Winnipeg Friends of Israel

From Orumieh to Winnipeg

Farhad Sultanpour of the Kurdish Association of Manitoba speaks to members of the Winnipeg Jewish community and others. (photo by Yolanda Papini Pollock)

According to Farhad Sultanpour of the Kurdish Association of Manitoba, Kurds are the largest nation of people without a state. The majority of Kurdish people, he said, live in a strip of land that stretches through Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

Sultanpour was speaking to a Winnipeg audience about the connections between Kurds and Israel at an event organized by Winnipeg Friends of Israel (WFI).

Sultanpour came from Orumieh, in east Kurdistan, the northwest part of Iran, and was brought up as a Sunni Muslim. He made his way to Canada in the late 1980s.

“In 1979, during my mid-teens, the Islamic Revolution began and the Kurds fought adamantly to protect and liberate their towns and villages against Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, who was rising to power,” said Sultanpour.

During this time, Khomeini was stalling in the negotiations with Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, the Kurdish leader, regarding the creation of a Kurdish autonomous state. What was actually happening, said Sultanpour, was that “Khomeini was reinforcing his revolutionary army. He led the invasion of the Kurdish territories, while declaring jihad to all Kurds. In 1989, the agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran assassinated Dr. Ghassemlou in Vienna, Austria.”

Sultanpour, who was 19 at the time, needed to make a decision – join Khomeini’s army or join the Kurdish Peshmerga.

“I chose to be a Peshmerga, fighting against Khomeini’s regime,” said Sultanpour. “After a year and a half, I went to the United Nations office in Ankara, Turkey, to apply for refugee status. A year and a half later, I was granted a refugee visa by Canada.”

Integration into Canadian culture was challenging for Sultanpour, mainly due to the language barrier. At the time, he hardly understood or spoke English, and had made the move alone.

Sultanpour has nothing but good things to say about Canada and the second chance at life afforded to him by Canadians. “I painstakingly pursue my English class and university courses for self-improvement,” he said.

He and his wife feel it is time to raise awareness about the plight of the Kurds, especially with the rise of ISIS.

“In the last 10 years, my wife and I have built three public schools, purchased a prefabricated trailer home-style classroom, and built a community centre near the city of Orumieh, in east Kurdistan-Iran,” said Sultanpour. “For the last 20 years, we have been helping, financially, 65 to 100 very poor families in Kurdistan.”

Sultanpour is now working to strengthen the Kurdish-Jewish connection in Winnipeg. He is saddened by the lack of knowledge about the Kurdish situation in the general public, as well as with federal public servants who have not heard about Kurds or Kurdistan.

He referred to an article in the Dec. 29, 2015, issue of Time Magazine: “Alan Kurdi was one of a million. In the summer of 2015, the 3-year-old Syrian boy of Kurdish origins and his family fled the war engulfing their country, hoping to join relatives in the safety of Canada. They were part of a historic flow of refugees from the Middle East to Europe this year, and they followed the dangerous route taken by so many others. In the early hours of Sept. 2, the family crowded onto a small inflatable boat on the beach of Bodrum, Turkey. A few minutes into the journey to Greece, the dinghy capsized. Alan, his older brother, Ghalib, and his mother, Rihanna, all drowned, joining the more than 3,600 other refugees who died in the eastern Mediterranean this year.”

Sultanpour said, “Alan, his brother, Ghalib, and mother, Rihanna, were identified as Syrian when, in fact, they came from Kobane, the Kurdish town invaded by Syria. The tragedy of the death of these three Kurdish people made Alan’s father, Abdullah, prefer to bury his family in Kobane and stay in his beloved motherland, Kurdistan. Up to their dying day, Alan, Ghalib and Rihanna were stripped of their identity and state.

“In the heart of the Kurds, the Kurdi family are Kurds from Kobane, Kurdistan,” he continued. “Alan’s dead body was the only Kurdish child seen by the world, not knowing that there were hundreds of thousands of Kurdish men, women and children who are dead and are dying in Kurdistan – the biggest nation without a state.”

