{"id":13439,"date":"2015-06-26T00:06:05","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T07:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=13439"},"modified":"2015-06-25T18:23:30","modified_gmt":"2015-06-26T01:23:30","slug":"walk-winnipegs-north-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2015\/06\/26\/walk-winnipegs-north-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Walk Winnipeg\u2019s North End"},"content":{"rendered":"

Walk participants explore the Ashkenazi synagogue, the oldest in Winnipeg, on a tour led and organized by Zach Fleisher. (photo from Zach Fleisher)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Not so long ago, Winnipeg\u2019s Jewish community hub was the city\u2019s North End. With Yiddish spoken on the street, Jewish businesses could be found on many corners, as could kosher butchers and synagogues. Since then, however, many Jews and Jewish-owned establishments have moved south or closed down entirely. Some of the North End buildings have been rebuilt or redesigned, while others have been preserved for various reasons. A recent walk \u2013 set up via Jane\u2019s Walk \u2013 showcased the area\u2019s history and current-day reality.<\/p>\n

The early May tour was led by Zach Fleisher, 22. A history buff and University of Winnipeg student, he is chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students Manitoba. In his spare time, he is involved with other projects, with the main goal of making Winnipeg a better place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always found myself enamored with the work of famous American-Canadian urbanist Jane Jacobs (for whom Jane\u2019s Walks are named),\u201d said Fleisher. \u201cAnd, I\u2019ve always been interested in how we build and define community. In that spirit, I\u2019m quite interested in the history of Winnipeg and the Jewish population, especially the North End area.\u201d He hopes people who took the tour will see the area differently now that they are aware of its history.<\/p>\n

According to its website, \u201cJane\u2019s Walk is a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane\u00a0Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbors.\u201d The free walks are held annually in more than 100 cities in 22 countries around the world on the first weekend of May each year, including in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Fleisher attended a few Jane\u2019s Walks in Winnipeg last year and has informally given tours of different areas for a friend of his, Nicholas Audette, who suggested he get involved with the movement in a more formal way.<\/p>\n

While some people RSVPed for his walk, there was no requirement to do so. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes the Jane\u2019s Walk so unique \u2013 the lack of commitment and organized structure that culminates in a strong sense of community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Fleisher\u2019s May 4 walk attracted more than 70 people. \u201cI think a lot of people know that the North End carries a lot of history, but they are always interested in hearing a bit more about the area and its unique history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The tour began from what used to be the old Canadian Pacific Railway station at 181 Higgins Ave. \u201cThe CPR station, where thousands of immigrants passed through, is now home to an aboriginal centre, housing a variety of offices,\u201d explained Fleisher. \u201cIt was a place of great significance and a proper starting point, as almost every Jewish newcomer to the city would also have begun their story in Winnipeg at that same spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis station was one of two major train stations in Winnipeg, the other being Union Station on Main Street.\u201d The station fell out of use in the 1970s, he said.<\/p>\n

Walking through Point Douglas on Austin Street, the tour headed toward Chesed Shel Emes funeral home. Along the way, Fleisher pointed out what was formerly the Sharon Home, which was originally established as a rehab centre, but became a personal care facility; it is today located in the city\u2019s South End, and called the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre.<\/p>\n

Although the North End has not seen a significant Jewish population in two generations, the many buildings and sites that are historically relevant remain, along with a number of other key cultural institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt its peak, it\u2019s believed that over 15,000 Jews \u2013 primarily from the Ukraine, Poland and Russia \u2013 called the North End home,\u201d said Fleisher.<\/p>\n

Once at Chesed Shel Emes, participants were given a brief history of the facility by Sharon Allentuck, who was representing the chapel because its executive director, Rena Boroditsky, was away. The funeral home was founded in 1930 by volunteers who wanted to ensure that every Jew had access to a proper Jewish burial and, in 1947, the chapel was built, she explained.<\/p>\n

The walk then continued along Main Street to Burrows Avenue, to Congregation Ashkenazi. \u201cThe Ashkenazi is the oldest synagogue in Winnipeg and has a second floor only for women,\u201d said Fleisher. \u201cAccording to [its] tradition, non-married Jewish men don\u2019t wear tallit, because the women on the second floor then got to pick their husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saul Spitz, who organizes the maintenance and care of the building, was on hand to give a talk and lead a tour of the synagogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe North End has a rich tradition that continues today,\u201d said Fleisher. \u201cAlong with the times, the type of community has changed. While the Jewish North End may be a memory of years past, it\u2019s important to recognize the heritage\u00a0of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Zach Fleisher in front of what used to be the building housing the city\u2019s Hebrew Sick Benefit Association (photo from Zach Fleisher)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After passing by the German Club at Flora and Charles streets, which was the home of the Talmud Torah at one time, the walk continued on to one of the few Jewish businesses still around in the North End \u2013 Gunn\u2019s Bakery, which opened in 1937.<\/p>\n

Fleisher noted that Gunn\u2019s is located next to what was formerly the Hebrew Sick Benefit Hall, now home to a Christian worship group, though the building still retains the initials HSB.<\/p>\n

Fleisher said he would love to organize another walk if there\u2019s interest, and \u201cto branch out a bit as well. So many of the folks who made it out had their own additions to the oral history of the walk and were able to contribute as necessary. I aimed to provide a basic framework for the walk and so many people were able to bring their own lived experience to the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe walk was a great experience and it was great to see that I\u2019m not the only one with a passion for the rich diversity of the area,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe Jewish component is only one part of the rich diversity of the North End and I\u2019d encourage everyone to read up a bit more on such a dynamic area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next Jane\u2019s Walk weekend is scheduled for May 6-8, 2016. To find out about walks in the various cities or to organize one of your own, visit janeswalk.org <\/a>for more information.<\/p>\n

Rebeca Kuropatwa<\/strong> is a Winnipeg freelance writer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walk participants explore the Ashkenazi synagogue, the oldest in Winnipeg, on a tour led and organized by Zach Fleisher. (photo from Zach Fleisher) Not so long ago, Winnipeg\u2019s Jewish community hub was the city\u2019s North End. With Yiddish spoken on the street, Jewish businesses could be found on many corners, as could kosher butchers and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[4051,4046,4049,4045,4050,4048,4047],"class_list":["post-13439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-chesed-shel-emes","tag-gunns-bakery","tag-jane-jacobs","tag-janes-walk","tag-jewish-history","tag-winnipeg","tag-zach-fleisher"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}