Local News
What impact have the shootings in Toronto and the war with Iran had on Winnipeggers?
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted March 11) I suppose that many of you have been wondering where I’ve been the past couple of months. After all, I’ve barely been writing any articles – although I have been working behind the scenes, editing articles contributed to the Jewish Post by other writers.
But, I had been rather content to lay back and enjoy the sun in Mexico – where I’ve been the past six weeks, without bothering to write anything.
Then, on Monday, March 9, I received an email from someone in Toronto asking me whether I’d be interested in interviewing three members of Toronto’s Jewish community with an eye toward writing something about how recent attacks on Toronto synagogues had impacted that community.
I replied that I was somewhat interested in doing that, but I wanted to situate any story I might write in a larger context, i.e., how has Winnipeg’s Jewish community itself been impacted by what happened in Toronto – when three different synagogues had been shot at in the space of five days, beginning in late February with a shooting at a Reform synagogue and culminating with two attacks on two other synagogues on March 8. (As of the time of writing there have been no arrests reported in any of the incidents.)
The person in Toronto who sent me the email asking whether I’d be writing about what happened in Toronto did follow up with quotes from two of the individuals whom she had asked whether I’d be interested in interviewing. (I had asked her to do the legwork on conducting any interviews since I wasn’t sure how pertinent what the interviewees might have to say would be to this story).
Here is what one of the interviewees, Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress Israel Chapter, had to say, in reaction to the shootings at the three synagogues: “The nearly daily shooting this week at the synagogues in Toronto is part of a pattern of violence against the Canadian Jewish community. This is entirely alarming and must be stopped, rather than the weak statements we’ve been hearing for far too long from our Prime Ministers, beginning with Trudeau, who never failed to equate Islamophobia after every antisemitic incident. More recently, we’ve heard empty words from Prime Minister Carney, who is simply going through the motions. This would not happen if attacks were against ANY other community. Moreover, these acts of violence should concern far more than the Jewish community alone. When Jewish houses of worship and other institutions come under attack, it is a warning sign for every democratic society. History has shown that what starts with the Jews never finishes with the Jews. These violent antisocial acts are an attack on our way of life. It is part of the war between western civilization and medieval barbarism.”
Whoo boy! Why don’t you come out and say what you really think about the Liberal government, Sylvan?
Now, as if that weren’t harsh enough – in terms of attacking the federal government for not doing enough to protect Canadian Jews, I received an email from an organization called Tafsik, about which this paper had reported when they held an event in Winnipeg last winter. The email was headlined: “The Police REFUSE To Protect The Jewish Community, So Who Should?”
It goes on to say that “For months, we have been told to rely on police and politicians. Yet the results speak for themselves. Police statements multiply; political promises abound. But Jewish institutions and synagogues remain exposed, Jewish businesses are attacked, Jewish schools shot at and Jewish families are left wondering who is actually responsible for their protection.”
What are the solutions Tafsik recommends: “There are roughly 100 synagogues in Toronto and Thornhill area. A practical and financially feasible security model could involve deploying approximately 35 off-duty police officers rotating between institutions on unpredictable schedules. Such a system would ensure a constant professional presence while preventing potential attackers from predicting which locations are protected at any given time.
“The cost would be approximately:
~$100 per hour per off-duty officer
~$2,400 per officer per day
~35 officers rotating year-round
Total annual cost: approximately $30.6 million.”
But, if that seems a little too expensive, Tafsik also recommends a second possibility: “Demand your advocacy organization, CIJA, to lobby the government to permit licensed Jewish security organizations, such as Magen Herut and Shomrim, to obtain firearm carrying permits for trained personnel. Allowing properly vetted and licensed guards to operate in this capacity could significantly reduce costs compared to relying on police officers for security, while still improving protection for Jewish institutions and businesses.”
