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Part 10 of the story of the delusional Winnipeg con man: The con man asks to meet with me and ends up being thoroughly grilled about the cons he’s pulled
By BERNIE BELLAN This is the tenth -and final part of a story about a delusional Winnipegger who believes he is someone of great wealth and has spent the better part of 30 years contacting people all over the world telling them that he wants to invest in their businesses or projects. The first nine parts of this story are all available to read under the FEATURES category on this website.
Here is the final part of my story:
On April 9, 2026 I finally had a chance to meet with Fred Devlin again. The day before, I was totally surprised when I saw a message from him saying he wanted to talk to me – and gave his phone number (which is the same phone number I had for him from years ago).
I called him – and he was quite pleasant, although he said he was suffering from pneumonia. After just a couple of minutes, however, he said his wife had just walked in and he couldn’t talk.
The next day he messaged me and asked whether we could meet. I said “yes” and we agreed to meet at either the Fairmont Hotel or Hy’s. He said he would let me know. It ended up being Hy’s.
When I walked in Fred was standing beside the bar. He looked remarkably the same from the last time I had seen him, although a little dissheveled. There were no apparent signs of his having had pneumonia.
He asked the server if we could have a private table somewhere and she told us that we could go upstairs to the dining room, which was empty. We sat down and I placed my iPhone on the table, as did Fred. I told him that I wanted to record our conversation so that everything he might say would be on the record. He agreed and also said he was going to record it himself – presumably to make sure that I wouldn’t alter anything.
In every instance where he refers to the name of his company or supposed group of companies, I’ve omitted the actual name – even though in the rest of my story I refer to his group of companies as the Xanadu group. In a couple of instances he referred to real people during our conversation, but since they are not mentioned anywhere else in this story and play no part in the story I’ve told, I decided to retain their real names.
I want to explain what follows is not easy reading. Fred Devlin clearly suffers from a psychotic delusion and my intent is not to make light of his illness. There are many people who suffer from various psychoses and many of them are capable of committing great harm to others if their psychoses aren’t treated – or, even if they are treated, the treatments fail.
What makes Fred Devlin’s story so unusual, however, is the harm he was able to inflict and is apparently still inflicting on so many others by his believing the story he had somehow developed to explain his life. Even as I was talking to him I could see that his calm, measured tone could seem quite convincing to most people with whom he would connect. I deliberately went after him as hard as I could though, to see whether I could break his composure by asking him questions quickly and not giving him the opportunity to start rambling on about his group of companies, his charitable endeavours and, most important, his vast wealth.
By the end of our conversation he was shaking and kept saying the was tired. I honestly felt sorry for him, but I wanted to get him on the record contradicting his story fully in so many ways so that no one reading this would doubt for a moment that Fred Devlin is fully psychotic and can be quite dangerous when he tries to envelop trusting individuals in his web of deceit, regardless whether he himself is unaware just how deceitful he really is.
One more note: As is the case with most conversations, speakers often interrupt one another, thoughts don’t get fully expressed – and even though the transcription program I used is quite accurate, a lot of what Fred Devlin said was indecipherable. I’ve tried to do justice to what was said, but I’ve left out a lot of the pauses and words that made no sense.
Here is how the conversation went:
Devlin: Now do you want me to just talk or you ask questions – or do you have questions?
Me: Well, of course I have questions, but if you want to start off by saying something, go right ahead.
Devlin: It’s gonna take a series of interviews to cover my life, but I’m gonna give you everything. I’m gonna give you evidence. I will show you that everything I always say is true. I started my life at… started in Israel when I was 10. My father went to teach at the Weizmann Institute. We went through Europe and then to Israel. We were in Greece on the way to Israel, and there was the (raid on Entebbe). Okay. We got to Israel, ran into by chance Benjamin Netanyahu, who had lost his brother. And we gave our condolences and that was the first meeting I had with Benjamin Netanyahu. We lived there. I went to school there. I was infatuated with the soldiers and the guns and the bullets and… a soldier, a friend – Michael Perl…. I don’t know if you know Michael Perl – but his brother gave us all these empty shells. I went to a sporting goods store, bought a gun, a starting pistol. I converted it into a gun and I guarded my campus in Israel, and that was what I was meant to be. So my life is about guarding Israel, the … Foundation worldwide, which is just a name, it’s actually a numbered company based outta Luxembourg and the … group of companies Worldwide Holdings are also a numbered company under … Investment Corporation, which you can look up at the Manitoba Companies office on Broadway.
Me: Let, let me stop you there. First of all, I’m not so sure about the whole story about meeting Netanyahu, but regardless, the … group of companies has no presence on the internet. I don’t believe there is any such thing as the ….Group of Companies. Do you have any proof that there is something (by that name)?
Devlin: Of course, I will have lawyers write to you.
Me: Never mind lawyers. What can you show in terms of documentation?
Devlin: I can show you the websites. It’s just a name, okay.
Me: And what are the companies in the … group of companies?
Devlin: There’s 3,360.
Me: Okay. Can you name any of them?
Devlin: Of course, but I’m not going to name…
Me: Name one.
Devlin: I’m not gonna name one. It’s private.
Me: You’re not gonna name one?
Devlin: Not today, no.
Me: Why?
Devlin: ’cause they are secret. They’re secret companies. Okay. I want no one knowing my business. I haven’t been in a publication since May, 1990.
Me: How many companies now is it (in the group of companies)?
Devlin: 3,300… 3,306.
Me: When I spoke to you in 2021, it was 300.
Devlin: I was being honest. Okay.
Me: Alright. So, the … group of companies has 3,300 companies. You won’t name one. You won’t provide any proof that there is (even one company).
Devlin: I’ll provide you with okay. But not today.
Me: Alright. And it’s headquartered in Luxembourg, correct?
Devlin: Okay
Me: And David Simkin is what?
Devlin: My CEO.
Me: Okay. Does he exist?
Devlin: Of course.
Me: Where does he live?
Devlin: Luxembourg. Okay. But he traveled.
Me: No one has ever been able to establish that there is anyone by that name.
Devlin: Because he’s Mossad.
Me: Because he’s Mossad?
Devlin: Correct. And that’s not his real name.
Me: Oh, it’s not his real name. Okay. Alright, let’s go on.
I am sort of curious to know about your business career. I did read that you were in real estate and then you became the executive director of the Winnipeg Airport ….
Devlin: No, I first started Winnport. I founded Winnport.
Me: You founded Winnport?
Devlin; Yes. Yeah. Here, I’ll show you.
Me: Okay. And what year was that?
Devlin: About 1992 to 1994.
Me: And you have some proof for that.
Devlin: Of course.
Me: Of course. (According to Wikipedia, Winnport was established in 1998 by Lynn Bishop. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Winnport: “Winnport Logistics, a Winnipeg-based air cargo consortium, was established in 1998. The company launched Canada’s first scheduled widebody cargo operations during that year, aiming to connect Winnipeg to Asian markets, before eventually ceasing operations in 2002”.)
Me: And then you became executive director of the Airport Area Business Improvement Zone?
Devlin: No. Of the Winnipeg Development Corporation biz, not the Winnipeg…. Never with the Airport Area Business Improvement Zone. (I found that answer particularly strange because the 1998 article I referenced earlier specifically stated that Devlin had been the recently appointed executive director of the Airport Area Business Improvement Zone. Why he would he have chosen to talk about Winnport, with which he may have had some involvement, but certainly not in the years he said he was involved, and not the Airport Area Business Improvement Zone – raises new questions – both about Devlin’s resumé – and his memory.)
Devlin: Yes, I was. And I had it (Winnport) spun off. I’ll tell you the story, but easy for you to look at. (And at that point he pulled out what I immediately recognized as his album of photos that he had first shown me in 2021.)
Me: Are you gonna show me more pictures?
Devlin: Yep. I’m show you.
Me: Okay. I don’t care. I’ve seen your pictures Fred, and you know what? I don’t care about your pictures.
Devlin: You know what, then don’t be rude…
Me; Alright. When was that? You say that was 1992.
Devlin: It’s ’94 or so.
Me: Okay. Alright. Look, I don’t doubt that you had some sort of business career. I wrote that (in my original story that I posted to the internet in February 2026), so the question is: ‘What happened?’ (At that point a waiter came over with our soups and the conversation paused.)
Me: Okay, let’s go on. So how long were you with Winnport then?
Devlin: About a year, and then that was…there’s a story behind that. There’s a lot more to the story. Alright, so can I tell you the story?
