Local News
Jewish National Fund holds successful online Negev Gala
By BERNIE BELLAN
It was more than two years in the making, but after the most prolonged break in the history of Negev Galas (and Dinners – which preceded the more recent Negev Galas), the Jewish National Fund was finally able to pull off what turned out to be a very successful event on Monday, May 31, albeit one that was held online.
Gala honouree Ted Lyons, who now has the distinction of being the only Winnipeg Negev Gala honouree to be honoured two consecutive years (he was originally to be honoured in 2020, but last year’s Gala was canceled entirely due to Covid ) was the recipient of numerous accolades during the event – from friends, dignitaries, and family members.
In a gesture that couldn’t have been more appropriate, the project for which this year’s gala was raising funds is known as “Bervin Canada House”, to be located in Sderot. The choice of Sderot is particularly timely, given what that community has just finished enduring – for the umpteenth time, as rockets began to pour down from Gaza beginning on May 10.
Here is how the project was described in an article which I wrote earlier about the Negev Gala: “The Bervin JNF Canada House of Excellence is to be built in Sderot, which is the community that has always been the most immediate target of missiles launched over the years from the Gaza Strip. This particular facility is intended to serve as an after-school education, empowerment, and enrichment centre for high school students from Sderot and its surroundings, who will be provided with the necessary tools and skills for personal and scholastic success’.”
The choice of Sderot as the location for this year’s project for JNF Canada (and, by the way, for the first time ever, all Negev Galas held across Canada in 2021 have earmarked funds for the Bervin project – hoping to raise $4 million altogether), was made long before Sderot found itself coming under incessant fire just a few weeks ago. (Incidentally, of that $4 million to be raised across Canada, over $1. 3 million has already been raised from Winnipeg donors, including $100,000 from Ted and Harriet Lyons themselves. If there were any more proof needed how much Winnipeg Jews punch above their weight, this is it.)
As for how the gala itself unfolded, there was the usual combination of speeches and entertainment, this year provided by famed Israeli singer David Broza, in conjunction with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
The fact that everything to do with the gala had been taped well in advance might have left anyone watching wondering why there was almost no reference at all to the recent war between Israel and Gaza, save for some remarks by David Greaves, Executive Director, JNF Manitoba-Saskatchewan, who referenced the recent fighting at the very end of the event.
In my report of the gala which follows, I took the liberty of changing the order of some of the remarks which were delivered by various individuals. Normally, the honouree is the last person (or persons) to be heard from at events of this sort, but in this case, I thought it fitting to begin with Ted Lyons’ explanation of why he and Harriet found the Bervin project to be so appealing.
Ted began with a story: “Twenty years ago I was lecturing in Korea and I was at the airport with a young Korean associate. Making small talk, I asked him about his family.
“He said he was married and had two children. I asked him, ‘Do they go to school? and he said ‘yes, they actually go to two schools. They go to a regular school Monday to Friday and they actually go to a second school two evenings and one weekend day a week’.’
“I said, ‘Why would you do that?’ and he said, ‘Well, there’s a lot of competition out there and I want to give my kids an extra advantage.’ I thought that made a lot of sense and wondered why we don’t do that in Canada.”
Ted said that in December 2019 he and Harriet were visiting Israel for their granddaughter’s bat mitzvah. They arrived two days early and JNF hosted them on a visit to the Upper Galilee and Sderot. In the Upper Galilee (in a place called Nof HaGalil) they visited an after hours school for 14-18 year-olds. Some of the students were finishing high school and were preparing to go into the army.
“We learned how the young people were being given extra training – in math, in physics, computers, and English. “ Ted explained. “These subjects are critical to be successful in industry, particularly in Israel, a ‘start-up nation’.
“The thinking is that urban children have access to extra education, but rural children do not. This school was an opportunity to give students additional training, to help them get into elite units in the army – and into university. In order to get those placements you need high marks. It made me think of my Korean colleague.
“In Sderot, a rural settlement, the JNF is going to build a facility like the one we saw in the Upper Galilee. Money is being raised for this project through all the Canadian JNF Galas.
“Out of necessity this new facility will also act as a bomb shelter – given the almost daily rocket attacks.
