Features
A different “Ritzpah” story
By Simone Cohen Scott
Back in September, during the High Holy Days, the JP&N ran a short story by David R. Topper, senior scholar at the University of Winnipeg. It was entitled Rizpah’s Vigil, and I perked up immediately because the name Ritzpah means something special to me. Topper’s story was developed from a line or two of scripture in the Tanach, specifically from Nevi’im.
In one sentence Samuel II: chapter 21, verse 10, relates that Ritzpah, King Saul’s concubine, is guarding her two sons and five others of his offspring, all having been impaled, from birds and beasts of prey who would otherwise devour their decomposing bodies. She does this from the beginning of harvest until the rains come, camping day and night on a bed of sackcloth over rock, wielding a torch, according to the author, to ward off predators.
With the scene thus set , the author imagines the woman’s musings during those hazardous months. She alternately converses with herself, argues with G-d, discusses her perspectives and situation with a visitor she calls “the scholar,” even considers the meaning of her name. Apparently she cannot read or write, but she is sensitive and articulate. She expresses bitterness, humiliation, anger, mingled with her grief, and her love. During a storm – which she may only have dreamed, she experiences a direct encounter with G-d. Does this bring deliverance? The story ends inconclusively.
Sixty years ago I borrowed a brand new novel from the Toronto Public Library by one Charles E. Israel. In that day romantic fiction was right up my alley. A later verse in Samuel II, this time chapter 36, verse 7, mentions this woman again by name, providing a second point of reference, which, together with the other, enables Charles Israel to build an historical novel.
The voice he uses in the telling of her story is that of an old woman, Rizpah’s companion through the years – from her initial capture by Philistines, through her developing devotion to the new King Saul until his death, then subsequent fondness for his general Abner, until he is killed. She flees with her sons to escape King David’s murderous intent, but does not succeed, hence the scene depicted by Potter. What was I thinking? Not a romantic novel at all. The title of the novel was Rizpah, and I fell in love with the name.
At about this point in my life I saw, for the very first time, an Afghan hound. Oh, how gorgeous it was! I had my husband let me out of the car so I could go over and pet it. We already had a dog, but I decided then and there that one day I would have an Afghan hound, and when I did, I would name her Ritzpah.
It was a long time coming. Life happens, and whenever I would come close, I would get cold feet. I was warned about the grooming, the shedding, the temperament, not to mention the expense, the exercising. Finally, with the turn of the millennium, I gave myself permission. I flew to Toronto, rented a car, drove to Woodstock, found the kennel…… There were two members of the purebred litter remaining, a male and a female, the size of cats, though still puppies. “Why not two?” I thought, but dismissed the idea. Ritzpah was duly registered with the Canadian Kennel Club, and I brought her home.
I was in the Shaarey Zedek Choir at the time and I had missed some practices in order to carry out my errand. The other members all knew why I’d been away, so when I returned with the dog, everyone was excited for me. I was so happy…….until I overheard someone ask: “Why would anyone name their dog ‘Floor’?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I was told the word “ritzpah,” in Hebrew, meant “floor.” Nobody had heard of the concubine.
Next morning I phoned Henny Paritzky, whose Hebrew class at the Jewish Library I’d been attending. Sure enough, she told me that in Hebrew, in Israel, the word for “floor” is “ritzpah.” She had never heard of Rizpah the concubine, either. At that point I shied away from telling Jewish people my dog’s name. If I did and they snickered or smirked I would trip over myself explaining she was named after one of Saul’s concubines. No one was interested.
I became really angry at Eliezer Ben Yehuda, whose decision and effort it was that revived the holy biblical tongue. I looked into how he had arrived at new/old words for the new/old country. What I learned was that his group of teachers, fluent in ancient Hebrew, found words for new concepts in their own brains. Daily they analyzed the various words they had extrapolated from their personal vocabularies, organizing them for the dictionaries they subsequently wrote.
At that point I stopped trying to learn conversational Hebrew, and focused instead on Torah and Haftarah tropes. Then, one Shabbat, as I was following along in the Hebrew while someone chanted Haftarah Yitro, where the angels are singing “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh” back and forth to each other, and Isaiah realizes he is being urged to go and tell everyone about this, I noticed something. “Woe is me,” Isaiah says, “for I am a man of unclean lips…,” and immediately one of the seraphs flies over to the altar, picks up a live coal with a pair of tongs, and purifies Isaiah’s lips. And guess what? Reading the Hebrew I see the word “ritzpah;” I check the English translation and it says “live coal.” Wow! “Ritzpah” was a special word after all! This wonderful gem of information, this vindication that I had just received, didn’t impress anyone.
