Features
Jaron Rykiss’s half-year spent on exciting “Kivunim” program in Israel cut short by COVID
By BERNIE BELLAN
In 2019 Winnipegger Jaron Rykiss embarked on what, for almost any recent high school graduate, would probably be considered the adventure of a lifetime.
Jaron, who had just graduated from Gray Academy in the spring of last year (and doesn’t that seem like an eternity ago, even though it’s really only a little more than a year and a half ago?), had decided to enroll in a program that is probably not all that familiar to many Winnipeggers, known as “Kivunim”.
Kivunim, which means “directions” in English, is a program begun in 2006. Here is how the Kivunim website explains what it’s all about:
“KIVUNIM succeeds in delivering an immersive and transformative gap year experience of serious academic study, focused international travel and cross-cultural dialogue. These take place within the context of impressive intellectual and aesthetic exploration and growth that develops and deepens our students’ Jewish identity as engaged global citizens.
“KIVUNIM students forge a lifelong connection with Israel and the Jewish people through thoughtfully and intentionally-designed travel experiences that impart what other Jewish education programs can only envy: a nuanced and integrated understanding of Jewish civilization through sophisticated contact with the remarkable spectrum of religious traditions, cultures and world views among which the Jewish people grew throughout our 2,000-year Diaspora. Israel, our gap-year program home for the academic year, provides a challenging and surprisingly inspirational setting for appreciating the possibilities of Muslim-Jewish and Christian-Jewish co-existence and informs our broader international encounter with ‘the other’.”
Sounds pretty fantastic – right? And for any graduating high school student with the resources to participate in a program like this, it has to be considered a dream come true.
I spoke with Jaron Rykiss about his experience in Kivunim, which sadly for him and everyone else in the 2019-20 program, was cut short by COVID.
I began by asking Jaron how he heard about Kivunim in the first place?
Jaron explained that back in high school he was very involved with BBYO. Through BBYO he was exposed to a certain amount of international contact and realized “that there’s more to life than just Winnipeg”.
As graduation from Gray Academy was approaching Jaron “sat down with Avi Posen” (who was still in Winnipeg at that point, although in the fall of 2019 Avi himself made aliyah to Israel with his wife, Illana Minuk), and “we began talking about the possibility of a gap year” (the year between graduating from high school and entering a post-secondary institution).
After spending considerable time researching various programs Jaron came upon Kivunim which, he says, was perfect for someone like him – someone who didn’t have much experience outside of Winnipeg.
I asked Jaron whether he had ever been to Israel before?
He answered that he had – “twice” – once when he was nine, for a family occasion, and then again in 2017 when he was one of the students participating in the P2G (partnership together) program that Gray Academy has with Dancinger High School in Kiryat Shemonah, Israel. “That was really when I fell in love with the country,” he noted.
Fast forward to September 2019 and Jaron is in Jerusalem – “which is now my favourite city on the planet,” he said. There were 54 students in the program with Jaron – mostly from the U.S., but one other Canadian from Toronto as well.
“We all lived in a dormitory together – in the Mamillah area,” Jaron explained.
Under the original plan, Jaron said, he would have been in the program for eight and a half months, which would have taken him to the end of May.
As it was, he came back in March of this year – “exactly five months after I left”.
I asked Jaron at that point to describe what exactly he was studying during the program?
He answered: “The program goes to show you religion in other countries, so we spent the year studying Judaism, Islam…a Buddhist monk came to live with us for a couple weeks in Jerusalem and then when we got to India he showed us around.”
Which countries did Jaron actually visit as part of Kivunim? I asked.
Jaron said that the first month was spent in Jerusalem, followed by what was supposed to have been the first of several international trips.
“We ended up going to Greece and Bulgaria for two weeks,” after which the group returned to Israel for a month and a half, then India, but trips to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Morocco were all canceled due to the outbreak of COVID.
“We were supposed to end up in Morocco and meet the king there,” Jaron noted. “It’s too bad that never happened.”
