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Obituary: Dianne Kipnes, 81, a philanthropist who transformed Edmonton’s hospitals, arts and Jewish community
A passion for helping people and her empathy for those who were suffering propelled Dianne Kipnes into becoming one of Edmonton’s most significant philanthropists supporting scores of charities locally, nationally and internationally with her husband Irv.
She died in Edmonton on Dec. 26. She was 81.
Dianne and Irv Kipnes donated millions of dollars through their family foundation to numerous charities.
“One thing that comes through for all of us who had a chance to work with Irv and Dianne on anything was Dianne’s interest in making sure that what was done was done right,” friend Howard Sniderman said. “She was a very elegant and graceful woman and everything she did had a touch of elegance and grace.”
The couple embraced charities in healthcare, the arts, and education both locally and nationally and were recognized as transformative leaders in Edmonton’s Jewish community of approximately 5,000.
They were major benefactors of Edmonton’s University Hospital Foundation, the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Urology Centre, and created chairs in Radiopharmaceuticals, Lymphatic Disorders and Finance and Development at the University of Alberta. They also helped fund programs in music, engineering and Jewish studies.
In the early 2000s Dianne developed lymphedema in her legs after treatment for cancer. At the time there were very few options available, and she established the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Lymphatic Disorders—the first position of its kind in Canada—with an $5-million donation. When the announcement was made, Kipnes described lymphedema as an ‘underdog disorder,’ which was originally misdiagnosed when she was in Europe as “either an allergy, an insect bite or a psychological reaction to the horrors of visiting Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The despair was worse than the illness,” she said. “But the antidote to despair is action.”
Kipnes met her husband in 1977 when he stopped in Montreal for dinner with his first wife on a return trip to Edmonton from Israel. Dianne and her first husband joined them with mutual friends. Several years later Dianne had relocated to Edmonton with her husband—and when her marriage ended, she reconnected with Irv, who was also single again.
“Theirs was a true partnership,” said Sniderman. They did it hand in hand together.”
Fielding Graduate University mourns the passing of Dr. Dianne Kipnes (PSY’98), a distinguished alumna and former trustee whose profound contributions left an enduring legacy within our community: https://t.co/C1NXrrsBMj
— Fielding Graduate University (@FieldingGradU) January 2, 2025
Kipnes was a psychologist by profession. She had a master’s degree in social work from McGill and a PhD in clinical psychology from the Fielding Graduate University. She worked at the University of Alberta’s psychiatric walk-in clinic from 1984-1994.
“In her practice she was healing people in difficult straits. And she wasn’t prepared to let this go,” Sniderman said. “She took significant steps to help people. For example, she wanted to see a place where veterans, and later first responders, could get treatment, but in a respectful place, not an institutional setting. She was very concerned that they be treated with dignity. So, she and Irv established the CapitalCare Kipnes Centre for Veterans. It’s no surprise to see that someone who is a healer by profession can reach out in the rest of her life and find other ways to heal people.”
In 2022, Irv and Dianne were honoured by Jewish Federation of Edmonton “as among the most influential and largest lifetime donors in the history of Edmonton UJA.”
They supported a variety of Jewish initiatives including a Holocaust symposium for Edmonton high school students, provided bursaries for teens to go on March of the Living and funded a classroom in Israel at Bar-Ilan’s Azrieli medical facility in Safed. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the Kipnes’ provided a leadership gift to the federation’s fund for food and medical care for Jews in the Ukraine.
Stephen Mandel, a former mayor of Edmonton, said that Kipnes was always looking for ways to give back to the community, and helped transform the city into a hub for the arts.
“Dianne was very quiet and reserved but knew how to get things done in a remarkable way. She set a standard in Edmonton for things our city would never, ever have seen. She was the creator of the Edmonton Opera Gala, a fundraiser which became one of the key events of the year in Edmonton. It was Dianne’s vision to create something special. Ballet Edmonton only exists today because of Dianne and Irv. It was ‘typical Dianne’ to come up with a way they could really give back to the community. She had an uncanny ability to see what was needed to get it done. It was Dianne’s way. It’s no different when you look at the National Arts Centre’s Kipnes Wall in Ottawa. They came up with that idea.”
The five-storey Kipnes Lantern rises above the National Arts Centre’s front entrance and incorporates transparent LED screens to display images of Canada’s leading artists and productions. It is North America’s largest transparent LED wall and was illuminated with Dianne’s image when she died.
In a statement the National Arts Centre said, “The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation has done immeasurable good in the world, supporting various causes including cancer research, veterans, education and the arts. The NAC’s five-story architectural glass tower is named the Kipnes Lantern in recognition of their extraordinary philanthropic support. Today, it honours her lifetime of work effecting change.”
“The community is going to miss her,” said Mandel. “We are a small community, and you need real leaders and it’s hard to find them. Dianne was one of them.”
She was the recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Peter Lougheed Award for Community Service and the Order of Canada.
She leaves her husband of 35 years, Irving, her sister Brenda and daughter Kendra as well as her stepchildren, Harry, Rozanne and Ronee, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The post Obituary: Dianne Kipnes, 81, a philanthropist who transformed Edmonton’s hospitals, arts and Jewish community appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
The post Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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