By MYRON LOVE In stating that she was “honoured by the recognition, beyond grateful and truly humbled to receive the King Charles III coronation medal,” Carrie Shenkarow is no doubt sharing the sentiments felt by her fellow honourees.  The next president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg – her term begins next year – was one of 55 recipients of the award – including several members of our Jewish community – who were presented with the medallions by Lieutenant-Governor Anita Neville on October 24 at the Legislature . 
“It was an honour to be in the room with so many remarkable Manitobans,” notes Shenkarow.  
She reports that, after the photo was taken, the honourees were invited back to Government House for a reception. “The Lieutenant-Governor spoke and we were encouraged to mingle with other recipients,” she recalls. “It was an incredible evening that I will never forget.” 
The medal – which commemorates Charles III’s coronation on May 6, 2023, is described on the website as “a way to recognize outstanding individuals from all ages and from all walks of life who have made a difference in our community.”
The award recognizes those “who have made a significant contribution to Canada, a province, territory, region, or community in Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada”.
The other six members of our Jewish community who among the medal recipients include several individuals some who have made outsized contributions to society overall.  Included among the medal recipients were Larry Vickar and Gail Asper, whose contributions both to our Jewish community and the overall community are well known.

Other recipients of the KIng Charles medal also have established records of service to the community: Harvey Secter has an impressive history of community leadership.  The former businessman who – in his 40s – turned to a career in law, has served as both Dean of Law and then Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. His resumé further includes leadership roles with such diverse institutions as the United Way, St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, the Law Society and Manitoba Law Foundation, several hospital boards, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, the University of Winnipeg, and the University of Manitoba.
In the blurb accompanying the King Charle III medal presentation, it was noted that Harvey Secter  “has been recognized for a decades long commitment to organizations dedicated to increasing access to quality services in education, health care, social services, and recreational facilities while motivating others to engage in building an inclusive and welcoming society.”
The other three Jewish medal recipients’ contributions to society have been more narrowly focused.  Michel Aziza has been most closely associated with Operation Ezra, a successful effort led by several members of our Jewish community some years back to bring members fo the persecuted Iraqi minority Yazidi community to Winnipeg and help them settle here in the aftermath of the attempted genocide of the community at the hands of the murderous ISIS terrorists in 2014.
Over the past year, Aziza and his wife, Danita, along with Einat Paz, have been organizing weekly rallies on Kenaston and Grant (by the Superstore) aimed at keeping alive the awareness of the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza.
Medal recipient Louis Trepel has focused much of his philanthropic work on the Manitoba chapter of Variety, The Children’s Charity – of which he was one of the founding members while still in his teens. Over the years, Trepel, whose family owned Ben Moss Jewellers ((Lewis’s grandfather), has – in addition to Variety – contributed to numerous other nonprofit boards and committees. Among the highlights of his philanthropic career have been co-creating the first Empty Bowls Gala for Manitoba Harvest, pioneering the first COVID-era virtual gala in Manitoba for St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, and co-chairing the 50th Anniversary Gala for Manitoba’s Rainbow Resource Centre, which garnered national attention. 
According to the write-up accompanying the medal presentation, Louis Trepel’s “lasting legacy is his ongoing mentorship and inspiration of the next generation of philanthropists.”
Noam Gonick was recognized for his work as an artist and filmmaker.  He has premiered and won awards at the Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Hot Docs film festivals. His features, which explore rave culture and Indigenous youth, were released theatrically in Germany, France, the US and Canada, streamed worldwide and collected by the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Canada. He has directed for MGM, CBC and APTN. At London’s Serpentine Gallery Gonick lectured on his artwork about the semaphore of prison architecture and Queer utopias. He is currently collaborating with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet on “The Regulation of Desire” for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Circling back to Carrie Shenkarow,  she notes that she became involved with the Jewish Federation over 20 years ago.  In recent years, she has held several positions on various committees.  In 2022, she chaired the CJA campaign. She currently chairs the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Public Affairs Task Force, established after October 7, 2023, to advocate for the community and collaborate with other local organizations.
“One of the things I’m most passionate about is March of the Living,” she says.  “I have been chairing the committee since 2017. I chaperoned the program in 2018.  I really enjoy giving back.”
The Lieutenant Governor was not the only official allowed to nominate deserving recipients for the King Charles Medal. Members of Parliament were also encouraged to put forth nominees.  A further four member of our Jewish community were thus nominated by Marty Morantz, Conservative MP for Charleswood-St. James: Einat Paz, Jessica Cogan, and brothers Robert and Sandy Shindleman from Shindico.
The medal was presented to the two commercial real estate professionals in their office in December.  “We were honoured to have received the medals,” says Robert, who reports that the brothers are major supporters of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation and Alzheimers research – a condition that afflicted their mother for many years.
Morantz presented King Charles III medals to Cogan and Paz in his office on November 14.  “I am proud to present Einat Paz and Jessica Cogan with the King Charles III Coronation Medal today,” he wrote n his Facebook page. “Their dedication and contributions have truly enriched our community, and it’s a privilege to congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”
For Paz, it was her second major honour in two months. At our community’s annual Kavod evening – on September 26 –  the Israeli-born social worker who is currently the Jewish Child and Family Service’s Manager of Volunteer Services became the inaugural recipient of the Federation’s new Magen David Award.  She was recognized in particular for her leadership in helping – along with Michel and Danita Aziza – to organize and co-ordinate the weekly vigils – now in their 11th month – on Kenaston by the Superstore – in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.  She has also been prominent in fostering ties between Israelis in  Winnipeg and the local community.
“I am deeply honoured to receive the King Charles Medal for my community work advocating for the release of hostages and raising awareness that the rape of women is never resistance,” Paz said. “There is no justification. 
“This recognition also highlights the vital importance of food security for the Jewish community, a cause close to my heart. 
“I remain committed to these efforts, striving to bring justice, dignity, and support to those in need.”
 