(Jaron added that they were also supposed to visit Turkey at the same time as they visited Greece and Bulgaria, but that didn’t happen either. As he explained, “there were a lot of political issues” – what with the heightened civil unrest in Turkey at that time.)
What was the actual learning experience like? I wondered.
Jaron described the learning as “experiential”.
“While we were in Israel we would study the places we were going to visit,” Jaron observed, “then we would experience what we had just learned about – so it was a combination of classroom and experience.”
I was still uncertain, however, what the overall purpose of the program was – beyond exposing students to a wide variety of experiences.
According to its website, Kivunim aims to provide a “liberal arts” type of education: “The power of conceptual and intellectual integration is the ultimate (and all-to-often illusive) goal of a liberal arts education.
The website goes on to say:
“Why do we train our children in the liberal arts? It is not because these studies can grant someone virtue, but because they prepare the soul for accepting it.”
“KIVUNIM represents the beginning of a unique intellectual journey for our students and our staff and faculty. KIVUNIM succeeds in creating a thoughtful, comprehensive, and resilient intellectual foundation for our students and alumni.”
Here are the five courses taught to students in Kivunim. (There are no optional courses and all students must take the same five courses):
Civilization and Society: Homelands in Exile
Land, People, Ideas: The Challenges of Zionism
Hebrew Language and Literature
Arabic Language and Culture
Visual Learning – The Art of Seeing
A more detailed examination of each course gives a clearer understanding of just what it is that Kivunim is attempting to convey to students. Here, for instance, is an excerpt from the course outline of Land, People, Ideas: The Challenges of Zionism: “Here we seek to make the history of the Zionist movement come alive and allow KIVUNIM students to truly appreciate the capacity of the human being to become an historical actor: to make things happen. The course explores the growth of Pan-Arab nationalism and the specific development of Palestinian identity and nationalism. We encourage our students to imagine solutions while studying problems and to develop their sense of empowerment in glimpsing a future more positive than the past or today.”
If this all seems slightly airy-fairy, then I wondered how a program like this would be perceived by other institutions of higher learning – for instance, at a university here in Manitoba? After all, on its website Kivunim maintains that its courses will give students 30 academic credits, which would be equivalent to a normal year of study in an Arts program at a Manitoba university.
Jaron, who is now enrolled in an Arts program at the University of Manitoba, said that the university has not yet accepted for credit all the courses that he took in Israel.
Thus far, he has received credit for two of the courses: “Civilization and Society: Homelands in Exile”, and “Land, People, Ideas: The Challenges of Zionism”.
He noted though that he is being asked to take aptitude tests in both Hebrew and Arabic to determine whether the courses he took in those languages will be accepted for credit. As for the fifth course – “Visual Learning”, he explained that he is not expecting to obtain credit for that course, since it was more of a “photography” course than anything.
The problem, however, as Jaron noted during our conversation, is that due to COVID, so much of the university’s decision making is backed up that he doesn’t know how long it will be before he knows what the status of the two language courses that he took will be vis-à-vis receiving credit for them.
As far as his future studies go, Jaron added that he plans on majoring either in Political Studies or Philosophy, with his ultimate goal to get into law. (By the way, did I mention that Jaron’s grandfather is Jack London, about whom I have a review of his book elsewhere in this issue? As a disclaimer though, I want to explain that I contacted Jaron long before I knew that Jack had even written his memoir.)
One final aspect of the Kivunim program that hasn’t been mentioned yet in this article is the question of cost. I sent an email to the Kivunim program, asking for information as to the cost of the program. Here is the response I received:
“Our tuition is $55,000 which includes room and board, international travel, academics, a round trip from New York, etc. Tuition plus a small fee also includes 30 academic credits from Hebrew College (a full college year) accepted by most colleges in the U.S. and Canada. Every year we offer scholarships and interest free loans. We give about 40-50% of our students scholarship each year. Jaron’s year, 45% of students received a scholarship totaling approximately $375k.” (By the way, as one might expect, Kivunim is not being offered in person this year, although there is an online program.)
