Features
“The Real Zalman” – Life of the man who was undoubtedly the most controversial rabbi ever to live in Winnipeg examined in new book
Reviewed by BERNIE BELLAN On December 12, 2016 the Jewish Heritage Centre hosted an evening at the Asper Campus that was billed as “Rabbi Zalman Schachter and the Winnipeg origins of the Jewish Renewal Movement”.
I wrote about that meeting for this paper and my article about it can be found here: https://jewishpostandnews.ca/features/the-late-rabbi-zalman-schachters-time-in-winnipeg-recalled-at-lively-evening-hosted-by-jewish-heritage-centre/
During the course of that winter evening, various speakers, including his protegé, Rabbi Alan Green, spoke of the great impact Rabbi Schachter had on their lives. Yet, there was also a dissonant note, as several members in the audience were more disparaging in their recollections of Rabbi Schachter.
One theme that was raised throughout that evening, however, was the dearth of written information about Rabbi Schachter’s relatively lengthy stay in Winnipeg (from 1956-1975). I say “lengthy” because, after reading a just-published book about Rabbi Schachter, titled “The Real Zalman,” by Rabbi Chaim Dalfin, looking at the timeline that Rabbi Dalfin produced about Rabbi Schachter’s life makes you realize just how peripatetic he was.
But it’s not all the moves in Rabbi Schachter’s life that make him such a fascinating figure. No, it was his combination of scholarship, charisma – and undoubtedly controversy, that arguably make him the most fascinating rabbi ever to have set foot in this city.
However Rabbi Dalfin hasn’t written a typical biography. Certainly there is a great deal of information about Rabbi Schachter’s life, given in chronological order through the first five chapters of the book. But the final – and lengthiest chapter, deals with an interview that Rabbi Schachter (who by then had added the name “Shalomi” to his surname) gave to Rabbi Dalfin in his Boulder, Colorado home, in 2010, four years before Rabbi Schachter’s death.
You don’t have to be at all conversant with Chasidic Judaism, of which Rabbi Schachter was a follower for most of his life, until he broke away from the Lubavitcher movement in 1968 to found what became the “Jewish Renewal Movement,” in order to find this book quite interesting.
Here’s what Prof. Jonathan Sarna, Professor of Jewish History at Brandeis University, has to say about “The Real Zalman”: “A valuable contribution to the biography and understanding of “Reb Zalman”: founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement, disciple of Chabad-Lubavitch, and a controversial and pioneering rabbinic leader. Wonderful primary sources, including photographs, newspaper articles, and revealing interviews with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi makes this a volume that anyone interested in post-war-American Judaism will want to consult.”
Who is Rabbi Chaim Dalfin? After speaking with him several times, I was impressed by how little bias he showed in talking about Rabbi Schachter, either pro or con, and how engaging he was. According to information provided by Rabbi Dalfin, he “has authored over 90 books, is a Chasidic Historian and Ethnographer. He also lectures on psychology and Judaism based on his book, ‘Tanya on Mental Health.’ His books have been endorsed by academic scholars and professors. He lives with his family in New York.”
Rabbi Dalfin’s interest – and it comes through clearly in the book, was to delve into the complex character of an individual who was very hard to pin down, without passing judgment about him to any great extent. (Rabbi Dalfin does explain though why the Lubavitcher movement finally tired of Rabbi Schachter, offering a clear explanation how what Schachter did deviated so thoroughly from Lubavitcher teachings.)
Of all the many aspects of Rabbi Schachter’s life, certainly the most controversial ones have to do with what was not only his open drug use (certainly his experimentation with LSD, taken together with the leading advocate for LSD, Timothy Leary, still comes as a shock to many who don’t tend to think of rabbis advocating using LSD), also his several marriages (four altogether), made him an easy target for criticism.
But Rabbi Dalfin is quite open-minded when it comes to trying to understand what might have motivated Rabbi Schachter to chart such an atypical path for someone who, after all, had been raised devoutly orthodox within the Lubavitcher community. The book offers both criticisms, as voiced by others, of Rabbi Schachter’s often erratic behavior, yet it also offers explanations for those same behaviors.
Winnipeggers especially might find the excerpts that deal with Rabbi Schachter’s 19 year sojourn here especially interesting.