Me: The Winnport story? Yeah. Tell me the story.
Devlin: When I was running my company, … Investment Corporation, which I founded in 1987 and still operating, which owns all the … Foundation worldwide. In a … group of companies. It’s in the Companies office. It’s current and operating.
Me: Go on.
Devlin: In May of 1990 I was featured in Manitoba Business Magazine.
Me: Yes, I have that article.
(At this point the man I’ve been calling Devlin launched into a very descriptive, but often incoherent account of part of his earlier business career. As I’ve noted previously, I have no doubt that Devlin was very bright – and successful – until something happened. So, when he weaves names of real people into his stories, there might be more than a semblance of the truth in what he’s saying. The problem is he seems to get key dates wrong – as when he talks about Winnport – and when he claims to have been the person to have started that company.
Still, it’s somewhat sad to think how much potential he had – as he explains in the following account. If only he had never veered completely off the rails and started insinuating himself into so many people’s lives, causing so mach damage along the way.)
Devlin: Yeah, (but) you don’t have the full magazine, which has much more information. (It) talks about me becoming an up and coming… and Izzy Asper saw the article and summoned me…it was a billionaire summoning a millionaire and it was the only time in my life I was intimidated a little bit. We became partners, friends, mentor, and he financed me for the acquisition of land where Centerport is. I still control land at the airport and I started Winnport. I founded it. It was my business plan, my concept, although it was talked about by others. I mapped it out on a plane coming back from Amsterdam, Holland ’cause I mapped out a logistics plan that is now Centerport. So, I was sitting on a Saturday going through the career section at our place on Wellington. I saw a career commercial development officer wanted by the Winnipeg International Airport and Izzy Asper and I had already bought the land, so I figured I’d go as an insider. I got the job the next day ’cause I had a presentation, which included every element of what they were trying to do. I worked technically for someone named Warren Thompson, but I really worked with Lynn Bishop, who was the general manager of the airport and eventually president of the Bombers. I talked to Lynn yesterday, I believe so. I still keep in touch with a great guy. Okay. I realized that I had a conflict of interest owning land and being the insider in the airport. So I realized I had to spin off a company. So we spun off Winnport, which I named. I actually spelled it W-I-N-P-O-R-T. Lynn Bishop on a flight back from, I believe, Chattanooga, Tennessee. No, uh, Huntsville, Alabama, where we were looking at CargoX airplanes from Luxembourg, which I own now in control. Go look it up and you’ll see nothing about me. Every company I own does not come back to me. My business is silent.
(A few days after meeting Fred Devlin, I did manage to get a hold of Lynn Bishop, who was the original founder of Winnport – in 1998, when Fred would have been around 32. Lynn told me that Fred Devlin did work for the company for a very brief time, but they had to let him go because his behaviour was so erratic. That jives with my thinking that it was sometime when Fred was in his early thirties that he became quite delusional.)
Me: Why? Why is that?
Devlin: Two reasons. I don’t want anyone knowing my business. If I’m to buy land or buy something, the price goes up if they comes from …. So we use shell companies to buy and make offers with legal. That’s one. The other is reputation. God forbid Air Canada has a crash. And it connects to …, then my reputation is real.
Me: So Air Canada is one of the companies you own?
Devlin: I’m not gonna say.
Me: you’re not gonna say?
Devlin: I will tell you next meeting. I will give you a paper with some holdings. I know Michael Rousseau very well, who was vice president of Finance for Air Canada.(He was actually its CEO until recently. when he resigned over his not knowing how to speak French.) I deal with him. He’s been fired. We’re bringing in a new CEO and president. I own part of Boeing, okay.
Me: Let’s move on. What did you do after Winnport?
Devlin: After I left Winnport, I was not happy. I sold it to Cargojet or behind the scenes, and we have shares in Cargo, which is the largest Canadian cargo companies, so Winnport became very successful domestically. I’m doing the project again to introduce runs by CargoX currently, which will be Winnport again and Cargojet. (As has been noted, Winnport ceased operations after 2002.) And I will make Winnport as I expected it to be. Then I left Winnport and I became executive director…(of what, Devlin didn’t say). Didn’t take a salary or I gave my salary to charity to stay involved with the airport area and Winnport.
Me. And what did you do then?
Devlin: I did nothing. I was executive director of the Airport Area Business Development Corporation. (The chronology is so confusing. Devlin just claimed he left Winnport and became executive director of the Airport Area Business Development Corporation, but Winnport wasn’t established until 1998 and that 1998 magazine article said Devlin was the recently appointed executive director of the Airport Area Business Development Corporation, which would have preceded his becoming involved with Winnport but, In the final analysis, it doesn’t really matter what the sequence of his various positions he hleld was – if he, in fact, actually held the positions he said he held. Still, it seems evident that Fred had an upward career trajectory until he developed his psychosis. I haven’t been able to establish what he was doing when he apparently developed that psychosis when he must have been in his thirties.)
Me: And you didn’t take a salary?
Devlin: I took a salary, but I gave it to charity.
Me: Is there a record – of your having been with Winnport?
Devlin: I can get that for you.
Me: Okay. So you were already in your thirties by then, I’m guessing?
Devlin: Yeah.
Me: Okay. Alright. I wanna move forward though because as you know, I’ve been writing about you. I wanna talk about your relationship….
Devlin: You are slandering me.
Me: I want to talk about your relationship with Jonathan Soloway.
Devlin: Alright.
Me: I have copies of written agreements between you and Jonathan Soloway.
Devlin: You don’t have everything.
Me: I have signed agreements between you and Jonathan Soloway.
Devlin: No, I never signed an agreement with him.
Me: I have your signature on those documents.
Devlin: Never signed it.
Me: Are they forged?
Devlin: Were they forged? I don’t know what Jonathan did with them.
Me: Okay, so you are saying that those agreements are invalid.
Devlin: They’re invalid and I can tell you what I offered Jonathan and I helped save his life, and was the only person who reached out to him after I hadn’t talked to him in 45 years. He flew to Winnipeg to meet with me at 529 (Wellington). I befriended him. I tried my best to help him. He had lost his life savings in a bitcoin scam or some type of scam on the internet. He had nothing. He had no car. He was living at his brother’s place. He lost his marriage. And the custody of his daughter, I believe, and his life was in ruins and I was the only one to step up to offer to help him. I offered him, I’m setting up a real estate investment trust in the fall with Nikki Bello (who, I was able to learn, is a Winnipeg Chartered Professional Accountant), if she’s interested still. And probably Lauren. (I have no idea who that is and I didn’t ask Devlin who Lauren is.)
Me: Did you tell him to stop making payments on all his debts?
Devlin: No.
Me: You deny that?
Devlin: No, I said to him, “Don’t pay if they’re not gonna come after you.”
Me: And you didn’t offer him a salary of $250,000 a year?
Devlin: I, no…. being paid on the first 50. (In talking to Jonathan, he explained that 50 would have meant 50% of the Real Estate Investment Trust he was supposed to be setting up with Devlin.) Would you like to know what it is?
Me: Sure.
Devlin: I offered him 49% of the company outta my goodwill of the shares. Jonathan was confused. He thought he was getting a job. I said, “No, you’re getting a partnership.”
Me: So if I were to show you the agreement (promising to pay Jonathan $250,000 a year) with your signature on it, would you say that is a false document?
Devlin: I’d have to see it.
Me: Well, I can open it up for you if you want.
Devlin: Jonathan turned on me because I was in the hospital. I disappeared for five weeks with a brain injury and I couldn’t help him pay off his debt. I talked to his creditors. I got his debt reduced. I did my very best for Jonathan.
Me: Alright, so you say that you didn’t offer him a salary of $250,000.
Devlin: Yes, I did.
Me: You did?
Devlin: But once we were operational and there was cash flow from the REIT. I wouldn’t take a salary. Nikki wouldn’t take a salary. She took shares and then I promised him a $250,000 salary as long as we had cash flow.
Me: But these agreements are quite recently signed and don’t say anything about having to wait for a cash flow before he would get paid.
Devlin: Nothing happened. There was no money there.
Me: It’s all part of a pattern Fred of you stringing people along with promises of a big payday and then, when they start asking “Where’s the money?”, you say there is no money there – right?
Devlin: That’s your belief. It’s not true.
Me: Have you ever put up money for a project?
Devlin: Many times. All the time.
Me: And can you substantiate that?
Devlin: Yeah. I can show you an airline project where I’m doing in Nigeria.
Me: Did you not offer Rick financial help with his publication?