“We hope that everyone will give generously to make this worthwhile project a reality.”
Ted went on to say that “Harriet and I have had the opportunity to serve the community for many years. Harriet has taught tallis-weaving at the Shaarey Zedek for over 30 years and has helped many people – at home and in Israel, celebrate b’nai mitzvah, with a hand made tallis.
“She has helped the Humane Society for many years as one of the main photographers to help in the adoption process. She is also an established potter who has designed and crafted porcelain mezzuzot for rooms in the Simkin Centre and at Gray Academy.
“She is a staunch supporter of the Cancercare Challenge for Life, walking the 20 k every year since its inception 14 years ago.
Her group, ‘Nancy’s Nightingales’, has raised well over $100,000.
“Finally, she’s always been there for our children and our five grandchildren.
“I’ve had the honour to serve our synagogue, Jewish and radiology communities over the years. It’s been a real thrill to serve as president of many of the local and national organizations, and to have been honoured by Governor General Michaelle Jean as an Officer of the Order of Canada (in 2007).
“I served as Shaarey Zedek President 30 years after my late father, Reuven. It was a real honour and an opportunity I cherished.
“Israel is the gold standard in technology and innovation and has been an example to the rest of the world in handling the Covid crisis and vaccinating the population in the most efficient manner.
“Being the JNF honouree for the past two years has been a real treat for Harriet and me.”
The MC for the evening was Rabbi Matthew Leibl, who was gracious in speaking about Ted and, as is always the case when Rabbi Leibl hosts an event of this sort, occasionally quite funny.
He began by explaining how he first met Ted Lyon: “I first met Ted at my bar mitzvah – just a few years ago, on the bimah of the Shaarey Zedek. Ted was there in his capacity as a member of the board and the executive, and he was tasked with presenting me gifts. There I was, sweating in the first suit I ever wore.
“I remember standing there looking up at this tall, dark goateed figure who had both a calm and booming voice, telling me what a remarkable job I had done – one of the best he had seen, how I was an asset to the community and how I had a bright future.
“It seemed like it was a big morning – for him and for me. Years later we were sitting together on that bimah; I had started my work as a Torah reader and a bar mitzvah teacher, and Ted was again there in his capacity as a past president probably – and I said to him: ‘Ted, we were here together not that long ago for my bar mitzvah and you said such amazing, inspirational things. Do you remember that?’
“And he looked at me with that same calm, yet booming voice and said: ‘Matt, I did a lot of those.’ (Now, if you needed to be reminded that Ted Lyons has met an awful lot of different people during his life, Rabbi Leibl added one more amusing anecdote. He said that whenever he would meet Ted at the synagogue, Ted would greet him as “Matityahu”. Rabbi Leibl explained, however, that his Hebrew name is actually “Mordecai”, but every time they would run into each other, Ted would still greet him as “Matityahu”.)
Following Rabbi Leibl’s remarks were some from Michael Nozick, who’s been a lifelong friend of Ted Lyons, also a co-sponsor of the evening. Nozick said: “I’ve known Teddy for more than 70 years. We’ve always been besties. We grew up together. We went to grade school together. We were classmates.
“To me he’s always been Teddy – and he’ll never be Ted.
“Teddy will tell you that we ‘served time’ together in Cheder – and it’s true because we went to Hebrew night school together when we were 10 and 11. One day, on our way to night school, we got off the bus and we were confronted by two big guys – probably teenagers, brandishing big knives, and they demanded we turn over all our bus tickets and our money.
“Two of us took off like jackrabbits across the Crescent to the Shaarey Zedek – where night school was – and Teddy stayed. When he got back to us at class time, I asked him why he stayed and he said, ‘Well, robbery’s wrong and I wanted to explain to them that what they were doing was wrong, and I thought I could talk them out of it’.
“In the end Teddy gave them all his bus tickets and all his money – but it was the precursor of Teddy’s resolution –oriented leadership. Even then he was looking to make peace.
“Teddy’s curiosity is insatiable. Gadgets have always fascinated him. But, he’s not to be tinkered with. His dog once bit him – and he bit the dog back.
“With the computers and technology though, it was a new world for Teddy and it ultimately led him to the field of ultrasound, where he is a world leader.