By BERNIE BELLAN In January 2018 I conducted an interview with the late Jim Carr who, at the time, was Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. I asked Carr whether there were any other Jewish members of the Cabinet?

Carr said that Karina Gould, who was the Minister of Democratic Institutions in 2018, had a Jewish father. I didn’t know much about Gould back then, beyond recognizing her name, but the recent announcement that she has decided to enter the Liberal leadership race might be of particular interest to Jewish readers.

Gould has held a number of portfolios within the Trudeau government, most recently as House leader.

Now 35, while Gould’s entry into the Liberal leadership race would be considered something of a long shot, her relative youth – along with her experience (she has been a Member of Parliament since 2015), might make her a plausible alternative to the two more prominent candidates in the race: Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney.

With Gould’s decision to enter the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, I thought it might be interesting to explore her Jewish roots.

In a 2021 article on the CJN website, the following was written about Karina Gould:

Gould, the member for Burlington, was first elected in 2015. She has previously served as Minister of International Development and Minister of Democratic Institutions.

Jewish on her father’s side, Gould told The CJN in 2015 that while she’s not “an active practitioner of Judaism,” she maintains her heritage through celebrating Hanukkah, Purim, and Yom Kippur.

Her paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia. Her grandfather was deported to Theresienstadt, then to Dachau and Auschwitz. Separated during the war, her paternal grandparents were reunited afterward.

Her father met her mother, who is from Germany, while both were in Israel volunteering on Kibbutz Naot, where the sandals are made.

Gould visited Israel on a Birthright trip and stayed longer for a personal visit. “Israel is a beautiful country,” she said. “It’s unique in the world. It has difficult challenges.”

She said she believes her family heritage plays a big role in shaping her political values.

“My family was accepted and welcomed into Canada after a difficult experience,” she said. “Canadian values of tolerance and diversity were not just important for my family, but for others. Canada provided the opportunity to grow and to thrive.”

Gould was front and centre during the 2019 visit to Canada of then Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

She noted to Rivlin that since the free trade agreement between Canada and Israel was signed in 1997, the value of two-way trade had tripled, to $1.9 billion.

And under the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation, the two countries have funded close to 60 projects over the last dozen years, she added.

Ties between Canada and Israel “are long, deep and mutually beneficial,” she said.

