May 2015

Champion of Jewish folklore

Janie Respitz’s fascination with Yiddish, its history and its role in Jewish culture grew naturally. “My grandparents spoke Yiddish at home,” she said in an interview with the Independent from her home in Montreal. “I knew Yiddish songs and expressions. I went to a Jewish school through elementary and high school and the more I learned about Yiddish, the more I loved it. By university, I took it quite seriously.”

photo - Janie Respitz — Janie Respitz *(photo from Janie Respitz)*

She immersed herself in the language, digging out the stories and songs, their roots and their creators. After finishing a master’s in Jewish studies, she dedicated her life to teaching others what she loves best: aspects of Jewish culture, including Yiddish literature and traditional music.

Like Yiddish, the musical part of her identity grew organically, from a hobby to a second career. “I always liked music,” she said. “I never set out to be a professional singer but I liked to sing and play my guitar. When I was a teenager, my grandma once invited me to sing some Yiddish songs for a group of her friends. They liked it. Some of them invited me to sing for their friends and so on. It just happened.”

Forty years have passed since that modest beginning. Now, Respitz performs professionally, and people enjoy her concerts across Canada and abroad. “I never look for engagements,” she said. “They find me. I performed in New York, South America, Israel and, of course, everywhere in Canada.”

Yiddish language, Jewish culture and traditional music go hand in hand in all her presentations, encompassing academia and stage. She is a champion of Jewish folklore.

Any venue is good, as long as there is interest, she said, be it an auditorium at McGill University or a seniors seminar at a small community centre. She often incorporates songs into her lectures and workshops and sometimes even brings her guitar to her university classes. “I would come to give a lecture, and then people would ask me to sing,” she explained.

“I like teaching culture and history through songs. For example, if I give a lecture about a Jewish lifecycle, there are songs for every occasion, for weddings and babies, joyful and sad. You don’t have to understand every word in Yiddish to appreciate these songs.”

She said she realizes that Yiddish and the cultural milieu associated with it are things of the past, like Latin, but that doesn’t diminish her enthusiasm. “Of course, Yiddish will never become a spoken tongue again. It was a language of Eastern European Jews for hundreds of years, but that era ended with the Holocaust. Now, it serves those who want to know about our heritage.”

The revival of interest in Yiddish has been going on in Europe and America for awhile. “Among my students are people of all ages and demographics,” she said of the public’s interest in the language. “People want to learn Yiddish for various reasons: out of curiosity, to preserve the memory of their grandparents, to learn history. Some non-Jewish people also want to learn it. And why not? Some Jewish people want to study Chinese. Why not the opposite? I know one Japanese man who wants to translate Sholem Aleichem into Japanese; he studied Yiddish. Students from such diverse backgrounds make for a dynamic learning environment.”

Respitz endeavors to make every lecture and new course as engaging as possible for students, no matter their background. Spurred by her inquisitive nature, she conducts research about Jewish traditions, the history of people and places and, of course, Yiddish songs. “I try to find out who wrote them, when, why, where. The biographies of the poets and musicians. Who survived? Who perished in the Holocaust? If we don’t preserve those songs and poems now, they might disappear forever.”

At times, an entirely new course springs from her research. “I have a course on Russian Yiddish culture after the revolution. They had so many wonderful poets there.” She even speaks a bit of Russian. “To study Eastern European Jews, you almost have to know Russian.” Her sprinkling of Russian helped her when she traveled to Russia in 1981 on a trip organized by Canadian Jewish Congress.

“A group of us went to help the Russian Jewish refuseniks,” she recalled. “We talked to them about everything Jewish, celebrated Rosh Hashana together, sang and danced. Some of them knew English, others could speak Yiddish or Hebrew, which they learned secretly. It was forbidden by their government then. I know Yiddish and Hebrew, English, of course, plus my rudimentary Russian. We could communicate very well. It was such fun. Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short. There were some troubles with the KGB, so we had to return home a few days earlier than expected.”

Even though she never visited Russia again, she often helps Russian Jewish immigrants in Montreal. “I introduce them to the Jewish culture through the community centre, and it’s very gratifying. They want to know everything – from holidays to traditional food – and it wasn’t always possible in Russia.”

Another country with deep Jewish roots is Poland, and Respitz recently returned from a journey there. “I went to Poland as an educator with a mission from Montreal’s CJA. My role was to bring the elements of 1,000 years of Jewish history in Poland to life.”

She visited several cities during the trip. “It was a thrill to stand in front of ohel Peretz [the tomb of Yitskhok Leybush Peretz, known as I.L. Peretz] at the Okapowa Cemetery in Warsaw and talk about this great writer and tell one of his stories. Playing my guitar and singing, while our group danced in the historic, beautifully restored Lancut Synagogue, was a true testament to the fact that we are still here. Particularly moving for me was to stand in front of the home of great Yiddish folk poet Mordecai Gebirtig in Krakow and sing his songs. It was truly an unforgettable experience.”

As she is an ardent partisan of everything Jewish, it’s no surprise she participates in KlezKanada, the Montreal annual festival of Jewish arts and music. KlezKanada’s goal is “to foster Jewish cultural and artistic creativity worldwide as both an ethnic heritage and a constantly evolving contemporary culture and identity.” Respitz’s songs and her magnetic presentations fit perfectly into such an atmosphere.