Features
Part 7 of the story of the Winnipeg con man: He meets a fellow psychiatric patient in Victoria Hospital; the plan to bring jets from Israel is brought closer to reality
By BERNIE BELLAN This is the seventh 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 six parts of this story are all available to read under the FEATURES category on this website.
Here is part 7 of my story:
As I read through transcripts of conversations I had with the various individuals who would come to play different parts in what is quite a crazy story, some of those conversations were so weird that I wondered why I ever agreed to talk to certain people.
One such conversation took place with someone I’ll call Jack. Now, while Jack seemed perfectly nice, just like Rick, Dan, and Bob before him, the conversation veered off in crazy directions.
It was Rick who had told me about Jack, saying that it was Jack who had connected him with Fred Devlin. Jack’s connection to Rick though, as I was to learn while talking with him, was through their mutual interest in cannabis.
Jack said he first met Fred Devlin in 2022 when both were patients in the psychiatric ward at Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg. There’s no need to go into any detail about Jack’s particular condition, other than to note that he said he suffers from a “seizure condition.”
To treat that condition, Jack explained, he uses cannabis. Here’s how he described what has happened to him when he has had a seizure and has been rendered unconscious: “When I go to the hospital for care, they place me in the psychiatric ward because they believe I’m a street drug user and not someone with a neurological condition that there’s no treatment for.”
So, it was when he was hospitalized following one of those seizures that Jack says he met Fred: “So in the hospital, I met Fred and he seemed like a blessed person, and he talks about helping other people, and he had a business card for a charity, and his theme is Tikun Olam, Repair the World… and he calls his foundation Xanadu Foundation.”
I said: “Sounds familiar,” but what I wanted to know is how he put Devlin together with Rick? I said to him: “Now, because Rick says that you were the common link, that you must have known Rick.”
In his rambling way, Jack explained how he had come to know Rick: “So my workplace, there were gang members and weapons involved, and I intervened, and I had a spinal cord injury, and a head injury, and that was 2005. So I was disabled with a seizure condition.
“Since then, and I came to, and after refusing palliative care, I found cannabis, and that’s what I was prescribed by my neurologist. And that’s how I came to Rick and his website.”
Rick, it turns out, has a very popular website devoted to the promotion of cannabis. He also has a business selling cannabis. (I won’t disclose the name of Rick’s website because, just as I promised everyone else in this story with whom I communicated, I would keep their identities hidden.)
Jack, however, wanted to describe in great detail the medical benefits of cannabis, but I wanted to bring him back to explaining how it was that he put Rick and Devlin together. He said that when he was younger he worked at a gas station and he used to read magazines at night while he was at the gas station. One of the magazines had an article about Fred Devlin. (I referred to that article in the business magazine at the beginning of this story.)
It’s actually quite amazing that having read an article in a magazine over 30 years earlier, Jack remembered the name “Fred Devlin,” but when he met Fred in the psychiatric ward, he immediately recalled that article – and that the article had mentioned Izzy Asper was a mentor of Fred’s.
Jack said he actually knew Izzy Asper (who died in 2002): “I am an acquaintance of Israel Asper and I spoke with him when I was 17 and 18. I spoke with him a number of times. We used to see each other. We used to frequent the same place on Fridays.” (I love his use of the word “frequent.” That’s open to all sorts of conjecture what he meant by that.) “So we would see each other on a Friday -f requently. And we spoke a number of times. And if you’ve ever spoken with Israel Asper, he is clear in guiding.”
I was rather astonished that Jack was able to recall an article he had read some 30 years earlier. I said to him: “And this is some 30 years later, right? So, you remembered Fred’s name from having read that article?”
Jack: “I have been documented with an over 160 IQ, intelligence quotient.” (Who knows? Maybe he was telling the truth. It is rather remarkable that he remembered an article he had read 30 years prior.)
