Features
A visit to the Children of Israel Cemetery in Transcona – the Jewish community’s first cemetery
By SHARON LOVE My first visit to the Children of Israel Cemetery was in August 2008. A descriptive article about this group visit, written by Matt Bellan (zl), then editor of The Jewish Post & News can be found in the Aug. 20th, 2008 edition.
Over the years I hadn’t thought very much about going there again. This past year I was a student in the Yiddish Literature and Language class instructed by Professor Itay Zutra. The class was part of the Judaic Studies curriculum held at the University of Manitoba. We were reading “Motl Peysi the Cantor’s Son” in Yiddish, which was written by the renowned Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem.
Towards the end of the spring term I started thinking about the cemetery because Nissel Rabbinovich Zimmerman is buried there. He was the uncle of Sholem Aleichem, whose real name was Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich. I knew that Professor Zutra and possibly other class members had never been to the cemetery and would probably find it very interesting.
To make arrangements for the visit I called Bill Croydon, the long time building and maintenance supervisor at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. The synagogue has maintained the cemetery since the 1950s. Bill suggested that we wait a few more weeks after the initial phone conversation until the nearby fields and the cemetery would be fairly dry.
Our group met Bill in the Kildonan Place Shopping Centre parking lot on Reenders Drive in Transcona on Thursday, June 23rd at 11.00 am. An open field separates the cemetery from the main road. It was a hot, sunny morning. We all ‘dressed’ for the mosquitoes. Luckily there weren’t any around to bother us. Bill had seen that the grass was cut short and the cemetery, surrounded by a mesh fence and gate is basically treeless. Trees are on the outer sides of the surrounding fence. This does help to make the cemetery fairly hidden.
Over the years there has been some vandalism. The tombstones have been purposely flattened to discourage such events. It is believed that at most there are 113 graves there. However, due to flooding and loss of original wooden markers, records are incomplete. This is disappointing for current family members who know that they have family buried there but cannot find their graves. There are indeed impressions in the ground in various spots sadly missing markers.
The cemetery was opened in 1883. The last burial was that of Frank Druxerman, which took place in 1933. Some tombstones are rather ornate. The lettering on some has faded and is hard to read. Some have cracks in them, with grass coming up through the cracks. Most have English writing along with Hebrew and some with what looks like possibly Romanian lettering.
Nisl or Nathan Rabbinovich Zimmerman has a very ornate stone as well as a description attesting to his leadership roles in Jewish community life at the time. He passed away in 1898, aged 64. His wife, Hudel, who passed away in 1910, aged 77, is also buried there.
According to Ron and Audrey Zimmerman, Nathan – Ron’s great-grandfather, bought a passport in order for their family to come to Canada. The name on the passport was Zimmerman. Both surnames are on his tombstone. Nathan continued to use Zimmerman for his surname for the rest of his life. Today there is at least a sixth generation of the Zimmerman family.
Sadly, I spotted the tombstone of Samson, the 10-day-old son of H. Bronfman, who passed away on Jan. 4th, 1910. The renowned Bronfman family was on the prairies before most of the family moved east.
I also came across the tombstone of Sarah, the 19-year-old daughter of J. and D. Pierce who drowned (as printed on the stone) on June 22nd, 1894. There was another tombstone of someone else who drowned as well. The tombstone of Lena Abremovich caught my eye. It reads that she was the wife of Leon, and passed away aged 20 in 1893, along with their infant son.
I did find the stone of Sarah Fainstein, who was murdered in her sleep on August 28th, 1913 at 28 years of age. Sarah was the great-grandmother of Wayne Hoffman, who recently published a book titled “The End of Her,” which chronicles his quest to solve the mystery of why she was murdered. Wayne’s book was recently the subject of a long story in The Jewish Post & News (February 2, 2022 edition.).
I know that we found this visit to be both interesting and thought provoking. Life could not have been easy for the souls who are buried there. Professor Zutra was very helpful with translating the printing on many of the tombstones. As a Yiddish language scholar he was very moved to be standing at the grave of Nisl, both a poet and author in his own right.