Vancouver Jewish community member Celia Brauer met Respitz at KlezKanada and was impressed. Brauer told the Independent, “Every year, for the last five years, I’ve gone to KlezKanada. I grew up in Montreal, speaking Yiddish. Yiddish is a rich language from our past. It gives us a taste of what was, a glimpse into the world that existed before. The trips to the festival felt like good shots of my ancestral culture. In the last two years, Janie taught a workshop there. I went to her workshops. She is very charismatic, has great knowledge of Yiddish and Jewish culture, music, writers. Nothing like that has ever been presented in Vancouver, and I thought that many people from our community might be interested in her stories. I wanted to bring her here.”

Brauer contacted the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture and the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and, together, they made Respitz’s visit possible.

Respitz will be in Vancouver on June 4, 5 and 7 with presentations at the Peretz Centre and the JCCGV. For tickets, visit janierespitz.wordpress.com.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com.

Drought stress takes toll

A July 2014 Planet Labs satellite image of a reservoir in California’s Lake County that supplies water to nearby Yolo County. In a non-drought year, according to Planet Labs, the visible water would cover roughly twice the area as it does in this picture. (photo from Planet Labs via Wikimedia Commons)

California headlines this month scream “water shortage” – but the shortage is not limited to the western United States. According to a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, while the demand for freshwater resources is increasing, the supply remains constant and many regions are starting to feel the pressure. The report states that water managers in 40 of 50 states expect water shortages in some portion of their states within the next 10 years.

Amid this grave prognosis, a new Israeli research project might make the Jewish state an important part of the solution.

In what is arguably one of the most innovative water research consortiums to date, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Australia’s Monash University are working to develop “water-sensitive cities.” The description for the project, which is funded by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), says that water-sensitive cities adopt and combine decentralized and centralized water management solutions to deliver water security. The data gathered from the project may be used to support development of urban master plans in cities in Israel and around the world.

Researchers are grouped into teams, each focusing on a different aspect of creating water-sensitive cities.

Eran Friedler, senior research fellow and head of the Water Forum Project at Technion, leads a team whose objective is to develop a holistic vision for water-sensitive cities in Israel encompassing scientific, economic and societal aspects, and accounting for the potential effects of global warming on temperatures and rainfall regimes. The analysis seeks to quantify the effect of urbanization and changing urban texture on storm water harvesting potential.

Evyatar Erell, a professor in the Bona Terra Department of Man in the Desert at BGU, is responsible for water-sensitive urban planning and design. He explained that his role is to examine conventional hydrological planning of cities and to see how it can be improved. This means reducing impermeable surfaces (sidewalks, parking lots, driveways, etc.) in favor of more permeable surfaces, sometimes innovative ones, such as green roofs or the infusion of small bits of garden along footpaths.

“We are trying to determine how to use water as effectively as possible, to maximize its benefits to pedestrians, reduce energy consumption by our buildings, and ensure environmental sustainability,” said Erell.

Conserving, restoring, sharing Dead Sea Scrolls

On the website deadseascrolls.org.il, visitors can explore the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls. (screenshot)

Have you ever taped up a torn page? In our household, taping has saved many a book and article from falling apart. Seems like a practical solution, right?

Wrong! While it might do the job on faulty binding or read-it-again storybooks, it hasn’t worked well on extremely old, organic (mostly animal skin) materials, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Curator Pnina Shor, who heads up the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Department for the Treatment and Conservation of Artifacts, recently discussed this sticky mess.

photo - Qumran in the West Bank — Qumran in the West Bank. *(photo by Effi Schweizer via commons.wikimedia.org)*

According to Shor, for some 2,000 years, the Dead Sea Scrolls had been stored in 11 dark caves below sea level in a steady climate of hot/dry days and cold/dry nights. Beginning with their first discovery in the late 1940s, archeologists transferred the scrolls from the Qumran area to open rooms at Jerusalem’s Rockefeller Museum, some 800 metres above sea level. As anyone who has ever visited Jerusalem and the Dead Sea knows, these places are geographically close, but climatically quite far apart.

At the time, archeologists eagerly wanted to piece together the enormous puzzle of 15,000 (biblical and non-biblical) fragments now at their disposal. Most manuscripts date from the first century BCE to the first century CE, the periods of the Hasmonean and Herodian rule. The archeologists did not know the risks involved in handling such fragile, ancient pieces. So, for example, they touched the parchment with their bare hands, leaving skin oil on the surfaces. They drank their tea and ate their lunch over the texts. (Like the rest of us, researchers are guilty of leaving crumbs and spills.)

In the early second half of the 20th century, archeologists were unaware of the negative consequences of taping torn texts and fragments. They did not realize that the glass panes sandwiching the pieces would put additional weight on the delicate remains.

So, what happened? Sadly, the tape’s adhesive congealed. Some of the texts (especially evident along the edges of the texts) darkened to the point where they became indecipherable to the naked eye.

Measures to contain or reverse the damage began in the 1960s. Unfortunately, this treatment inadvertently resulted in further damage. Until the 1990s, when there was consultation with U.S. preservation experts, it was not understood that the safest environment for the scrolls was a replication of their original storage conditions. Since that time, however, the scrolls have been stored in a climate-controlled laboratory, and exhibited in like conditions for extremely limited periods of time.