Sultanpour, like many other Kurds, sees Israel and the Jewish people as their only allies in the Middle East. He sees Kurdistan and Israel living in a very hostile region with common enemies, with both nations finding Iran and ISIS as threats to their existence.

With only about 500 members of the Kurdish community in Manitoba, the Kurdish Association of Manitoba is looking to network with the local Jewish community to have a larger impact.

“Both Yolanda Papini Pollock of the WFI and Bernie Bellan of the Jewish Post and News have been instrumental in the speedy interconnection of the Kurds and Jewish people in Manitoba,” said Sultanpour.

The approximately 35 attendees at the event had many questions for Sultanpour about Kurdish-Jewish connections, Kurdish political parties’ relationships with one another, and Palestinian-Kurdish relations.

According to Sultanpour, many in attendance were surprised to know that the present Kurdish capital of Erbil was the capital city of Jewish Kurds from the end of the first century when some Kurds converted freely to Judaism.

“There were numerous questions about political and religious issues regarding the Kurds,” said Sultanpour. “It was very obvious that the attendees were happy to welcome the Kurds and that they could have accepted them earlier had they known about them sooner. But, it’s not too late to develop a much stronger bond with the Jewish people here in Winnipeg and increase the connection globally.”

In related news, another manifestation of Kurdish-Jewish friendship occurred in January, when Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked called for an independent Kurdistan, saying, “The Kurds are an ancient, democratic, peace-loving people that have never attacked any country. It’s time to help them.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Aftermath of trauma

Sometimes there are jokes about how we’re all emotionally damaged to some degree. It’s a serious problem for us, because we all lived through wars and terror attacks,” shared Canadian-Israeli Yolanda Papini Pollock of Winnipeg Friends of Israel (WFI) at a lecture co-hosted by WFI on Feb. 9.

The discussion, which focused on the topic The Psychological Impact of War and Terrorism: Coping with and Minimizing Trauma, was held with the local Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev chapter, the Jewish Post and News and Congregation Temple Shalom, at the synagogue.

photo - Michel Strain — Michel Strain *(photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa)*

“I’ve worked with refugees for the last decade,” said Michel Strain of the Manitoba Immigrant and Refugee Settlement Sector Association. “All have come from countries affected by war and many have experienced trauma and torture, many living in refugee situations for many years.

“In my role in the employment program I worked in, I was often one of the first people the refugees began to trust. And, during this trusting relationship, I had the privilege of many individuals sharing their stories with me…. Their resiliency was resoundingly evident to me.”

Holocaust survivor Edith Kimelman spoke about dealing with her personal trauma. She was 16 years old when Germany invaded her small community in Poland.

“I stood at a neighbor’s window and watched my father being led away by soldiers, only to find him later in a field – dead and riddled with bullets,” she said. “It was beyond my young comprehension to understand that no one in our non-Jewish community of neighbors would help us bring him home. My childish belief was, once he returns to our house, he would return to life.

photo - Edith Kimelman — Edith Kimelman (photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa)

“To watch from our window, as Jewish neighbors were led behind a stable, shot and quickly buried gives me, to this day, nightmares. To find my mother so severely beaten that it led to her death will haunt me forever. I felt like I was punished, having to remain alive without her.

“When I had my own children, I lived in constant fear that something terrible would happen to them or to my husband, and that I would be unable to help them.”

Kimelman explained how this trauma has affected every aspect of her life, including, of course, her relationships with family and friends. While she fears she will leave her sons with the heavy baggage of her unfortunate experiences, she is confident that her fierce love for life and her survival will carry them through.

The keynote speaker of the event, BGU’s Dr. Solly Dreman, who was born and raised in Winnipeg before moving to Israel 50 years ago, was introduced by Dr. Will Fleisher, a local therapist experienced in working with traumatized youth and adults. Dreman is professor emeritus in BGU’s department of psychology.