Devlin: Never. No. Okay. I offered him a million dollars potentially to buy him out from …magazine and to have him run as CEO or in some position once we started …was a deadline (again – totally incoherent). I’m still willing to meet my commitments to him, but he slandered me and set up a group of people because he’s mentally ill. Has Asperger’s, I believe, or autism and rage management and A-D-H-D-.I disappeared in the hospital the next day without being able to tell anyone. I was in for five weeks. I couldn’t communicate. I had blinding brain injury, headaches, and vertigo. Couldn’t use my phone.
Me: How many times have you been in the hospital… committed for psychiatric reasons?
Devlin: Never. Never.
Me: Did you send a cease and desist letter to a psychiatrist?
Devlin: No.
Me: You didn’t’?
Devlin: Not that I recall.
Me: You didn’t have Bob Anderson send a cease and desist letter?
Devlin: Yes, I did.
Me: To a psychiatrist?
Devlin: Yes, I did. Okay.
Me; Why was that?
Devlin: I’m not gonna talk about it right now. Okay. Next time.
Me: So you were in the hospital for psychiatric visits.
Devlin: No. Okay.
Me: Did you meet a fellow named Jack in a psychiatric wing of a hospital?
Devlin: I went in to be undercover and I met him and he was my roommate.
Me: Did you tell him that you owned the hospital?
Devlin: Yes.
Me: Why?
Devlin: Because I do.
Me: That would be the Health Sciences Center?
Devlin: No, the Victoria Hospital.
Me: You own Victoria Hospital?
Devlin: . Through Internet means I control the hospital.
Me: Okay. This is all very interesting. You are actually confirming everything that has been told to me. Okay. I wanna talk about Charlie.
Did you offer to finance a charitable foundation for him in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Devlin: No.
Me: You never did?
Devlin: No.
Me: Even though he’s got letters, texts, and emails to show that you did.
Devlin: If he says so I’ve got the texts, I’ll have to read ’em.
Me: Have you been threatening Charlie?
Devlin: No.
Me: Have you not been telling him that you’re gonna ruin his life?
Devlin: Legally? Yes. For slandering me on Facebook, I’m gonna sue him to the grave.
Me: Did you tell him that you would take his farm? (I asked Charlie whether he ever had a farm. He said he didn’t.)
Devlin: Yeah.
Me: His pharmacy? (Again, Charlie was bewildered over the suggestion he had either a farm or a pharmacy which, he says, he’s never had. He said he did own a piece of land in his community – which he sold to finance the charitable foundation Devlin told him his …group of companies would finance.)
Devlin: I paid for his books, his computers, everything and the value that he has. And I said I would take it all.
Me: Why?
Devlin: Because he slandered me on Facebook after I put him through school partially, and I was a mentor to him. I spent hundreds of hours, which are documented. You can see. I’ll be happy to turn over all my emails and texts to you. Okay. He has not told you the truth.
Me; Alright, there are a whole slew of other people who I’ve talked to who told me that you would make promises to them. One of them was Dan Winthrop.
Devlin: I made no promises to Dan. I’m helping with a project with Israeli aircraft. Okay.
Me: And this has been going on for over 18 years?
Devlin: Correct.
Me: And you had a fellow in Las Vegas – Avi… I can’t remember his last name – who was going to facilitate your bringing over jets from Israel and convert them to some sort of use? Did Avi not try and set up a meeting between you and various officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu?
Devlin: Our deal was once I hired him and pay him a million dollars a year. Plus 3.33% of the funds he raises. He’s earning about 120, I believe, as the director of…(Avi actually works in an area that is too sensitive to Israel’s security to reveal.)
He was not happy. He expressed an interest in working for me, so I did my best to get him a position. I became ill and was unable to fulfill it. But I am planning on fulfilling it.
Me: Okay, one more story of promises unfulfilled.
Devlin: Not my fault. I was in the hospital, very ill.
Me: Alright. I wanna get back to Jonathan Solaway though, because since you deny that you have had any written agreements with him, I wanna show you the written agreements and then have you comment on them.
Devlin: I don’t want to do this. Getting tired. I’m sick. I do next session.
Me: You’re getting tired now?
Devlin: Yes. Very tired. But I will talk to you next interview about that.
At that point someone walked by our table and Devlin turned to him, saying: “Hi, how are you?… I’m good. How are you?… Good… Oh, you’re the delivery boy today. You do everything. A jack of all trades. . Things are going well. Yeah. How about you? I haven’t seen you in a while. Been away and it’s been a while… I’ve been here. You been here? Was able to sneak in. You enjoy it? I am. Yeah. It’s good. Yeah. Good. Brock Wright. Brock Wright. Can you get me his number? ’cause we’re fixing the healthcare system.” (From 2000 to 2017, Brock Wright served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for what was then the new Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and, for five years during that period, also served as the Chief Operating Officer at Health Sciences Centre.) The person Devlin was talking to said : “I will try to, yeah. . Next time I see him, I’ll, I’ll grab it for you.” (I chose to include this little snippet to illustrate how good Fred could be at posing as someone important – and turning on the charm.)
I resumed my questioning: “Okay. Alright. If you don’t want to see the material that I have…
Devlin: Not, not this time, I’m too tired to look it up.
Me: Okay. Well let’s go back to asking some some more questions about other people who I’ve spoken to. One of them was a lawyer by the name of Bob Anderson.
Devlin: He’s not a lawyer. He lost his license for, well he was a lawyer in Virginia. Go look him up on the internet. I hired him after he was slandered and I tried to take down the information on him. We’ve been friends for 20 years. They came to me and approached me in Bolivia to buy banks and he came to the Forks area hotel. We became best friends and he did free work for me for many years for my foundation. And that’s it.
Me: How did you get in touch with Rick? Was it through Jack?
Devlin: Okay.
Me: And you met Jack in a psychiatric ward?
Devlin: I met him in the hospital – okay.
Me: Well, he says it was a psychiatric ward.
Devlin: Whatever he says. I won’t argue.
Me: So you deny that you were a patient in the psychiatric ward.
Devlin: No, I was not a patient.
Me: No, you were checking out the system ’cause you were the owner of the hospital. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?
Devlin: You can do what you want with it. I’m telling you.
Me: You say you own Victoria Hospital?
Devlin: No, through options on the hospital with the Manitoba government.
Me: Oh really? Okay. You think that if I were to print this conversation now that this is going to make you look somehow as a bonafide, legitimate businessman?
Devlin: Not the way you are putting it. I’m just going to answer.
Me: I’m just asking you the questions and you’re giving me the answers… and I’m doing it on the record.
Devlin: I’m giving you a courtesy before I sue your ass for a hundred million dollars.
Me: Is that right? On what grounds?
Devlin: Defamation. You didn’t approach me to ever get my side of the story. You went with a group of people – Rick, who’s a crazy man, and he stirred up all these people, dug up every single person I knew because I was too open with them and slandered me and made up stories and approached you. I don’t know the total chain of events, but I will shortly.
Me: Okay, but you say that even though there are documents with your signature on them, especially the ones signed between you and and Jonathan Soloway, they’re not legitimate documents. Is that what you’re saying?
Devlin: They’re not. Jonathan knew very well that he was getting no salary till it was operational.
Me: Even though your signature’s on your document and promises…
Devlin: We tried to put together a document. It was null and void. Jonathan knew that – when was it made null and void immediately, within 10 minutes of it being signed.
Me: Why was that?
Devlin: Because Jonathan put in fake clauses saying that I owe him $250,000. But the other clause says he’s not gonna get paid till there’s generation of revenue. I have witnesses. Nikki Bello.
Me: Is that in the document?
Devlln: I believe so. I’d have to review it if.
Me: Jonathan is in big (financial) trouble and you deny that you told him to stop making payments on his debt?
Devlin: I said to him, these were my words: ‘If they’re not gonna come after you, it’s better to conserve your cash and not pay creditors.” I’ve had much experience with people who have worked for me with creditors.
Me: Did you not tell him that you were gonna take care of his debts?
Devlin: I did.
Me: You did?
Devlin: Yeah.
Me: Did you?
Devlin: Not yet. I got ill and I was unable to work, and now I’m happy to take care of his debts, but after he slandered me, I’m no longer willing to do it.
Me: Isn’t that a breach of contract then?
Devlin: There was no contract. It was friendly. It was a friendly promise to do my best to help him. Okay?
Me: But when I say there is a contract with your signature on it…
Devlin: I, I’d have to see it.
Me; Well, if I showed it to you, is it gonna make any difference?