“He’s a people person and a people lover, with incredible interpersonal skills which, together with his peaceful, quiet nature and curiosity about new frontiers make him a natural leader.
“He inherits his calm demeanour and comfort with leadership from his father (Reuven) – himself a doctor and a true mensch.
“Teddy’s contributions to the world are so great – and have been achieved with such humility, he will never be able to be truly measured.
“Teddy has not only led major organizations – in both our Jewish community and the general community, but has co-authored books and has written an almost uncountable number of articles, and even given many lectures at conferences all over the world. I have no idea where he finds the time.
“Teddy and Harriet have a profound love for Israel. They have led missions and returned often. Teddy has said to me: ‘This year’s Bervin Canada House project is special’.”
This year also saw a special presentation made to Winnipegger Patrick Elazar, who has been one of those unsung volunteers who has given so much of himself to so many different Jewish organizations since having arrived in Winnipeg in 1988 with his wife, Sherry Elazar Wolfe, and his family.
JNF Manitoba Saskatch-ewan President Nola Lazar said: “The Bernard M. Bloomfield Award is presented annually to a deserving volunteer for JNF. This year’s award is being given to Patrick Elazar. Patrick served in the IDF and helped establish Kibbutz Elazar. He has degrees in Middle East Economics and Agricultural Studies. Together with his family Patrick came to Winnipeg in 1988.
“Patrick is passionate about Israel. He volunteers regularly at Shalom Square, Limmud Winnipeg, and JNF Winnipeg.”
Longtime Winnipeg philanthropist and community leader Marjorie Blankstein added a personal memory of a young Teddy Lyons, saying: “You will always be Teddy to me. I remember you as the swimming instructor at a Gimli summer camp – always in your swim suit. You have made an invaluable contribution to your profession, also to the community.”
Manitoba Governor General Janice Filmon also spoke fondly of “Teddy” Lyons whom, she noted, she’s known since “grade school”: “Tonight’s honouree, Dr. Ted Lyons, has dedicated his career to the lives of others. As a pioneer in the field of ultrasound technology – through his own work or through the work of others he has taught, he has saved countless lives.”
As I noted in my earlier article about Ted Lyons, his being honoured as the Negev Gala Honouree for 2020-21 marks the first time that a physician has received that accolade. With all the other honours Ted has received over the years, however, he remains ever so humble and personable. It was two years in the making, but in the end, this year’s Negev Gala will go down as having had to overcome more obstacles than anyone could ever have imagined, yet proved to be one of the most successful ever.
Local News
Who is Rabbi Ephraim Bryks and how did his time in Winnipeg prove so convulsive?
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted December 30) Thirty-five years after Rabbi Ephraim Bryks left this city his name is now back in the news as the result of a new lawsuit that names Rabbi Bryks, the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregation – for which Bryks served as rabbi for 12 years, and two rabbinical organizations as defendants. You can read more about that lawsuit and what it alleges elsewhere on this website at “lawsuit filed.“
But, aside from questions about why this lawsuit was filed now – some 38 years after the acts for which Bryks is accused of having committed against the plaintiff, there are still so many unanswered questions about Rabbi Bryks’ time in Winnipeg.
In his seminal history of the Jewish people of Manitoba, Allan Levine wrote: “The biggest controversy in the Herzlia’s history – in fact, arguably the most controversial matter in the annals of the Winnipeg Jewish community – involved Rabbi Ephraim Bryks, the synagogue’s rabbi from 1978 to 1990. Bryks arrived in Winnipeg in 1978 at the age of twenty-four, with his wife Yochevaed…”
Levine noted that “Under Bryks’ leadership, the synagogue’s membership increased. He established new programs for youth and immersed himself in the Jewish community. He also initiated Torah Academy, an Orthodox elementary school that operated out of Herzlia and soon had a sizable (sic.) enrollment (sic.).” (Gee Allan, didn’t anyone check your book for spelling mistakes?)
Levine’s story about Bryks goes on to note that controversy first began to circulate openly around Bryks in 1985 in the pages of what our paper was then called, which was the Jewish Post. (We didn’t become The Jewish Post & News until 1987, which was when we took over what had been The Western Jewish News.)