Between 1990-2009, the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project put out 32 volumes, entitled Discoveries in the Judean Desert. These reports are based on the original infrared photography conducted from the 1950s-60s. The infrared negatives are referred to as PAM (Palestine Archeological Museum).

Four full-time conservationists work on the scrolls. The specialists repair each piece separately, depending on the condition of the leather or papyrus. If you have ever tried removing Scotch tape, you have a sense of what it can do to the material underneath.

The aging adhesive is painstaking removed using a water-based adhesive. Staff members lift stains using a kind of dry poultice. The writings are then placed on acid-free cardboard, lightly covered by Japanese tissue paper. They are housed in solander boxes.

Over the past several years, the IAA has come to feel responsible for sharing these ancient finds, not just with the professional world of archeologists, biblical researchers and historians, but with the public at large. So, on the one hand, some of the scrolls are lent to foreign museums for temporary exhibition. (Currently, the Los Angeles-based California Science Centre has a show.) The more compelling outcome of the new IAA policy, however, has been the mounting of the scrolls to the internet. This undertaking goes by the name of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library project, which has brought experts from far afield.

NASA’s Dr. Gregory Bearman was among those who served as a consultant for imaging technologies. With the assistance of various outside experts, a spectral imaging protocol was established, and it applies to the copying of all the writing:

Displaying the “raw” image alongside the full, enhanced version so others can see both the beginning and end point of the work that has been done.
Documenting the imaging procedure so another scholar, employing basically the same image and tools, can replicate the procedure. In that way, the investigator can better judge the degree of subjectivity involved in a given set of image manipulators.
Labeling aggressively enhanced images as electronic reconstructions, that is, the scholar’s best judgment of what s/he thinks should be there, as opposed to what really is there.

The operating philosophy is to cause no [irreversible] harm. Bearman explained some of the benefits of applying spectral photography, namely that it can “determine the amount of water present in the parchment from which the scrolls are made. Data such as this has added value for conservation and preservation issues. If, for example, we discover that the parchments are too dry, it will be necessary to modify the conditions in which they are maintained.”

In his grey-walled photo lab, Shai Halevi spoke about how he photographs and stores the fragments using multi-spectral photography. Working with Google Research, he photographs the fragments using colors both visible (there are seven bands in this range) and invisible (there are five bands in this range) to the naked eye. Thus, letters that had been illegible are now digitally readable using infrared wavelengths in combination with spectroscopy. You have to see it to believe it:

Halevi described how he copies the fragment from a variety of angles, altering the resolution so that we (the viewing public) will be able to navigate around any part of a scanned image and magnify or reduce any section. Using different filters, Halevi allows us, for example, to see parchment folds appear and disappear at will.

He saves the images in a databank maintained by Google. For each fragment, there are 28 frontal images (referred to as “recto”), 28 back images (“verso”) and two extra color images, which the spectral imaging creates. The internet goal is twofold: first, to have all the fragments uploaded for open viewing and, second, to eventually add transcriptions and translations for all the text.

Recently, perhaps with a gesture toward Shavuot, which celebrates our receiving of the Ten Commandments, Shor brought out an ancient manuscript containing the Decalogue. This inscription is part of a very small scroll (its width is only 2.56 inches, or 6.5 centimetres) containing excerpts from the Book of Deuteronomy. It lists two reasons for keeping the Sabbath: what we know as the Masoretic text of Deuteronomy 5:15, the commemoration of the Exodus, that is, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, G-d took our ancestors from Egypt; and what we know as the Masoretic text of Exodus 20:11, the commemoration of Creation, that is, G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

This and other texts are within easy reach on the website of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library (deadseascrolls.org.il).

Deborah Rubin Fields is an Israel-based features writer. She is also the author of Take a Peek Inside: A Child’s Guide to Radiology Exams, published in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

B.C. Achievement honor for Krell

Dr. Robert Krell with the Hon. Coralee Oakes (left), minister of community, sport and cultural development, and the Hon. Judith Guichon, OBC, lieutenant governor of British Columbia. (photo from B.C. Achievement Foundation)

On April 24, 2015, Dr. Robert Krell was among those honored at the 12th Annual British Columbia Community Achievement Awards ceremony held at Government House in Victoria, where he received a B.C. Community Achievement Award medallion and certificate.

“These honorees exemplify what it is to go above and beyond; to do what needs to be done and to give without question their time and energy for the betterment of their communities,” said Keith Mitchell QC, representing the British Columbia Achievement Foundation.

In a personal letter received from the premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, Krell was honored for his “many years of commitment to developing anti-racism, antisemitism and Holocaust education programs for people of all ages. By establishing the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre in 1994 and documenting Holocaust survivors’ testimonials, you have ensured that no one will ever forget what Jewish people went through during the war. Your work with child survivor groups is further testament to your dedication to helping people gather together, talk to one another and know they are not alone in dealing with the aftermath of what they and their families experienced.”

Hidden as a child in the Netherlands during the Holocaust, child and family psychiatrist and University of British Columbia professor emeritus, Krell understands the necessity of Holocaust remembrance: learning from its lessons, providing education, supporting survivors and ensuring their stories are not lost. In addition to founding the VHEC, he also founded a group for child survivors, giving voice to their experience.