Devlin: Could. It depends on what it says. I have to go through my documents and I’ll tell you next interview. (At that point Devlin said something incomprehensible, but then suggested that Jonathan doesn’t have a case that any lawyer would take on, saying “No one will take the case.”)
Me: There was a lawyer who was quite willing to take the case, but the problem is – you’re penniless – so there’s no point in suing you.
Let’s talk about your finances. How much money do you have?
Devlin: Look, that’s not your business, but I have a lot of money.
Me: Okay, you don’t think there’s a lawyer who’s quite willing to take the case (of a lawsuit against Devlin)?
Devlin: Go for it.
Me: But I asked the lawyer: Can Fred’s parents and his wife be included in a lawsuit?
Devlin: Yeah. And what did they say?
Me: He said, “no,” unless we can prove that somehow they were materially involved in all your affairs. By the way, how do you pay for all these meals at Hy’s and at the Fairmont?
Devlin: With my Interac card. Why?
Me: I’m just wondering who is supporting you? Is it your parents?
Devlin: Nobody supports me. No, no.
Me: It’s income from where? From the … group of companies, right?
Devlin: Correct.
Me: The …group of companies? And David Simkin is the CEO, right?
Devlin: Okay. I get my money from him.
Me: Would I ever be able to talk to David Simkin?
Devlin: No.
Me: Because he’s Mossad, correct?
Devlin: Right. And that’s not his real name. Ari Duran, my chief of Global Intelligence and Security based in Tel Aviv, who’s worked for me for over 20 years – he’s also Mossad. Everyone who works in my senior executives are Mossad or IDF.
Me: Are you accompanied by Mossad agents?
Devlin: Most of the time. I won’t answer that.
Me: Are you ever accompanied by Mossad agents?
Devlin: Correct.
Me: What does that mean?
Devlin: They guard my family in Winnipeg, in Cleveland – for 20 years.
Me: Do you live at …? (At that point I recited the address where Fred and his wife are presumed to live)?
Devlin: That’s our safe house. We have 1909 Wellington Crescent, and we’re moving to Number One Wellington in September.
Me: Did you live at 277 Wellington Crescent ever?
Devlin: Yes.
Me: All right. Who paid for the apartment?
Devlin: I did.
Me: You did? You paid how?
Devlin: My company paid for it.
Me: Okay. To be accurate, your house is owned by someone else entirely, with a mortgage on it, right?
Devlin: We have the option to buy it. His name is Michael (name omitted). Yeah. And his number is 3 3 3 3 3 3. (Of all the baffling things Devlin said during this conversation, that number was the weirdest. I have no idea what he meant by saying that.)
Me: We did a search for the title on that house. It’s only valued at $439,000. But you say that’s a safe house?
Devlin: Correct.
Me: So, where is your primary residence?
Devlin: I won’t answer that – for security reasons.
Me: Oh, for security reasons. Do you know how ludicrous this all sounds?
Devlin: I don’t care. I’m sure it does, but it’s true.
Me: And do you think that if you sued me for defamation and I were to have this played in court that you wouldn’t be laughed out of court? Fred, are you under psychiatric care right now?
Devlin: No.
Me; Have you ever been under psychiatric care?
Devlin: I was once under psychiatric care, but for a fact that I have a sleep disorder and I couldn’t sleep, and they had to give me medication through psychiatry to make me sleep. I don’t sleep 24 hours a day. I have a rare sleep disorder. I never sleep and without the aid of medication, so that was the only time.
Me: Okay. So when I approached your mother years ago after I had met you and asked her: “What’s the story with …?” And she said, “… is not well, please go easy on him.,” what do you think she meant, Fred?
Devlin: I wasn’t well physically and she wanted you to leave me alone.
Me: Well, was it because you weren’t well physically or weren’t well psychologically?
Devlin: No, it was physically.
Me: Have you ever been hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder?
Devlin: I’m not gonna answer that. Alright. My health is out of court.
Me: Well, you just said that you don’t have any psychiatric disorder.
Devlin: I have letters from the Cleveland Clinic. Each year for my corporation, I have to get a healthcare letter. I have no… besides pneumonia. Now I’m in perfect physical and mental health. Okay. And I have letters from doctors in Cleveland and in Winnipeg. Okay.
Me: Who do you have working for you in Winnipeg?
Devlin: I won’t answer that…many people.
Me: Is (name omitted) one of the people?
Devlin: She did some free work for me, but I’m planning on hiring her as CEO of … Foundation, Winnipeg office.
Me: Did you ever pay her anything?
Devlin: Not yet.
Me: Why not?
Devlin: ’cause we had no agreements in place for me to pay her. She was volunteering for the foundation.
Me: Or is it not the case that you have no money and it’s all a delusion, Fred?
Devlin: Okay, Bernie, whatever you say, keep up with slander. You know what? This interview is over if you continue this line.
Me: Well, since you denied that you’ve had any agreement with Jonathan Soloway, that you had any agreement with Rick, that you had a plan to to bring jets from Israel over to Canada to convert them for some sort of…
Devlin: We are, uh, proceeding with that project.
Me: And this project has been ongoing for almost 18 or 20 years?
Devlin: No, no, three years. Just three years with Dan. Three or four years with Dan – who I offered a company. I offered him, I sent, he went to Israel on his own money. Yeah. And he didn’t expect anything to be offered. I wasn’t gonna go to Israel because I thought his ideas that he had for 20 years may not be solid. He went on his own way to meet Gli, who’s a tremendous person, director of … I believe I have her name.
Me: There’s a whole slew of people you’ve contacted over the years. According to what I was told by (name omitted), you’ve recently contacted the head of the Winnipeg, Airport Authority and the head of Centerport.
Devlin: Not recently, although I phoned Carly (Edmundson, the President and CEO of CentrePort) yesterday.
Me: The CEO of CenterPort? Okay, what was the nature of your communication with her and the head of the Winnipeg Airport Authority (Nick Hays)? You have plans, right? You have projects. What kind of project is it you want to develop?
Devlin: Next interview. I’ll be happy. Okay.
Me: They don’t know about your past history. Because when I told Carly in an email that you’re totally delusional, she responded that came as a surprise, but she said all that she did is introduce you to some other people.
That’s your style, isn’t it Fred? You network with people. You find people, you use them to contact other people.
Devlin: Correct.
Me: So, you admit that’s what you do?
Devlin: Oh, that works. Yes. Yeah.
Me: Okay, so you network with people and then you find what their particular area of expertise is. You have some background in aviation, so that gives you…
Devlin: And real estate… and financial markets.
Me: Yeah. Okay. So that gives you the semblance of having some experience.
Devlin: I have deep experience.
Me: Then you lull people into thinking that you’re actually credible – right?
Devlin: Oh my god, that’s slander.
Me: But isn’t that how you operate?
Devlin: No, I don’t.
Me: No? What do you do?
Devlin: Not at all.
Me: What do you do then? How do you network with people?
Devlin: I try to find people I can help and do Tikkun Olam with, at every level. Tikkun Global. Yeah. And every person I touch, I try to help.
Me: Okay. What charitable foundations have you ever financed?
Devlin: In Africa, we financed USAID, Save the Children, World Vision… many.
Me: And you have proof for all that? That’s what Charlie told me that you told him when you suckered him into believing you.
Devlin: I suckered him? Yes. What a joke.
Me: Do you know the guy is suicidal? Do you know that I sent him money?
Devlin: How much money did you send him?
Me: I sent him 600 Canadian dollars,but he still owes a lot more. (I later sent Charlie another $800. I still keep in regular touch with him. Charlie still finds it difficult to believe that Fred Devlin was a total fraudster.)
Devlin: Good for you. I paid him more.
Me: You haven’t paid him a cent.
Devlin: I put him through school for $650.
Me: Oh you did, did you?
Devlin: Yes.
Me: And what kind of school was that?
Devlin: His certificate’s in business. (After I had this conversation with Fred I contacted Charlie to ask him whether Fred had ever given him money for anything. He sent me a screenshot of a text from Fred that was sent in 2023 in which Fred asks the director of a school Charlie was attending to give him an extension on paying his tuition, saying that he will “receive the necessary funds to pay for his school after I return from Israel on my peace mission in early December. I need to be in Winnipeg to direct these funds to him.” Of course, there never way any payment of any sort, according to Charlie.)
Me: But you’ve been sending him threatening messages.
Devlin: Because he threatened me on Facebook.
Me: What did he say on Facebook?