Great – now we’ll have armed Jewish security guards protecting Jewish institutions. The problem is how does an armed security guard or even a policeman stop someone with a high-powered rife, who can fire from hundreds of metres away, from shooting at a synagogue? All the synagogues fired at had security cameras. Still no arrests though. Doesn’t that tell you that whoever wants to take a shot at a synagogue is taking careful steps to make sure they’re not caught on camera?
The person in Toronto who asked me whether I’d be interested in writing about the Toronto situation sent me one more quote though, this time from a Holocaust survivor by the name of Sol Nayman:
“My wife Queenie and I went to Shul on Shabbat morning. And we can’t go through the main door – we were told to take the side door. We didn’t know what was happening – we saw some boarding up, so we thought maybe there was an accident. And then during davening one of the members of our security team told us what had happened Friday night.
“It’s horrible. Just horrible, horrible, horrible. What we’ve been through, and we don’t know when it will end.
“It’s been all over the news. I’ve had call and emails from friends in Israel, and Scotland.
“And you know, it’s not the first time. I try to remind our people that Zachor appears in the Torah by over 200 times. So we remember. We remember Pharaoh. We remember Amalek. We remember Haman. We remember Hitler… and the Khomeinis and the others.
“But at the end of the day, we will be the ones who survive. And this year, I’ll be on the March of the Living, which will be, combined with other trips to Poland, my 11th journey. And, having turned a young 90, I will hope to keep on going as long as long as I can!”
I like that spirit of defiance, but when it comes to the allusions to past cases where individuals wanted to wipe out the Jews – well, I can understand the emotional reaction but hey, let’s keep it in perspective: A gunshot through a synagogue door or window doesn’t mean someone wants to wipe out the Jews.
Okay – tensions are high in Toronto. That much is clear from everything you’ve read thus far. But, what about Winnipeg? I’ve been wondering.
Are members of the Jewish community in Winnipeg as much on edge as Jews in Toronto apparently are?
On Monday, the federal government announced that it was providing an additional $10 million to enhance security for Jewish institutions across Canada: “The federal government is earmarking $10 million to help Jewish communities bolster security at their gathering places after two Toronto-area synagogues were struck with gunfire.
“The money dispensed through the federal Canada Community Security Program is meant to help protect Jewish places of worship, schools, child care centres, overnight camps and other institutions.
“The program offers organizations at risk of hate-motivated crimes money for security equipment and hardware, such as protective barriers and window and door reinforcements.”
The Saturday, March 7 Free Press also reported that “Winnipeg police said they are increasing patrols around synagogues and Jewish community spaces in an effort to provide ‘reassurance’ to the local community.
“ ‘We haven’t received any similar types of associated threats, WPS Const. Dani McKinnon said Saturday. We’ve taken these types of precautions many times before, because we do have a large community we want to support. And this type of message resonates across Canada.’
But, haven’t we heard quite a few times before that the WPS is heightening patrols around Jewish institutions – especially since October 7, 2023? Does that mean they decrease patrols at some point – perhaps when things seem to be a little calmer?
The article went on to quote vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan Gustavo Zentner, who said Saturday “Canada’s leaders ‘must be absolutely clear that it is outrageous for Canadian communities to face violence because of events happening abroad.’
“ ‘No more ‘thoughts and prayers’ — we need to see urgent action,” Zentner told the Free Press. ‘All levels of government must move immediately to address the escalating security demands of communities targeted by this wave of violence. Resources should flow quickly and distributed directly to communities most at risk.’
What more “resources” woulld want to see Gustavo did not say. But the Jewish Federation did hire a new community security director, William Sagel, earlier this year. In an article written about Sagel, Myron Love quoted Sagel as saying he wanted to emulate the model of security adopted by the Toronto and Montreal Jewish communities. suggesting that the Jewish community in Winnipeg “can learn from the national network and security networks already established in Montreal and Toronto to provide security and peace of mind for community members.” (I’m not so sure how that observation jives with what just happened in Toronto though.)
