question from Mulroney about what is driving antisemitism in Canada, Harper suggested that “we have allowed certain institutions to make antisemitism – framed a certain way – socially and politically acceptable.  After the Second World War,” he noted, “we, as a society, agreed that what we considered far right ideology– the idea that dividing people into categories – with some groups considered  superior to others –  and the people in inferior groups could be discriminated against, marginalized and, ultimately, killed – was socially and politically unacceptable – beyond the pale. 
“But we have permitted in our universities and media the idea to germinate far left ideology, but that is the mirror image of the far right – that people can be divided into oppressors and oppressed – and that the oppressors can be ostracized, marginalized and killed.  This is rampant in academic institutions – institutions that we overwhelmingly fund with public money – given on the basis that they represent free and democratic values such as individual, human dignity and small l liberal values. This should not be acceptable”
“This is not just about the Jews,” he added. “It is an entire intellectual framework and people who propagate it should be defunded and removed from their posts.   My father taught me that antisemitism, no matter from the left or the right, is the first sign of a political movement and a society going to a dangerous extreme,” Harper said.
Mulroney observed that anti-Israel, antisemitic groups can never be propitiated. (Ed. note: I had to look up the meaning of “propitiated.” Here’s what I found:
Mulroney continued: “We have the most pro-Palestinian government in our history, yet we still see protests popping up in front of government ministers’ homes.”
In response to Mulroney’s questions, Harper pointed out the long-standing and close friendship between Canada and Israel (at least up until this current federal government).  “There should be no question that Israel has the right to exist,” he stated, “and every country should be fighting terrorism.”
In response to a question about why Canada should support Israel, Harper noted that it is not about geopolitics or religion, it is a matter of basic common sense.  “Israel and Canada are both free and democratic countries,” he pointed out.  “The friends of Israel are friends of Canada. The enemies of Israel are enemies of Canada – who are also intent on destroying Canada.  If the leaders of a country don’t get that, I don’t know what they understand about international affairs. To me, it is distressing that you have to explain this to so many world leaders.”
Mulroney asked Harper about the worldwide condemnation of Israel for “escalating the conflict by taking out Hamas leaders in Qatar. 
“This not escalation,” Harper said. “This is de-escalation. By taking out Hezbollah, Israel has made Lebanon a better place. And the subsequent fall of Assad in Syria has made Syria a better place – although the jury is still out on that.  The Israeli and American bombing of Iran has made the world a safer place.
“When I was prime minster, I was in virtually daily battles with the people in Canada’s Foreign Affairs department who wanted to oppose Israel,” he recalled.  “It was just so ingrained.  I saw it in a lot of other Western foreign affairs departments.” 
One of Israel’s challenges, Harper pointed out, is that while there are 50 Muslim states (not all of them hostile to Israel ) in the  world and 25 Arab states, there is only one Jewish state.  He recalled that, “Too often, diplomats see their responsibility not in representing the interests of their home countries but rather, representing the global community.
“With so many more Muslim and Arab states, he observed, “it is all too easy to go along with the consensus to get along.”
Harper noted that in many of his meetings with foreign leaders, they privately agreed with him – but they didn’t want to fight the media and the academic establishment, so they just went along.  “That is not leadership,” he said. “And leaders who don’t support Israel are jeopardizing their own countries’ future.”
Turning to the political situation in Canada, Harper was strongly critical of the Trudeau government which, he said, left Canada in a really bad place.  He is hopeful that Mark Carney, our current prime minister, will adopt many of the policies that Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre is proposing, and make the necessary changes. If not, he noted, there will be a change in government.
In closing, Ruth Ashrafi thanked Earl and Cheryl Barish, the honorary gala co-chairs, noting how much their generosity and leadership has enriched both our Jewish and the wider community at large.  

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2017 - 2023 Jewish Post & News