Dreman has witnessed the long-lasting effects of terrorism. Decades later, “soldiers are having night terrors, night sweats, family difficulties, are unable to cope.”

He differentiated between war and terrorism, explaining that war is usually preceded by prior events and circumstances, while terrorism occurs suddenly, without warning, causing a different type of trauma. Unlike war, terrorism is not confined to a specific geographic arena or time dimension.

“The threat persists, the fears, uncertainty, the sense of helplessness,” he said. “Such attacks are looming over our heads all the time. You have the unbridled devils lurking in your soul forever. That’s going to serve as the trigger for anxiety, feelings of helplessness and inability to cope.

“People who have lost loved ones may have been witness to the event, and we all know the symptoms of survivor guilt,” he continued. “By escaping unscathed, they experience feelings of guilt that they came out alive. There’s research that shows that people who have been injured in a terrorism event after having lost a family member have less PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] than someone who comes out unscathed. Survivor guilt has been a major factor.”

photo - Dr. Solly Dreman — Dr. Solly Dreman *(photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa)*

Dreman pointed to the media as an aggravator in Israel, saying they continually expose the public to the horrific events, while frequently providing information that is unreliable and unconfirmed. He also said the general public, too, is responsible for watching, reading and listening to these reports more critically.

He spoke about his experiences with two separate terror incidents.

“Our initial therapeutic attempts were designed to deal with interpersonal things, like helping teachers in their contact with the young victim students, helping integrate them into the school system,” said Dreman.

The approach seemed to have worked for the first few years, but when Dreman went back to these families 10 years after the initial contact, he found them struggling with life and their interpersonal relationships.

“It was terrible,” said Dreman. “We failed. By the way, we got published in a very prestigious journal reporting on our failure. The conclusion, for those of you who are dealing with refugees or faced the Holocaust, is that there is a need for interpersonal intervention and getting back to business as usual.”

Dreman suggested that limiting media exposure may be helpful, as the constant repetition of the horror does not allow people to heal. But, on the other hand, he said it is important to not go completely off the grid, as that can cause anxiety to a breaking point that might create more trauma. A balance is needed, he said.

Dreman further advised that it is important to embrace life, that social support is a major factor in healthy adjustment.

“Be up front with your kids, explaining that you will do your best to protect everyone,” he said, “but don’t promise that nothing bad will happen, as that is a promise you may not be able to keep. We should allow kids the opportunity to express their fears, but not to dwell on them, as that will exacerbate the sense of trauma.

“Routine is very important – schoolwork, exercise, empowerment,” he added. “The only way to get that is establishing a routine in the face of incomprehensible uncertainty and trauma. Don’t send the kid to a shrink because, by doing that, you’re telling them you can’t manage things.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Sponsoring Yazidi refugees

Yolanda Papini Pollock, co-founder of Winnipeg Friends of Israel, which initiated Operation Ezra. (photo from Yolanda Papini Pollock)

The Jewish community in Winnipeg has ramped up its efforts to help the Yazidi people, including the sponsorship of families to the city.

“When you look at the plight of the Yazidi people, it kind of mirrors the Jewish reality of 1945,” said Al Benarroch, executive director of Winnipeg’s Jewish Child and Family Services (JCFS). “I’m not going to be one to say that it’s like the Holocaust, but the Yazidis have suffered, over the last 500-600 years, a very significant genocide.

“The Yazidi people have been displaced from that region of the world and have been heavily victimized, murdered and devastated in the millions. And they have nowhere to go to. So, our community and other communities across Canada have really taken this to heart saying, you know, it was a mere 70 years ago that we ourselves were in a similar situation.

“When we say ‘Never again,’ are we just talking about the Jewish people? We see that image of ourselves in the Yazidi plight, and we feel compelled to come forward and act on it. That’s been the message we’ve been putting forward in Winnipeg.”

The group that started this effort in the city is Winnipeg Friends of Israel (WFI), awakening the community to the Yazidis’ situation and the possibility of sponsoring Yazidi refugees to Winnipeg.