Funds raised for Nepal

Left to right, back row: Mark Suzuki, Ai Nakano, Marie Doduck, Eppy Rappaport, Ruth Erlichman, Elena Steele and a representative from the Nepalese community. Front row: Casey Suzuki, Dickson Tsang and Andy Sui. (photo by Belinda Co)

On the evening of May 14, members of the Jewish community joined with members of the Japanese, Russian and Chinese communities to raise funds for earthquake relief efforts in Nepal. Held at Omnitsky Kosher Delicatessen, the restaurant’s proprietor, Eppy Rappaport, donated a percentage of profits of that evening’s sales, and attendees made individual contributions throughout the evening.

The evening was organized by Ruth Erlichman and Dickson Tsang, two longtime Vancouver realtors who have know each other for more than 15 years. The two have “done quite a few deals together,” Erlichman said, “during which time Dickson got to know a little bit more about Jews, kosher food, keeping Shabbos, etc. He has been involved in many fundraisers in the past and wanted to do one together … bridging the two cultures and adding our Japanese and Russian friends to the pot.”

The theme of the evening was giving and practising compassion, as “stated in the Torah in parashat Shemini,” Erlichman added. “Making sure we have emunah [faith] that Hashem will help when we personally, G-d forbid, encounter hardship. When it comes to other people’s hardship, we take out our chequebook – we don’t tell them to have emunah; that comes later.”

photo - Ruth Erlichman, left, with Ai Nakano, make origami cranes to be sold at another fundraiser — Ruth Erlichman, left, with Ai Nakano, make origami cranes to be sold at another fundraiser. *(photo by Belinda Co)*

About 30 people attended, including a representative from the Nepalese community who updated the group on the situation on the ground in Nepal. A strong aftershock had occurred just two days prior and the Canadian government had pledged to match dollar for dollar the money raised until May 25. The funds raised at Omnitsky are being donated through the Red Cross.

“Our Japanese friends showed us how to make paper origami cranes,” Erlichman shared. These were sold at a much larger fundraiser held at the River Rock Casino soon after the Omnitsky gathering.

Born and raised in Kobe, Japan, Erlichman said she is “very familiar with earthquakes. Many of us from the Jewish community here held a fundraiser for the Jan. 17, 1995, Kobe earthquake, at the Tama Sushi Lounge on West Broadway, co-owned by the late Mr. Leon Kahn. Funds were sent through the Joint [Distribution Committee] to the Ohel Shlomo Synagogue in Kobe, which incurred exterior damage.”

Young talent gives all

Growing up going to Hebrew school at a Conservative synagogue in Vancouver’s North Shore was a good start for Leo Robinovitch.

While Congregation Har El initiated his exploration into his Jewish identity and connection to Israel, it was a year after Robinovitch’s bar mitzvah that he really delved deeply into Judaism.

“It was then that I started attending Camp Miriam, a progressive, labor-Zionist summer camp affiliated with the youth movement Habonim Dror,” said Robinovitch, who will be returning to Israel this summer.

photo - Leo Robinovich — Leo Robinovitch will be joining Birthright Excel this summer. (photo from Leo Robinovitch)

“Habonim Dror machanot (summer camps) provide children ages 8-17 with a unique camping experience,” the movement’s description reads on its website. “Based on the model of a kibbutz, each machaneh (camp) creates a close-knit community based on Jewish ideals of collective responsibility, respect, equality and friendship…. Campers grow physically, emotionally and intellectually in a creative, open and caring environment. Habonim Dror has been providing a machaneh experience since 1932.”

In the summer of 2009, Robinovitch spent five weeks with Habonim Dror in Israel and later participated in Habonim Dror’s gap year program (from 2011 through to 2012), living in the north of Israel and teaching English in largely Arab cities in the region.

Camp Miriam and Habonim Dror personalized and solidified Robinovitch’s “connection to the Jewish people and our shared fate surrounding Israel, as well as prioritized the formation of a just, equitable, and democratic Israel over all else.”

Robinovitch has always been a technology and engineering enthusiast, an apple that definitely did not fall far from the tree with his father working as a biomedical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia.

“My sixth birthday party was engineering themed,” recalled Robinovitch. “My dad helped me set up a pulley and created a bunch of ping pong ball catapults, much to my own and my tiny friends’ delight.

“I’ve known that I would complete a degree in engineering from a very early age. And, now that I’m more than halfway through my mechanical engineering degree at UBC, I remain passionate about the future of technology and its connection to society, politics and the economy.”

On his most recent trip to Israel this past December, Robinovitch heard about a Birthright Israel Excel program through a few folks he met on the trip. “They were Excel alumni from a couple years ago,” said Robinovitch. “They were all extremely bright, motivated people who I shared many passions with.”

The alumni encouraged Robinovitch to apply for the program, as it had helped focus their careers and exposed them to a world of intelligent, hard-working people.

After looking further into the program, Robinovitch found it to be the perfect way to combine his commitment to Israel with his passion for technology, as well as gain necessary entrepreneurial skills for technology-related business endeavors he envisioned for himself in the future.

For 10 weeks this summer, Robinovitch will be working at a high-profile company in Tel Aviv, living with around 40 peers from across North America interested in commerce, finance, technology, medicine and venture capital (VC).