In the same Free Press article of March 7, Federation CEO Jeff Lieberman added his own two cents, observing that “Attacks like those in Toronto are deeply troubling.
“ ‘Incidents like these are meant to intimidate the Jewish community and make people feel unsafe in their places of worship. Canadians should be alarmed that synagogues in this country are once again being targeted with gunfire.
“ ‘We are in regular contact with our security partners and with the Winnipeg Police Service. While we do not comment on specific security measures, the safety of our community remains our highest priority, and we are continually refining our policies, procedures, and infrastructure. We appreciate WPS increasing patrols and their ongoing efforts to help protect synagogues and Jewish community institutions across our city.’ “
But, there was another question that loomed in my mind: How are average Winnipeg Jews reacting in terms of their day to day behaviour?
To answer that question I sent inquiries to representatives of a number of different organizations, including the Jewish Federation, CIJA, Shaarey Zedek and Etz Chaim congregations, and the Chabad-Lubavitch.
I asked each of them what they’ve been hearing from members of the Jewish community? Are people more frightened now – especially with what happened in Toronto – along with what’s going on in the Middle East? Has synagogue attendance been affected in any perceivable manner? I wondered. Perhaps it’s even gone up – as synagogue goers want to show solidarity with other members of the community?
We did receive a response from a spokesperson for the Jewish Federation in answer to my question: What is the mood among Jewish Winnipeggers at the moment:
” From what we’re seeing across the community, people are certainly aware of what’s happening elsewhere and there is concern – understandably so. But we are not seeing people withdraw from Jewish life or avoid community spaces.
“In fact, attendance at programs and services has remained strong. As you noted with the Purim celebration at Chabad, people continue to show up. In some cases, people are attending out of a sense of determination to not to let those who seek to intimidate us, or deter Jewish life, dictate whether or how we gather.
“At the same time, there is a heightened sense of vigilance. Many organizations are improving their procedures and security measures, and our Community Security Director, William Sagel, is working with them to refine policies, strengthen infrastructure, and coordinate with security and law enforcement (where appropriate).
“So the mood we’re seeing is both awareness and resolve. People appreciate that security is being taken seriously and understand the precautions, but they are not allowing incidents elsewhere to deter them from showing up and participating in Jewish life here in Winnipeg.
Rabbi Avrohom Altein of Chabad also responded to my questions, writing in an email: “Generally, we have had growing numbers of people for events. Purim – we had 230 people at our Purim Seudah and many at each Megillah Reading. We do have security at large events and the police stopped by today to say that they will do regular checking.
“But the world is open today, so news of what happens elsewhere does affect people all over.
“We try to encourage Jews to support each other and strengthen their connection to Mitzvos because that is our true identity. When we try to hide who we are, we lose respect from others. And when we are proud and strong as Jews and support each other, we are safer and earn Hashem’s protection and brochos.”
I responded to Rabbi Altein that I had attended a number of Chabad events in Puerto Vallarta. One of them was called “Shabbat 400” – where 400 Jews gathered together one Friday evening. That event was organized by local Chabad Rabbi Shneur Hecht – along with his dynamic wife, Mushkie.
During the event Rabbi Hecht told attendees that it had been very difficult to find a venue willing to host an event of that size – because of security concerns. There was security at the event – and it went off without a hitch, but it was an indication that the threat of violence against Jews is of worldwide concern. (Ironically, only a week later, violence did break out in Puerto Vallarta, but that had nothing to do with Jews – it was the Jalisco cartel reacting to the killing of their leader, El Mencho.)
The local Chabad does have a couple of police stationed outside when events are occurring there, but what struck me was that the name “Chabad” is displayed prominently outside the building, which is located on a main thoroughfare in Puerto Vallarta. I would have thought the sign would be somewhat more discreet. It does present a juicy target for anyone who wants to send a message by attacking Jews.
We also spoke with Rabbi Carnie Rose, spiritual leader of Shaarey Zedek Congregation. We asked him what the mood was among Shaarey Zedek members – in light of the recent triple shootings in Toronto and what is, at the time of writing, the war raging in the Middle East.