Thanks also to Bill Croydon, who was very generous in sharing his knowledge of the history of the cemetery. Final discussions left us with unsure feelings. There is a red large Shindico sign in the field west of the cemetery. My friend Sonia Kaplan and I have both heard of a proposed retail and housing development in the area. Bill told us that he heard that the plan is to build around the cemetery. The thought of this makes me sad. I am pleased to note that in his August 2008 article, Matt Bellan mentions the existence of an undeveloped Shindico property in the area. I hope that those wheels are grinding slowly.
This brings to mind the closing lyrics of the song, “If I Were a Rich Man,” with which many of us are familiar from “Fiddler On The Roof.” The song, which is sung by Tevye, is based on the monologue, “If I Were a Rothschild,” written by Shalom Aleichem in 1902. The last two lines of the song ask the question, ‘Would it spoil some vast eternal plan if I were a wealthy man?’
I wonder whether it would spoil some vast eternal plan if those laid to rest so many years ago at the Children of Israel Cemetery could continue to rest there in peace for many years to come.
Uncategorized
Volatility, Hit Frequency, and RTP: Why the Number Casinos Advertise Is the Least Useful One
The return to player percentage looks clean as a casino data point. It gives players a neat number, usually around 94% to 97% for many online slots, and that number feels easy to compare. A 96.5% game appears better than a 95.2% game. The problem starts when players treat RTP as a forecast for their next 50 spins or one evening.
You may find the RTP listed on slot pages on a leading online casino in Ontario, but the number only tells part of the story. Two games can share the same RTP and create different sessions: one may return small wins often, while the other may drain a balance before one bonus round changes everything.
The RTP Trap
Return to player (RTP) measures the theoretical share of total wagers a game returns across a very large number of rounds. In plain terms, a 96% RTP slot returns about $96 for every $100 wagered in the long run. That does not mean one player who deposits $100 should expect $96 back.
The trap sits in the word “theoretical.” RTP comes from the game’s math model. It works across huge samples, not personal sessions. A player can finish far above that percentage, far below it, or with nothing left after a short run of poor results.
Is it useless then? No, RTP can still help. It gives a baseline cost of play. Lower-RTP games cost more on average than higher-RTP games. Still, once a game passes a reasonable threshold, the next question matters more: how does it distribute that return?
Hit Frequency: The Number That Shapes Session Feel
Hit frequency tells you how often a game produces a winning outcome. This often misleads players because any win can count. A spin that returns $0.10 on a $1 bet may still count as a hit, even though the player lost $0.90 in real terms.
A game can feel active because symbols connect often, sounds play, and the screen keeps celebrating small returns. The balance may still fall. In many modern slots, “win” does not always mean profit on the spin.
Hit frequency answers one practical question: how much silence can you tolerate? Some players dislike long dry spells. Others accept quieter sessions because they chase bonus rounds or larger payouts.
The educational site Get Gambling Facts gives a useful distinction: RTP concerns the percentage of money returned over time, while hit frequency concerns how often a machine stops on a winning combination.
Volatility: The Risk Label Players Need More Often
Volatility, also called variance, describes how unevenly a game pays. Low-volatility games tend to return smaller amounts more often. High-volatility games hold more value in rare events: bonus rounds, premium symbols, multipliers, or jackpots.
Here is where RTP becomes less useful on its own:
- A 96% low-volatility slot may give modest returns and longer play from the same balance.
- A 96% high-volatility slot may burn through funds quickly unless the player hits a strong feature.
- A progressive jackpot game may look exciting, but it often places more value on rare top prizes.
The same RTP can hide very different risk profiles. Players who ignore volatility often blame the casino or the game when the session follows its math design.
Why the Same RTP Can Feel So Different
Picture two slots with 96% RTP. Slot A pays small wins on many spins, has a modest top prize, and rarely creates dramatic balance swings. Slot B pays less often but offers a large max win and volatile bonus rounds. The advertised return matches, but the experience does not.
Slot A may suit a player who wants a slower bankroll drop and more regular feedback. Slot B suits someone who accepts sharper losses in exchange for a shot at a heavier payout.