Still, I wanted to get back to how he put Rick and Devlin together. Jack explained: Devlin said he was “looking for a businessman to start a business and bring cannabis as medicine.”
That led to Jack contacting Rick and putting him in touch with Devlin. As I explained in my chapter about Rick, Rick was wanting to expand his publishing business and Devlin had promised him $10 million toward that end.
It was in January 2026, however, that Jack met Devlin once again in the psych ward at Victoria General Hospital. This time though, Devlin blamed his having ended back in the psych ward on Rick, saying “Rick is doing something to harm him (Fred) and his reputation and his (Rick’s) website’s been taken down…“
But, Jack said, he told Fred “I’m not very certain about Rick. So I will not be easily convinced that Rick is doing anything.”
Jack then veered off into a long tangent – something that by this point I had become accustomed to hearing when it came to speaking with individuals who had had an association with Fred Devlin.
It was also when he met Devlin the first time during his stay in the psych ward that Devlin invited Jack to “join him with his charity foundation.”
As Jack explained: “I’m a Christian man. I’m also a Catholic. I’m also a Baptist and I also love Judaism. So, when it comes to a religion that’s based on Mitzvahs and doing good deeds to help other people, I love that. So, I decided I would help Fred repair the world and try to do something better than is existing right now with him.
“So, we would get together and we started seeing each other and socializing and meeting together regularly. And we’ve been doing that for the past two years, roughly. 18 months, 20 months, somewhere in there.”
Jack went on to describe a story about having bought cannabis for Devlin’s wife who, Jack said, suffers from migraines. He also claimed that “Queen Victoria suffered from migraines and used cannabis daily for a neurology condition. That is historic and documented.”
(A quick check of the internet contradicted what Jack said, although there may have been a glimmer of truth in what he alleged. Here’s what a Google check came up with: “Reports suggest that Queen Victoria may have used cannabis tincture to alleviate menstrual cramps or pain during childbirth, as prescribed by her personal physician, Sir John Russell Reynolds, who frequently used cannabis in his practice. However, these claims are not definitively proven and remain disputed by some historians.)
Jack said he spent $945 on cannabis for Devlin’s wife (That’s some expensive cannabis, I’d say!) “but it was a disastrous for him and his wife. And this is how he has repaid that friendship for everyone with his deceit and fraud.”
Our conversation, which had already been 30 minutes, continued, but nothing else of consequence was said – if anything that I’ve already described of our conversation can be said to have been of any consequence.
The plan to convert Israeli jets for firefighting gets taken very seriously
As I’ve noted several times, Devlin’s background in aviation stood him in good stead when it came to trying to persuade various individuals that he was seriously interested in working with Israel Aerospace Industries. Dan Winthrop, especially, invested a great deal of time in a project that would have seen Israel Aerospace Industries convert jets for use as water bombers, spraying chemical retardants on forest fires.
But, when it came to actually negotiating with someone who had ties to Israel Aerospace Industries it was someone I’ll call Avi who was ready to play a key role in the project.
When I spoke with Avi I promised him I wouldn’t disclose where he lived, what he did for a living, or who it was that he was going to connect to Devlin. Avi was deeply embarrassed at how much he believed Devlin story – and the extent to which he was prepared to help Devlin’s supposed plan through to fruition.
What he did disclose though, was that he had “a personal friend who works for the Israeli aviation and space industry.” He went so far as to say that “she’s in charge of the non-combat aviation side of it, and she’s in charge of North America.” (Bob Anderson referenced receiving an email from this woman, whom I’ve called Dalit Galon.)
Avi said “So, she contacted me and said she has a client who sent, I believe that his name is Dan, who sent his associates to Israel to meet with her and to purchase airplanes.”
I asked: “That would be Dan Winthrop – right?”
Avi: “Correct…And Dan flew and met with her, and he was under the impression that he’s dealing with a serious guy who wants to do good to the world as a foundation, and he is going to use those planes to fight fires – all over the world.”