“I’ve spoken with the Excel staff extensively about my interests, and I’ll be finding out my placement in the coming weeks,” said Robinovitch. Possible internships include R&D for Microsoft, market analysis for General Motors, high-profile VC firms (such as Innovation Endeavors) and cyber-security firms.

During his stay in Israel, Robinovitch will also be traveling through the country and speaking with a number of prominent Israeli leaders over the summer, interacting with a number of Israeli peers with similar interests, and broadly experiencing Tel Aviv life.

Robinovitch is looking forward to further experiencing Israel and contributing to its affairs. “It’s very important for me to connect my passions for technology and Israel, and I look forward to doing so for the first time this summer,” he said.

Robinovitch anticipates that this Excel experience will help him decide which industry he wants to pursue, as well as build a diverse array of Israeli and North American partners with whom he will work well into the future.

While Robinovitch’s previous time in Israel was centred on social justice work and education, he is eager to play a larger role this time around in creating change.

“While this work [social justice and education] is still important to me – unquestionably some of the most important work to be done in Israel – I highly value this opportunity to experience Israel’s thriving tech and startup scene,” said Robinovitch. “It’s a side of Israel I’ve never been able to experience before and I believe that I will be able to tie in this summer’s experience with social justice projects in the future.”

As a student at UBC, Robinovitch has experienced some negative social justice campaigns aimed at Israel, like the recent BDS referendum (boycott, divest and sanction Israeli firms and products) and he is aware of how hot button an issue it has been this year at his university – in particular among the Jewish and Palestinian communities on campus.

“While I feel strongly that the Palestinian people deserve their own land in which to actualize themselves politically, culturally, religiously, etc., I cannot support the BDS movement because of its ultimate goal of the destruction of the Jewish state,” said Robinovitch. “Voting ‘no’ on the referendum, however, seems highly insubstantial compared to the work I will be doing this summer and in the future to contribute to a better Israel.”

Robinovitch encourages those invested in Israel at UBC and further afield “to take action beyond shooting down the BDS movement in order to strengthen Israel and create a more just reality for Palestinians.

“Additionally, I feel strongly that more Jewish youth should experience Israel and Judaism. I have been extremely lucky to be able to explore Jewish peoplehood through the opportunities that I’ve had the privilege of experiencing.”

For those in the community interested in discussing opportunities to experience Israel and Judaism through specialized programming, Robinovitch would be happy to help and can be contacted via e-mail at leorobinovitch@gmail.com.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

New Loran Scholars

The Loran Scholars Foundation has selected a new class of Loran Scholars. Each of the 30 scholars receives a Loran Award valued at up to $100,000 over four years, including mentorship and a summer program. Loran Scholars may attend one of 25 partner universities.

“I was ecstatic to discover I had been selected,” said Hannah Lank, a Grade 12 International Baccalaureate student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, of her Loran Scholarship win.

photo - Hannah Lank — Hannah Lank has earned a $100,000 scholarship over four years. *(photo from Hannah Lank)*

Lank was selected from some 70 students across Canada, chosen to attend the final interviews in Toronto. “We had two days of interviews,” said Lank. “Everyone was so accomplished. It seemed impossible for the judges to choose.”

Loran Scholars are chosen for their character, commitment to service and outstanding overall leadership potential through a three-month selection process. This year, the Loran Scholars Foundation received 3,800 applications from schools across Canada. Approximately 400 semi-finalists were interviewed in 22 cities and 76 finalists advanced to national selections in Toronto.

Lank is known for her work with food-allergy awareness. Being allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, Lank sits on a youth advisory panel for Anaphylaxis Canada. She gives talks to Grade 9 classes at her school about food allergies and how to use Epipens, or auto-injectors. Before the year’s end, she will have educated more than 1,000 students on the topic.

Lank also created and regularly updates a teen blog about food allergies, teenwithfoodallergies.com. “I post tips about living with food allergies and I have held nut-free bake sales at school to raise money for Anaphylaxis Canada,” she said.

Lank fills the rest of her time with community service. She is president of the student council, editor-in-chief of the school newspaper for the last three years, part of the social justice committee, and is on the basketball and cross-country teams. Over and above this, Lank also finds time to serve as a peer tutor for physics, math and chemistry, and be an inner-city mentor at Machray School.

“I have been brought up in a Jewish family,” said Lank of her background. “My parents always emphasized to me the importance of education. I think that being raised as a Jew forces you in some ways to be more acutely aware of the world around you. As Jews, we are often asked to defend our beliefs about Israel, our community and our world and, therefore, we must be prepared to answer these questions responsibly and intelligently.

“My parents have always encouraged in me a love of learning, tolerance and understanding, and the power to stand up for your beliefs and believing in yourself. I don’t think these are Jewish qualities, per se, but I do believe that they were emphasized and perhaps enhanced by our faith.”

Lank has known about the Loran scholarship since entering high school, but became more acutely aware of it when a boy from her school won the scholarship last year.

Many consider the Loran to be Canada’s most prestigious scholarship. It is valued at up to $100,000, which pays for tuition, residence, allows for a living stipend, summer programs, a mentorship program and other opportunities.

