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Tafsik: Canadian organization created in wake of October 7 has played leading role in combating anti-Israel hatred

By BERNIE BELLAN It was prior to an event featuring Col. John Spencer speaking here on September 11 that we first became of something called “Tafsik.” We had received an email from whatever Tafsik was, inviting us to attend the Spencer event, but there was absolutely no information contained within that email explaining what Tafsik was.
Then, at the actual event, there was the logo for Tafsik emblazoned on a screen overlooking the stage at the Berney Theatre where Spencer spoke. Granted, there were logos for other organizations as well, but the Tafsik logo was larger than any of the others.
We were intrigued by the notion that an organization about which we knew nothing had been involved in bringing a notable expert on urban warfare to our city – and who has established a fierce reputation as a defender of the Israel Defence Forces, so we contacted Adam Levy, Publlc Relations and Communications Director for the Jewish Federation, to ask him whether he knew anything about Tafsik?
Adam said he didn’t and referred us to the organization’s website.

When we sent an email to Tafsik directly, asking who was behind them and what they were all about, we received a rather generic reply containing information that was already available on its website, but which left us even more intrigued as to who was behind it:
“Tafsik organization emerged resolutely from the tragedy of October 7th, dedicated to combating Jew Hatred in Canada and beyond. By forging alliances with diverse communities—including Iranian, Indian, Christian, Yazidi, Venezuelan, and many other groups—Tafsik is uniting voices against Jew hatred on a global scale. The organization hosts significant events featuring prominent figures such as Douglas Murray, Gad Saad, Hillel Fuld, and Colonel John Spencer, to illuminate the challenges faced by Israel and the Jewish community worldwide. Additionally, Tafsik is leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to combat Jew Hate more effectively. As one of the fastest-growing grassroots organizations in Canada, Tafsik is committed to fostering understanding and solidarity in the fight against hatred.”

Prof. Shai Davidai

Then, on September 30, we received yet another email from Tafsik, this time advertising the upcoming appearance in Winnipeg (on October 22) of well-known Columbia professor Shai Davidai.
If you don’t know who Shai Davidai is, he came to prominence soon after October 7 last year when Columbia University in New York City became a hotbed of antisemitism, where Jewish students and professors alike were being intimidated into silence – and fear for their physical safety, by fiercely antisemitic mobs that were being allowed to run rampant on that university’s campus.
A Youtube video appeared of Davidai speaking to Jewish students at Columbia, in which he spoke quite emotionally about how “unsafe” he felt at Columbia – and it quickly went viral. (You can watch that video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPVe2CsBqmM or simply by entering “Shai Davidai” in the Youtube search bar.)

So – two well-known speakers – John Spencer and Shai Davidai, both sponsored by an organization called Tafsik – about which we still knew very little. We were determined to find out who was behind Tafsik. We sent yet another email to the organization, but this time we were rewarded with a very expansive reply – this time from the organization’s founder directly, someone by the name of Amir Epstein.
Here is what Epstein wrote to us, in response to our suggestion that the original email we had received from Tafsik explaining what the organization wall all about was rather generic in its content:

Amir Epstein

“I apologize for the ‘generic’ explanation as to what Tafsik Organization is all about and our accomplishments.  I hope my overview below satisfies any curiosity and questions you may have. I’m always happy to answer any specific questions I didn’t touch on.

“I cofounded Tafsik Organization after October 7th in response to the complicity I witnessed in the communities I have dedicated my life to defending. Suddenly, our community found itself isolated. I recognized that the rise of antisemitism in Canada had eroded our institutions, such as our universities, school boards, unions, media, and politics, all leading to a troubling apathy toward the horrific attacks on our people in Israel.

“As a law graduate who briefly worked in criminal law and previously owned a successful tech company in the food and beverage industry, I felt compelled to take action. I realized our community faced a serious existential threat. I approached my tech colleague, Bryan Lipovetsky, who had built my companies framework and website, and together we launched Tafsik Organization. Initially, we acted quickly, driven by a desperate need to help, although we were still defining our purpose and how best to combat the overwhelming hate directed at Canadian Jews.

“Our focus became twofold: building alliances and leveraging technology to combat antisemitism. In February, we launched TECAH (The Emergency Coalition Against Hate) alongside the remarkable Douglas Murray in Toronto, quickly becoming Canada’s fastest-growing grassroots ally-building organization. We have formed strong connections with the Indian and Iranian communities, commemorating significant events such as the anniversary of the Air India bombing, the murder of Mahsa Amini, and the genocide in Bangladesh. We have also engaged with various communities, including Venezuelan, Afghan, Arab, Chinese, and Black communities, and are working closely with Sheikh Mirza Ismail on reunifying Yazidi families still in refugee camps in northern Iraq with their relatives in Canada.

“Additionally, we have built meaningful relationships with leaders in politics, including some of the top politicians in our country. We understand the critical role their government positions play in protecting our community.

“We have hosted numerous sold-out events featuring prominent speakers like Douglas Murray, Gad Saad, Hillel Fuld, and Colonel John Spencer, with an upcoming event featuring Shai Davidai. These events aim to present the truth to diverse communities within our city.

“On the technology front, we are actively seeking funding to develop AI software capable of identifying individuals and accounts online that glorify terrorism. This technology will assess account histories, such as comments, likes, and posts, to evaluate potential radicalization and threats. Our goal is not commercialization but to provide law enforcement with tools to prevent real danger and violence against our community and others.

“In response to the overwhelming amount of antisemitic graffiti in Toronto, we are developing a new app called ‘Graffiti Watch’ that will map instances of hate speech in public spaces, empowering our community to take action against it.  Graffiti Watch will be free to download.

“While our primary focus is on ally building and technology initiatives, we occasionally respond to urgent needs outside these pillars. For instance, this past June, we received a request via WhatsApp to help children from Kibbutz Kfar Szold, who were under missile attack from Hezbollah. When a major organization in Toronto declined to support this initiative, we launched a GoFundMe campaign and successfully raised more than we needed. As a result, we flew 15 children to Canada, where they attended Camp Northland and enjoyed a week of fun activities, including visits to Canada’s Wonderland, Niagara Falls, Ripley’s Aquarium, and a shopping spree.  We also organizers a big dance party for the children, fostering new friendships with children from our community.  Again, all free of charge.  We are not a business.  We are a non profit, and soon to be charity.  Everything we have done has been self funded by me and a little money from donations, with exception to the Israeli kids who we brought with donations.

“This past year has been incredibly successful, exceeding our expectations. We now have just under 10,000 subscribers on our mailing list and a growing social media presence, including followers like Douglas Murray, Aviva Klompas, The Imam of Peace, Eylon Levy, and Colonel John Spencer to name just a few. These leaders recognize us as a driving force in Canada, dedicated to protecting our community and helping those in need.

“I hope this clarifies who we are as an organization and what we aspire to do.”

We thanked Amir Epstein for his quite expansive explanation, not only about how Tafsik came about, but who he is. We asked whether he’d be willing to send us a photo of himself and he readily agreed.
By the way, we’re not sure if there are still tickets available for Shai Davidai’s appearance here on October 22, but if you’re interested in attending you could try this link: www.tafsik.com/shai-winnipeg

Features

I Speak “Jew”

Morrocan Jewish fish dish

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

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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.  

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Features

Winnipeg author’s first novel gripping tale of romance, action and intrigue, set in 15th century Spain and Morocco

“The Chronos of Andalucia” author Merom Toledano

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.        

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