Local News
Winnipeg Police Service members receive angry reception at Jewish Federation event meant to give advice on personal safety
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted Nov. 9) The Multipurpose Room in the Asper Campus was supposed to have been filled last night by members of the community wanting to hear from representatives of the Winnipeg Police Service in an event billed as “Responding to Hate: Safety and Security Presentation.”
But there were many empty chairs. Attendees had been required to register in advance – and registration was cut off at 200. Apparently many of those 200 who had registered decided not to come – which was a terrible shame, since many others who had wanted to attend had been told there was no room for them.
What ensued Wednesday evening beginning at 7:10 pm, Wednesday evening, November 8, in the Multipurpose Room of the Campus was a somewhat disorganized series of presentations by various members of the WPS, followed by what became at times a quite heated, often emotional question and answer session.
Here are the major takeaways from the event:
Jewish Federation President Gustavo Zentner introduced eight different members of the WPS to the audience. He said that “this is a community dedicated to the rule of law. We are extremely concerned when we see people burning Israeli flags and when we see police standing by them when they are chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Dave Dalal, Superintendent, Uniform Operations, WPS, told the audience that, on October 26, the WPS had asked representatives from both the pro-Palestine and pro-Israel communities not to hold counter protests when the other side was holding a rally. Since that date, both sides had respected the WPS’s request, Dalal said.
Dalal asked that anyone who has information or a complaint about what might be considered a hate crime should call the police non-emergency line: 204-986-6222, and press 8 on the dial pad.
In addition to information given by Dalal, there was also interesting information given by Gord Perrier, Director of Campus Security at the University of Manitoba.
Responses that Dalal and Perrier gave to questions from the audience provided greater insight into the thinking of senior police officers than one might have expected. Dalal especially was quite defensive when he was accused of allowing hate speech to occur at various pro-Palestinian rallies that have taken place in recent weeks. When Dalal (and other members of the WPS who were present) claimed that nothing that had been heard at any of those rallies would have constituted a “hate crime,” local pro-Israel organizer Ron East challenged members of the WPS, asking them whether they had anyone on the force who spoke Arabic?
East claimed that some of what had been said at some of those rallies – in Arabic – would have qualified as hate speech. In response, Dalal did say that the WPS does have members on the force who speak Arabic. He also said that there are Jewish members in the WPS.
Another audience member said he has audio evidence of hate speech in Arabic that was said at one of those rallies. Dalal asked that audience member to give that evidence to the WPS.
Another WPS representative, Bonnie Emerson (Community Engagement) gave a fairly lengthy presentation on how hate speech is defined in the criminal code.
In response to a question why pro-Palestinian protesters were allowed to block off Portage and Main, Emerson said, “It’s complex – and we’re dealing with a crowd environment. We have to be deliberate and careful when we take action.”
With reference to whether something is “hate speech,” Emerson said “It’s not clear what is hate speech. For the Jewish community it may be hate speech, but to other communities it may not be. The criminal code is not specific. Unless there is case law backing up that it’s hate speech, it’s not illegal.”
In response, Gustavo Zentner suggested that “part of the (angry) reaction from the back (where some people had been interrupting Emerson’s remarks) is people take it as an endorsement by inaction.”
Gord Perrier, Director of Campus Security (who was also a 25-year veteran of the WPS) was not at the front of the room when the eight members of the WPS gave various presentations to the audience. Dalal referred to his presence, however and, in response to a direct question from a member of the audience who said they were concerned about the safety of Jewish students at the University of Manitoba, Dalal asked Perrier whether he could answer the question.
Perrier spoke about a “vigil” that was held by pro-Palestinian students at the U of M on October 13. He said there had been consultation with organizers of the vigil prior to the event. The organizers were told there could be “no chanting” and “no flags on staffs.” (According to Perrier, flag staffs could be considered weapons.)
When chanting did begin, one of the organizers attempted to have the chanting stopped, Perrier said, but he was ignored to start with. Also, a flagstaff did appear.
Perrier also addressed the question of hate speech – and why no one has been charged with a hate crime yet in Manitoba since October 7. (To provide some context, many members of the audience were angry that pro-Palestinian demonstrators are continually allowed to chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”)
Perrier explained that a charge of hate speech has to be approved by the attorney general of the province in which the hate speech has allegedly occurred.