In Manitoba, there were approximately 10 students sent to regional interviews, which consisted of a day at the University of Manitoba, where each candidate was interviewed by prominent members of the community. “We were told the very next day if we had been selected to proceed to nationals,” said Lank.

To prepare for the national interviews, Lank spoke to past scholars to learn more about the process, but the interviewers are different each year and the questions asked are based on individual applicants.

“If you’ve altered the truth (on the application) and are asked about it, you won’t look very good in front of the judges,” said Lank. “I practised answering questions based on my application with my history teacher but, other than that, I just read over my answers.

“I knew that whatever I was asked, I would respond honestly. Everything I listed on my application was something I had done. I just had to be me.”

Lank found out she had won the day after the interviews. “It was an unbelievable moment,” she said. “I am still shocked from the overwhelming nature of the weekend. I still don’t think the news has fully sunk in.”

The Loran foundation is highly involved in each scholar’s life for the four years of his/her undergraduate degree to ensure they have the needed support to achieve their full potential.

One of the requirements is that scholars study at a university outside of their home province. Lank is considering studying at the University of Toronto’s Trinity College (where she has been accepted) or at McMaster University’s arts and science program (acceptance still pending). Her parents fully support both options.

Lank said she encourages anyone interested in having their university experience enhanced and exploring their world in a new way to apply for a Loran scholarship. While many scholarships are based on financial aid, the Loran is based on merit and not necessarily on what you have done in the past, but on the potential the judges see in you for the future.

“If you are passionate about living life as a leader, committing yourself to service in the community and working hard but also enjoying life, you should apply,” said Lank. “You do not have to have exceptionally high marks to apply. If you are genuine in everything you do and truly want to make yourself and your community better, you are a worthy applicant.”

If you still have a few years to go before applying, Lank suggested pinpointing an interest you are passionate about and pursuing it. For Lank, that was food allergies, but she is also involved in a wide range of other activities.

“Try whatever you’re interested in,” said Lank. “Don’t be involved in something because you feel it will help you win a scholarship or look good on a resumé. There are lots of meaningful ways to become involved in your local/school community.

“Everyone has a passion. You just have to find it. It may take a few tries and a bit of work, but it’s a rewarding process. And, if you meet some people along the way and discover a few new interests, it’s a worthwhile experience, I think.”

Her final words of advice (for now)? “Don’t be afraid to try new experiences. Step outside your comfort zone and explore your world. You’re never too young to be a leader, an explorer or an innovator. That fearlessness combined with drive and hard work can get you anywhere you want to go. Never be disheartened by failure. If you believe in yourself, you’re destined for great things.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Grant-winning video

A screenshot from Erin Goldberg’s winning entry to the NSERC competition.

The public has voted, the judges’ scores have been tallied and the results are in. The 15 winners of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Science, Action! video contest have been revealed. Jewish community member and University of Manitoba student Erin Goldberg joined McGill’s Ira Sutherland and University of Guelph’s Morgan Jackson in the top three.

may 29 Health.29.Erin Goldberg-photo by Marc Goldberg — Erin Goldberg *(photo by Marc Goldberg)*

Goldberg, a survivor of childhood cancer, is now 26. She has always gravitated to the sciences, she said. “I especially love biology and chemistry so, naturally, that was always a part of my education. I was able to take my first nutrition course at the U of W [University of Winnipeg], which solidified my interest in the subject. After switching to the U of M [because of their nutrition program], I fell in love with it.”

Goldberg is an animal lover who enjoys doing yoga in her spare time. She began taking university courses at the age of 15 at the U of W Collegiate, and graduated a year early by doing course work through the summers. She is currently preparing to defend her thesis at U of M.

Goldberg has always been a creative person and enjoys translating her research in a way that is understandable to laypeople, she said, so she was ready for the NSERC competition. She also had participated in the 2013 3MT (Three-Minute Thesis) competition at U of M, which involved explaining her research in basic terms in three minutes. Regardless, she said she was still apprehensive about the NSERC competition; it is open to any student in Canada holding an NSERC grant, which numbers in the thousands. “I didn’t know what to expect,” said Goldberg, who said she was ecstatic when she learned that her video was one of the 32 chosen to move to the second round.

On April 7, she received notification that she was a winner. The email read, “After careful consideration by our panel of judges, your video was selected as one of the top three entries (English submissions). They felt your video told a compelling story and exhibited an exceptional grasp of quality science communication.” Besides the recognition, Goldberg will receive a $3,000 prize.

Goldberg’s 60-second video explains her latest research project, which was funded through NSERC. It involved feeding hempseed and hempseed oil to hens to enrich their eggs with omega-3. “Ironically, humans are allowed to consume hemp, but we can’t feed it to livestock, due to concerns over THC accumulation [the psychoactive compound in marijuana],” said Goldberg about the hempseed feed. “There is actually a very miniscule trace of THC in most hemp products, so there is really little risk, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires several research trials to prove this, which is what our lab group is doing.”

Goldberg’s research proved that these two ingredients are safe and effective, even at the highest possible dose, and that there is no risk in feeding hempseed to chickens. In subsequent research trials, Goldberg designed different vegetable oil blends to boost the levels of DHA in eggs. “We found that feeding a higher ratio of saturated fat, called linoleic acid (an omega-6) and oleic acid (on omega-9), can reduce the competition between omega-3 and -6, leading to greater deposition of these critical fatty acids.”