There are many anecdotes, as told to Rabbi Dalfin through the course of the numerous interviews he conducted with a very large number of people who had got to know Rabbi Schachter here. Here, for instance, is an anecdote as told to Rabbi Dalfin by Joe Wilder, who was referred to as “Yossele Wilder” by Rabbi Schachter:
“In 1956, Yossele Wilder was the president of the Hillel House in Winnipeg. He greeted Zalman when he arrived the first time to check out the Hillel House. (Ed. Note: Rabbi Schachter’s first position when he moved to Winnipeg was director of Hillel.)
“After spending a half hour showing Zalman everything in the building, he noticed Zalman wearing a ring. It seemed strange because Zalman looked like a Chassidic rabbi, with his full beard. Wilder knew that Chassidic rabbis did not wear rings, especially not in 1956, so he asked him about it, and Zalman told him it was a Masonic ring.
“Yossele asked Zalman whether he was a Mason, and Zalman said yes. Yossele was most shocked, because, as far as he knew, the tenets of Masonry contradicted Torah. However, he did not press the issue.”
And neither does Rabbi Dalfin in the book. What he does instead, for the most part, is offer what other people had to say about Rabbi Schachter, often quoting newspaper articles that were written about him over the years.
Rabbi Schachter was also a follower of the late, esteemed head of the Lubavitcher movement for many years, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Despite the controversy associated with Rabbi Schachter throughout his adult life – and even somewhat before he became an adult, it seems, Rabbi Schneerson seemed to adopt a very patient stance when it came to tolerating Rabbi Schachter’s often shocking behavior. But, as Rabbi Dalfin notes, it might have been a bit much for Rabbi Schachter to claim, as he did, that he had Rabbi Schneeron’s blessing to take LSD.
Given how animated that December 2016 evening was when the subject of Rabbi Schachter was put out for discussion among a Winnipeg audience, one would think that a reprise of that evening would be in order, but this time there would be a book that could serve as the basis for discussion. (As my 2016 article noted, the only available accounts of Rabbi Schachters’ time in Winnipeg – to that point, were oral interviews given by 28 Winnipeggers that now reside in a collection at the University of Colorado in Boulder.)
“The Real Zalman” does much to complete the missing gaps in what we have known about a fascinating figure.
The Real Zalman
Published by JEP
May 2023
180 pages
(including 163 footnotes, 65 pictures, articles, timeline, bibliography & appendices)
“The Real Zalman” can be ordered directly from Rabbi Dalfin on his website, www.rabbidalfin.com or emailing him at info@rabbidalfin.com. For speaking engagements in your community email him.
Features
With Gaza War Ending, Where Does Jordan Stand?
By HENRY SREBRNIK Today’s “two-state solution” for the pre-1948 Palestine Mandate governed by the United Kingdom is an offshoot of the older idea of partition: the division of the land into Jewish and Arab countries. Transjordan, as it was then called, had been cut from the original Mandate in 1921 and became, first, a separate British mandate under an emir, and in 1946, as Britain was on the verge of leaving Palestine, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It was always a fragile creation, yet it has lasted to this day, often defying predictions of its imminent demise by friends and foes alike.
Some analysts are currently floating another old idea. Given the basic instability and unsustainability of any Palestinian state in the West Bank (with or without Gaza), a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation comprising the Hashemite Kingdom and the West Bank might, in their eyes, be a better idea.
They view a Jordanian security presence in the West Bank as reliable, more so, certainly, than a Palestinian one. The late King Hussein proposed such a confederation in 1972: a united kingdom consisting of two districts, with full West Bank autonomy except for Jordan’s control of military and security matters and foreign affairs. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter raised it with Prime Minister Menachem Begin; at various times, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger espoused the idea.
Indeed, Hussein and PLO president Yasir Arafat agreed to such a confederation in 1985. The king defended this as a “a matter of shared history, experience, culture, economy, and social structure.” Jordan is Arab and Muslim, and already a majority of Jordanian citizens are themselves Palestinian in origin. He believed that the Palestinians would be better served by linking their destiny with Jordan, “a sovereign state which enjoys credible international standing.”
Yet only three years later Jordan renounced the plan, and following the 1993 Oslo Accords, which created a PLO entity in the West Bank, that idea has faded away. Yet it still has some currency, with Palestinian support at times fairly robust. Many Israelis maintain that it would be desirable if the Palestinians became citizens of existing Arab states, Jordan in particular.
But why would Jordan acquiesce to this today? It is true that Jordan controlled the West Bank between 1948 and 1967. But Palestinian national identity back was not as pronounced as it is today. The current extreme forms of nationalism and Islamism don’t fit a traditional hereditary monarchy. Conservatives in Jordan fear that Jordan’s already large Palestinian population would come to dominate domestic affairs.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Palestinian armed factions seriously endangered the Jordanian regime, culminating in the Black September civil war between 1970–1971, and for that reason Palestinian political influence is still suppressed in today’s Jordan.
