Pro-Israel MP quits

Pro-Israel MP Quits

OTTAWA — NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis, a prominent Israel advocate who has frequently criticized her own party’s stands on the Jewish state, quit last week, saying she is “seriously contemplating” a run to unseat Sam Katz, Winnipeg’s first Jewish mayor. The 58-year-old Winnipeg North MP, whose resignation was effective May 1, had held her riding since 1997 and previously served as a provincial cabinet minister under Howard Pawley from 1986 to 1988.

Book Wins Award

WINNIPEG — Allan Levine’s book Coming of Age: A History of the Jews of Manitoba won the $5,000 McNally Robinson Manitoba Book of the Year Award April 25 at the 22nd annual Manitoba Book Awards in Winnipeg. In addition to winning the top prize, the book was nominated for three other awards in the competition.

Tourism Record Set

TORONTO — Travel to Israel from Canada reached an all-time high in March, with 5,906 Canadians arriving, the highest ever for that month and a 24 per cent increase over the same period last year, the Israel Government Tourist Office said. Also, 313,000 tourists from around the world arrived in March, a 56 per cent increase over the same period last year, and nine per cent more than the previous record set in March 2000. Travel to Israel saw a 54 per cent increase in the first quarter of 2010 overall, compared to the same period last year.