Features
Rooslana Zodek has built a successful business here after having come to Winnipeg from Israel six years ago
By BERNIE BELLAN It was in the summer of 2016 when I approached then Rady JCC Assistant Executive Director Tamar Barr with an idea: Why not start a “Jewish Business Network” where members of the community with different backgrounds but one common interest could meet on a regular basis? The idea was not new in itself; there had been various attempts previously to do the same sort of thing, including having a “Jewish Chamber of Commerce” as an adjunct to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, but nothing had really taken off.
I was aware that there were many newcomers in our community who were anxious to network – not only with other newcomers, but with longtime members of the community. Tamar – with the full support of then Rady JCC Executive Director Gayle Waxman, was fully supportive of the idea and the JBN launched in the summer of 2016, with the first meeting held outdoors in the Danzker Garden area of the Asper Campus.
For the first three years the JBN was a terrific success. With regular meetings and interesting guest speakers,with at times meetings attracting over 100 attendees, there were plenty of opportunities for newcomers to mix with older members of our community. Two of our guest speakers in those first two years, and who attracted quite large crowds in particular were well known businesspeople Brian Scharfstein and Sandy Shindelman.
Over time, however, the JBN came to be a forum for newcomers themselves to speak to the audience – and their audiences began to be made up largely of fellow newcomers. While that may have been worthwhile, I felt that the JBN was deviating from its original purpose, which was to have newcomers and longtime Winnipeggers mix.
Then came Covid – and the JBN was put on hiatus.
This past fall, however, under the direction of Sheldon Appelle, Rady JCC Manager of Marketing, Communications & Digital Content, the JBN was “back in business” so to speak. I didn’t manage to make it to that fall meeting, but on January 24 I did attend the most recent meeting of the JBN.
The guest speaker was Rooslana Zodek, who arrived in Winnipeg with her husband and two children in 2016. (Since then Rooslana has had another child, born in Winnipeg.)
Rooslana Zodek has quite an interesting background. Born in Ukraine, Roolsana and her husband lived in Ashdod for 26 years before emigrating here in 2016.
She said that she had worked as a financial adviser for Bank Leumi for many years – until she transitioned into a completely different field, which was the subject of her talk. Rooslana explained that she had acquired a Bachelor of Economics and Accounting Studies degree from something called the “Open University” in Israel.
After she made that remark, Rooslana asked the audience, which numbered about 60, how many had also studied in the Open University? Quite a few hands shot up. I admit I had never heard of the Open University, so once I got home, I did some research and found out that it’s an online university in Israel which was established in 1974. It offers quite an array of courses at both the Bachelors and Masters level with all courses taught in Hebrew, but several also offered in Russian and Arabic. Since opening almost 50 years ago, over 50,000 students have graduated from the Open University, with 47,000 students currently registered taking at least one course. Its flexibility is particularly popular among soldiers, who are able to enroll even while serving in the military.
Returning to Rooslana – the turning point in her life, she said, came in 2009 with the birth of her first child, Ethan. Rooslana suffered from postpartum depression, she explained.
“I knew I had to find different ways to help myself, but I didn’t know where to start,” she said.
The search for possible therapies eventually led Rooslana to discover a number of different holistic approaches that worked for her, including “aromatherapy, Reiki, and homeopathy – after trying many healing practices.”
(Ed. note: Although I am writing about the path Rooslana took I do not intend anything I write to be taken as an endorsement of any particular treatment.)
As Rooslana explained, “spirituality transformed my postpartum mental health and helped me through the recovery process.”
It was while researching aromatherapy that Rooslana said she discovered that by combining various “essential oils” in different combinations she was able to help, not only herself, but the other members of her family as well with various conditions. Eventually, as she went on to relate, it was through the study of aromatherapy that Rooslana was able to open her own business here: “scentifique.ca.”
During her talk Rooslana spent quite a bit of time describing the benefits of certain essential oils, but we won’t get into any of those descriptions here. (If you want to find out more about what Roolsana says aromatherapy can do for you, go to scentifique.ca.)
In 2014, Rooslana’s second child was born, a daughter, Neomi. Rooslana said that, thanks to the holistic treatments to which she now subscribed, she “knew what to expect this time (insofar as postpartum depression is concerned) and I was prepared.”
However, Neomi also suffered from a terrible case of eczema, Rooslana explained. By combining certain essential oils, Rooslana said she was able to relieve the eczema, but once she stopped applying them, “the condition came back.” That experience – along with her previous experience dealing with her depression convinced her to further her knowledge of aromatherapy.