A Better Way to Read a Slot Page
Most slot pages give players more clues than they notice. The trick is to read the details together rather than chase the highest percentage.
Start with RTP. If two games look similar, the higher number has better long-term value. Then check volatility. If the game uses terms such as high, very high, or extreme variance, lower your bet size or expect shorter sessions. Next, look at the paytable. A huge max win usually means the game saves a lot of its value for rare outcomes.
A sensible pre-play check looks like this:
- RTP: What is the average long-term return?
- Volatility: How rough can the session become?
- Hit frequency: How often will the game show any wins?
- Paytable: Where does most value sit?
To Conclude
Casinos advertise RTP because it looks objective, tidy, and easy to rank. Players should read it, but they should not give it more authority than it deserves. For long sessions, volatility may matter more than a small RTP difference. For comfort, hit frequency may explain the feel better than the payback rate.
Features
They Deserve the Very Best”: The Doctors Bringing Specialist Care to Holocaust Survivors at Home
Features
The Popularity of Simpler Slot Games in 2026: Review From Casino Online CrazyTower Experts
Online casinos now fill their libraries with numerous video slots that have dozens of functions, long bonus rounds, complex mechanics, and so on. Interestingly, despite this huge range of modern options, many Canadian visitors at sites like Casino Online CrazyTower here https://crazytower.com/ca/ no longer want complicated gameplay that requires constant attention and long explanations.
Simpler slots now attract a wider audience because they save time and create faster sessions. So, let’s figure out why this change happened and reasons for the popularity of simpler machines.
Why Many Players Are Returning to Basic Gameplay
Modern websites like Casino Online CrazyTower pushed complex video slots for years, but many people now prefer classic formats again. Simple gameplay has fewer interruptions and is simpler in terms of budgeting, which is important when you gamble for fun.
These are a few potential reasons explain why simpler slots became popular again in 2026:
- Faster rounds. Symbols appear quickly, and rounds continue without long animations or extended bonus sequences.
- Easier controls. Most classic slots have simple menus and familiar layouts that don’t confuse new visitors.
- Smaller feature lists. Simple slots usually have standard wilds, scatters, and multipliers instead of dozens of random mechanics.
- Better session flow. People spend more time on gameplay instead of reading explanations about symbols and special functions.
- Lower visual pressure. Simpler slots use calmer designs and shorter effects that don’t overload attention.
Classic gameplay also suits mobile devices better because shorter rounds work well on smaller screens. Plus, many visitors now prefer games that start instantly and explain their mechanics within seconds.
Features That Make Simpler Slots Appealing
Simple machines at Casino Online CrazyTower and similar websites continue to attract attention because they have a high gameplay speed. Many classic titles also replicate older casino machines that people already know from physical casinos.
However, these aren’t the only factors that attract gamblers. So, check out this list:
- Short bonus rounds. Free spins and multipliers finish quickly instead of interrupting gameplay for several minutes.
- Common and standard paylines. Traditional layouts help people understand payouts without long explanations.
- Faster loading times. Simpler graphics reduce waiting time on phones, tablets, and older computers.
- Stable gameplay pace. Long cutscenes and constant pop-up notifications don’t interrupt the session.
- Traditional themes. Fruit symbols, bars, sevens, and classic casino designs still attract large audiences.
- Smaller menus. Important information appears immediately without complicated tabs or hidden sections.
Modern video slots often contain too many mechanics in a single game. Developers now combine expanding reels, random modifiers, mission systems, tournaments, and multiple bonus levels in one title. Many visitors lose interest because gameplay turns repetitive and overloaded with constant interruptions.
Compare this to a session when you get results immediately and aren’t interrupted. These still have free spins and even mini risk games, but not as loaded as innovative titles.
Conclusion
Simple slots usually create better replay value because people understand the mechanics immediately. Common and standard gameplay doesn’t cause frustration and allows faster decisions during casino sessions.
Many classic slots also function better during short breaks because rounds finish quickly without long bonus interruptions. That’s why simpler slots became popular again at many casinos, including Casino Online CrazyTower and such.