Nor might this really benefit Israel. What if in such a confederation a resurgent Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or other terrorist group succeeded at overthrowing the Hashemites? The consequences would be far graver than if the same thing happened in a fully independent, PLO-led Palestinian state on the 1949 armistice lines.
The kingdom is also one of the world’s largest recipients of U.S. economic and military assistance, with one of the best-trained armies in the Middle East and advanced American weaponry. If this arsenal were to fall into the hands of Islamists, Jordan would be far more dangerous than a would-be Palestinian state.
Shortly after the Gaza war started, the kingdom saw massive demonstrations against Israel, spurred by the resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood, who support Hamas and leveraged the public outcry over Israel’s military operations, with aid from Iran, which has stepped up its efforts to destabilize the kingdom by reactivating Islamist groups within the country. Protests organized by the group have been dominated by Hamas flags and pro-Hamas slogans.
The group’s political arm, the Islamic Action Front, is the largest opposition group in Jordan’s parliament since its gains in last year’s parliamentary election, the first following a series of reforms introduced by King Abdullah II aimed at promoting greater democratization.
Jordan’s security services on April 15 arrested 16 people suspected of plotting attacks inside the country involving rockets and drones. The hand of Iran was suspected. Jordan accused the Muslim Brotherhood of planning the attacks and introduced a blanket ban against the group April 23.
The relationship between Israel and Jordan has had its ups and downs, though since a 1994 treaty they are formally at peace. The second intifada, 2000-2005, and Israel’s 2008-2009 military operation in Gaza, were challenging periods. In 2017, an Israeli security guard at the Israeli embassy in Amman killed an assailant and an innocent Jordanian national, shuttering the embassy for six months. The Gaza war has, naturally, put increased strain between the two nations, and in the last several years, it’s been mainly a peace upheld by security coordination.
King Abdullah has of late been particularly critical of Israel. The king joined 56 other countries at the September 15 joint meeting of the Arab League and Organization of Islamic States, following Israel’s September 9 attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, in calling for tougher measures against the Jewish state. He also contended that the attack was “proof that the Israeli threat has no limits,” and advocated for a “clear, decisive, and deterrent” response. He urged a “review all our tools of joint action to confront the threat of this extremist Israeli government.”
During his September 23 speech before the UN General Assembly, King Abdullah again centred his remarks on Israel. He criticized Israel for attacking Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, though all three have had Iranian proxies that posed direct threats to Jordan. He accused Israel of complicity in the desecration of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He even stated that Israel was a threat to the Al Aqsa Mosque. (Jordan maintains administrative control of the Temple Mount because Israel granted that in 1967 following the Six Day War. But in return, no other religion other than Islam is permitted to pray anywhere on the of the Temple Mount.)
On November 1, 2023, Jordan pulled its ambassador from Tel Aviv. Amman also encouraged the European Union and the United Nations to sanction and embargo arms transfers to Israel. The Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, which crosses the Jordan River, was shut on September 19, after two Israelis were murdered at the crossing by a Jordanian truck driver. It was the second incident of its kind in a year, following the killing of three Israelis in September 2024. The bridge reopened four days later.
Israel and Jordan share a critical and lengthy border, secured by the peace agreement. The boundary is 482 kilometres long and stretches from the Golan Heights through the West Bank and the Dead Sea to its terminus at the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan also provides Israel with strategic depth and early warning vis-à-vis Iran. In April and October 2024, as well as during the June 15-23 twelve-day war, bilateral defense cooperation was critical to helping to counter Iranian missile and drone attacks against Israel. A weakened Jordan would place Israel in a far more dire situation.
Henry Srebrnik is a professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Features
Green Remodeling Gains Momentum in the Wenatchee Valley
Homes in Wenatchee Valley face intense seasonal shifts. These drastic changes cause temperature fluctuations with a direct financial impact. Summer sun drives cooling needs through the roof. Winter cold demands constant heating. These translate to high energy bills. On top of that, it harms the environment.
Green remodeling is a powerful response. It blends innovative techniques with sustainable practices. Home upgrades now extend beyond mere aesthetics. It also considers environmental impact. It reflects an eco-conscious movement prioritizing the greater good. What are the driving forces behind these changes?