Upon coming to Canada though, Rooslana first found work as a full-time financial advisor with RBC. All the while though she was advancing her study of aromatherapy, going so far as to go to Europe for further training.
“I went back to school (in England) to learn about aromatherapy, natural skincare formulation, and nutrition,” she explained. (European schools are much better for learning about skincare, Rooslana added.)
Subsequently, Rooslana switched to a part time position at RBC and, in 2019, registered her online business, Scentifique Holistic wellness boutique. One year ago she joined the Essential Balance Center on Grant Avenue and began working as one of the practitioners there.
It was at that point in her talk that Rooslana made a number of observations that have special relevance for newcomers to our community, including that “it is very easy to start a business in Canada as opposed to Israel.”
“I opened a business account,” she noted, and “it took me only an hour to register my business.”
“In the beginning I was making things only for my family,” she observed, but then friends began asking her to develop skincare products for them, “and those friends told other friends.”
“Most of my clients are word of mouth,” Rooslana said. She also does a fair number of workshops – where she is able to bring her kids along, not only to share their company, but also to help her set up. (You might have seen Rooslana at her booth during Yom Ha’atsmaut at the Campus, also during Folklorama.)
“If I have an event I try to take the kids with me,” she noted. “If I’m at a market I try to make them part of a family business. It makes them feel engaged.”
One other interesting observation Rooslana made is that “men are my most loyal customers.”
Still, working part-time at RBC, then spending a good deal of the rest of her time devoted to her business must be quite demanding, as one audience member asked Rooslana: “How do you combine everything in a day?”
“At times it’s tough,” Rooslana admitted. But she does set aside “Sunday as a family day,” she noted. “I try to spend time after work at the bank with the kids,” she added, seeing “clients only after 9 pm during the week.”
But, not only is Rooslana actively engaged in developing her business, she is also a regular volunteer – both for the Jewish community and the Ukrainian community – from where she came. She thanked the Jewish Federation and, in particular, Dalia Sz
piro, for helping her and her family in their move to Winnipeg over six years ago.
Moreover, along with several other members of our Jewish community who also came from Ukraine originally, Rooslana spends a fair bit of time providing assistance, by giving financial advice, to Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Winnipeg since the Russian invasion of their country almost one year ago.
Where she gets the energy to do all that she does is hard to understand, but Rooslana Zodek is an example of the kind of spirit that so many newcomers to Winnipeg have embodied over the years. So many of our own ancestors followed a similar path – by working from home to fashion a successful business. Rooslana – and so many other newcomers to our community display a kind of energy and drive that is inspiring to see.
Features
I Speak “Jew”
By MARK E. PAULL I grew up in Montreal. Born in 1956. Anglo by birth, sure. But that never quite fit. I don’t speak “Anglo” the way they mean it. My real language is Jew.
And I don’t mean Hebrew or Yiddish. I mean the language of reading the room before you enter it. The code-switching, shame-dodging, laugh-first-so-they-don’t-pounce dialect we pick up early. It’s a language built on side-eyes and timing and ten generations of tension.
I speak French—enough to make myself understood. Enough to charm a dinner table, crack a joke, get someone’s uncle to nod. I’m not fluent, but I’m fast. Doesn’t matter. In Quebec, language isn’t grammar—it’s inheritance. It’s who your grandfather cursed out in a hardware store.
To the Francophones, I’ll never be one of them. My accent betrays me before I say a word. I’m just an Anglo. And not even that, really. Because when the lens tightens, when they look closely, I’m just un Juif. Just a Jew.
And to the Anglos? Same thing. I can wear the suit, speak the Queen’s English, order the wine properly—still a Jew. Even in rooms where I “pass,” I don’t belong. I’m not invited in to be myself. I’m invited in to behave. To be safe. To not say the thing that makes the air stiff.
We’re the only people still called by our religion. No one says “Orthodox” for a Greek. No one says “Vatican” for an Italian. No one calls a Black man “Baptist” before they see his face. But “Jew”? That sticks. That’s the label. Before passport. Before language. Before hello.
I’ve mostly made peace with that. But there’s still this ache—knowing you can live your whole life in a place and never really be from there.
Let me tell you a story.
We had this block party once—the folding-table, paper-plate kind. Kids zipping by on scooters. Music low. Everyone asked to bring something from “your culture.”
