Toronto version of Shuk market set to open

Based on tourist attraction in Israel

The Shuk Machane Yehuda is a one- of- a- kind market in Israel, one of that country’s most popular tourist attractions.

It’s being recreated in Toronto by Ezer Mizion, an Israel health support organization that includes the world’s largest Jewish bone marrow donor registry.

The Shuk as it is commonly known, is a openair market with roots going back to end of the 19th century. Toronto’s version will open Sunday at the Artscape Wychwood Barns at Bathurst St. and St. Clair Ave.

Ezer Mizion’s market will take visitors back to the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem with vendors from Israel complete with specialty market foods and the spices and aromas.

Vendors plan to replicate the exact look and feel of the market, said Dena Bensalmon, director of Ezer Mizion Canada.

“We have to do something big in Toronto. Here, not many people know who we are,” Bensalmon said.

Well- known restaurants from The Shuk along with actors dressed in tradition market clothing and musicians will make the event the real deal.

WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BIG IN TORONTO.

Meanwhile, Ezer Mizion’s international bone marrow registry to date has saved 2,463 lives in 108 countries with more than 300 of those in Canada and the U. S.

“We are based in Israel, but save lives around the world,” Bensalmon said, adding Ezer Mizion works will world- wide bone marrow registries sharing donor information.

A Jewish person needing a bone marrow transplant wouldn’t likely find a match in a Italian or Chinese registry.

“When a person needs a transplant, they need someone with the exact DNA,” Bensalmon said.

“Our goal is that nobody has to wait for a transplant, so we are looking for pools of very different DNA, such as if a Russian had a child with a Moroccan.

“Ezer Mizion currently has a registry of 848,029 potential donors and of those, 429,295 are Israel Defense Forces recruits.

“Ninety- nine per cent of new recruits join the registry.

“Something that is very cool is 70 per cent of people saved are from soldiers,” Bensalmon said.

For more information on the market event, go to ezermizion.ca.

There will be tons of surprises and it will be a special Israeli experience,” Bensalmon said.