All this happened before the web was part of my life. What a difference the internet makes! Not expecting anything, just before I concluded this article, I typed “Ritzpah” into Google. To my surprise, a cornucopia of material appeared. Biblical scholars, rabbis, educators in Christian and Jewish colleges, authors and editors of anthologies, all had something to say. It seemed the entire intellectual world was discussing who Ritzpah was, taking lessons from her life, mentioning the meaning of her name as “hot coal.” There were several beautiful paintings and at least one sculpture of the lovely concubine. Several analyses of the woman’s probable life seem to be providing material or various Women’s Studies programs around the continent. The 60 years of emotion I spent, holding a woman’s name in my heart, giving it to my elegant dog, struggling for its appropriateness, suddenly seems so mundane.
Features
Famous Gambling Scandals and Controversies: Allyspin Casino Opinion
The gambling industry is full of scandals and controversies. There are various cases of fraud and manipulation schemes. That is why it is very important to pay attention to reliable gambling sites like Allyspin online casino, which follows the rules of responsible and safe gambling for its fans. Research shows that more than one trillion dollars are bet worldwide every year. That is why it is very important to be able to distinguish safe and reliable sites from fraudulent ones.
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Gambling Industry Reforms after Scandals
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The Future of Casino Security and Fraud Prevention
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Cybersecurity plays an important role in online casino gambling. Modern sites implement the latest mechanisms to combat fraud, ensure fair gaming process and fully protect honest players.
Features
Canada Is Failing Its Students on Holocaust Education — Here’s What Must Change
By EMILY (surname withheld by request) We received the following article from a third-year Health Sciences student at Western University, who wrote that as “a Jewish student, I have seen firsthand how Holocaust education in Canada is falling short and how that failure is contributing to fear, misinformation, and rising antisemitism on campuses like mine.”
Despite curriculum requirements, Holocaust education in Canada is alarmingly inadequate. A recent survey found that nearly one in five young Canadians believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated. This highlights a dangerous gap in historical understanding, leaving students vulnerable to misinformation, denial, and rising antisemitism. If Canada is serious about combating hate, it must take Holocaust education far more seriously.
When asked whether Holocaust education in Canada is lacking, Professor Hernan Tessler-Mabe, historian and coordinator of Jewish Studies at Huron University, did not hesitate: “You are 100 percent correct.”
While most provinces claim to include Holocaust education in their curricula, the programming and implementation of curriculum tends to be inconsistent and inadequate. A student’s understanding of one of history’s greatest atrocities depends heavily on where they go to school, which teacher they have, and whether their school offers substantive instruction. The result is misinformation, denial, and rising antisemitism.
Avoiding Holocaust education allows dangerous myths and conspiracy theories to spread unchecked. Without an understanding of the Holocaust and the centuries of antisemitism that preceded it, students are ill-equipped to identify modern antisemitism in the world around them. This antisemitism manifests into everyday conversation, online spaces, and political discourse.
To address this crisis, Canada must act with urgency in three key areas. These include consulting experts, confronting difficult material, and properly training educators.
First, schools and provincial governments must consult those who specialize in Holocaust history and education. “It is the most important thing,” Dr. Tesler-Mabé, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Jewish Studies at Huron University says. He points out, “You cannot just throw it into a general history class and assume it will be taught well. You need people who understand both the history and how to teach it.”
Second, we must accept that the subject is deeply disturbing and cannot be made comfortable. Dr. Tesler-Mabé iterates, “We have to accept that parts of this will be traumatic or triggering.” “Obviously it depends on grade level, but if students do not feel disturbed by it, they will not understand it. That discomfort is part of the learning.”
Third, teachers must be prepared. Many educators may feel unequipped to teach this material and either gloss over it or skip it altogether. Training programs and partnerships are essential. In Ottawa, the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) works to connect schools with survivor testimonies and support resources, but broader reach and investment are needed.
Dr. Tesler-Mabé explains, “We have to teach the teachers, especially now that we are losing survivors. That raises a whole new concern. How do you teach something this heavy, this complex, without first hand testimony? Educators need the tools, the background, and the sensitivity to do it well.”