Devlin: He started writing all about me and saying I was a liar and I was… he slandered me. (I’m sure that Devlin was referring to the article I had posted on my website in February which contained that very detailed email outlining the litany of Fred’s broken promises. Somehow he had it confused with Facebook.)
Me: But that wasn’t Charlie who wrote that email.
Devlin: Who wrote it?
Me: You don’t know?
Devlin: I’ll find out.
Me: You think Charlie was capable of having written that email? (Charlie’s native tongue is French, and although his English is quite good, it didn’t take me long to realize that he couldn’t have written that January 16 email. I quicky deduced that it was Rick, who is capable of writing very well.)
Devlin: No. Was it Rick?
Me: That’s right. So why don’t you sue Rick?
Devlin: I am.
Me: You are? Where?
Devlin: I have a lawyer in Florida. I have lawyers in Toronto who can operate in Florida.
(And then I asked him about a lawyer in Winnipeg who’s his cousin – and is the lawyer who threatened to sue me for defamation. I asked Fred whether that person has ever acted for him? He said he has – for many of his over 3,300 companies.)
Me: Can you name one of those companies?
Devlin: Yes. Worldview Capital.
Me: Which is what?
Devlin: Which is what the airport is. Worldview Capital owns the world’s only financial model that works, generates between 250003300000.0% for annum. Yeah. It’s worth $1.15 trillion. I’m going to be making a deal with their candidate. (Again, totally incoherent)
Me: And (Fred’s cousin) acted for you in this, correct?
Devlin: Right.
Me: So if I ask (cousin’s name – omitted here) that, do you think he’ll substantiate that?
Devlin: He’ll tell you what I asked him. He won’t talk to you, he’s not talking to you.
Me: Oh, is that right?
Devlin: I’ve done this on my own – against my lawyer’s advice.
Me: Does (your cousin) know that you’re here, that you’re meeting with me?
Devlin: No.
Me: What would he say if he knew you were meeting with me?
Devline: He’d be pissed off.
Me: Yeah. What about your wife? Does she know? Pissed off, right? She knows that I’ve contacted you though – right?
Devlin: Yeah.
Me: Has she taken the phone away from you when various people have called you?
Devlin: No. No.
Me: Okay. What’s your wife’s role in all this?
Devlin: My wife has no role in all this. She facilitates, she works for another company.
Me: Has she sat in on meetings?
Devlin: No, she did not.
Me: Well, according to someone who asked me not to name them, she has.
Devlin: I’d have to look it up.
Me: Yeah, please do. I’ve spoken to…(and then, Devlin interrupted me.)
Devlin: I don’t care who you’ve spoken to, you’re not getting good information.
Me: Okay, do you want the real truth? I’d love for this to go to court. I’d want it to go to court because maybe that could put a stop to you. That’s why, when people ask me why I got so involved in this story, I say to them it’s because I’m trying to stop you from hurting other people – because you’ve hurt a lot of people, okay?
Devlin: If you say so and you’re not aware of what you’re doing…You make an excellent argument based on the fallacy of your assumptions, Bernie.
Me: I don’t know where to take this. You’re substantiating everything that’s been told me about you so far.
Devlin: I need more interviews. I’ll be happy to talk to you about everything but this, this should not go into an article.
Me: Would you be surprised to know that I’m writing a story about you?
Devlin: No, but we’re gonna co-publish that story with the truth.
Me: Oh, really? Do you think I’m gonna give you final edit on the story?
Devlin: No, I don’t expect it.
Me: I’m not even gonna let you see it. I’m gonna let the people who are mentioned in it see it before I try to publish it.
Devlin: Try it and see what happens to you.
Me: Well, I’ve already got one publisher who’s quite interested.
Devlin: I’m sure It’s a very interesting story.
Me: It’s been fascinating trying to flesh it out.
Devlin: How about if it’s true, Bernie? Did you ever contemplate everything I told you is true? Has that ever gone through your mind? And then think about what you’ve done.
Me: You mean the story that you’re telling? Is the story true in whole or in part?
Devlin: No, it’s true in whole.
Me: Every part of the story, every single part? Every part about you owning over 3,300 companies? Are you a trillionaire or a billionaire?
Devlin: I’m a trillionaire.
Me: You’re a trillionaire.
Devlin: Over and over.
Me: Are you richer than Elon Musk?
Devlin: Much richer than Elon.
Me: Okay. Then why do you dress like this?
Devlin: Like what?
Me: I mean you’re presentable, but it’s not what I’d expect from a trillionaire.
Devlin: I care about my parents. I…
Me: If you’re a trillionaire, where are the bodyguards? I can’t imagine a trillionaire not being surrounded by bodyguards
Devlin: They’re here. You don’t see them, but they’re here.
Me: I don’t see them. Are they Mossad?
Devlin: Yeah, they’re Mossad. We don’t want to have (his wife), for instance worry about bodyguards for my family. So it’s invisible. I don’t even know where they are.
Me: You don’t even know where they are?
Devlin: I can find out quickly by just tapping a button on my phone. That’s the truth. Okay. Now if I tell you what I’m worth, would that be helpful?
Me: Yeah, sure. Go ahead.
Devlin: $9.33 trillion.
Me: 9.33 trillion? How do you think that sounds?
Devlin: Do you think that when I have world…., but I know every up and down in stocks, commodities, currencies, commodities. I just trade. Automatically outta Luxembourg and I trade on my desk in my office and make millions of dollars.
Me: Fred, how do you think your parents would react if I were to send them a transcript of this conversation?
Devlin: They’d be very upset.
Me: Why?
Devlin: Because they don’t know everything about my business.
Me: Do they know that you have $9.33 trillion?
Devlin: No. You know, I’m very wealthy.
(I then asked Devlin about a cottage that he’s told people he owns, but I don’t want to get too specific about the name of the lake for the same reason I didn’t give Devlin’s actual address. Even though anyone who knows the real person I’ve been calling Fred Devlin in this story would recognize him from everything I’ve written about him, I highly doubt that anyone who doesn’t know his family would know whom I’ve been writing about – but if I were to reveal his actual address and where the family cottage is, it would be much easier to establish what Devlin’s real name is.)
Me: What kind of car do you drive?
Devlin: I drive a Porsche GT, three BMW convertibles. They’re not in Winnipeg right now because of the potholes. I store them in Florida and Cleveland. I have 17 cars that I collect for investments.
Me: I see. And where did you tell me you’re flying to this weekend?
Devlin: I expected I’m to fly to Toronto to meet with Irvin Shane, one of my lawyers. Then I’m flying to Cleveland to spend about a month with my family going over our legal strategy to undo everybody. And then, we’re suing, unless you convince me that you’re an honest reporter.
Me: Oh. Do you think I’m afraid of a threat of a lawsuit from you, Fred? If I were to play this in court…
Devlin: Um, you know what, Bernie…
Me: I’m surprised that you haven’t been committed to an institution.
Devlin: Um, I don’t know. I don’t know exactly the legalities of that anymore. Bernie. Bernie, be careful. Why you, you’re walking on thin ice…slandering me… try to go after my mental health.
Me: We’ll see what happens. But you go after Rick’s mental health.
Devlin: He’s self-admittedly mentally ill.
Me: No, Rick admits that he’s got some problems.
Devlin: Mm-hmm. how about anger?
Me: Yeah, he admits that.
Devlin: Why didn’t he call me when I was in the hospital to see where I am instead of gathering up all these people against me?
Me: What were you doing in the hospital?
Devlin: I had a concussion from a brain injury.
Me: And when was this?
Devlin: Uh, seven weeks ago maybe. Yeah.
Me: You were just in the hospital? You had a concussion from a brain injury?
Devlin: Correct. Do you wanna see the picture of my head?
Me: Where did you fall?
Devlin: I was in the bathroom. It was dark. We normally have lights that light up. Motion detectors. I lost my orientation. Lost my balance and fell on my head. On the bed board. (But he had just stated that he fell in the bathroom.) Yeah. Cussed myself. Knocked myself out.
Me: Alright. But even while you were in a hospital – with a brain injury, you maintained contact with various people, right?
Devlin: No. No.
Me: You didn’t phone people from the hospital?
Devlin: Not many. My phone was taken away.
Me: Who took it away?
Devlin: The doctor.
Me: Why?
Devlin: He didn’t want me making calls. He wanted me to rest.
Me: Which hospital were you in most recently?
Devlin: Victoria.
Me: And which ward were you in?
Devlin: I’m not gonna talk to you about my hospitalization ’cause you’re gonna twist it and write he’s got psychiatric problems.