The Drivers Behind the Trend
Green remodeling is gaining popularity around the valley for practical reasons. But there’s a deeper motivation that goes beyond money talks. More residents are now thoughtful about how their choices affect the planet.
Soaring Energy Bills
The cost of electricity in Washington state is rising. Authorities have been pushing for clean energy. Despite this, the demand from data centers is growing. The residential electricity’s average retail price increased from 12.4 cents in May 2024 to 13.67 cents in May 2025. This is a 12.6% difference, higher than the 6.5% national average. It’s expected that there will be a 3 to 4% increase by June 2026.
The One Big Beautiful Bill is also contributing to the increase. Residents are at risk of losing clean energy credits. Those who installed solar panels and heat pumps were eligible for a 30% tax credit. But that is about to end. It threatens the residential clean energy market. This can force homeowners to look for other ways to cut costs, and that includes green remodeling beyond clean energy use.
Threat of Climate Change
Wenatchee Valley, like other parts of Washington, is experiencing the impact of climate change. From rising sea levels to dangerous heat indexes, several problems confront residents. It also hurts snowpacks and streamflows, calling for more thoughtful approaches to remodeling to conserve water and other resources.
Competitive Housing Market
The real estate market in the Wenatchee Valley faces intense competition. In July 2025, 48.5% of the houses sold were under the stated list price. That puts pressure on sellers to meet the demands of buyers without losing profits. To keep the numbers up, homeowners consider investing in significant green upgrades that can elevate property values.
Accessibility of Green Technologies
Modern materials are removing barriers that once limited green remodeling. The market is filled with options for low-VOC paint and high-performance insulation. You can easily find affordable recycled wood and bamboo. Pre-fabricated and sustainable components are widely available. That makes it easy to incorporate sustainability in every stage of the remodel.
Skilled services from experienced contractors are also accessible. You can easily find a quality custom cabinetry provider if you’re looking for one. These professionals tailor their products to your exact specifications. They use environment-friendly materials that can withstand the test of time, eliminating the need for frequent replacements.
What Green Remodeling Looks Like
Green remodeling requires visible updates with real impact. It’s more than just a concept or a trend. Rather, it’s a principle that governs home improvements.
Selecting the Right Materials
What you build with is an essential consideration. Conscious material selection goes beyond costs. Prioritize sustainable resources. Durability is a crucial factor. Some materials are cheap, but they tend to break easily. That means it won’t take long before they must be replaced. Reduce waste over the lifetime of your home.
Intelligent Layout and Design
The best materials are useless if you do not pay attention to how they are designed or laid out in a room. Space and energy flow are heavy influences. Open floor plans invite natural light and passive ventilation. Position windows to capture southern light. This helps keep your home warm in the winter. Strategic placement of trees in your yard provides cooling in the summer. Let the design work with the local climate, not against it.
A Localized Supply Chain
Where materials come from also matters. Local is your best bet. Search the Wenatchee Valley for potential suppliers. The closer they are to home, the better. This means you’re cutting carbon emissions. Doing so also supports the local economy. A local focus builds a smaller and more resilient supply chain.
Efficient Energy Systems
Advanced systems work in the background to slash energy consumption. High-efficiency heat pumps use up to 61% less energy compared to their traditional counterparts. Smart thermostats learn from daily routines to optimize temperature regulation. Solar panels harness abundant sunshine. Incorporating these upgrades into a home remodel yields significant long-term benefits.
Effective Water Management
Water conservation requires more than the installation of low-flow showerheads or faucets. It involves a holistic approach to water use. Greywater systems recycle water from showers to irrigate drought-tolerant landscaping. Rainwater harvesting collects run-off for garden use. These alternatives treat water as a precious regional resource.
Overcoming Barriers and Risks
The idea of a green remodel is exciting. It’s also overwhelming. Homeowners may worry about the expenses and expertise necessary for successfully pulling off a project.
Navigating Upfront Costs
Financial resources are the first hurdle to address. Yes, green remodeling can be expensive. It requires investing in advanced technologies and durable materials. A change in perspective is necessary. Think long-term. Consider the energy savings that you can enjoy over the years.
Finding the Right Experts
Green remodeling isn’t one job to complete yourself. You need people with knowledge and skills. That translates to additional cost, but this is another investment that pays off. Practice due diligence in evaluating suppliers and contractors.
Regulatory Obstacles
Rules and regulations in the Wenatchee Valley are ever-changing. Look for the latest information that governs home remodeling. Some works may require permits and licenses. There are potential limits on what can be done.
