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Winnipeg-born writer Sidura Ludwig receives 2021 Vine Award for new collection of short stories

Sidura Ludwig

By MYRON LOVE You could rightly say that Sidura Ludwig is “over the moon” about being named the winner of the 2021 Vine Award for fiction for “You Are Not What We Expected”, her first collection of short stories.
“This is a huge honour,” says the former Winnipegger. “I am thrilled, overwhelmed, speechless. It was a real surprise. I didn’t even realize that my book still qualified as it was released 18 months ago.”

She was notified in October that she had been shortlisted for the award – which was presented in November at an online-only ceremony. “I was given a week’s notice that I won so that I had time to prepare and pre-record my acceptance speech,” she reports.
As per the Koffler Centre of the Arts – the Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature sponsoring organization – the annual national awards program “honours both the best Canadian Jewish writers and non-Jewish Canadian authors who deal with Jewish subjects in Fiction, History, Non-Fiction, Young Adult/Children’s literature, and Poetry”. Each winning author receives a prize of $10,000. The 2021 three-person Jury reviewed 42 entries to the Fiction, History, Non-Fiction and Young Adult/Children’s categories.
The Lillian and Norman Glowinsky Foundation is the lead funder for the Vine Awards.
As was reported in The Jewish Post & News in January of last year (2020) prior to Ludwig’s in-person presentation at Limmud that year, “You Are Not What We Expected” is the former Winnipegger’s second book. Her first novel, “Holding My Breath”, was published in 2007.
The daughter of Israel and Maylene Ludwig has been writing seriously since she was a teenager. She left Winnipeg originally in 1994 to study at York University. After graduation, she was back here for a year working as a teacher’s assistant, then went back east to study Journalism at Carleton. In between, she married and she and her husband eventually settled in Thornhill in 2004.
She also worked for a time as a journalist and in communications, largely on a freelance basis before starting a family. “I found as a young mother than I didn’t have a lot of time to read novels,” she recalled in that earlier interview. “I gravitated to short stories – which was always my first love. I really appreciate the ability of writers to tell larger stories in a few pages.”
She says that she worked on her newest publication over a period of five years. “It started as a novel,” she notes, “but it just wasn’t working for me. I began to focus on the individual characters and develop each as a short story.”
During that time, she also enrolled in some writing courses through the Sarah Selecky Writing School and Humber College. She set herself a goal of trying to send out five submissions a week and, after a year, had nine short stories published in different media. That gave her the confidence that there enough interest in the stories to approach.
“You Are Not What We Expected” (which was published by House of Anansi) recount s the lives of the multi-generational Levine family and their neighbours over a period of 15 years, capturing their celebration, transitions and drama in their lives.
The author notes that “You Are Not What We Expected” is widely available in bookstores and that the book has been very well received. “I have received a lot of invitations to do book club zooms session,” she reports. “Next week, for example, I have been invited to participate in a zoom session by a book club in Modiin in Israel.”
In July, Ludwig graduated from a Masters Degree program in Fine Arts specializing in writing books for children and young adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is working on a some picture books for younger children and a novel intended for middle grade students.

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2024 Sol and Florence Kanee Lecture with Mike Fegelman of Honest Reporting

The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is pleased to announce that our 2024 Sol and Florence Kanee Lecturer will be Mike Fegelman, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Honest Reporting Canada. The lecture will be held at 7 pm on Sunday, April 7, 2024 at Adas-Yeshurun Herzlia Synagogue.

Our speaker, Mike Fegelman, is a seventeen-year veteran of the Canadian journalism industry, Mike is the Editor-in-Chief of HRC and is responsible for the day to day running of the organization, its financial management and project development. Mike’s focus is on delivering efficiency and professionalism as HRC moves into new technological and geographical spheres that include the expansion of Honest Reporting’s  media monitoring services to French Canada with the launch of a Montreal office.