During the interview Rabbi Rose highlighted the Jewish community’s dual experience of concern over resurgent antisemitism and war, balanced by strong interfaith support and enhanced security measures. The community’s determination not to be intimidated by threats of violence reflects resilience, he suggested, while proactive engagement through, for example, school outreach and tangible safety steps, such as increased police collaboration fosters hope for “a better tomorrow,” he said.
Rabbi Rose suggested that congregation members are “concerned and worried,” but not surprised. They view large centres like Toronto as distant, but acknowledged the gravity of antisemitism, noting that it has become less muted recently. Rabbi Rose expressed sadness but not shock, stating, “There are folks out there who don’t like us, and they’re gonna take their… shots.”
Despite antisemitism, Rabbi Rose indicated that he was “profoundly heartened” by support that the congregation has received from varied – and disparate elements of the community. He cited as examples: “Older ladies” visiting the synagogue to show support; members of the Islamic community offering to “make a circle around the synagogue to protect people”; and schools requesting talks on Judaism to address questions like “why do people not like the Jewish people?”
Insofar as how congregants have been reacting to the war with Iran, Rabbi Rose observed that there are people both in and outside the Jewish community who are unhappy with the war, but the community stood in solidarity with monarchists at a recent rally (with Jewish flags). Rabbi Rose himself said that he believes Israel should not withdraw prematurely from the fighting, as “gains would dissipate quickly.”
We asked Rabbi Rose whether there have been enhanced security measures taken at the synagogue recently. He noted an increased police presence, saying that visible security has intensified, including police patrol cars greeting attendees after a large funeral (unprecedented in Rabbi Rose’s eight to nine months in the role, he observed).
He added that there has been a large police presence at events with 250+ people, citing as examples a public school teacher training session on antisemitism that included a synagogue tour and mini-Judaism course, also recent Purim gatherings.
Rabbi Rose described collaboration with Winnipeg Police Service as “excellent, and he expressed a “deep debt of gratitude.”
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
New GrowWinnipeg “Grow Together” highlights diverse origins of our growing Jewish community
By MYRON LOVE On Monday, June 11, about 120 younger Jewish Winnipeggers from diverse backgrounds came together at the Asper Campus for an evening of food and music, games and prizes and, most important, the opportunity to socialize with their peers from a growing community that reflects the long term success of our community’s 26-year-old GrowWinnipeg initiative.
“We are gathered here to celebrate your and your parents’ decisions to come to Winnipeg, build families and raise families here,” noted Dalia Szpiro, GrowWinnipeg’s director, in addressing the young adults in attendance.
To summarize, the GrowWinnipeg Initiative arose when our past community’s leadership recognized that our Jewish population was an aging and shrinking community with aging infrastructure.
The first stage was the planning and construction of the Asper Campus, which brought our major institutions and organizations under one roof in an attractive new building.
The next challenge was to attract more people to our community. GrowWinnipeg was created to take on the challenge. The initiative, which was officially launched in 2000, is unique in its efforts to reach out to young Jewish families throughout the Western world.
The first outreach efforts were directed at Argentina’s sizeable Jewish community at a time when the South American country’s economy was going through a very difficult period. Several of our community leaders visited the Jewish community in Buenos Aires and a website was established. Arrangements were made for local families to host Jewish Argentinians here on exploratory visits and the community helped the prospective immigrants navigate the then new Provincial Nominee Program, find jobs and establish themselves here.
Since then, many young families – from Argentina, as well as a great number of other countries – have chosen to make Winnipeg their new home. The young people at the recent GrowWinnipeg evening were reflective of the diversity of our growing community. During the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to speak with not only Israeli-born participants, also young people from Russia and Ukraine, Turkey and Uruguay – and a young lady who grew up in Ottawa.
