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Former Massad staffer pursuing career in geological engineering

By MYRON LOVE It was a yen for new vistas that has led former Winnipegger Benji Saadia to choose to go to university at Queen’s College in Kingston and, come the fall, begin his career as a geological engineer in Italy.
“I was looking to do my university out of town from the point of view of an adventure,” says the Grey Academy grad and former Camp Massad staffer.
(Most recently, two years ago, he was Massad’s Operations Director – his second summer in the role – responsible for supervising the janitorial and landscaping staff.)
In seeking new horizons, he notes, the son of Dr. Roger and Vivien Saadia is emulating his father’s round-about route to Winnipeg. Roger was born in Lebanon and grew up in France and Switzerland. After completing his medical training, he moved to South Africa where he met Vivian. The family came to Winnipeg in 2000 when Benji was a toddler.
While Saadia reports that he investigated a number of universities, He chose Queens – and Kingston in eastern Ontario – because of Queen’s friendly atmosphere and the sense of Kingston as being a livable city where it is relatively easy to get around.
Saaia is an engineering student. He will graduate with a masters in science degree in Geological Engineering in September. He received his Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Geological Engineering in 2020.
“In first year, we were introduced to engineering in general,” he explains. “We were able to choose the area in which we wanted to specialize in second year.”
Two years ago, he had the opportunity to work as a graduate research assistant at the university’s Geodesy and Geophysics lab for the summer. Geodesy, he explains, involves measuring and understanding the earth’s shape, orientation in space and gravity. Geophysics is a more general way of exploring physical phenomena.
“We use geophysics, for example, to search for potential mineral deposits,’ he points out. “We might advise companies on the most economical methods – by using thermal heating technology to locate new mineral deposits.”
Among the highlights of Saadia’ university career was the opportunity to write software for academic purposes to simulate different sensors to determine which work best with different ground conditions.
“It is all about cost savings for companies researching mineral, oil and gas deposits,” he says.
The second high points of his university days for Saadia was being part of a team – which also included a student from New Zealand and a couple of industry advisers – that finished in the top six. The teams were given sets of data and tasked with locating potential ore bodies in the southern African country of Botswana.
Come the fall, after graduation, Saadia will be relocating to Milan to go to work for Tre Altamira. The company is a world leader in displacement monitoring services using satellite radar data. Tre Altamira uses inSAR technology which measures changes over large areas of the Earth due to earthquake, volcano or other causes.
‘Tre Altamira’s clients include mining,, oil and gas developers, as well as contractors would wide,” Saadia says. “The Milan office serves our clients in Europe.”
Saadia learned about the position from a fellow researcher he was working with in Queen’s Geodesy And Geophysics lab. “He had worked for Tre Altamira before. I applied and was accepted.”
In preparation for his big move, Saadia reports that he is learning Italian. “I am talking online with someone who speaks Italian,” he says. “I could get by with English in the office. But, in daily life, I will need to know some Italian.
“I am making progress.”
As it happens, Saadia notes that he enjoys learning new languages. He says that he is also learning French – his father’s first language.
“The hardest part of learning a new language for most people is having the confidence to speak it,” he observes.
Saadia notes that he hopes to be able to spend at least a year or two in his new position. “After that, we will see what happens,” he says.
Features
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Musings from Dizengoff Street – by Bruce Brown

(August 8, 2026)
Outside Basimta Café in Central Jerusalem. Love the red shirt against a tiny sea of black. Not sure I am shrugging because of the ultra-orthodox uproar over a Jerusalem café operating on Shabbat or the lack of an ultra-orthodox uproar over a Jerusalem café operating on Shabbat. For the last six weeks Israeli headlines shouted about the cafe chaos. With the ultra-religious blocking entrances and storming the café. While shouting ‘Shabbos! Shabbos!’ Upsetting the secular amongst us just wanting to enjoy our Saturday iced matchas. So the wife and I thought we would check it out. And. Yes. Buy something to support the business. Uproar. Not. Blocked entrances. Not. Storming the café. Not. Albeit there were police barriers separating the devout protesters from the coffee drinkers. The protesters being just a few dozen black clad, pious Jews. Mostly teenagers. And yes. Shouting ‘Shabbos! Shabbos!’ Certainly underwhelming in its reported mayhem. Reminds me of the famous saying misattributed to Mark Twain – “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do, you’re misinformed.” But I did enjoy my iced matcha.
(August 6, 2026)