Bryks had been writing a weekly Torah commentary in our paper until three rabbis – Rabbis Rappaport, Weizman, and Neil Rose, sent a letter to the editor (who was my late brother, Matt, at the time) accusing Bryks of having plagiarized several of his columns from a book by Rabbi Reuven Bulka. Matt investigated and discovered that Bryks had indeed plagiarized at least two columns from Bulka’s book. When Matt reported what he had found, Bryks stopped writing his column for us.
“Far worse was yet to come,” Levine’s section about Bryks continues. “In 1987, several parents of young (male and female) children attending Torah Academy alleged that Bryks had sexually abused their children. The Herzlia board properly investigated the matter and heard evidence. According to a CBC-TV documentary on the case, the parents and their children were accused of being liars.”
Levine goes on to note that Winnipeg South Child and Family Services were asked to investigate the matter by the synagogue board, but the agency concluded that “Bryks’ behaviour of having children sit on his lap while he tickled them was ‘neither appropriate nor professional’, but not illegal. That might have been the end of it, but another allegation was made, this time to the Winnipeg Police by parents of an eight-year-old boy who claimed Bryks had fondled him. The police consulted a Crown lawyer, who decided not to pursue it since it came down to the child’s word against that of a rabbi.
“The case tore the Herzlia congregation apart, and some members left the synagogue,” Levine writes.
In 1990, Bryks left Winnipeg for Montreal, where he had been hired to head a Jewish school until parents there learned of the allegations against him in Winnipeg and the offer of employment was rescinded.
Subsequently, Bryks moved to New York, where he founded another private religious school in Queens – this time for children of Russian immigrants.
In 2003, however, Bryks resigned his membership in the Rabbinical Council of America. According to a report on “Newsday,” Bryks had “been dogged by allegations of sexual abuse against at least one Winnipeg child for more than 15 years.” He had headed two different yeshivas in New York, but no longer did so.
That Winnipeg child’s name was Daniel Levin. He was the son of Martin and Sarah Levin. (Martin Levin had been editor of the Jewish Post until 1983. He later became the books editor of the Toronto Globe & Mail.)
In Allan Levine’s account of what happened, “Daniel Levin had attended Torah Academy from kindergarten to Grade 2. …A troubled teenager, Daniel alleged that Bryks had molested him. According to Sarah Levin, Bryks had given Daniel candy to keep him quiet and told him that God would punish him if he ever told anyone what had transpired. The threat of retribution was echoed by other children who came forward. Daniel (who, by 1993, was living in Toronto) gave a taped statement to the Toronto Police, who inexplicably botched the taping and requested he repeat his statement. He never did. On Yom Kippur, 1993, Daniel, seventeen years old, committed suicide.”
In 1994, the CBC aired a documentary about the Bryks controversy titled “Unorthodox Conduct.” Myron Love wrote a detailed report about the airing of that documentary and the subsequent reaction to it from members of the Herzlia. You can read Myron’s full article on our website simply by entering the name “Rabbi Bryks” in our Search Archive portal. The first two articles to appear will be the first and second pages of Myron’s comprehensive report.
According to information online Rabbi Bryks now works as a mortgage broker in New York. For a time, he was also a self-styled marriage counsellor, providing services to women seeking religious divorces.
In 2018, we spoke with a woman in New York who told us that, 18 or 19 years prior, she had contacted Rabbi Bryks to try to help her get a “get” (religious divorce) from an uncooperative husband. That woman claimed that Rabbi Bryks showed up at her apartment and tried to take advantage of her under the guise of offering to help her obtain a “get” from her husband. As the woman continued her story, she said Rabbi Bryks had forced himself upon her to the point where he pushed her on to her bed and lay on top of her. She was eventually able to break free and demanded he leave her apartment.
There are many other references to Bryks on the internet. The recently filed lawsuit only adds to what is already one of the most controversial stories about a rabbi you’re ever likely to read.