Naomi Kirshenblatt Palansky originally came here from Ottawa to go to university. She met and married local entrepreneur Noah Palansky in 2023. (We wrote about Noah in the December 19, 2025 issue). That same year, the former competitive swimmer who competed in the Maccabiah Games in 2009 and 2013 served as manager of the Canadian Junior swimming team participating in the games. She is currently the director of operations and strategy for a company called CoinFlip.
Although born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Yael Borovich grew up in Winnipeg. She is the daughter of Dalia Szpiro and Eduardo Borovich (and younger sister of Vanessa) all of whom moved here in 2002. She is a graduate of the Asper School of Business and works as a senior client relationship manager for Scotia Bank’s commercial branch.
Siblings Igal and Edem Avimelek arrived here from Turkey six years ago with their parents, Etel and Moris. Edem is in her second year at the University of Manitoba while Igal is studying engineering at UBC.
They report that their father, Moris, has established the Upperwear Textile Agency – marketing textile products online – while their mother Etel, is senior IT Director, software development and data analytics and enterprise architecture at Standard Aero.
“Our parents were looking to move to a new country and came across the GrowWinnipeg webpage,” Edem says. “GrowWinnipeg has been really supportive of us in helping us move here and become established.”
More recent arrivals Alex Tsmokaliuk and Jane Hin are from Ukraine and Russia respectively and have been together since 2022. “We were looking for a peaceful place to start a family,”: Alex says. “We heard about GrowWinnpeg and here we are.”
Alex is a fitness trainer while Jane is working for WRE Development as a property manager.
Dora Bronstein, who is originally from Beersheva, is also a recent arrival to our community. “I came to Winnipeg because I wanted to get away from war – and I heard about GrowWinnipeg,” she says.
She is currently working for L.C. Taylor Licensed Insolvency Trustee as an estate manager.
Erele Tzidon and Daniel Mejnov
Last October, GrowWinnipeg introduced its new Youth Ambassadors program.
“Since October, we have been working to create an organized system and opportunities to help young newcomers find their people within our community,” wrote Youth Ambassador Erele Tzidon on Facebook.
“Our mission is to help young immigrants find a sense of home in Winnipeg and support a smooth and welcoming transition.
We are excited to help bring our young Jewish community together.
As reported in the Jewish Post about 18 months ago, Tzidon is originally from Moshav Ginaton in central Israel. She came to Winnipeg in 2018 with her parents Ofer – formerly regional manager for a car rental agency in Israel and now an RBC branch manager – and Sharon – an emotional therapist in Israel who is currently working as an educational assistant at Gray Academy – and three younger brothers.
The 20-year Gray Academy graduate has recently completed her third year in Science at the University of Manitoba. For the past three years, she has also been a member of Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin’s research team at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences (ICS), researching the link between pregnancy complications and the risk for heart disease.
In November, 2024, Tzidon was presented with the Dr. James S. McGoey Student Award – based on the quality of her cardiovascular research at the ICS, which operates out of the St. Boniface Hospital campus’s Albrechchtsen Research Centre.
Tzidon’s fellow Youth Ambassador is Daniel Mejnov. He was born in Beersheva but moved to Winnipeg with his parents, Dennis and Victoria (and younger brother Alon) 14 years ago. He is currently enrolled in an IT program at the University of Winnipeg.
Mejnov welcomed all those in attendance at the celebration and thanked the volunteers who helped him and Tzidon organize the event.
“It has been great being able to bring so many people together,” he said. “This is a good way to unite our community.
Two other individuals of particular note that I spoke with at the event were Orit Agabayev and Alina Plis, partners in three year old A and O Event Décor, who provided the balloon arches and walls, table settings and centre pieces for the evening.
Agabayev is originally from Netanya and Plis is from Yeruham (in southern Israel). The latter has been here for 18 years and operates a daycare. The former came 16 years. Her principal career is working in the field of animal nutrition.
