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New documentary focuses on heartwarming relationship between Israeli psychologist (& former Winnipegger) Solly Dreman and Indigenous local photographer Don Barnard
By MYRON LOVE Over the past few years, Yolanda Papini Pollock has created a solid body of work as a documentary filmmaker with a focus on human rights.
Her credits include “Painful Truth: the Falun Gong Genocide” , about the Chinese suppression of what is essentially a spiritual practice; “Never Again: A Broken Promise”, highlighting post-Holocaust genocides; “Get Over It: A Path to Healing” about the effects of residential schools on Indigenous health in Canada and ”Fixit” (“Tikkun Olam”), which captures the interaction between local Holocaust survivor Isaac Gotfried and the impact his recitation of his experiences had on students at J.H. Bruns Collegiate.
The former Gray Academy teacher’s newest documentary, “Unusual in Every Way”, is the story of the unlikely friendship between Don Barnard, an individual of Indigenous background, who lives with disabilities and post traumatic stress, and Solly Dreman, a former Winnipegger who made aliyah almost 60 years ago and is a retired Ben Gurion University professor of psychology.
As was reported by Jewish & News publisher and editor Bernie Bellan, in September, 2020, – and as Barnard says at the beginning of the documentary (which he collaborated on), the talented videographer has lived a troubled life. He was born into a Métis family, to a father who grew up in the foster care system and who experienced considerable discrimination over his lifetime. Coming from a disadvantaged background, Don Barnard, at the age of 12, was placed in foster care, where he was exposed to considerable physical and psychological abuse.
Barnard was determined to have an IQ of 163 during childhood. In his 30s, he was diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder – which has caused him considerable hardship during his lifetime.
“Unusual in Every Way” is a collaboration between Barnard, Papini-Pollock and Orly Dreman. Barnard recalls (in the documentary) as a child dreaming about having a loving family and a warm home. In Dreman and his wife, Orly, he seems to have found that sense of family.
It was through Papini-Pollock that the Winnipeg-born Israeli professor and the filmmaker came to know each other. Barnard met Papini-Pollock while working with her and Rogers Ofime (an international award winning director and producer from Nigeria), on the film ‘Never again a broken promise’, a documentary about genocides.
In September 2016, Dreman and his wife Orly were in Winnipeg where Solly was giving a lecture on “Immigrants, Refugees and Terrorism: Is There Hope?”, sponsored by the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, the Winnipeg Friends of Israel (which was founded and led by Papini- Pollock), the Canadian Associates of Ben Gurion University and the JP&N. At that time Solly and Orly also hosted 60 friends and family members at a reunion luncheon. Barnard was suggested by Papini-Pollock to video both his lecture and the reunion.
The Israeli-born Papini-Pollock adds that Barnard has long been a staunch supporter of Israel. He views the Jewish people in Israel as an indigenous, displaced people – much as he perceives himself as a member of a displaced first nation.
The Dremans and Barnard hit it off and the Israeli couple invited him to come to Israel at their expense. It also so happens that among Solly Dreman’s post-retirement activities has been helping youth with severe learning disorders.
In 2020, thanks to the Dremans’ generosity, Barnard was able to realize his long-time dream of visiting Israel. He stayed with his hosts in Jerusalem for a week and toured the country with Orly’s son, Oren Cytto, as his tour guide.
Solly Dreman also bought his Canadian guest a professional level video camera.
His visit to Israel had a huge impact on Barnard.
“Unusual in Every Way” though, goes beyond being simply a feel-good story about an individual in Barnard struggling with emotional issues finding salvation thanks to the unconditional love he found in Israel with the Dremans. On a larger scale, it is an examination of how communities as well as individuals deal with trauma – contrasting the experiences of Holocaust survivors and Israelis who have been exposed to the terrors of war and how they dealt with that trauma with the trauma of Canada’s Aboriginal people, who have historically been victims of racism, prejudice, and physical and psychological abuse, as well as genocide by successive Canadian governments and institutions at all levels.
Nor does this film have a happy ending.
Papini-Pollock reports that overcoming trauma is not a simple process and Barnard’s personal recovery may take a long time. Despite being inspired by the stories he heard in Israel, his personal journey to healing has been a roller coaster. As he says near the end of the documentary, he has his good days and his bad days – and he never knows when his disabilities will cause him to have a meltdown.
Papini-Pollock notes that “Unusual in Every Way” was made possible thanks to the support of The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and has been picked up by two educational distributors to be made available to schools in Canada and the United States.
The filmmaker – who was also instrumental in launching Operation Ezra – further reports that she is already working on a new documentary for CBC with a human rights focus.