The Greek guy brought lemon potatoes and lamb—felt like it came with a side of Byzantine history. The Italians brought two lasagnas—meat and veggie—with basil placed like confetti. The Vietnamese couple brought shrimp rolls that vanished before they hit the table. Even the German guy—built like a fridge—brought bratwurst and a six-pack with gothic lettering.
And then us.
My partner made Moroccan fish. Her grandmother’s recipe. Red with tomatoes, garlic, cumin. Studded with olives and preserved lemon. I brought a bottle of white wine. Dry. Crisp. From the Golan Heights. Not Manischewitz. Not even close.
We laid it out. Someone leaned over: “Moroccan? But I thought you were Jewish.”
We smiled. “We are.”
Then: “So… where’s the brisket? Isn’t Jewish wine supposed to be sweet?”
That’s when it hits you. No matter how long you’ve lived here, how many snowstorms you’ve shoveled through, you’re still explaining yourself. Still translating your presence.
Because they don’t know. They don’t know Jews came from everywhere. That “Jewish” isn’t one dish—it’s a whole map. That we had Jews in Morocco before there was even a France. That some of us grew up on kreplach, some on kefta. That some of our mothers sang in Yiddish, others in Arabic, and some in both—depending on who was knocking.
They don’t know. And worse—they don’t ask.
And that’s the part that gets you. Not the slurs. Not the graffiti. Not even the occasional muttered cliché. It’s the blankness. The shrug. The image they already have of you that’s built out of dreidels and sitcoms.
“Jewish” as nostalgic. As novelty. Something they saw once on a bagel.
Sometimes, when those questions come, I float. One version of me walks out. Another turns into a mouse. One turns into a Frisbee. Just gone. Not mad. Just tired.
Because being a Jew isn’t cute. It’s not nostalgic.
It’s ancient.
Before Montreal.
Before France.
Before Poland. Before Spain.
Before pogroms.
Before ghettos.
Before Hitler.
Before even the word Europe.
We were there.
Go back to the 5th century. 2nd century.
Go back to Jesus—our kid, by the way.
Go further—Babylon. Persia.
Keep going—Temple. Exile. Wandering.
And still, after all that, I’m at a table in Quebec explaining why our fish has cumin in it.
It’s almost funny. If it didn’t wear you down a little.
I’m not looking for pity. This isn’t a complaint.
I’m proud. I know what I carry. I walk into any room with five thousand years behind me. I come from people who kept the lights on through every kind of darkness—and laughed through it, too.
But sometimes, I just wish I didn’t have to explain so much.
All I want is to put down my dish…
…and hear someone say:
“That smells amazing. Tell me the story.”
That’s all.
Mark E. Paull, C.A.C. is a Certified ADHD Coach – IPHM, CMA, IIC&M, CPD Certified
Writer | Lived-Experience Advocate | Type 1 Diabetic since 1967
He has been published in:
The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Folklife Magazine, Times of Israel, CHADD’s Attention Magazine, The Good Men Project
Features
At 104, Besse Gurevich last original resident of Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence
By MYRON LOVE At 104, Besse Gurevich is the last of the original residents of Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence. She may also be the oldest member of our Jewish community.
Although her vision and her hearing have diminished considerably, her mind and memory are still intact. A few weeks back, this writer sat down with her in her suite as she recalled a life filled with highs and lows and her many contributions to her community, both in Winnipeg and Fort William before that.
The daughter of Jack and Rebecca Avit, her life’s journey began in 1921 in a home on Carlton Street near Ellice Avenue, near her father’s furniture store. He later operated a cap factory.
When she was ten, the family – she had two brothers and a sister – moved to Manitoba Avenue in the old North End. “My father had put a deposit down on a house on Scotia,” she recalls. “But my parents didn’t feel that the neighbourhood was Jewish enough.”
Her schooling included Peretz School and, like so many of her generation, St. John’s Tech (as it was known back then.) “I was actually supposed to be going to Isaac Newton for high school,” she says. We were living on the wrong side of the tracks for St. John’s. After one day at Isaac Newton, I found a way to transfer to St. John’s.”
In 1940, 19-year-old Bessie Avit married Jack Gurevich, a young man from Fort William. The wedding was marred though, by the sudden, untimely passing of her father.
Following the wedding, Besse moved with her new husband to Fort William where Jack Gurevich worked in retail clothing sales. “We lived in Fort William for 20 years,” she says. “Our three children (Judy, Richard and Howard) were born there.”