In an Instagram PosI from four years ago, Plis noted that “I have always been passionate about planning parties and events. I started out with planning big surprise birthday parties for my kids. Eventually I began planning and decorating events for family and friends. Now I am taking the next step with my friend, Orit, who shares the same level enthusiasm as me. What drives me to go above and beyond is simply the excitement my creations bring to those who see my work.
On Facebook, Agabayev added that “Alina and I are so excited to start A&O event decor. We both love decorating and planning different events. We hope that you can put your trust in us to create or decorate an event for you. We do Birthday parties, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, proposals, weddings and more..
“Message us with your ideas to get a free quote and you’re one step closer to having an unforgettable event.”
Local News
Hungarian Holocaust survivor focus of new documentary co-produced by Winnipeggers Liam Karp and Jamie Michaels
By MYRON LOVE “I Draw Things the Best I Can,” a new documentary co-produced by Winnipegger Liam Karp and former Winnipegger Jamie Michaels premiered June 8 at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.
The 40-minute film focuses on the life of Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Adam Policzer from his childhood hiding with neighbours in Miskolc in 1944, his postwar immigration to Chile to reunite with his father (who came to Chile just before the war but was unable to bring his family out), his imprisonment in Chile for over a year under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinoche following the coup in 1972, his subsequent immigration with his wife and family to Vancouver, and his successful career as an architect.
Earlier this year, Policzer unveiled a new side of himself. He wrote and drew all the illustrations for “The House Across the Street,” the story of his struggle for survival – a memorial he had published in the form of a graphic novel. The book was published by Jamie Michaels’ “Dirty Water Comics” in June.
According to its webpage, Dirty Water Comics is “a boutique publishing house that specializes in literary comics that showcase a unique voice and a talent for storytelling. We publish a selective catalogue, create immersive readings, and pride ourselves on championing the work we curate”.
Michaels co-founded the company in 2016 in order to publish his own first graphic comic –an account of his ambitious journey some years before – along with a couple of high school friends – to travel by canoe down the Red and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. The launch of that graphic novel was reported in a story that previously appeared in The Jewish Post & News.
The son of John Michaels and Karen Stern then published a second graphic novel recounting the 1933 Christie Pitts riot, which pitted younger members of Toronto’s Jewish community and their supporters against Nazi-inspired thugs.
“The House across the Street” is Dirty Water Comics’ fourth publication. (“The Harrowing Tales of La Coriveau” – the third publication – “is a graphic novel retelling the legend and history of Marie-Josephte Corriveau, a Quebecois woman whom the English executed in 1763 for the murder of her second husband. Following her death, Corriveau was hanged from a tree outside of Quebec City in an iron cage. In the centuries that followed, her story was transformed. She became a caged witch who haunted lone travellers, a reviled murderess, and a victim of circumstance”.)
“I first met Adam Policzer a couple of years ago when he approached me about his book,” recalls Michaels, who recently earned his Ph.D from the University of Calgary, where he currently teaches. (His dissertation was on the evolution of Jewish and Arab nationalism during World War I.) “I reached out to Liam and he and I both thought it was a beautiful story and thAt we should make a documentary about Adam.”
Karp and Michaels have been friends since high school (Grant Park). Over the past ten years, the son of Marcia and Morris Karp has built a successful career as the go-to guy for visual effects for movies and television series being shot in and around Winnipeg. He is currently providing his expertise for the remake of the popualtr TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” which is being shot in and around Winnipeg.
In filming the documentary, Karp and Michaels spent time with Policzer and his family in Vancouver. They also filmed on location in Budapest and visited Miskolc to interview members of the family that hid him during the Holocaust.
Karp and Michaels express their appreciation to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and Manitoba Film and Music, which provided funding for the project.
Michaels reports that the partners have secured several screenings of the documentary throughout North America. “We hope to show Adam’s story at the Winnipeg Jewish Film Festival next year,” he says.
While Karp and Michaels don’t currently have any plans to collaborate again as yet, they both say that they would like to work together again.