He admitted though, that despite the campus police at the U of M having “increased physical security on campus… a lot of the staff don’t have historical knowledge” of what’s led up to the heated atmosphere between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students. “There’s a lot of training going on,” Perrier noted.
“We reach out to every organizer of a rally telling them it has to be respectful and safe,” he suggested.
Another audience member referred to what is apparently a very tense situation at St. Johns Ravenscourt school, saying “I have kids at SJR and we’re seeing a lot of conflict between Arab and Jewish kids.”
That person said his kid had been told “We’re going to finish you.”
At one point Gustavo Zentner referred to something that is being planned for “November 13,” but he didn’t immediately explain what he was talking about. It was only after a while that he said there is some sort of walkout being planned for high schools in Winnipeg that day. (We contacted Ruth Ashrafi, Regional Director, B’nai Brith Canada, to ask whether she knew what Gustavo was talking about. Ruth sent us a picture of a poster that’s circulating on social media by a group known as “Queers for Palestine,” which in itself is a ridiculous name as queers are persecuted in Palestinian areas – often killed – thrown off rooftops by Hamas, for instance, and often flee to Israel where they’re safe, but let’s leave aside one of the many contradictions associated with pro-Palestinian groups.)
An audience member asked Superintendent Dalal, “What would you do if it was your family being threatened?”
Dalal responded: “We are bound by the rule of law. We have Jewish officers. We also have officers who wish and hope that their neighbours don’t know they’re police officers.”
Someone else asked: “How do we make our kids feel safe when they’re in a school where they know other kids hate them?”
Part of the answer that was given was “There are many people in the MIddle Eastern community here who are opposed to antisemitism.”
To Israelis in the audience – Gustavo Zentner had this to say: “Everyone of us who was either born in Israel or moved there – we are mindful of your concerns.”
And, in addressing the often heated criticism levelled at the WPS during what turned into a very emotional evening for some members of the audience, Jewish Federation President Jeff Lieberman said, “We’ve been in constant touch with the WPS since October 7 and we appreciate that the moment we asked you (WPS) whether you would come out and meet with us tonight – you agreed.”
Local News
Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder contribute $1 million to ongoing Shaarey Zedek Synagogue Capital Campaign
By MYRON LOVE “We really welcome the decision of Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder to donate $1-million to our ongoing capital campaign,” said Rena Secter Elbaze, the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue’s executive director, on October 9. “They and their families have a long history of supporting our community organizations and the State of Israel. Their contribution to the Shaarey Zedek is inspirational.”
The husband and wife team officially presented the cheque to Elbaze at a brief ceremony at the synagogue the morning of October 9, in the newly renamed Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder Auditorium.
In their remarks, both Morantz, the president and CEO of Globe Property Management, and Walder, a lawyer who is a former partner in the law firm Myers LLP, spoke of their long family connection to the Shaarey Zedek. “My mother’s family were Jewish pioneers in Winnipeg,” Walder noted. “My great-grandfather, Samuel Cohen, for whom I am named, was an original member of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. I started coming here with my own grandfather, Sidney Cohen, when I was about two years old. I remember exactly which pew we sat in and how my grandfather helped me to follow along in the siddur during services. Shaarey Zedek has always been a place of great comfort for me.”
Morantz added that his own bar mitzvah took place at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on April 29, 1972. “I learned my maftir from the legendary Rabbi Berkal,” he recalled. “We continued to celebrate here with our own children’s bar and bat mitzvahs. I am very grateful that we got to watch our own children shine on the bimah.”
It was the Hamas-led assault on Israel and subsequent tsunami of antisemitism worldwide that prompted the couple to consider stepping up and contributing to the Shaaray Zedek campaign in such a magnanimous way.
“I have never been a religious person,” Morantz remarked. “While I may be more secular, I strongly believe in the traditions of Judaism. I had a charmed upbringing in the 60s and 70s in River Heights. It is not the case that I experienced no antisemitism, but those experiences were very minimal. Post-October 7th, I found myself, for the first time in my life, having to judge every situation and every person I came across before divulging the fact that I am Jewish or discussing Israel. I came to the realization, during the process of considering this donation, that a primary driver for us is that this synagogue is a safe place for Jews, where we can comfortably be ourselves.”