She recalls that there were about 200 Jewish families – including her sister and one of her brothers for some years – in town, during the time she lived there. “We were very well known in the community,” she recalls. “I was involved in everything.”
Her community activism continued after the family’s return to her home town. While Jack went to work as a salesman for Western Glove Works, Besse became an indefatigable community volunteer. At one time or another, she served as vice-president of ORT, Hadassah and National Council of Jewish Women in Winnipeg. She was also a long time B’nai Brith member.
In the business world, the highlight of her career was the building of Linden Woods. “I became involved in real estate development for a time,” she recalls. “I was hired by Genstar to develop Linden Woods. The company estimated that it would take about 20 years to complete. I got it done in two.”
She also taught hair dressing for a while. “I worked with many young Jewish brides,” she says.
Recent years have not been kind to Besse Gurevich. Her beloved husband, Jack, died in 2016 – after almost 65 years of marriage. Older son, Richard, passed away in Vancouver in 2018 and, most recently –six months ago – younger son, Howard, followed. She notes that there were 200 mourners at Howard’s funeral.
(Howard Gurevich was in marketing for many years before turning his talents to the art world. In recent years, he was best known for Gurevich Fine Art in the Exchange District and his support of local artists.)
Besse Gurevich celebrated her 100th birthday – which took place at the height of the Covid shutdown – quietly.
While she used to enjoy reading. she is unable to do so any more. She can still listen to television.
And while she has few family members to visit her any more, she does have a group of friends interesting enough from the local theatre scene. For many years, she was a close friend of the late Doreen Brownstone, one of the leading figures in theatre in Winnipeg for more than half a century. Besse became part of the group that would visit Doreen every week and, since Doreen passed on three years ago, the members of the group have continued to visit Besse on a weekly basis.
Features
Winnipeg author’s first novel gripping tale of romance, action and intrigue, set in 15th century Spain and Morocco
By MYRON LOVE “The Chronos of Andalucia”, a novel just released by first-time author Merom Toledano, is a historical romance set in late 15th century Spain and Morocco, filled with passion, action, intrigue, unexpected twists and turns – and, of course, with the requirement of any medieval story – a quest.
The easy-to-read, 190 page book follows the adventures of Catalina, a young woman living by her wits on the streets of Granada in the year 1487, (just after the Christian armies of Ferdinand and Isabella had recaptured all of Spain from the Moors) – while trying to evade the agents of the Inquisition, who had murdered her Jewish mother and Christian father 10 years earlier. She was left with an insatiable desire to learn about astronomy, along with a mysterious map and an astrolabe (an instrument formerly used to make astronomical measurements) – the importance of which will only be unveiled if she can get to the city of Tangier in Morocco.
Early on, there is a reference to Abraham Zacuto, a prominent Spanish rabbi famed for his knowledge of astronomy and astrology.
The action begins when she has a casual interaction with a former Spanish soldier, Diego. When the forces of the Inquisition approach, she flees with the soldier – who is also her love interest – and who helps her to escape. They turn for help to a childhood friend of Catalina’s – Roberta, a nun, who helps them on their perilous journey to Tangier – a journey that includes being captured by pirates, surviving a shipwreck, being separated for a long period of time and, of course, finding each other again and realizing the success of their joint quest.
In his writing, the author paints vivid word pictures of the different characters and beautifully invokes the colour, sights, sounds and scents of the time and the places.
What I found truly remarkable about the writing of “The Chronos of Andalucia” is that English is not Merom Toledano’s first language. The Israeli-born author – he grew up near Haifa – came to Winnipeg with his young family just eight years ago.
“I have had this book in mind for several years now,” says the satellite engineer whose working career takes him to many different parts of the world.
He notes that he has always felt a connection to Spain, Spanish music and literature – a reflection of his family’s modern origins in that country. His great-grandparents, he relates, lived in Toledo – hence the family name, Toledano. His parents lived in Meknes in Morocco while his father attended university in Tangier before making aliyah.
Toledano just published “The Chronos of Andalucia” in April on Amazon. He reports that the book – which is available here at McNally Robinson – has been selling well –close to 100 copies – with orders coming from a bookstore chain in England, a bookstore in Denmark, and one in Italy.
“I have had between 30 and 40 positive reviews so far,” he reports.
Toledano adds that he envisages “The Chronos of Andalucia” to be the first in a series – a la the writer Danielle Steele. He is already working on a sequel – which is hinted at the end of “The Chronos” and, he reports, he is establishing his own independent publishing operation.