Mike was a former editor-in-chief, reporter, and anchor of various news programs and publications. A graduate of Carleton University’s renowned journalism program, Mike specialized in broadcasting and international reporting. Mike brings a marketing savvy to HRC having been a project manager for the market research firm Canmark Technologies for over six years.

Mike has testified before parliamentary committees and has given testimony to the Standing Senate Committee for Transport and Communications to express HRC’s concerns about the CBC’s reporting of Israel and the Middle East. Mike’s opinions and views are widely sought out for by Canada’s media and political elite. Mike’s work has been published in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, La Presse, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen and many more. Mike is a columnist for Huffington Post Canada and the Times of Israel.

In 2013, Shalom Life listed Mike as one of their Top 20 Under 40 due to his dedication and significant contributions to Israel advocacy. Mike is also the immediate past President of the Village Shul and Aish Hatorah Learning Centre.

The annual Sol and Florence Kanee Distinguished Lecture is the Jewish Heritage Centre’s only fundraising event. Tickets are $50 and are available at Eventbrite.ca

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Kadima Dance Company receives rave reviews for Edmonton performance earlier this month

Kadima Dance Troupe Top (L-R): Arielle Block, Jason Cohen, Michael Petrov, Matthew Slusky, Jillian Daien, Valentyna Kabris, Dana Segal Bottom (L-R): Erin Schwartz, Hadera Short, Rinat Mirkin, Emily Kalo, Rotem Keynan, Jenna Senensky

By BERNIE BELLAN Hadera Short has been dancing since the age of three. In an April 2022 story we wrote that Hadera told “The Jewish Post & News that she ‘started doing Israeli dance when I was six. I joined Chai when I was 16.’

“In 2014, at the age of 21, Hadera said, she ‘was accepted into the Jerusalem Academy of Music for a one-year intensive program, where,’ she adds, she ‘studied ballet, contemporary and Gaga styles of dance.’

“Upon returning to Winnipeg, Hadera rejoined Chai, becoming its dance director in 2016. In 2017, after eight years performing with Chai, she retired from the group.

“After a two-year hiatus from dance, however, Hadera said she realized how much she missed performing in front of a live audience. As a result, she had the idea of forming her own dance company.

“Hadera actually began choreographing in her mother’s living room. After sharing the idea of starting a new dance company with other dancers and discussing the concept of forming a new Israeli dance group, Hadera realized the potential success that this group could hold and Kadima Dance Company was born. Kadima, meaning ‘forward’ in Hebrew, had its first rehearsal at Kazka Dance Collective studio on December 1, 2019.

“Asked why she wanted to start her own Israeli dance company, Hadera explained that ‘I started Kadima because I wanted to create a new space for adult dancers who are passionate about Israeli dance and wanted the freedom to express themselves creatively. I encourage the dancers to select their own music to choreograph to, or come to me with potential performance ideas and opportunities. I want to show off everyone’s full potential as dancers, performers and choreographers. One of my primary goals for Kadima is encouraging a balance between professionalism, creativity and fun. Our rehearsals and our relationships outside of the studio are a reflection of just that.’

Kadima in performance at the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton

Just recently Hadera contacted us to inform about Kadima’s most recent experience, when members of the group travelled to Edmonton to perform in an Israeli dance festival, known as Festival Hatzafon, which was mounted by the Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association (AIFDA) on the occasion of AIFDA’s 18th year anniversary.  According to Hadera, “AIFDA was formed in 2006 by choreographer and artistic director Sari Uretsky.”

The festival, held in the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton,featured Kadima alongside other Israeli dancers and other cultural groups from across Canada in what Hadera said was a “sold out show.”

Currently Kadima has 20 dancers in the troupe, of whom 13 went to Edmonton.

Sari Uretsky (left) with Hadera Short

Their performance elicited this reaction from Sari Uretsky: “You should be so proud!!! You guys are a strong, cohesive group in such a short time! And you’ve already accomplished so much! It was an honour to have you and your company! You are all gorgeous dancers and added so much to our festival! We cannot wait to collaborate with you in the future!”