“When we heard about the Yazidi massacre in August 2014, we reached out to the Yazidi community,” said Yolanda Papini Pollock, WFI co-founder. “We wanted to hear about the Yazidi plight and support their community by raising awareness.”

WFI invited Nafiya Naso, a Yazidi spokesperson, to share her and others’ stories with the Winnipeg community at the Asper Jewish Community Centre in March 2015.

“After learning about the dire strait conditions of the Yazidis in refugee camps, it was clear to us that we could not sit aside and do nothing,” said Papini Pollock. “We decided to do more than just listen.”

The group initiated Operation Ezra with the goal of sponsoring at least one Yazidi family and of raising awareness of the Yazidis’ plight. They began by partnering with Bridges for Peace, Calvary Temple, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and others. By December, $130,000 (enough for five-plus families) had been raised.

“When we heard Nafiya’s story, we recognized so many similarities to the plight of the Jewish people prior to the establishment of Israel and immediately empathized with her people,” said Papini Pollock. “The Yazidis are an ethno-religious minority and, just like the Jews, they are targeted solely because of their religious beliefs. Many genocide scholars perceive the Yazidis as victims of genocide. The Yazidis have been persecuted 74 times. At one point, there were more than 20 million Yazidis. Today, there are less than one million.”

The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg has helped raise the funds to sponsor as many families as possible and JCFS has taken on the responsibility of managing the resettlement and other services, allowing WFI to do what they do best – connecting on a personal level with people.

Since Operation Ezra was announced, the congregation of Shaarey Zedek has taken on sponsorship of two families under the initiative.

“Collectively, we’re talking about 35 individuals to date who have applications that are or will be submitted,” said Benarroch. “At this point, I think we’re talking about bringing in as many as 50 individuals.

“The more we fundraise, the more we can help. We’ve gotten a hold of many people who are donating furnishings, old televisions and bedding. Someone came forward and said they will donate through their manufacturing company quilts and coats. We are looking for warehouse space.”

The sponsorships are being done through MCC, as they are the only organization in the city that holds a sponsorship agreement with the federal immigration department. This is something Benarroch would like to see change, not due to any lack in MCC’s services, but as an added insurance. “Historically, there was Jewish Immigration Aid Services of Canada (JIAS),” he said. “Located in Toronto, they were the national office for Jewish immigration.

“Because it was a national mandate for that sponsorship agreement and the national office no longer exists, my understanding is that the sponsorship agreement had to be given up. So, now we no longer have a national sponsorship agreement for Canadian Jewish communities. God forbid if we should have a worldwide crisis and the Canadian Jewish communities would be challenged at a national level to take on Jewish refugees.”

While he has been exploring the options regarding making an application to have at least a local sponsorship agreement – “If history repeats itself, as it usually does, you should have that safety” – Benarroch stressed, “I think it’s been amazing to be able to work in partnership with those groups, with the Mennonite community. The Manitoba Multifaith Council sits at the table for Ezra. We get ourselves out there. It’s the right thing to do.”

Some of the most-asked questions by people considering joining the effort, Benarroch said, are “Who are the Yazidis? Are they Muslim? Are they Christian?”

His response is, “They are not Jewish, Christian or Muslim, yet they do share many interesting customs that have a foot in all of those religions. They celebrate their new year … I’m not an expert … in the spring, in their month of Nisan. We, as Jews, also have a month of Nisan. They pray several times a day towards the sun, much like Islam. Yet, they have no formal book or liturgy … no formal Koran, Torah, New Testament, whatever you’d like to call it. It’s an oral tradition.”

Papini Pollock, meanwhile, is finding it hard to wait for the first arrivals. “We will be involved in taking care of the families when they arrive to the best of our abilities,” she said. “We will work with the rest of the Winnipeg community to ensure the refugees have the most natural transition to Winnipeg and to Canada.”

For more information on Operation Ezra, visit jewishwinnipeg.org/community-relations/operation-ezra.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.