I was a little confused as to the timeline when all this occurred because when I had spoken with Dan Winthrop, he had mentioned broaching an idea to Devlin in 2021 that Devlin said he really liked and wanted to put up money to see that idea go forward. But, when I spoke to Dan he said he didn’t want to get into specifics about that idea, beyond saying that Devlin steals other people’s ideas.
Now, however, after listening to Avi, I was beginning to understand just what Dan’s idea had been, so I said to Avi: “Let’s just go back. When is all this happening? What year are we talking about?”
Avi answered: “Everything is the last two years.” That would mean that it took some time for Dan to find someone in the Israeli aerospace industry who would give serious consideration to his proposal.
As Avi reiterated, “So she called me and says, this guy came, he’s representing a serious guy who has the means and wants to do good for the world, and wants to purchase those planes to fight those fires. That’s it.”
The woman Avi was talking to then asked her whether he could give Avi’s number to Devlin, noting that “he (Devlin) said he loves Israel like you, and would it be okay if I give him your number?” (I should note at this point that Avi is very well connected, both to Israeli businesspeople – and to people in the government, including some very high placed politicians.)
Devlin did call Avi, as Avi explained: “He would be calling me. I didn’t call him. He would call me twice a week, three times a week and just ask me personal questions, talk to me. And then he mentioned, if there’s anything that I can do to help Israel or to help something with Israel, let me know.”
At that point Avi said the conversations with Devlin shifted to discussing a documentary movie someone wanted to make about Jews helping Israel. He said he told Devlin about that idea for a movie and Devlin said he wanted to be involved in that, too.
Eventually, we returned to discussing Devlin’s plan to convert Israeli jets so that they could be used for firefighting. Avi told Devlin that he would help to set up some meetings for him with important Israeli officials, but at that point he asked me to stop recording.
Although he asked me to stop recording Avi didn’t say that he wanted to go off the record. What he said next really floored me. He said that he had actually gone so far as to set up a meeting between Devlin and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. To Avi’s great relief, however, Devlin bowed out of flying to Israel to meet the prime minister, so the meeting was cancelled long before it was supposed to take place. He added that he would have been terribly embarrassed had Netanyahu actually shown up for a meeting, only to find that Devlin hadn’t come.
Avi admitted that it was only quite recently that he realized Fred Devlin was totally delusional, but unlike some of the others whose stories I’ve related thus far, he didn’t spend nearly as much time talking to Devlin as others had. Or course, he realizes now that whatever time he did spend was totally wasted but, as you’re about to read, beyond having spent time talking to Devlin, it didn’t cost him financially.
Coming next: The con man convinces someone to stop paying their debts – promising him a big payday around the corner
Features
ESports Meets Casinos: Overview of Bet Sport Gaming
ESports has become part of the interactive entertainment of online casinos. In fact, many fans already have the opportunity to use Dragonia Casino Bet Sport options while watching the matches of their favorite teams. The hybrid entertainment model opens up many possibilities and increases audience engagement. When video games intersect with betting, it creates a unique collaboration where participants have the opportunity to get a completely new experience right in their own home. At the same time, you can continue to enjoy the usual viewing of familiar tournaments and competitions.
How ESports and Casinos Interconnect
ESports has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that attracts spectators. Traditional casinos are focused on luck. But now they are introducing additional methods of encouraging their customers. Among such options, eSports events deserve special attention. Such bet sport offers combine the usual excitement with an element of competition. The structure of the casino entertainment provides participants with the opportunity to test their skills and reveal their own hidden talents. There are several forms of integration of eSports mechanics into the structure of a classic online casino:
- Competitive betting. Online casinos provide the opportunity to bet on eSports tournaments, which is similar to the usual sports betting. In addition, the possibilities are significantly expanded compared to simple viewing platforms.
- Skill-based casino games. Games inspired by eSports encourage players to actively participate in what is happening on the screen. The games reward the player’s results with certain prizes.