In addition to having just performed in Edmonton, Kadima also performed in Vancouver last year in what is known as “Festival Harikud.”

Upcoming, according to Hadera, Kadima will also be performing at “MTYP April 4 for the Robyn Braha School of Dance show, and May 14 at the Rady JCC for the 3rd year in a row for Yom Ha’atzmaut.”

In the email Hadera sent to us informing about Kadima’s performing in Edmonton, she added this at the end: Follow Kadima on social media: Instagram @kadimadanceco and Facebook Kadima Dance Company, or email kadimadance@gmail.com for more information or if interested in auditioning. 

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Irwin Isenstein has made a name for himself in two different types of “court”

By GERRY POSNER The name Isenstein is one familiar to many Winnipeggers, particularly for those who remember the late Sheppy and Hannah Isenstein . Sheppy Isenstein was a pharmacist and the owner of McCullough Drugs in St. Boniface. Hannah was a proud member of the Rosh Pina Choir for many years. The Isenstein s, along with older son Norman and younger son Irwin, lived for many years on Forest Park Drive in Garden City.

Irwin Isenstein has become accomplished in two “courts.” The first court relates to his career in criminal law. He is what might be called the “go to guy” for driving offences. I don’t suggest you commit those kinds of offences, but if you do, just know that Irwin has made a real mark in the area, assisting accused people mainly in Ontario, but also in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Alberta, as well as Manitoba.

How did this happen? A graduate of Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, Isenstein earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Manitoba in 1978 before earning an LL.B. three years later from that university’s law school. After law school, he received his “real education” at two well known Winnipeg law firms – first with the late Alvin and Martin Corne, and then with Wilder and Wilder, as in Joe and the late Sam. For a variety of reasons, Isenstein felt the pull of the larger city of Toronto and, in 1986, he was called to the Bar in Ontario. After a stint with a firm in Toronto, Isenstein started his own law firm where, 42 years later, he continues to practice as a sole practitioner in criminal law, specializing in motor vehicle infractions, many of which can have serious repercussions, such as losing one’s driver’s license, job or worse.

In addition to his large practice, Isenstein has been active within the profession. He has chaired or co-chaired the annual Law Society Continuing Legal Education program on Impaired Driving for over 10 years. This particular program has been so successful that in his last year of chairing the program, the attendance was over 450 members of the legal profession. Moreover, Isenstein was invited to be the guest speaker on several occasions at the Continuing Legal Education program for judges of the Ontario Court of Justice. In addition, Irwin has been a legal commentator on several television networks, and a regular contributor in print media, both as counsel and commentator. In short, he has a reputation as a big player in this important area of criminal law. As an aside, I am not a big fan of ratings for professionals on the internet, but I was impressed by the glowing tributes to Isenstein from many individuals whom Irwin had assisted over a period of years…Quite remarkable.

Now, as often as Irwin appears in the law courts with great success, he has also distinguished himself in another court – the tennis court. In 1976, Isenstein represented North Winnipeg in tennis in the Manitoba Summer Games, which were held in Neepawa that year. He also represented Canada in the Masters Tennis competition at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2022. The opening ceremony was held in Jerusalem in front of 30,000 spectators, including US President Biden. All told, Isenstein has been a prominent player in tennis for over 50 years.

Isenstein has also been blessed with two daughters. His older daughter Sari received a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from the University of Toronto and has started to practice in that field. His younger daughter Michelle graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School with a JD. She is now an associate with an established law firm on Bay Street in Toronto. This is Nachas with a capital N. Irwin has also been involved in a long term relationship with Debbie Lindsay, a pharmacist, something that made his parents, especially his father, very happy. 

The Irwin Isenstein story is a familiar one to people from Winnipeg, especially from the North End of the City – “Winnipeg boy” makes good in Toronto. Only this time on two counts and courts.  

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