Some may argue that Canada already does enough in this area. After all, Holocaust education is present in some curricula, and many students visit Holocaust museums or hear from survivors. But occasional exposure is not enough. The widespread prevalence of Holocaust denial and the proliferation of antisemitic conspiracy theories underscore significant shortcomings in current systems designed to combat such misinformation. A 2022 report by UNESCO and the United Nations, in collaboration with the World Jewish Congress, found that 16.2% of Holocaust-related content on major social media platforms either denied or distorted fundamental facts about the Holocaust. A standardized, rigorous, and mandatory approach is the only way forward.
Holocaust education is not just about history, it is about safeguarding the future and combating antisemitism in modern manifestations. When students understand how propaganda, scapegoating, and dehumanization led to one of history’s darkest chapters, they are better equipped to recognize and reject hatred in all its forms. Without a solid foundation in Holocaust education, antisemitism continues to fester, not just in online spaces, but within universities, workplaces, and public discourse. We are already seeing the consequences of unchecked Holocaust denial and rising antisemitism, from bias in professional spaces to hostility on university campuses. As a Jewish student at Western University, I have seen fear take hold among my peers. Friends who once wore Stars of David or spoke openly about their heritage now hesitate to do so. I have also begun to question whether it is safe to express my identity. With the last generation of Holocaust survivors passing, the responsibility to preserve their stories and the lessons they teach rests with all of us. If we do not confront this crisis at its root, we risk allowing history to repeat itself in new and dangerous ways.
Canada is failing its students. In doing so, it is failing the promise of Never Again. The question is not whether we should strengthen Holocaust education, but why we have not already.
Features
Anna Kaplan one of Winnipeg’s youngest personal trainers
By MYRON LOVE It is always uplifting to read (or, from my perspective, to write) about people who have been able to reinvent themselves – and even more so when such an individual can use her own transformation to inspire others. Such is the case with Anna Kaplan, a young (21) personal trainer whose passion for physical fitness grew out of personal troubles as a teenager.
“I had a feeling of being excluded,” says the daughter of Kevin and Roxanne Kaplan. “I was afraid that I was missing out. I was losing friends. I had developed some bad habits and was at a real low point in my life – at rock bottom.”
At 18, Kaplan determined to change her life. She began working with a personal trainer and going to the gym. She also changed her dietary habits.
“Before long, I was feeling better mentally and physically,” she recalls.
Two years ago, wanting to help others struggling to improve their lives, Kaplan opened A Plus Fitness. On her Facebook page, she notes that “When you sign up for online training with A Plus Fitness, you’re not just getting a workout plan — you’re getting full access to our all-in-one training app designed to support your transformation every step of the way.”
Kaplan started A Plus Fitness strictly as an online business for which she developed her own app. “I started building my client base initially by contacting friends and acquaintances via a social media platform to see what interest there might be out there,” she says.
With demand for her services growing, about a year ago she began working with clients in person out of a gym on Portage Avenue. In just two years, she reports, business has grown to the point where she has had to hire a second trainer.
“I work with people ranging from 18 to 65 plus,” she says. “The number of clients has tripled in the last year and I have been able to help over 100 clients to get into shape and change their lives.”
The reviews have been outstanding with many giving the young fitness trainer a 5 out of 5 rating. Says one client: ”I’ve been training with Anna for a while now, and it’s been an amazing experience! She really takes the time to understand my goals and pushes me in the best way possible. Since working with her, I feel stronger, more motivated, and more confident in my workouts.”
Adds another: “Over the past year, A Plus Fitness has completely transformed my approach to working out, helping me tone my body and build strength in ways I never thought possible. Anna’s guidance and personalized training plans have made a huge difference in my progress, pushing me to achieve results faster than I expected.”
Kaplan feels good that among those she has been able to help have been her own mother, Roxanne Kaplan, who says that ”I’ve always had some sort of fitness routine in my life. I followed along with the fitness videos with the weights that were recommended – I’d go through phases but never stuck to it. With Anna’s coaching and sticking to her program, I see muscle definition that I’ve never had before. I feel better, more confident, and well rested.”
Kaplan further points out that, in additions to helping people through her business, she is also community minded. “I have helped with several fundraising events in the Jewish community,” she reports.
Most recently, she helped raise money for the Reid Bricker Mental Wellness Fund in memory of a relatively young member of our community who struggled with mental health for several years before committing suicide 10 years ago. The fund aims “to increase the availability of mental health supports and education across the province while ensuring that individuals and families facing mental health challenges receive the support they need when they need it the most.”
Next for Anna Kaplan and A Plus Fitness is to open her own location at some point in the next few years.
Readers can contact Anna at 204 391-5832 or mail her at admin@aplusfit.ca.
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