- Interactive arenas. Some casinos broadcast eSports events in real time. This allows players to follow the games directly online, which creates a feeling of real participation in familiar entertainment.
- Cross-platform interaction. Online casinos are introducing eSports-style leaderboards and achievements to attract more participants.
Such innovations appeal to new participants. Cultural changes are part of the development of the infrastructure of the classic casino, and eSports fans find a new environment for entertainment and communication.
Growth of ESports Betting
Global eSports revenue in 2025 exceeded $1.5 billion. Each bet sport option has made a significant contribution to the development. Surveys show that over 60% of players will express interest in betting on eSports, which reflects the demand and the need to develop an updated infrastructure for participation.
ESports events attract 15-20% more new participants compared to conventional casinos. The eSports betting market will exceed $20 billion by 2027, according to analysts’ forecasts, which encourages new participants to more actively watch tournaments and participate in various types of activity.
Why Fans Choose ESports
Bet sport gambling is gaining popularity. This is due to several reasons. For example, large casinos in Las Vegas and Macau now host full-fledged eSports tournaments alongside traditional entertainment. Venues are also experimenting with separate fan zones where sports betting and classic gambling are available.
Some of the most popular eSports disciplines are League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Some online casinos even introduce eSports mechanics into slots so that players can try something new.
In short, the intersection of eSports and casinos is a natural development of the industry. Competitive play and an optimized betting system create a comfortable environment for true fans who want to diversify their leisure time.
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Card Game Traditions: Complete Review from Casino Online Lolajack Experts
Card games have been around for centuries. They are constantly evolving and improving. For example, there are now many different formats of online games available. On sites like casino online Lolajack https://Lolajack.com/ca/, you can choose a title according to your preferences and skills. The traditions of card games date back to ancient times. To better show yourself, it is worth familiarizing yourself with these features. This way, you will gain experience, have a good time, and get acquainted with something completely new.
Roots of Card Games
Card games directly reflect cultural identity. They have a unique mathematical structure and thoughtful moves that make even professionals think. Depending on the tradition, the rules differ, but the basic principles always remain similar. Each game has a unique origin:
- Poker. It originated in the USA back in the 19th century. During its existence, many variations of gameplay have appeared. It combines risk, strategy, and psychology; therefore, it requires high skill from each player.
- Baccarat. This game has ancient origins. It appeared in the 15th century in Italy, after which it spread throughout Europe. Now it is the basis of any operator like casino online Lolajack.
- Rimmy and bridge. Card games require the cooperation of participants, so coordinated communication is important here.
- Blackjack. This is the perfect combination of skill and chance. The player needs to learn to make decisions quickly and monitor the circumstances.
Card games have their own origins and characteristics. Currently, they are an integral part of any online casino, offering a wide range of opportunities for participants.
Why Card Games Are So Popular
Experts from casino online Lolajack emphasize the importance of card games in many cultures. For example, poker remains the leader for a reason. There are more than 100 million active players worldwide who compete and work on their skills. Blackjack also does not lag behind the trends. The level of participation exceeds 40% of regular online casino users.
Every year, the level of online card games grows by 10%. This is possible due to digitalization and increased player awareness. In addition, seasonal events also increase the involvement of participants during peak periods.
Traditions of Card Games
Unique events attract the attention of fans. For example, the World Series of Poker attracts not only participants but also millions of viewers around the world. Sites such as casino online Lolajack also give participants the opportunity to try their hand and compete with professionals.
Baccarat is associated with high stakes. This is especially noticeable among the Asian audience, who like to put probability theory into practice. Blackjack also has an appeal among math lovers. The probabilities of the model and observations directly affect the decisions of players. Online casinos strive to ensure that participants have the opportunity to communicate and find an activity option according to their own preferences.
As a result, card games remain the true leaders of the gambling market. They not only entertain, but also develop attention, perseverance, and social skills. A large selection of various variations of classic games allows you to choose the version that suits your preferences. Developers do not lag behind trends and do everything possible to surprise fans.