Features
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Features
Musings from Dizengoff Street – by Bruce Brown
(August 8, 2026)
Outside Basimta Café in Central Jerusalem. Love the red shirt against a tiny sea of black. Not sure I am shrugging because of the ultra-orthodox uproar over a Jerusalem café operating on Shabbat or the lack of an ultra-orthodox uproar over a Jerusalem café operating on Shabbat. For the last six weeks Israeli headlines shouted about the cafe chaos. With the ultra-religious blocking entrances and storming the café. While shouting ‘Shabbos! Shabbos!’ Upsetting the secular amongst us just wanting to enjoy our Saturday iced matchas. So the wife and I thought we would check it out. And. Yes. Buy something to support the business. Uproar. Not. Blocked entrances. Not. Storming the café. Not. Albeit there were police barriers separating the devout protesters from the coffee drinkers. The protesters being just a few dozen black clad, pious Jews. Mostly teenagers. And yes. Shouting ‘Shabbos! Shabbos!’ Certainly underwhelming in its reported mayhem. Reminds me of the famous saying misattributed to Mark Twain – “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do, you’re misinformed.” But I did enjoy my iced matcha.
(August 6, 2026)
Here we go again. Another round of forever negotiations. As someone who negotiates for a living. The way things are going in the straits. If I had to recommend a book on the subject to a new hire. Between The Art of the Deal, A Presidential Edition by Donald J. Trump or The Real Art of the Deal by the Mullahs of Iran with a special forward by the IRGC. Well. I would choose the latter.
(August 3)
Bravo Yoav Segalovitz, Liberal Yesh Atid MK and Monsour Abbas, United Arab Ra’am MK and party head. For breaking a glass ceiling where a Jewish lawmaker joins an Arab political party. No less a political earthquake in my little shtetl. Which can significantly impact coalition block arithmetic and posturing and strategy in the upcoming elections. Now Ra’am can be considered a legitimate ‘Zionist’ partner when forming coalition blocks and potentially pushing the ‘center left/right’ party over the 60 seat majority threshold. In our crazy parliamentary democracy defined by a multi-party (about fourteen!!), proportional representation system. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Israel’s proportional representation model of governance is the best parliamentary democracy system except for all other forms of working democracies. Stay tuned for more amateurish political musings as we move towards Israel’s 26th national election – five of them held since 2019.
(August 1)
Although both sides say they are open to diplomacy. Neither really trusts the other. And American military action, or its threat, continues. I read headlines in the middle of the night -it’s a nervous habit lately– that the Dynamic Duo of Trump and Netanyahu may again strike in unison. Possibly this weekend. Yikes! Prompting me, at 2:30 AM, to dash around the house stocking my safe room. Bottled water. Canned food. Medicines. Documents. The beat goes on….
If it’s crazy here. It’s insane in Italy. With a recent online ‘Jew Hunt’ in the Milan area. Before being removed, the digital forms urged reportings of Israelis and Italian Jews staying in local hotels. The infamous Global Sumud Movement -yes, the one coordinating ‘peace and humanitarian’ flotillas to Gaza- was somehow connected. Although they deny involvement?! This deranged decree was looking to identify Zionist tourism and Zionist neo-colonization in Italy. I’ll stick with stocking the saferoom.
Then there’s New York Mayor Mamdani, a Global Sumud Movement supporter, threatening to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu if he comes to New York. But since discovered he has no legal right for such a grandstanding, antisemitic, anti-Israel, anti-Western, anti-democratic antic. Maybe Mandami should be arrested! Or at least impeached. For being a grandstanding, antisemitic, anti-Israel, anti-Western, anti-democratic mayor.
Here’s a post Bruce sent us Friday, July 31:
WARTIME MUSINGS
Should credible threats against FLOTUS and ‘FSOTUS’ (first son..) not be justification to attack first.
As for yesterday’s summit. Netanyahu really can’t win. Explainer. If Trump now attacks without victory its ’cause of Netanyahu. If Trump now attacks with victory its ’cause of Trump. And, in Israel, if Trump doesn’t attack -victory or not- Netanyahu failed in his eighth meeting with Trump. And if Trump does attack -victory or not- half the country will vilify Bibi anyway. Missing a permutation?
Ya. I know. Kinda’ need a definition of victory for that musing to work.
And here in my little shtetle. We go to sleep unsure if there will be a code red in the middle of the night. And if not. We wake up thinking it will be tonight. How do you define stress?
Seemed like an appropriate way to end this musing.
Bruce Brown is a former Winnipegger who made aliyah to Israel over 35 years ago. Bruce first began writing for us – in his own inimitable style, in 2012, during what was known as “Operation Pillar of Defense.” His occasional musings on aspects of life in Israel that were far from what you’d typically read in other reports from Israel were hugely popular – both in the print Jewish Post & News and on this website.
We’re now glad to report that Bruce is back writing for us – this time on a regular basis. We will post Bruce’s reports as they arrive – with the date of each post at the beginning of that post.
Here’s some information about Bruce – and awards he’s received for his writing:
Bruce Brown. Canadian born. Now living in Israel (for a long time). Bruce works in Israel’s hi-tech sector by day and, in spurts, is a somewhat inspired writer by night. He received the American Jewish Press Association’s award for writing excellence in 2019 and 2025. And wrote the 1998 satire, “An Israeli is….” Bruce’s musings are political, social, economic and personal. With lots of biting, contrarian, sardonic and irreverent insight.
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