Me: Isn’t it the case that were in the psychiatric ward of Victoria Hospital recently?
Devlin: I, I’m not gonna answer that. Do you have evidence that I was?
Me: I don’t, I’m just asking.
Devlin: Okay. Do I sound crazy, Bernie?
Me: Oh, you want me to answer that? Sure. You sound totally crazy, Fred. And I feel sorry for you, I feel deeply sorry for you, but what happened is just that you harm so many people.
Devlin: I never harmed anybody. No.
Me: What about Charlie?
Devlin: Never harmed.
Me: He’s suicidal.
Devlin: That’s not my fault. No, no, no.
Me: So you didn’t promise to fund his charitable foundation and he went out and spent money on his own?
Devlin: No. Never to start feeding (children). That’s not true.
Me: Poor African children, based on your promises to him?
Devlin: No, no, no. He asked me if I would send some money. ’cause he wants to feed the hungry. He brings porridge to them. Okay. To the hungry people.
Me: So did you send him money?
Devlin: No. No. Okay.
Me: Why not?
Devlin: Because I wasn’t involved at the time. I was planning on sending money…
Me: But you funded USAID and… which other charities? But you couldn’t send him a couple of thousand dollars. Why not?
Devlin: Was planning on it, but I, I got sick
Me: Did you ever pay Bob Anderson for any of the work he did?
Devlin: He never – I don’t owe him.
Me: Isn’t it true that either your father or your wife paid him?
Devlin: No.
Me: Or maybe one of your brothers?
Devlin: No.
Me: Gave him a thousand dollars. That’s what he says.
Devlin: Could be.
Me: Because he said you kept refusing to pay him.
Devlin: Bullshit. He’s in the deepest of troubles.
Me: The confidentiality agreement thats you had him prepare, you had loads of people sign confidentiality agreements that Bob Anderson prepared, didn’t you?
Devlin: He didn’t.
Me: He prepared almost 15 non-disclosure agreements for people to sign. Why would you have people sign non-disclosure agreements? ‘
Devlin: Cause I don’t want to be gossiped about.
Me: Or is it the case you didn’t want other people to know about what you were doing?
Devlin: No.
Me: Because if other people knew about the nonsense you were spouting, absolutely they would’ve cut you off at the knees.
Devlin: Absolutely not. No. That was not my motive. No.
Me: So, when you approached Jonathan Soloway because he was an old childhood friend and you told him that you could help him by setting up this real estate investment trust and you sent him contracts, what was your motivation?
Devlin: I didn’t send Jonathan contracts. No, I believe he sent them to me. (On that point Devlin was correct. I checked with Jonathan and he did say that he had the contracts prepared and sent to Devlin, adding that Devlin was incapable of producing the type of sophisticated agreements that Jonathan sent to him, but which show Devlin’s signature on them nonetheless.)
Me: Regardless, you signed the contract, but you say you didn’t sign the contract.
Devlin: Bernie. I didn’t say I didn’t sign it. I said, Jeff’s agreement that he sent me was bullshit.
Me: Okay, well, do I sound like I’m cross-examining you – because that’s what would happen if you went into court, Fred.
Devlin: I have zero problem. I’ve been in court many times.
Me: Would you be surprised to hear that different people are trying to initiate a police investigation of you now?
Devlin: There’s a police investigation of Rick…for threatening our lives, my mother’s and my life.
Me: Is that right? Where is that police investigation?
Devlin: Rick twisted it to say I threatened him. What a joke.
Me: Would you be surprised to know that there was a file opened on you by York Regional Police in Ontario and it was sent to Winnipeg ?
Devlin: No. I don’t care. No.
Me: Do you care that there might be a police investigation of you?
Devlin: Doesn’t bother me.
Me: Doesn’t bother you at at all?
Devlin: No, I’ll be happy to speak to the police… and give them evidence.
Me: I’m not sure where it’s at. I just know that there was a file opened on you.
Devlin: I’m not going nowhere, but if it does go further, I’ll be happy to talk to the police.
Me: Okay, I think this is enough, Fred.
Devlin: Um, are, are we gonna have another session? If you want,, I’d like the full truth to come out and then you can decide what to publish. I don’t feel you’ve given me justice.
April 26, 2026 This concludes my writing about Fred Devlin and his delusional cons. I was still receiving phone calls from Fred, however, asking when we could meet again – until I blocked him. And then I received a phone call from the man I’ve called Jack, who met Fred in the psych ward at Victoria Hospital. He was also totally incoherent, so I’ve blocked him too. I expect though that this story will still be ongoing. The man I’ve called Fred Devlin will likely continue to make contact with many more unsuspecting people and try to persuade them that he has a huge amount of money which he is willing to use to invest in various projects.
Further, I rather doubt any police force will proceed with an investigation. I’m sure whatever file ended up at Winnipeg Police Service has long been buried. But, since I decided to post these stories to my website – and I can reopen the story at any time, there may be more chapters to write.
If you’ve been reading these stories – either in whole or in part, you might like to know that I will compile them into one large pdf and make it accessible on this website at some point.
Features
Do we treat our Arabs better or worse than the Tsars treated us?
By MARTY GREEN I know many Jews will be outraged at the very notion of comparing the two. “The pogroms!”, I hear you cry. “The Naqba!”, the Arabs might just as well respond. We all have our own simplified narratives regarding the rights and wrongs of the past; but just as the true story of Arab life in Israel is much more complicated than the Naqba, so the story of Jewish life is Russia was, for better and for worse, much more nuanced than the mere fact of the pogroms.
There are some obvious parallels between our respective stories. We came to be the authority over several million Arabs as an unwelcome by-product of our great victory in 1967. Similarly, Russia inherited some half million Jewish subjects over the course of the three partitions of Poland (1772-1795). We were hardly more welcome to the Tsars than the Arabs were to us. We sometimes mock the “genocide” allegations by pointing out how 1.2 million Palestinian Arabs in 1945 now claim to number over 14 million. But we were no pikers by comparison: in the course of the 19th century, our numbers in Russia grew anywhere from ten- to twenty-fold.
We remember how the Russian government quickly instituted the Pale of Settlement, restricting our mobility. Can the Arabs under Israeli rule not complain of similar or worse restrictions? It is true that we have obvious security concerns regarding the mobility of a hostile population. The checkpoint system has almost certainly saved lives. But by the same token, can we be sure that the Russians had no valid reason to worry about the loyalty of their Jewish subjects?
There can be little doubt that in the First World War, many Jews hoped that the German invaders would liberate them from their Russian oppressors. And even before the German invasion, as a large minority group speaking their own language and having close connections with their co-religionists in foreign not-always-friendly countries, surely the Russians had as good reason to be concerned with our loyalty as we have with regard to our Arabs?
(Incidentally, it is said that the Jews of 1812 might have whole-heartedly thrown in their lot with the invading Grand Armee, if not for the unlucky resemblance of the French Emperor’s name with the Yiddish word mapole (meaning “defeat”). But that is a tale for an alternate version of history.)
Finally, we remember well how Jews in Russia were not allowed to own land; the truth is, we mis-remember that “fact” because we did indeed own land, and when challenged our title was upheld in the Russian courts. Similarly, in the Occupied Territories the validity of Arab land titles under Ottoman Law are rigorously protected by the Israeli courts. Nevertheless, some residents of the Jordan Valley may argue that it is less than “rigorously” enforced on the actual ground.
Which brings us to the subject at hand. Because back in Old Russia, in der alter heim, disputes between us and our Gentile neighbors over land ownership and usage were an ongoing feature of life for centuries. For a somewhat poetic description of the nature of these conflicts, I turn to the words of memoirist Falek Zolf (1898-1962), who recalls this about his youth in the shtetl of Zastavia, a village of several hundred on the outskirts of Kamenetz-Litovsk. To preserve a bit of the flavor of the original, I have transcribed Zolf’s narrative here in a mix of English and Yiddish.
“The village led a poor, quiet life. We lived from what God gave us; this one from a manual trade, this one from farming, another from buying and selling, and so forth. A few dozen families pulled in a meager livelihood from working in Asher Guterman’s brewery, which was known throughout the region for its beer. Outside of that, almost everyone had his own garden and his own cow – most likely one which he had raised himself from a calf. You could always rent a small patch from one of the landowners who lived in the Gentile quarter; the vegetables and produce could be sold in the neighboring towns and villages: in Brisk, Kobrin, Orleh, Bialovezh, etc.
