As a teen growing up in River Heights, I lost interest in Jewish life (much to the chagrin of my parents). As my family grows, I find myself embracing Jewish life in ways I never expected. My community connection– which continues to change and grow – brings me great joy and satisfaction.

I was born in 1972 to William (Bill) and Karen Narvey (née Silverman). My dad was a lawyer for over 30 years and is the son of Anne and Max Narvey. Max passed away in 1952, and my Baba Anne remarried Izzy Weinstein. My mom was a history and English teacher, had various other jobs, and ran her own business called Monograms Today. She is the daughter of Lillian and Manny Silverman (of Silverman Jewellers’ fame). I was blessed to have three of my grandparents at my wedding.

I was the oldest of four siblings. My sister Sara now lives in California; my brother Jonathon (Sara’s twin) lives in Vancouver; and my sister Alexandra lives in Calgary, where my parents also live. My mother was pregnant with Alexandra at my Bar Mitzvah. There was a significant age difference between us, but I enjoyed helping care for my infant sister (a responsibility that helped spark my career choice).

Family was a huge priority for my parents, both the immediate and extended families. As parents, they were – and still are – modest and loving. I remember large, loud, happy family gatherings and seders, with many cousins around. I also recall that my parents weren’t too fond of my siblings and I having sleepovers at friends’ houses. They liked “all of their chickens in one coop.”  

Our family first lived in the Kelly House apartments on Carlton Street, then moved to Borebank and Cordova when I was five. For school, I attended William Osler, Montrose, and Grant Park. I went to Ramah Hebrew School for kindergarten and spent three years at Herzlia night school.

I was a pretty independent kid, comfortable to bike around the neighbourhood even at the age of four. I played football for a couple of years, but preferred individual sports like bowling, shot put, and discus; I played the baritone (an appropriate instrument for a lanky kid); and I loved collecting comic books. I say – with no embarrassment – that I still have my childhood collections.

Nurturing a Jewish connection was very important to my parents, especially my dad. I studied diligently for my Bar Mitzvah with Cantor Smolak – a very sweet man – and, as a teen, played basketball at Herzlia (often getting called off the court to help make a minyan). In my later teen years, though, I turned away from Yiddishkeit. I simply wasn’t interested

For my undergrad, I went to Queen’s University to study chemistry, my first love in academia. I even entertained an offer to advance my studies at the Pasteur Institute in France. Eventually, though, I decided to pursue a career in pediatric medicine and studied at the University of Manitoba.

In 2002, I moved to Edmonton, where my wife had been matched with an Ophthalmology program. There, we started to think about what our future as a Jewish family might look like. While the community in Edmonton was warm and welcoming, we found ourselves longing for the Jewish diversity Winnipeg had to offer, especially as our son Adam was born in 2008 and our daughter Lauren was born in 2010.

When I returned to Winnipeg with my young family in 2010 as I accepted a position as Section Head of Neonatology, working at both St. Boniface Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre. The way we were embraced by the community was inspiring, even overwhelming. When you leave and come back, age lines blur, new perspectives emerge, and new relationships take shape. It has been a remarkable and beautiful experience.

Life has evolved since I first signed the Endowment Book of Life. In 2020, I married Lauren Shelli Goldsman, who brought her two children, Gabriel and Alyssa, to the family. Life is busy with work, and as our children are growing up and discovering their interests and identities, I have made a conscious decision to devote myself to community life as much as possible.

My family celebrates Shabbat dinners and holidays; I’m a donor to the Combined Jewish Appeal; and I am a proud supporter of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba through the Endowment Book of Life program. I try to lead by example and hope to make a difference in my community.

Most importantly, I want to set an example for my children and give them the opportunity to explore their Judaism and Jewish values. I am determined to give our children a robust Jewish life and the tools they need to make good choices when they are older. By participating in the Endowment Book of Life program, I think I am extending that objective beyond my family.

In my late teens, I turned away from my Judaism. In my 20s, I moved away from my city. On both fronts, I learned that you sometimes don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone.

It’s good to be back.

2025

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