Local News
Former Winnipegger files lawsuit against Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregation, former Herzlia Rabbi Ephraim Bryks, and two other defendants over allegations of sexual abuse and assault by Rabbi Bryks in 1987
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted December 29, 2025) A former Winnipegger by the name of Ruth Krevsky (née Pinsky) has filed a lawsuit in Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg on December 9, 2025 naming “Ephraim Boruk Bryks, Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregtion Inc., Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and Rabbinical Council of America” as defendants.
The lawsuit seeks damages in the total amount of $4,200,000.
In the 30-page statement of claim Krevsky alleges that “In or around 1984, when the Plaintiff was approximately 19 years of age, Bryks sexually abused and assaulted the Plaintiff. The particulars of same include, but not (sic.) are not limited to the following:
” (a) initiated and engaged in physical contact of a sexual nature with the Plaintiff in his bedroom;
” (b) strapped the buttocks of the Plaintiff;
” (c) engaged in other sexual activities with the Plaintiff; and
” (d) in order to facilitate the abuse Bryks engaged in a pattern of behaviour which was intended to make the Plaintiff feel that she was special in the eyes of Bryks and Judaism.
“The abuse occurred in Bryks’ house located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.”
The lawsuit goes on to allege that “After the aforementioned abuse occurred, Bryks exploited his position of seniority and the trust he had cultivated with the Plaintiff to manipulate and control He used this dependency to discourage the Plaintiff from disclosing his actions, including by threatening her and by withholding reference letters essential for her academic and professional advancement.”
The lawsuit further alleges that “In or around 1987, while employed by the Congregation, Bryks was accused by (sic.) of several sexual offences involving young girls and women, including students at the School. (Ed. note, the reference is to Torah Academy, which Bryks started.) Although no criminal charges were filed at the time, the allegations were brought to the attention of the Congregation, the Union (of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America) and/or the Council (Rabbinical Council of America). Since then. additional individuals have come forward with similar allegations of sexual abuse by Bryks.”
The lawsuit also names the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregtion Inc., as defendant, citing ten different rules that “the Congregation taught the Plaintiff as well as other members of the Synagogue, including
“that it was forbidden to report a Jewish religious figure such as a rabbi to secular authorities and that any such reporting would constitute a serious violation of religious duty and loyalty to Judaism.”
Further, “The Plaintiff pleads that the aforementioned rules, principles and ideologies of the Congregation created an opportunity for Bryks to exert power and authority over the Plaintiff. The power and authority allowed Bryks to engage in the aforementioned behaviour and to continue to engage in same without resistance or question of the Plaintiff, without risk of getting caught, and thereby put the Plaintiff at risk of being abused by Bryks…
“As a result, the Congregation is vicariously responsible and liable for the actions of Bryks.”
The lawsuit goes on to list a series of behaviours in which it alleges Bryks was engaging and alleges the Congregation ignored many aspects of Bryks’ behaviour, including, among others: “Bryks’ difficulties with alcohol” and “Bryks’ difficulties with his sexuality.”
The lawsuit lists a long series of damages the Plaintiff alleges she has suffered as a result of Bryks’ behaviour and the refusal of the other defendants, including the Herzlia Congregation, to take any action against Bryks.
It should be made clear that, at this point, the allegations are unproven and are yet to be defended against and yet to be tested in the courts of Manitoba.
We have reached out to Ruth Krevsky, her counsel, counsel for the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Congregation, and the president of the congregation for comment. To date, we have not heard from either Ms. Krevsky or her counsel. We did hear from the president of the congregation, who asked us to refer any questions to counsel for the congregation. We did speak with counsel for the congregation, but at this point he indicated that he had just been recently hired to represent the congregation and was just beginning to acquaint himself with the file.
The Rabbi Bryks story was one that tore the Winnipeg Jewish community asunder. The Jewish Post had a number of stories about the allegations that were levelled against Rabbi Bryks. (You can find those stories by going to our “Search Archive” link and entering the name “Rabbi Bryks.”)
We will have much more about Rabbi Bryks in the days to come. Keep referring to this website as we add to the story.
Local News
Newly announced Vivian Silver Centre for Shared Society to further former Winnipegger’s lifelong efforts to foster Jewish-Arab co-operation in Israel
By MYRON LOVE Vivian Silver (oleh Hashalom) devoted her life to working toward dialogue and collaboration between Arabs and Jews in Israel. The culmination of her efforts was the Arab-Jewish Center for Empowerment, Equality, and Cooperation – Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Economic Development (AJEEC-NISPED), which she co-founded 25 year ago with her sister peace activist, Dr. Amal Elsana Ahl’jooj.
