Dear Members,

 

We hope everyone is managing to stay healthy and cool in these summer months. Time seems to be both standing still and flying by at the same time. We know how challenging the pandemic is for so many of us. If you need assistance, please reach out to our community at [email protected] .

 

We are taking a break from virtual offerings until our Shabbat service in August (details to be announced soon) while we prepare for High Holiday services. You can find a list in this newsletter of all our virtual presentations if you wish to view or re-view any of them. Huge thanks to every one of our presenters!

 

Thanks to Lorne Blumer and Daniela Gesundheit for leading our July 4 ^th Shabbat service and bringing our community together in prayer and song (email [email protected] to receive the link to view the service). In this newsletter, we are sharing excerpts from Daniela’s powerful opening remarks. Thanks, too, to Penny Winestock, Lorne Gould, Eden Nameri and Jamie Flagal for their wonderful contributions to the service, and to Shoshana Fainsilber, for getting us moving and dancing before the service.

 

Thank you to all the members who joined the campaign to fight systemic racism. We met with Eden Nameri recently to discuss adult education, specifically our speakers’ series which she is leading. Eden will be researching potential speakers or other opportunities to help us deepen our understanding of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, especially in the Jewish community. She brought two excellent resources to our attention: “No Silence on Race, An open letter from Black Jews, Non-Black Jews of Colour, and our allies to Jewish organizations in Canada” ( https://www.nosilenceonrace.ca ) and the Facebook site, “Everything Jewish Toronto - Actively Anti-Racist” ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/586528291993180/?ref=share ). If you have ideas for speakers or other learning opportunities, please contact Eden at [email protected].

Speaking of education, we are seeking new volunteers for our Education Committee. We are looking for members who have children or grandchildren or are interested in children/youth programming, have connections to the wider Jewish community to help us collaborate with other shuls and organizations, and most important, have energy, enthusiasm and new ideas. Please contact Jon Novick at [email protected].

 

Stay well,

Board of Directors

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Congratulations to Penny and Earl Winestock & Family

Congregation Shir Libeynu would like to say  mazal tov  to longtime members Penny and Earl Winestock and their family on the birth of their first grandchild. This would be such joyful news at any time but is especially wonderful at this time. We are so happy for you! 

Renew Your Shir Libeynu Membership Today!

We will miss no opportunity between now and Rosh Hashana to remind you to renew your Shir Libeynu membership. We will be shameless in our pursuit of your support. Why? Because membership is the bedrock of our congregation. Without our members, we would not exist, we could not grow.

Membership has many benefits, including access to all of our events, celebrations, newsletters, educational programming for children and adults, and High Holiday services. High Holiday 2020/5781 services will be led by Rabbi Dara Lithwick  and our Chazzan and Musical Director, Daniela Gesundheit.

Shir Libeynu’s fees strive to balance affordability with adequate funding for our congregation throughout the year. We will not turn anyone away for lack of funds. Click here for all membership information.

Excerpts from Daniela Gesundheit’s Opening Remarks

Shir Libeynu “Zoom” Shabbat, July 4, 2020

 

Click here to read the full remarks and or email [email protected] to receive a link to view the video of the service.

 

I’d like to open with a quote by Rabbi Richard N. Levy:

 

“On this day, heat and warmth and light must come from deep within ourselves; no longer can we tear apart the world to make our fire.”

 

Here we are on the full moon, a lunar eclipse tonight, it’s the 4th of July in the United States, and our hearts are broken. My heart is broken. We have torn apart the world, and still so many are out in the cold.

 

Black Lives Matter.

Black Trans Lives Matter…

 

At this time, I would like to encourage us all to remember our values as Jews:

 

Tikkun Olam — repair the world

Pikuach Nefesh — we value human life above all else

B’tzelem Elohim — we are all made in the image of God

Tzedakah — we are committed to create a just society…

 

This Louise Gluck excerpt from her poem October IV comes to mind as a high five to idealists, an endorsement of hope and the pursuit of a better world — 

 

" . . . And still, you are fortunate: 

the ideal burns in you like a fever.

Or not like a fever, like a second heart." 

 

Pursuit of the ideal, much like tzedakah, is not a fever that evaporates when we feel better, but a second heart , the earthy bloody source of our vitality. I’m looking forward to working HARD alongside you all, to fight for Justice in the coming years, armed with our second hearts.

 

Many action steps were outlined in a recent Shir Libeynu newsletter spearheaded by our President Karen Charnow Lior, which I encourage you to consult…

 

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I encourage you to seek out the voices of Black and non-white Jews who are already leading the conversation on race and the Jewish community, such as  MaNishtana ,  Rabbi Sandra Lawson ,  Michael Twitty ,  Amadi Lovelace ,  Tema Smith , and  Rebecca Pierce .  

All Our Virtual Presentations in One Place

Below is a list of all our past virtual presentations. Contact [email protected] to request links of what you missed or to view them again :