Walder pointed out that while her mother’s large family were Jewish pioneers, her father was a Romanian Holocaust survivor, with almost no family after the war. “Family matters a great deal to us,” she said. “In addition to strongly agreeing with Richard that the tragedy of October 7th and continuing and growing anti Semitism are big drivers for us in making this donation, we also want to see Shaarey Zedek be a safe and special part of the lives of our now adult children and the generations that will follow them. It is very fulfilling to us that we are contributing to making that happen.”
Walder further credits the encouragement of her old friend and law school classmate, Neil Duboff, for helping to clinch the decision for her and her husband to make the donation. “Neil has worked so hard for the synagogue and our community for so many years and we applaud his efforts and commitment,” she noted.
(Duboff is a past president of the Shaarey Zedek and chaired the capital campaign.)
Walder also mentioned the support of Gail Asper in making the decision. “I met Gail on our first day of law school in 1981,” she recalled, “and we have been very close ever since. While we can all agree that Gail certainly knows how to talk, she also really knows how to listen. Through all of our discussions with her about making this donation, she listened hard, she came up with solid answers, and she was instrumental in leading us to the decision to donate. Shaarey Zedek is extremely lucky to have such a talented fundraiser.”
“We have to make special mention of Rena Secter Elbaze,” Morantz noted. “Rena literally blew me away when I met her for a tour of the synagogue. Her passion and knowledge are remarkable. We believe that our synagogue is in great hands and we feel much comfort and confidence making this donation.
“We are very proud of the recent renovations and upgrades to the synagogue,” he added. “This place is absolutely beautiful. We also feel privileged to have met with Rabbi Carnie Rose. We know he will be a great asset to the synagogue and all of its members for a long time to come.
“We are so honoured to be here with you today and to feel that we are making a difference to this special place”.
He concluded his remarks with an observation by Elie Wiesel that “a synagogue is a house of memory as well as a house of prayer. It reminds us of who we are and where we come from.”
Local News
Winnipegger Charlotte Kittner traces ancestry back to the Jewish expulsion from Spain
By MYRON LOVE Ladino was long the spoken language of the Jews from the Iberian peninsula and North Africa just as Yiddish was the day to day language of the Jews of Eastern Europe. Charlotte Kittner is most likely the only Winnipegger – and one of the few left in the world – who still speaks Ladino.
But Ladino is just one of eight languages that Kittner, who turned 100 in August, can speak – the others being Bulgarian, Romanian, Czech, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Turkish and English.
Charlette (Sarlota) Kittner was born in Bulgaria – in a Jewish community whose members were largely descended from the Jews who were forced out of Spain in 1492 (and Portugal a few years later) by the Spanish expulsion.
A few days after her birth, that part of Bulgaria became part of Romania. She was so small at birth, she recounts, that the doctor had little hope she would survive more than a few years. She slept in a drawer of a chiffonier lined with many layers of cotton for the first year.
The youngest of three sisters, she recalls growing up comfortably in a warm and observant community. Her father, Avram, who operated a textile factor, attended synagogue on Shabbat and all the Yom Tovim.
The family – along with all the other Jewish families in Romania, fell on hard times with the advent of World War II. Although Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany and was never occupied, members of the Romanian Iron Guard – the local equivalent of the Nazis – could be just as sadistic and murderous as their German counterparts. Although most Romanian Jews outside of Bucharest were murdered, those living in the capital city, while facing much discrimination and many restrictions – were spared internment and deportation.
Kittner notes that mother, Minduch, died in 1945 and she lost her father in 1946.
During the war Charlotte and her sister, Lisa, were assigned to a factory making linens and garments for the Nazis.
She recalls that life was tough after liberation and continued to be difficult after the coming of Communism in immediate post-war Romania.
After the war, Kittner trained as an accountant and found work with a large manufacturer. That is where she met her husband, Mike (Misu) Kittner. They were married in Bucharest in November,1952.
Kittner’s sisters, Suzanna and Lisa, both made aliyah after the war. Charlotte and Mike followed in 1964. They lived in Israel for three years. Charlotte quickly learned Hebrew and found work as an accountant.
But life in Israel was difficult economically in those days. Mike’s brothers, Fred and Serge, had previously settled in Winnipeg and encouraged Mike and Charlotte to join them. They did – in May 1967.