By MYRON LOVE For regular readers of my articles in The Jewish Post & News over the years, Kelly Robinson’s name is most likely associated with the growing number of students she has taught who who have stood out from year to year at the annual Winnipeg Music Festival in March. 
“I teach voice lessons,” says Robinson.  “I’m grateful to have such a full studio — over 50 students each week — and it’s delightful to see each student progress and grow their confidence and ability. Many of my former (and some current) students perform professionally themselves. It’s lovely to see.”
The teacher, moreoverr, is also a performer on local stages and behind the scenes. In recent years, she has appeared on stage in performances with the Manitoba Opera Chorus and the Manitoba Underground Opera, Rainbow Stage, Little Opera Company, Dry Cold Productions, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.  In August, she notes, she sang the role of “Mother” in the opera “Hansel and Gretel” with Manitoba Underground Opera at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.  Most recently, she was Music Director for the Manitoba Theatre for Young Peoples  “A Year With Frog and Toad” in December. 
 Currently, she reports, in a real tour de force, she in playing a role on the production team in the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s new production of the musical version of the movie “Waitress” (which starts January 7 and runs until February 1) behind the scenes and she will also be appearing on stage.  “I am the Assistant Music Director,” she says.  “I worked on the music with the singers in rehearsal to help everyone to sound their best. I played the piano for rehearsals.  I am playing keyboard in the orchestra for all of the performances.”
 In addition, the “Waitress” band is on stage, interacting with the cast. “That should be a lot of fun,” she comments.
For the daughter of Terry and Freda, a musical career was not on her radar growing up largely in River Heights.  The graduate of the Hebrew bilingual program at Sir William Osler School (which lately was transferred to Brock Corydon School) told Winnipeg Fee Press opera reviewer Holly Harris in an interview that appeared The Jewish Post & News in 2017 that her original career goal was to become a dentist.
She was introduced to musical theatre by her drama teacher at Grant Park High School, who encouraged her to audition for that year’s production of “All About Cats”.  To her surprise, she was cast in a lead role.
Despite this early introduction to the world of musical theatre, Robinson was still largely fixated on a career in the sciences.
In university, she pursued a four-year degree in microbiology at the University of Manitoba – and excelled.  Toward the end of her science program, she recounted to Holly Harris and, despite being awarded full academic scholarships and the prospect of her own prestigious research lab, Robinson realized that her true love was music. She changed course and auditioned for the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Music.
She did earn her B.Sc. – but she also completed a music degree with a major in Classical Voice Performance and a minor in Composition.
“It was really neat,” she told Harris – about composing music for a string quartet.  “Hearing it performed was inspiring. I realized that, in music, there were endless possibilities.”
She furthered her musical education with studies in contemporary vocal styles through Boston’s Berklee College of Music. (Coincidentally, her husband, Josh Eskin, whom she met while both were teaching at a St. Boniface music school, studied guitar at that same institution.)
As a singer, Kelly Robinson has demonstrated a remarkable versatility. In addition to opera and musical theatre, she has done Gilbert and Sullivan – winning the Winnipeg Music Festival’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society Trophy in 2002, a tribute to her Zaida, Harold King. She has fond memories of him singing songs from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” to her when she was young.
Outside of music, Robinson enjoys crocheting, making jewelry, reading and spending time with Josh and their children – 15-year-old Juliet – also a Winnipeg Music Festival winner – and 11-year-old Dylan.
She is also the High Holy Day Choir Director at Congregation Etz Chayim.
After “Waitress”, Robinson reports, her next project will be serving as Music Director for Dry Cold’s production of “Dogfight,” scheduled for April. The musical – based on the 1991 film of the same name – revolves around another waitress and her encounter with three GIs about to be shipped out to Vietnam in the early days of the war – and the day before the assassination of President Kennedy.  
According to the blurb from the theatre company, “ ‘Dogfight’ deals frankly with serious and important subjects that are still relevant in our fractious times of political instability, cyber bullying & intolerance of others”.
It sounds like another winner from the local musical theatre company that focuses on premiering the latest new musicals.