The Friends of JNF Canada held a very successful Negev Dinner honouring the Jewish Physician’s Association of Manitoba (JPAM) at the RBC Convention Centre on May 5, attended by approximately 800 people.
Proceeds raised from the Negev Dinner will go towards an extremely worthwhile cause, the Ashdod Rehabilitation & Therapy Centre, which will address the urgent need of providing residents of southern Israel, including the Gaza envelope with accessible, high quality rehabilitation and therapeutic care closer to the homes of thousands of Israelis who live outside the country’s central core. As David Greaves, Executive Director of Friends of JNF Canada MB and Sask Region, notes, “Southern Israel faces a severe shortage of rehabilitation services, and since Oct 7, 2023 the need for such services has only grown and overwhelmed an already strained healthcare system. While central Israel has 43 rehabilitation centres, southern Israel only has 11, resulting in wait times that often exceed a year.”
The centre will primarily serve serious injury patients, children with cancer and children with special needs. It will provide services that have been out of reach for many residents: medical consultations, physio and occupational therapy, speech therapy, hydrotherapy, nutritional support, physiological services. These modalities will provide expertise that will be used to enable patients and their loved to navigate complicated recoveries- whether from severe injuries, cancer treatment or special needs. “Receiving such high quality care will be life changing for many patients, will build emotional resilience after tremendous hardship and enable patients to regain independence. You would be hard pressed to find a more worthy cause than this one,” says Greaves. ‘We are still accepting donations for this important cause.”
This year’s Negev Gala honoured JPAM, which represents Jewish physicians and medical learners in matters concerning antisemitism, discrimination and harassment, and was founded in the aftermath of the Oct 7 attacks. It offers support and resources to Jewish physicians, medical learners and allies who experience discrimination or harassment. JPAM supports the development and implementation of educational programs and resources to raise awareness bout antisemitism, discrimination, and harassment in healthcare and academic learning settings.
In his remarks, Dr Charles Bernstein, highlighted the many valuable and varied contributions of Jewish Manitobans to medical care delivery, education, innovation and research both here in Manitoba and around the world.
As Bernstein stated, “I was initially saddened as to why JPAM even evolved. In 1981 I started medical school here, following in the footsteps of my brother in law David Goldenberg who began in 1968 and my brother Keevin who began in 1974. But for relatively brief stints in the US, we have all 3, as have many of you, progressed through our careers right here in Winnipeg, without an iota of concern that being Jewish was in any way going to invoke prejudice against us, prevent our respective successes and for sure not interfere with our friendships and collegiality with all members of our respective classes, residency and fellowship cohorts. It was in medical school at the U of M where I developed my deepest bonds with non-Jewish friends.”
Bernstein also spoke of Ernest Rady’s decision to honour his father Max with a multimillion dollar donation to our medical school and health sciences faculty. “ This money was donated not so that ‘a rich person can control the narrative or agenda of a school’ as ignorantly suggested by those who want to see the medical school and the conduct of medicine divided on ethnic or racial grounds; it was donated so that ultimately our medical school and health sciences faculties can develop greater outreach to the North, and research to understand diseases impacting all of Manitoba’s communities; it is money that helps foster International Medical Graduate programs so that our practicing community reflects a panorama of the world around us. It was Jack Hildes, a Jewish physician, who established the Northern Medical Unit in 1970, to bring better health care to the Indigenous communities of our North.”
He pointed out that “The Mount Carmel Clinic, Canada’s first and longest running community health centre was started by Winnipeg’s Jewish community in the early 20th century.”
As Bernstein noted, “Sadly, I can report that I can count on both hands, at most, the numbers of non-Jewish physicians and scientists who have reached out to me in support of our community as it has been attacked in the medical community, mostly in the medical school community.”
“JPAM exists to bear witness to what is happening in our medical community; to provide advocacy where it is needed, to support Jews in health care who are being victimized and others who are being victimized; to ensure that Jewish Canadians feel free to study at U of M and exercise their rights to study openly as persons wanting to optimize health care through research, education and health policy and to undertake this as openly Jewish, fearless to openly wear a Star of David or Chai around their neck, as our Sikh friends should not fear wearing a turban or Muslim friends wearing a hijab,” he stated.
At the event, Mathew Bzura was recognized by Jessica Cogan, Negev Dinner Chair with the Hineni Award. This award was created by Friends of JNF to recognize those who go above and beyond with their words and actions which show a deep commitment to justice, Israel and the Jewish people. Bzura ,who is of Polish descent filed a complaint against Dr Gem Newman after the latter’s divisive valedictory speech for the class of 2024 at the Max Rady School of Medicine. Bzura had been the president elect of PARIM ( Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Manitoba) but he paid the price for his actions in speaking out. The PARIM leadership held a meeting and decided to strip Bzura of his duties as secretary, his Board position at that time. Bzura then resigned as President Elect of PARIM leadership.
Michael Silver, President of Friends of JNF, MB snd Sask Region, indicated “I can confidently say that the urgency and importance of our work has never been greater.”
After the formal part of the evening, the audience was entertained by Israeli comedian Yohay Spondor.