The next year, Chralotte’s sister Lisa and husband, Nick, also moved to Winnipeg.
Their other sister, Suzanna, and her husband, Selu, a well known painter, remained in Israel.
Over the years, Kittner has visited Israel – where she has numerous nephews, nieces and cousins – as well as having taken trips back to Romania and to other European countries.
Once in Winnipeg, she and Mike quickly found work in the garment industry. She was first hired as a bookkeeper by Stall and Son. After a short time she moved over to Silpit Industries, where she served as chief accountant for many years. Kittner has favourable memories of her boss, the late community leader Harry Silverberg. She later worked for another Silverberg firm, Brown and Rutherford, a lumber processing operation.
Mike only worked in the garment industry for a short time. He found his niche in insurance sales – where he excelled. He also founded Broadway Agencies and became a booking agent for budding new performing artists in Europe whom he brought to Winnipeg to appear in popular local night clubs.
Mike and Charlotte’s nephew, Brad Kittner, recalls as a youngster going with his
parents, aunts and uncles to those clubs and watching what he describes as “these fabulous singers.” He says that they inspired him to pursue his own successful career as a karaoke singer and performer for hire.
Charlotte and Mike first lived in East Kildonan for a year, then moved to Partridge Avenue in West Kildonan. A few years later, they bought a new house on Drimes Place, north of Templeton, in northwest Winnipeg.
While Mike Kittner passed away in 1991, Charlotte continued to work into her 70s.
Through the years, she has led a busy social life with family and friends. As Brad Kittner notes, even at 100, “Aunt Charlotte continues hosting friends and family for full course meals and gatherings at her place.”
Charlotte celebrated her hundredth birthday with more than 20 relatives and friends at the Ichiban Restaurant.
Although hard of hearing and somewhat frail of body, her mind remains relatively clear. She still enjoys reading fiction, doing crosswords and looking forward to her weekly card games with her sister-in-law, Sylvia, who also lives at Chateau West on Jefferson, and other friends.
May she live to 120!
Local News
Over 2000 supporters turned out for walk for Israel despite overcast skies, rain
By MYRON LOVE October 5 started out overcast and rainy. The rain – which fortunately stopped just before the Walk for Israel began – didn’t prevent over 2,000 supporters of Israel – both members of our Jewish community and those from outside of our community from turning out for the second annual Walk for Israel commemorating the horrific events of October 7 – two years ago – the darkest day in post-Holocaust Jewish history
As with last year, the 45-minute walk began and ended at the Asper Campus. While last year the walk was followed by speeches from community leaders and various politicians, this year the only speaker was Paula Parks, President of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, who pointed out that the ongoing anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations- post October 7- have strengthened the bonds within our community and spurred more people to affiliate with our communal organizations. She further noted that more of us are speaking out and we need to continue to do that.
“The number of people who participated was inspirational,” says Gustavo Zentner, the representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “We had numerous allies as well as members of our Jewish community. We had people from all walks of life.”
“We had a fantastic turnout,” added Jeff Lieberman, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s CEO. “Paula spoke very well. Her comments were meaningful.”
He expressed his hope that the hostages would be released very soon, the war would be ended, and Israelis can finally live in peace.
The commemoration’s focus this year was primarily on visual images rather than words. The walk featured a number of photos taken by local members of the Winnipeg Jewish community who visited the Nova site in person or attended the Nova exhibit that travelled to various parts of Canada and the United States. The photos were displayed for the day along the fence on Doncaster Avenue – the first stage of the walk. Participants were handed Israeli flags and kalaniot (red anemones) flowers, the official flower of Israel, and were encouraged to place them around the photos on the fence.
As well, as part of the October 7 commemoration, 33 paintings depicting some of those taken hostage on October 7 were put on display along Main Street of the Campus from the week of October 3-October 10. The paintings were the work of well-known Israeli illustrator, cartoonist, humourist, performance artist and political activist, Zeev Engelmayer.
The walk on October 5 concluded with Israeli shimshinim – Israeli youth representatives here in Winnipeg from Israel – and other young people from our community reciting a prayer for the hostages (who were finally freed last week), and members of the IDF, followed by the singing of “O Canada” and “Hatikvah.”