Here we go again. Another round of forever negotiations. As someone who negotiates for a living. The way things are going in the straits. If I had to recommend a book on the subject to a new hire. Between The Art of the Deal, A Presidential Edition by Donald J. Trump or The Real Art of the Deal by the Mullahs of Iran with a special forward by the IRGC. Well. I would choose the latter.
(August 3)

Bravo Yoav Segalovitz, Liberal Yesh Atid MK and Monsour Abbas, United Arab Ra’am MK and party head. For breaking a glass ceiling where a Jewish lawmaker joins an Arab political party. No less a political earthquake in my little shtetl. Which can significantly impact coalition block arithmetic and posturing and strategy in the upcoming elections. Now Ra’am can be considered a legitimate ‘Zionist’ partner when forming coalition blocks and potentially pushing the ‘center left/right’ party over the 60 seat majority threshold. In our crazy parliamentary democracy defined by a multi-party (about fourteen!!), proportional representation system. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Israel’s proportional representation model of governance is the best parliamentary democracy system except for all other forms of working democracies. Stay tuned for more amateurish political musings as we move towards Israel’s 26th national election – five of them held since 2019.
(August 1)

Although both sides say they are open to diplomacy. Neither really trusts the other. And American military action, or its threat, continues. I read headlines in the middle of the night -it’s a nervous habit lately– that the Dynamic Duo of Trump and Netanyahu may again strike in unison. Possibly this weekend. Yikes! Prompting me, at 2:30 AM, to dash around the house stocking my safe room. Bottled water. Canned food. Medicines. Documents. The beat goes on….
If it’s crazy here. It’s insane in Italy. With a recent online ‘Jew Hunt’ in the Milan area. Before being removed, the digital forms urged reportings of Israelis and Italian Jews staying in local hotels. The infamous Global Sumud Movement -yes, the one coordinating ‘peace and humanitarian’ flotillas to Gaza- was somehow connected. Although they deny involvement?! This deranged decree was looking to identify Zionist tourism and Zionist neo-colonization in Italy. I’ll stick with stocking the saferoom.
Then there’s New York Mayor Mamdani, a Global Sumud Movement supporter, threatening to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu if he comes to New York. But since discovered he has no legal right for such a grandstanding, antisemitic, anti-Israel, anti-Western, anti-democratic antic. Maybe Mandami should be arrested! Or at least impeached. For being a grandstanding, antisemitic, anti-Israel, anti-Western, anti-democratic mayor.
Here’s a post Bruce sent us Friday, July 31:
WARTIME MUSINGS
Should credible threats against FLOTUS and ‘FSOTUS’ (first son..) not be justification to attack first.
As for yesterday’s summit. Netanyahu really can’t win. Explainer. If Trump now attacks without victory its ’cause of Netanyahu. If Trump now attacks with victory its ’cause of Trump. And, in Israel, if Trump doesn’t attack -victory or not- Netanyahu failed in his eighth meeting with Trump. And if Trump does attack -victory or not- half the country will vilify Bibi anyway. Missing a permutation?
Ya. I know. Kinda’ need a definition of victory for that musing to work.
And here in my little shtetle. We go to sleep unsure if there will be a code red in the middle of the night. And if not. We wake up thinking it will be tonight. How do you define stress?

Seemed like an appropriate way to end this musing.
Bruce Brown is a former Winnipegger who made aliyah to Israel over 35 years ago. Bruce first began writing for us – in his own inimitable style, in 2012, during what was known as “Operation Pillar of Defense.” His occasional musings on aspects of life in Israel that were far from what you’d typically read in other reports from Israel were hugely popular – both in the print Jewish Post & News and on this website.
We’re now glad to report that Bruce is back writing for us – this time on a regular basis. We will post Bruce’s reports as they arrive – with the date of each post at the beginning of that post.
Here’s some information about Bruce – and awards he’s received for his writing:
Bruce Brown. Canadian born. Now living in Israel (for a long time). Bruce works in Israel’s hi-tech sector by day and, in spurts, is a somewhat inspired writer by night. He received the American Jewish Press Association’s award for writing excellence in 2019 and 2025. And wrote the 1998 satire, “An Israeli is….” Bruce’s musings are political, social, economic and personal. With lots of biting, contrarian, sardonic and irreverent insight.
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K-tip placement at Sets on Corydon