In her thesis, Goldberg examined the impact designer diets have on the fatty acids and sensory properties of the eggs of laying hens. She was able to create omega-3 eggs using novel ingredient blends (like hemp, canola and flax), and then test the egg yolk for fat profile, aroma and flavor. The egg white remains the same regardless of what you feed the bird, so the changes only occur in the yolk, she explained.

Goldberg’s interdisciplinary research was conducted at U of M’s Fort Garry campus, in the poultry barn in the animal science, food science and human ecology buildings. She completed some of her research at the Saint Boniface Research Centre, as well.

“I love that it is interdisciplinary research,” said Goldberg. “I combine my interest in sensory with analytical work. I’m fully involved from start to finish, and like that I can combine my love of animals (i.e. taking care of my birds) with my analytical work.”

Although the cancer that Goldberg had as a 6-year-old was spontaneous, she said she believes that diet plays a major role in the development of many diseases, including Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, such as colon and breast cancer. “I believe in disease prevention through maintaining a healthy lifestyle, (including a proper diet), which would also ease the burden on our medical system,” said Goldberg. “Because I love educating people, I also teach an undergraduate nutrition course at the U of M, called Food – Facts and Fallacies.”

Goldberg feels is it critical to focus on omega-3s. “Omega-3 fatty acids are essential in our diet,” she said. “We must consume them in our food. They are critical for normal growth and development, and have a large impact in reducing inflammation in the body, which can prevent the development and progression of numerous diseases.

“A lot of research has focused on the health benefits of the longer chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA in particular, which play a key role in brain and eye health, as omega-3s contribute to membrane fluidity. These fats are especially critical in a child’s proper development.”

The benefits spread across the lifespan, but in infant/child development, they are mainly related to cognitive/visual function and, in adults, the major benefits are mostly in the progression or prevention of Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Omega-3s can also lower triglycerides.

Research has shown that the best source of available omega-3 comes from fatty fish, like wild salmon; farmed fish have significantly less. Omega-3-enriched eggs are an excellent source for those who cannot or do not consume fish, for example, if someone is allergic to fish or is vegetarian. They are a safe, economically viable alternative.

“You can also get omega-3s from plant foods, like hemp, flax, walnuts, canola oil and chia seed,” said Goldberg, of those who prefers to get their omegas through vegan sources. “But, your body must convert a proportion of ALA into the longer-chain EPA and DHA, and this is inefficient (and possibly insufficient) in most adults.

“In omega-3 eggs, if you choose eggs from hens fed both flax and fish oil, you’re getting a great source of both ALA and EPA/DHA. My dietary blends help to eliminate the need for fish oil in the hen diet (which is expensive), because the laying hen can convert more ALA to EPA/DHA than can humans.”

Goldberg feels it is critical to encourage women to enter the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and to pursue advanced education. She believes the payoff is well worth the investment. “I’d also encourage people to think critically about the nutrition messages they hear in the media,” she said. “When in doubt, look to the research or consult a dietician for nutrition advice.

“I also recommend people use supplements with caution. Sometimes it’s necessary (like taking Vitamin D3 supplements, because we do not get enough sunshine) but, in general, I recommend people consume whole foods first and use supplements to supplement a healthy diet, not to replace it.

“Functional foods, like omega-3 eggs, are a great way to consume foods that are enhanced with certain nutrients to protect against diseases and maintain a healthy body.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Gazan women in business

In the traditionally conservative Palestinian society of the densely populated Gaza Strip, women do not have many opportunities for entrepreneurship. Women usually marry young and raise large families. Yet, a small number of women in Gaza are opening their own businesses and serving as a model to young women throughout Gaza.

Maram Ganem began working at age 32 as an employee at a restaurant in Gaza. Five years later, she decided to start her own business. Today, she owns two restaurants in Gaza: a fast-food place and a fancy restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. She said that the first part of her dream came true when she rented a small space in a hotel in Gaza City in partnership with a local businessman. Shortly after that, she opened the first-ever fast-food restaurant in Gaza. The success of her projects led to the opening of the Roots restaurant, one of the most upscale restaurants in the city.

Ganem believes that determination and strong personality were the main reasons behind her success. She even represented Palestinians at economic conferences in Egypt. “If you have the will, you can do anything,” she told the Media Line. “I have met my goals despite the difficult political and economic conditions we face.”

She also credits her husband with contributing to her business success. “You need family support to survive in Gaza,” she said. “Men usually control most of the businesses here, and women are the workers or employees.”

Ganem was in Ramallah in recent weeks to attend the National Investment Conference, hosted by the Palestinian Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Tourism, which aims to increase international tourism to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Representatives from more than 120 companies owned by Palestinians who live abroad came to the West Bank to discuss possible investment.

While unemployment in the West Bank has decreased slightly to just over 18%, in Gaza it is almost 40%. Unemployment is especially high among young Palestinians, including university graduates.

Early detection is key

Left to right: Dr. Alon Friedman, Jayson Dzikowicz, Dr. Michael Ellis and Benedict Albensi. (photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa)

It has been known for years that there is a connection between brain injuries and diseases like Alzheimer’s, autisms and epilepsy, but early detection and possible prevention still elude us.