Complex Maintenance
Some green home upgrades may be demanding in terms of long-term maintenance. Choose components from reputable suppliers that offer reliable support. Ask for warranties and upgrade paths.
Final Thoughts
Climate change effects are apparent. They manifest in extreme temperature changes and rising energy costs. Competition in the housing market also intensifies. That makes it more important for homes to stand out. One that can help is green remodeling, and it’s currently gaining momentum. Homeowners are welcoming ways to upgrade their residences in a way that benefits them and the environment.
Features
Shayla Mindell: long-gone from Winnipeg, yet still feeling a strong connection to this city
By GERRY POSNER Recently a group of ex-Winnipeggers came together – in Montreal this time, in the form of a reunion of four women – long time pals originally from Winnipeg, now all living elsewhere. They were: the former Marcia Billinkoff Schnoor, now of Toronto; Shayla Mindell, now of Ottawa; Toby Morantz, now of Montreal; and Ruth Bellan Cooperstock, formerly of Victoria, and now of Montreal. I heard about this particular reunion from Marcia. Since it had been a long time since I’d been in touch with Shayla Mindell, recently I decided to contact her. The story on the reunion of the four women will be the subject of a different story at another time.
For those readers who go back a distance in Winnipeg, they will know the Mindell name from Shayla’s parents, Joe and Rose Mindell of blessed memory. Some might even recall the maternal grandparents as in Sam and Faiga Malamed, long time Winnipeg residents. There were several stories on Sam Malamed and they all are contained in the Jewish Post newspaper archives located at the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada – available to anyone who wants to read them. Or you could just enter the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba ’s Endowment’s Book of Life and there you will find compelling accounts of members of the Malamed Mindell Mishpachah. Shayla Mindell is a granddaughter of the Malameds.
Shayla is a product of the north end of Winnipeg, having grown up at 530 Enniskillen Avenue in West Kildonan. She is also a sister to Sheldon Mindell, a name familiar to many Winnipeggers (for his longtime work in raising funds for such organizations as the Jewish Foundation and Riverview Health Centre, also his involvement in owning Rumors Comedy Club).
Shayla attended Edmund Partridge School and later West Kildonan Collegiate. Not long after her graduation from high school, Shayla set foot on the University of Manitoba grounds and it was there that she obtained her B.A. in 1963.
Shayla went on to get a degree in Library Science in 1964 from the University of British Columbia. After her marriage to Mark Doctoroff, also a former Winnipegger, she did a lot of travelling – owing to Mark’s studies and later, his work with the Canadian government – in the USA, Brazil and then, in Australia. From 1972 to 1980, during a time when she was back living in Canada, Shayla worked part time at the Algonquin College Library in Ottawa, where she was employed for eight years. Along the way, that is, during her stay in Australia, her children, both daughters, Fern and Jill Doctoroff, were born. In 1980, she and Mark separated.
Shayla had a long and rewarding career with the federal government as the head of a library and records management department in Ottawa. It was in 2003 that she retired and she now spends her time taking courses of various kinds, studying Spanish, volunteering ( wonder where that gene came from – hello Sam Malamed) and savouring her time with her two grandchildren, Hailey and Oliver, now 16, who live in Ottawa nearby. In short, she is busier in retirement than she was even when she worked full time.
Now, what Shayla did recently was to get her family to join her in Winnipeg for her brother Sheldon and his wife Tannis Mindell’s 50th wedding anniversary. In doing that, she went, as they say, ”the whole nine yards.” Aside from taking everyone around to see the sights of Winnipeg – via a guided tour, she also included a visit to the cemetery to see the graves of her grandparents, Sam and Faiga Malamed; her parents, Joe and Rose Mindell; and her aunt and uncle, Lily and Max Leibl. The grandkids were exposed to some serious Winnipeg Jewish history. They even placed stones on the graves of their great-great grandparents.
Lastly, she took the group to her former residence on Enniskillen. (Doesn’t everyone want to do this? I, for sure, do.) Then, she went the extra step and knocked on the door of what had been her childhood home and asked for an invitation to enter. Seek and ye shall find it is said and, for Shayla that phrase worked. Shayla said to me, ”What a great experience.” The house was much the same, though naturally enough, there were renovations, such as to the bathroom and kitchen. I suspect that the chance to see your parent or grandparent’s childhood home with your parent showing you around would be a moving experience for many.
Shayla falls into a club of ex-Winnipeggers (a large club indeed) who, though removed from the city for a long time, still live in the city in their hearts. She learned well from her parents and grandparents.