Tragically, Vivian was of the 1,200 Israeli Jews, Bedouin and foreign farm workers who were slaughtered during the Hamas-led pogrom of October 7, 2023.
Last month, AJEEC-NISPED announced plans to create the Vivian Silver Center for Shared Society in her memory – a new national hub for Jewish-Israeli Arab collaboration and social innovation in Be’er Sheva – backed by an initial $1 million donation from UJA-Federation of New York, along with support from the Meyerhoff Foundation, the Gilbert Foundation, and other philanthropic partners committed to strengthening shared society in Israel.
“It’s a great honor and a beautiful gesture,” comments Vivian’s son, Yonatan Zeigen, “and I hope it will be a central building for civil society, both in the physical sense, that it will become a substantial home for the organization and for other initiatives that will use the spaced and also symbolically, as a beacon for this kind of work in the specific location in the Negev.”
As this writer noted n an article earlier this year in relation to the announcement of the launch of the Vivian Silver Impact Award by the New Israel Fund (NIF) – of which she was a long time board member, and which was developed in conjunction with her sons, Yonatan and Chen), Vivian made aliyah in 1974. She first went to Israel in 1968 – to spend her second year at university abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, studying psychology and English literature.
In an article she wrote in 2018 in a publication called ”Women Wage Peace,” she related that during her final year at the University of Manitoba, she was among the founders of the Student Zionist Alliance on campus and was invited to its national conference in Montreal. There she met activists in the Habonim youth movement who planned on making aliyah and re-establishing Kibbutz Gezer. The day she wrote her last university exam, she boarded a flight to New York to join the group.
She spent three years in New York, where she became involved in Jewish and Zionist causes, including the launch of the Jewish feminist movement in America.
“It was a life-changing period,” she recalled. “I came to understood that in addition to being a kibbutz member, I was destined to be a social change and peace activist.”
Vivian and her group made aliyah in 1974 and settled on Kibbutz Gezer. In 1981, she established the Department Promoting Gender Equality in the Kibbutz Movement. She moved to Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border in 1990, along with her late husband, Lewis, and their two sons
In 1998, Vivian became the executive director of the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development in Beer Sheva, an NGO promoting human sustainable development, shared society between Jews and Arabs, and peace in the Middle East. Soon after, she was joined by Amal Elsana Alh’jooj as co-directors of AJEEC-NISPED, winning the 2011 Victor J. Goldberg Peace Prize of the Institute for International Education.
In the article she wrote for “Women Waging Peace,” she noted that “while we later focused on empowerment projects in the Bedouin community in the Negev, initially we worked with Palestinian organizations on joint people-to-people projects. I spent much time in Gaza until the outbreak of the second intifada. We continued working with organizations in the West Bank. I personally know so many Palestinians who yearn for peace no less than we do.”
According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva, in the November 24th edition, the Vivian Silver Centre – which is expected to open in the spring – will be located within AJEEC-NISPED’s soon-to-open AJEEC House, and will provide a permanent home for programs that promote equality, leadership, and cooperation among Israel’s diverse communities.
“The Vivian Silver Center for Shared Society, within AJEEC’s headquarters, “the Arutz Sheva report noted, “will serve as a regional platform for dozens of Israeli Arab and Jewish social organizations. Through AJEEC’s educational, vocational, and leadership programs, the center will support thousands of young adults each year – offering mentorship, professional training, and opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration.
“These programs,” the report continued, “already reach more than 15,000 participants nationwide, helping young people integrate into higher education and meaningful employment while narrowing social and economic gaps.”
AJEEC House is located in Be’er Sheva’s Science Park, near Ben-Gurion University. The three-storey AJEEC House has been designed to foster cooperation and dialogue. It will host community partnerships, provide shared workspaces for social entrepreneurs, and serve as a hub for initiatives addressing social and economic development across the Negev and beyond.
Readers who may be interested considering a donation can dial into NISPED’s website – – for further information.