This was the message Ben-Gurion University’s Dr. Alon Friedman relayed at a recent brain-injury panel discussion, hosted by the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University in Winnipeg. A professor in the medical faculty at Dalhousie University, Friedman was joined by Dr. Michael Ellis of the Pan Am Clinic Concussion Program; Dr. Benedict Albensi of the University of Manitoba and St. Boniface Hospital; and Jayson Dzikowicz of the Blue Bomber Alumni Association. The discussion was moderated by Charles Laflèche of St. Boniface Hospital Foundation.

Friedman opened with remarks on the work being done in the field of brain injuries at BGU and broke the discussion into two topics: traumatic brain injury and brain deterioration due to age.

“The money that we as a community spend on traumatic brain injury and on the outcome is tremendous,” said Friedman. “Sport injury is only one small part of it. Mostly, it’s road accidents and falls.

“We are getting into the 21st century and the average [life] expectancy in Western countries is around 80-to-90-years-old. Most of us will live at least until 90 or 100. The price is that we will all probably die with a brain disorder.”

According to Friedman, what is clear with all of the diseases is that we lose a lot of brain tissue before we see any symptoms. “The main problem is that we don’t understand how the diseases are generated. [Over] the last decade, we are trying to look differently at the brain.”

Researchers are now starting to look at the brain as a whole entity, including different cells that interact and communicate with one another all the time.

“While the brain gets the most blood to supply it with the elements it needs, blood does not enter into the brain tissue normally,” said Friedman. “The brain has its own environment protected by what researchers call ‘the blood-brain barrier.’ This separation allows the nerve cells in the brain to act in a very accurate and stable condition, regardless of what’s happening in the blood. A brain injury occurs when this barrier is broken.”

BGU learned more about this barrier by studying a group of football players in Be’er Sheva. “The reason we did it with football players is we knew it would attract the media much more than others, unfortunately,” said Friedman.

To help the audience grasp what football players face, Dzikowicz, who is a former player, shared his experiences with the panel. He has had approximately nine concussions. “Usually, one is more than enough to take people out of sports,” he said. “In business, if you’re faulting, it’s a long process to replace you. In sports, your replacement is standing 30 feet away…. You’re heavily motivated to stay on the field despite injury.

“When it became an issue with me … if you ever rub your eyes a lot and you see those circles … when I had those circles permanently, and when I got hit in the head and they’d be pulsing and flashing for weeks on end, that’s when I got the message that maybe I should stop playing.”

In the 1990s, when Dzikowicz played the game, his coaches’ main reaction was to say that he had “had his bell rung.” Dzikowicz went on to explain, “You got two plays off, you got some smelling salts and you got tapped on the butt and sent back on the field.”

Run by Ellis, the Pan Am Clinic Concussion Program treats children who have had concussions – the program focuses on kids with head injuries. “It’s a very unique partnership between Pan Am, the Children’s Hospital and our provincial government – multidisciplinary care for the children of Manitoba with mild, traumatic brain injuries,” he said. “Patients with more severe injuries go to the Children’s Hospital. We see 40-60 children a week.

“Fortunately, the vast majority of children who sustain a concussion will recover within two to three weeks, but we know that there’s a certain proportion, about 30-40%, who will have symptoms that will last longer.”

Some kids will have headaches or visual/reading abnormalities, issues with balance or develop mood disorders. The focus of the Pan Am program is to bring together experts from various fields to meet the needs of each individual patient.

While collaborative research on brain tumors and Alzheimer’s is being conducted, less is known about the connection between concussions and epilepsy. About the connection between brain trauma and epilepsy, however, Albensi said, “There’s certainly very good evidence that head trauma can lead to neurodegenerative disease…. The question is how many patients with TBI [traumatic brain injuries] develop epilepsy?”

At BGU, the focus is on using MRI to get better pictures of brain injuries and comparing them with images of normal brains. At Pan Am, researchers are developing an MRI brain stress test and looking at blood flow within the brain.

All the panelists agreed that treatment would be more effective with early detection. “Unfortunately, if someone has full-blown Alzheimer’s, the chances of reversing and changing the situation is almost impossible,” said Friedman. “The only chance … is early diagnosis.”

One of the biggest hurdles is getting those who are experiencing memory loss to see a doctor early enough and for the doctor to send them to a specialist without dismissing the memory loss as “normal.”

“There is a lack of awareness, because people don’t think that there’s something to do,” said Friedman. “Patients can go to early diagnosis in every large hospital today. There is general advice to be made and practice for detection, for treating.”

“I think that what we agree on is that there is some risk in families,” added Albensi. “It’s basically impossible to predict if a parent had Alzheimer’s whether his/her son or daughter will have it. Early diagnosis is more important.”

Albensi explained, “What we study in my laboratory as far as the inflammatory response are transcription factors, which are specialized proteins involved long term in the inflammatory process. And, it’s getting the brain to turn off this inflammatory process, in my view, that is key to reducing the risk for these neurodegenerative disorders.”

“The brain can change itself any time in our life,” said Friedman. “The fact that we can learn means the brain can change, at any age. In any condition basically after a trauma, whether emotional or physical, I don’t think it’s that important, but it’s possible.

“Inside a person, stress is a very important factor against brain plasticity. If we are motivated to change our brain, we can find ways to do it and help ourselves.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.