“Quiet and peaceful was the flow of life in the stäedtele. It was truly mit’n schwéiss vun sein ponim (by the sweat of his brow) that each one earned his own piece of bread, along with the vegetables which the good Mother Earth provided to everyone in full measure.”
Of course we all know that Jewish life in Russia was not quite so idyllic as Zolf makes it out to be in the preceding passage. Let us see what comes next:
“The stäedtele of Zastavia was at one time, according to the stories of the old men, entirely a Jewish peasant-village. The whole surrounding area with its fields, gardens, and hills had once belonged to Jews, who were originally men of the soil. But little by little, for a number of reasons, the Yiddische erd had passed over into Gentile hands. If a Jewish peasant needed to make a shidukh for his daughter, he might be driven to sell a strip of farmland to a Gentile; and with the money, he could put on a proper khasseneh with all the sheva brokhos. If his son didn’t want to go serve the Russian Tsar and had to run off azh ken Amerikeh, the Jew would once again cut off a piece of land and sell it to a neighboring Goy (to pay the 300-rouble penalty). If his grown children went off to seek happiness somewhere in the far-away, and the elderly parents simply didn’t have the koyakhto go out and push the plow, then the last stückel feld would be sold to the local meshtchan, and with the money they could enjoy the few years remaining to them. And so with time, the Yiddische erdfell largely into Goyische händt.
“In the end, all that remained to us was a large vihon, a communal grazing-field, which according to legend had once belonged to a rich Jewish landowner, who had donated it to the stäedtel. In the end, the Yiddische beheymos had actually been forced to share this pasture with Goyische khazerim. It was painful for us to have to watch those khazerim turning our Jewish vihon into a pigsty, but there was little choice; one was, after all, living in golus.”
Perhaps we should pause here to consider that while the Jews seem to have sold much of their land to the Russians due to economic pressure, there are nowadays, for obvious reasons, only the rarest cases of Arabs selling their lands to Jews. Furthermore, I am not aware of any situations where the Bedouins of the Jordan Valley willingly share their grazing land with the Jews of the hilltop outposts. Whether these differences are to our credit or theirs is not for me to say here.
In any case, we will see further that it was not only economic or social pressures which came into play:
“Unfortunately, the more the Goyischer Gass (the Gentile Quarter) grew at the expense of the Yiddischer Gass, the more brash and the more khutzpah-digker they became. They started to look for any pretext or opportunity to snatch away this last remaining piece of Jewish grazing land, so that not a single Yiddische beheymah should have a place to roam. They would sometimes show up armed with sticks, hoes, and pitchforks, ready to start a milkhomah….”
Sound familiar?
“….but on such occasions, the ZastavierYidden, who were in those days no pushovers, would quickly arm themselves with the implements of ha-yadayim y’dei Eysav and go forth to meet the Gentile foe. Blood would flow from both sides. For the Jews, it was a matter of kidush ha-shem, a case of milkheymes mitzvah, to uphold their Yiddischen koved and also to save and protect the Yiddische beheymah-lach from Goyische händt…”
And of course, in such situations, the Russians would call in local gendarmeria or even the dreaded Cossacks, and the Jews would be quickly dispersed, arrested, or even beaten.
Or were they….?
Perhaps not. Let us see how Zolf describes it:
“Fortunately, these little milkhomos would not last for long. The storm would quickly die down, and the stäedtel would soon go back to its normal, peaceful life, as though nothing had happened.”
And with those words does Zolf conclude his fond reminiscences of his childhood years. But of course that is not the end of the story.
We all know the devastation brought by the Second World War. But in the wake of the Holocaust, we are liable to forget the enormous impact of the First World War on the Jewish world. The collapse of empires was followed by the emergence of new, ideologically-driven regimes which. It is hard to say whether Communist Russia or nationalist Poland was more hostile to the Jews. In any case, Zolf’s village found itself on the Polish side of the border. And the Jewish way of life quickly became economically untenable.
Among the first the measures adopted under the Polish national slogan of “swój do swego“…that the Gentile should only patronize “his own people”….was the establishment of Christian cooperatives, so that the Polish peasants would not see their hard-earned money fall into the hands of Jewish intermediaries. Then there was the nationalization of entire industries like wine, alcohol and tobacco…again, with the purpose not so much of the betterment of the working class as the impoverishment of the Jewish merchant class. Then the strict enforcement of the Sunday laws, so that the observant Jewish shop-keeper would have to close down for two days of the week. Finally, the imposition of a host of new taxes, of which Zolf reels off the names: gruntovi, dokhodovi, handelyovi, obratov… (ed. Note: would be nice to get the correct Polish spellins of these)
The bailiff’s wagon, which quickly made it’s appearance in one Jewish community after another to haul away confiscated goods in lieu of unpaid taxes, was given the nickname “Grabsky’s Aguleh (hearse)”, after the infamous finance minister Grabsky, a notorious anti-semite. And in Warsaw, it was said to have been followed all to often by another kind of aguleh, this one from the khesed shel emes, to collect the bodies of bankrupt Jewish merchants who had thrown themselves from a fifth-story window.
The precarious condition of the Jewish staedtel could hardly go un-noticed by the local peasantry, and before long they had renewed their ambition to take over the last remaining grazing-field, the communal vihon, and make it once and for all Juden-rein. In Old Russia, the Jews had been ready to defend themselves with clubs and pitchforks; and interestingly enough, Zolf records that they had even sought and obtained recourse from the Russian courts:
“Back then the städtel had engaged the services of berühmte advokaten (famous lawyers) who fought the case azh in der gubernieh un in Petersburg. The protzess dragged on for years, until the Jews were able to secure once and for all séier recht zu mägen paschen séiere beheymos auf’n kehill’schen vihon, inéinem mit die Goyische khazerim.
Yes, there was now and then justice available to the Jews from the Russian courts. We sometimes forget that Mendel Beyliss was aquitted by an all-Christian jury. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the Arab villagers in the Jordan Valley have also been able to obtain favorable judgments from the Israeli courts on occasion.
But in post-war Poland, things were not the same. The villagers knew that in the course of the war and the fires that had destroyed Zolf’s shtetl, the Jews had lost the papers which gave them the right to to an equal share of the communal lands. In addition, the shtetl had been seriously weakened by the war, the Spanish Flu, and emigration to America. The end was in sight to one and all.
And so one bright summer morning, the Catholic and Orthodox peasants (who otherwise had little affection for one another) herded their flocks into the communal vihon. Zolf describes what happened next. One doesn’t need to understand word for word to get the general picture. Sadly, the same story seems to be repeating itself today in the Jordan Valley: only the roles have been changed:
“Their field-hands let loose the dogs auf die Yiddische beheymos, and drove them weit in a sumpign winkel. The Jewish cattle had to spend the rest of that day versunken in der tiefer blotte, searching in vain for a green stalk mit wâs zu stillen séier hunger, un nischt gekönnt gefinnen. Late that afternoon, they were led home, tired, hungry, and covered with mud. Locked away in their barns, they gnawed at the walls. Séiere hungerige geschreien hâben sich weit getrâgen über’n stäedtel.
“And in the pitiful cries of their hungry animals, hâben die Yidden gehört a min trauerign shoyphar-blâsen, which announced the end, not only for their teuere, liebe beheymellach, from whom they had derived at least a stückel khayunah…but also the end vun séier alt-eingesessene Yiddischen stäedtel.”
Falik Zolf left Poland in 1926 and became a Yiddish teacher in Winnipeg’s I.L. Peretz Folks-Schule. He published his memoir in 1948 under the title “Auf Fremder Erd” (On Foreign Soil).
Features
Embracing your femininity in Cheshvan
By ELENA KNIGHT Rosh Chodesh Sameach! Though last month’s article (Embracing your femininity in Tishrei) had far more holidays, thus more material, the month of Cheshvan is not as empty as it appears. It may contain no holidays or mitzvot specific to the month, but I take issue with the idea that Cheshvan is “bitter”.
Some people refer to this month as MarCheshvan, Mar meaning bitter, but Mar can also refer to a drop of water; this month is the beginning of Israel’s rainy season! We began praying for rain with Shemini Atzeret last month, so by this time, G-d has usually heard Am Yisrael and started sending rain to the Holy Land. To connect this to womanhood, let’s revisit last month’s article, where I explained the connection of water to femininity.
