Local News
A deep dive into the 2021 census produces some very surprising results:
The Jewish population of Winnipeg is – at a maximum: 14,270
By Bernie Bellan Elsewhere on this website you can read about some of my findings re the 2021 census as they relate to the Jewish community of Winnipeg. At the end of my report I wrote that I had sent an inquiry to statcan asking for more detailed information about how many individuals had reported “Jewish” as an ethnic origin and how many had reported “Jewish” as their religion.
No other group can be referred to both as a religious group and an ethnic group – which makes trying to parse the data from the census quite difficult when you’re trying to determine just how many Jews there are in Winnipeg.
And, to make it even more difficult to determine what figure to assign to the size of the Jewish population in Winnipeg, respondents to the 2021 census were able to give more than one answer to the question that asked about ethnic ancestry. Thus, when I tried to correlate respondents who said their religion was Jewish with their ethnic ancestry, it was impossible to do a direct correlation.
For instance, consider this: Of all Winnipeg respondents only 6,700 reported that both their ethnic origin and their religion was Jewish. Yet, 10,700 people in total reported that at least one of their ethnic origins was Jewish, while 11,170 reported their religion was Jewish.
So, if one were to subtract the number of people who said they were Jewish both according to ethnic ancestry and religion from the number who said they were Jewish by religion, you get a figure of 4,400. Add that figure to the number who said they were Jewish by religion and you get a figure of 15,570.
But, here’s where it gets really interesting. A very large number of individuals who said they had Jewish ethnic ancestry also said they belonged to different religions. Of the 10,700 individuals who gave Jewish as at least one of their ethnic origins, a full 1,245 said they were Christian by religion.
As well, there were 20 Muslims, 10 Bhuddists, and 35 others of different religions who also reported Jewish ancestry. So, if we subtract the total number of respondents to the census who reported religions other than Jewish (1350) from the figure of 15,570, the resulting figure is 14, 270. That is likely the number which give the best idea how many Jews there really are in Winnipeg.
Here’s something even more surprising: Of the 1350 individuals who gave “Israeli” as one of their ethnic origins, only 855 said their religion was Jewish. Of the remainder, 385 said they had no religion, while 105 said they were Christian.
Further, of the 10,770 individuals who said that at least one of their ethnic origins was Jewish, 2,775 said they had no religion.
When it came to looking at the ethnic backgrounds of individuals who said their religion was Jewish, there were also some surprising results. For instance, of the 11,170 individuals who reported their religion as Jewish, 180 gave at least one of their ethnic ancestries as North American Indigenous. (The census actually gave much more specific results for Indigenous respondents, breaking it down by group, e.g., Cree, Anishanabee, Saulteaux, etc.)
As far as what other ethnic origins were given by individuals who said their religion was Jewish, there was quite an extensive range, with the most common answer, after “Jewish”, being Russian, followed by Polish, British, Israeli, and Ukrainian.
In the next issue we’ll offer a more detailed analysis of what are the ethnic origins of all the respondents to the 2021 census who gave “Jewish” as their religion.
Does it really come as a surprise that Jewish identity would be so difficult to pin down in 2022? Following are some tables I’ve created from the data that was sent to me by statcan:
Local News
Winnipeg Fringe performer Melanie Gall subjected to antisemitic attack – for second year in a row
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 20, 2025)
Melanie Gall is a talented performer who is a veteran of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival – having appeared here many times.
Last year Melanie found herself being subjected to antisemitic attacks that were initiated by a site supervisor for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, someone by the name of Eric Rae.
As I wrote on my story about Melanie’s experience, “…on the third day (of the Fringe Festival), she said, ‘the site supervisor (Rae) came and was wearing a pro-Palestinian symbol’ and told Melanie that he was wearing that deliberately because he was coming to Melanie’s venue.
“He told her, ‘that stance you’re taking (on social media) is a political symbol.
Rae also posted on social media: “We have a Zionist in our midst harassing pro-Palestinians.”
There was a concerted effort on social media last summer to boycott Melanie’s shows (She had three different shows altogether.)
As Melanie said during a phone conversation we had last summer about what happened to her, “This is so ridiculous. I’m being harassed and bullied because I’m Jewish…it’s not about Israel.”
Eric Rae was relieved from his duties after Melanie complained to the Fringe office staff, Melanie noted during our conversation.
Melanie was also the target of an organized campaign on pro-Palestine social media calling for her shows to be boycotted.
(You can read the full story about what happened to Melanie, also to her mother during last year’s Edmonton Fringe Festival, at Melanie Gall.)
Just today we received another email from Melanie informing us that the same individual who targeted her last summer is targeting her again during this year’s Fringe Festival.
Melanie wrote: “Hi! Thanks so much for the mention in the preview article! I just wanted to let you know that Eric Rae is at it again.”
Attached to that email was a picture taken from Rae’s Instagram account.
As of the writing of this post, Melanie said that she is out of town for three days and is not aware whether any of her posters have been defaced – the way they were last summer.
She did add, however, that “I assume by ‘make her feel unwelcome’ (which is what is written on one of the pictures on Rae’s Instagram account) he is planning something. Ugh.”
Melanie also said that “The one post is too close to a threat to ignore. I’m filing a police report tomorrow.”
In a subsequent email Melanie also sent a screenshot of an exchange that took place on Rae’s Instagram account between him and someone who goes by the handle “Kat Cat.”
If we hear more about what’s been happening to Melanie we’ll update this article.
Local News
Thank you to the community from the Chesed Shel Emes
We’re delighted to share a major milestone in our Capital Campaign, “Building on our Tradition.” Launched in November 2018, this campaign aimed to replace our outdated facility with a modern space tailored to our unique needs. Our new building is designed with ritual at its core, featuring ample preparation space, Shomer space, and storage, creating a warm and welcoming environment for our community during times of need.
We’re grateful to the nearly 1,000 generous donors who contributed over $4 million towards our new facility. A $750,000 mortgage will be retired in November 2025, completing this monumental project in just seven years.
We’re also thrilled to announce that our Chesed Shel Emes Endowment Fund has grown tenfold, from $15,000 to $150,000, thanks to you, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba’s FundMatch program, and Million Dollar Match initiative in 2024. Our fund helps ensure that everyone can have a dignified Jewish funeral regardless of financial need.
As we look to the future, our goal remains to ensure the Chevra Kadisha continues to serve our community for generations to come. Our focus now shifts to replenishing our savings account and growing our JFM Endowment fund.
We’re deeply grateful for your support over the past several years.
It’s our privilege to serve our community with care and compassion.
With sincere appreciation,
Campaign cabinet: Hillel Kravetsky, Gerry Pritchard, Stuart Pudavick,
Jack Solomon, and Rena Boroditsky
Murray S. Greenfield, President
Local News
Winnipeg Beach Synagogue about to celebrate 75th anniversary
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 13) In 1950 a group of cottage owners at Winnipeg Beach took it upon themselves to relocate a one-room schoolhouse that was in the Beausejour area to Winnipeg Beach where it became the beach synagogue at the corner of Hazel and Grove.
There it stayed until 1998 when it was moved to its current location at Camp Massad.
On August 2nd members of the synagogue will be holding a 75th anniversary celebration.
As part of the celebration anyone who is a descendant or relative of any of the original members of the first executive committee (as seen in the photo here) is invited to attend the synagogue that morning.
If you are a relative please contact Abe Borzykowski at wpgbeachshule@shaw.ca or aborzykowski@shaw.ca to let Abe know you might be attending or for more information about the 75th anniversary celebration.
We will soon be publishing a story about the history of the beach synagogue, which is something I’ve been writing about for over 25 years.