In Tishrei, I spoke of the divine feminine, and how rain is associated with the womb of creation, fertility, and gentle, life-renewing power. In Cheshvan, however, I’d like to focus more on feminist reclamation of water metaphors; in Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad , for example, when trying to protect herself from unwanted suitors, Penelope recalls her mother’s advice: “Behave like water… Don’t try to oppose them. When they try to grasp you, slip through their fingers. Flow around them.” We can take this literary advice and put it into practice in our lives this month. When in a position where we feel powerless, and in spaces where female assertion is unwelcome, we could do well to be like water. Nobody can hold water in the palms of their hands without losing control of it. Water is not easy to contain. Nor are we women.
Taking Mar of MarCheshvan to mean a drop of water, rather than bitterness, can be interpreted now as a call to action. This month can be the time when we refuse to be controlled, much like the prophetess Miriam. In Torah, Miriam’s connection with water is clear; in Exodus 15, she takes the Israelite women out from the community to sing a song of deliverance through the Red Sea. She is with her brother, our teacher, Moses, when he is sent down the Nile in a reed basket, and she is the one who ensures he is cared for at the Pharaoh’s palace in Exodus 4. In many Pesach seders, a cup of water is set out for Miriam, like the wine for Elijah, because she ensured that the Israelites had water while travelling through the wilderness during the Exodus journey.
Miriam is, clearly, a passionate leader, creating a specific space for Israelite women when they are so often overlooked in Torah stories. By establishing her place as a role model for the Israelites leading up to their freedom from Egypt, the Torah makes it clear that G-d accepts female leadership. This month, let us take a page from Miriam’s book, and lead when we are called to do so. Like I suggested in my last article, mentoring a young girl in your community may be the perfect way to lead.
Cheshvan is also said to be reserved for the time of Moshiach. To prepare for the Moshiach’s arrival, we can act in ways that will bring about Israel’s reformation, both in the land itself and in the diaspora. By supporting charities both in our home communities and in Israel, by acting with chesed, loving-kindness, even when we don’t really feel like it, and by studying–whether that be studying Torah, feminist theory, or any other subject that will improve the world–with fervent passion. By working on tikkun olam, repairing the world, as we have it now, we can bring about a better world for future generations. What better way to remove the bitter reputation of Cheshvan?
Features
CFTC Crypto Regulation Plans Put XRP and Solana in Focus as CLARITY Act Stalls
US crypto regulation is back in focus after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission opened a public consultation on October 5 on a potential framework for certain retail crypto transactions. With the CLARITY Act stalled in the Senate, the initiative raises questions about what the agency can achieve under existing law and why its plans matter for XRP and Solana.
For XRP and Solana, the development is particularly notable because US regulators have already identified both assets as examples of digital commodities. The emerging question is therefore not simply what happens to the CLARITY Act, but how far the CFTC can reshape the regulatory environment while the legislation remains stalled.
XRP and Solana price movements in focus
The XRP price and Solana price provide useful context for assessing market movements; comparing both assets over the same period helps distinguish their individual performance from broader changes across crypto markets.
XRP price movements and Solana price movements need to be assessed over a clearly defined period. An intraday range describes the distance between the session’s highest and lowest recorded prices; it does not establish which direction an asset will move next. A daily percentage change provides a different measure, comparing the latest price with a reference point.
Crypto market volatility can reflect changes in liquidity, interest rate expectations, network developments and broader risk appetite. The CFTC consultation adds regulatory context, but the announcement alone does not establish the cause of a particular price movement.
Why crypto regulation is shifting towards the CFTC
The Senate did not reach the 60-vote threshold required to advance the CLARITY Act in September. The result prevented the broader market-structure bill from moving ahead at that stage, but it did not end the push for clearer federal crypto rules.
The CFTC has now begun exploring another route. In its notice covering Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets, the agency is seeking public input on a framework for certain retail crypto transactions and the platforms offering them.
The distinction matters. The CLARITY Act would have established a statutory framework passed by Congress. The CFTC initiative instead relies on powers the agency says it already has under the Commodity Exchange Act.
That means agency action can proceed while the legislation remains unresolved, although it cannot replicate every part of the congressional proposal.
What the proposed CFTC crypto rules could cover
The process centres on two concepts known as Regulation CTX and Regulation CAM. Regulation CTX concerns retail commodity transactions involving crypto assets, including transactions financed through margin, leverage or other forms of credit.
Regulation CAM would examine a specialised category of CFTC-registered market designed for those transactions. The aim is to create a federal regulatory option with requirements more closely tailored to crypto markets.
The framework could address areas such as market manipulation, customer assets, conflicts of interest and market conduct. The agency is also considering what information platforms should provide and how existing market safeguards can be adapted to crypto.
There is an important limit. The CFTC cannot require all spot crypto exchanges to enter that federal regime without action from Congress. Its chairman has described the proposal as an option for firms rather than a nationwide mandate.
That difference helps explain why the CLARITY Act still matters even as regulators move independently.
Why XRP and Solana matter in the regulatory debate
The CFTC consultation brings renewed attention to how the existing federal crypto asset taxonomy relates to XRP and Solana.
In his October 5 remarks, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig pointed to the joint federal crypto asset taxonomy, which identifies Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, Stellar, Tezos and XRP among examples of digital commodities.
For XRP and Solana, that classification helps explain why a CFTC-led framework deserves attention. Both assets operate on widely used blockchain networks and have a presence across global crypto markets, so changes affecting how US platforms can offer crypto products could influence market access, liquidity and institutional participation.
It does not mean the new rules would determine their prices. Interest rates, network activity, broader risk appetite and asset-specific developments remain important. Regulation is one part of the market environment, not a standalone price signal.
How crypto wagers relate to market movements
Crypto wagers based on market movements involve a bet on a specified outcome over a defined period. The relevant details include the asset, the condition that must be met, the closing time and the price source used to determine the result. Those terms matter because an asset can move in different directions within the same day.
Short-term price direction is also the basis for crypto wagers on Moon, a crypto betting platform where outcomes are tied to market movements.
For crypto betting, the significance of volatility depends on the wager’s conditions, including whether settlement uses a closing price or an event occurring during the specified period. A rise earlier in the day does not establish the outcome of a later wager, and a regulatory announcement does not guarantee a winning bet. An unsuccessful wager can result in the loss of the amount staked.
The connection between crypto wagers and market news therefore depends on the specific outcome and timeframe. News about XRP or Solana can provide context, while the terms of each wager determine how its result is settled.

How agency action differs from the CLARITY Act
The distinction between legislation and regulation is central to what happens next.
Congress can create new statutory powers and requirements that regulators cannot establish on their own. The CLARITY Act sought to define a broader market structure, including the responsibilities of federal agencies and obligations for intermediaries operating in digital asset markets.
The CFTC is working within authority it says already exists. That allows it to address some transaction structures and market protections but leaves wider questions for lawmakers.
The agency itself has acknowledged that regulatory action cannot indefinitely replace legislation. For markets, that creates a two-track process: regulators can develop rules under current law while Congress decides whether to revisit a broader statutory framework.
That makes the latest CFTC action more than a reaction to the failed Senate vote. It is also an indication of how US crypto policy could develop if Congress remains unable to reach agreement.
What US crypto regulation could mean for Canadian markets
The proposed CFTC framework would apply in the United States, not Canada. Its potential relevance for Canadian markets comes through cross-border capital flows, global liquidity and the role US platforms and institutions play in price discovery.
Canada also has established investment products linked directly to both assets. The Toronto Stock Exchange listed several Solana ETFs in April 2025, including the 3iQ Solana Staking ETF, giving Canadian investors regulated market exposure to SOL.
XRP followed with Canadian-listed products in June 2025, including the 3iQ XRP ETF.
That means regulatory developments affecting XRP and Solana in the United States can have relevance even when Canadian rules themselves do not change. Shifts in institutional participation, exchange access or global liquidity can still be reflected in assets and funds available in Canada.
Currency remains another consideration. Crypto assets are commonly quoted globally in US dollars, while Canadian investors may measure performance in Canadian dollars. Exchange-rate movements can therefore strengthen or reduce the local effect of a move in the underlying asset.
What comes next for the CFTC consultation and CLARITY Act
The CFTC consultation is now underway. The agency is seeking written comments on the Regulation CTX and Regulation CAM framework before deciding how subsequent rulemaking should proceed.
Congress could also return to the CLARITY Act or another version of market-structure legislation. The Senate result stopped the bill from advancing at that point, rather than resolving the broader regulatory debate.
For XRP and Solana, the most important signal is therefore no longer a single Senate vote. Attention has moved to whether the CFTC can turn its proposals into workable federal rules, how crypto platforms respond and whether lawmakers eventually establish a broader framework.

