UPCOMING SERVICES AND EVENTS
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Our Next Service
Saturday, May 5, 2018, Shabbat Morning Service
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC) Chapel and Rm. 318, 3rd floor
10:30 a.m.
Rabbi Aviva Goldberg will lead the service, with chazzanut and music by Paula Wolfson.
We are grateful to Harvey Worth for chanting Torah at this service, and for the donations he and Arlene Grajcer have made in memory of their loved ones, and to honour the upcoming marriage of his daughter Marla to Philip.
We thank George Saltzberg and Timothy Swift for sponsoring today's kiddish in memory of George's beloved father, Walter Saltzberg, who died recently in Winnipeg.
After the kiddish, please join us for our adult- education program with Bernie Farber (see below for more information).
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Aviva and Paula with a bar mitzvah and his parents
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Our enriching, free drop-in younger children's program will be up
and running during the entire morning.
Younger Children (ages 3 to 7)
. This week, the children will learn about the 10 commandments and show their creativity with a related craft. All children are welcome at this program & in the chapel with their adults. Instructor: Leanne Stevens
Junior Service: (ages 7/8 to 11).This Shabbat, we'll be dovening,
discussing Parshat Emor and celebrating Shavuot.
Instructor: Ella Gladstone Martin
All Welcome!
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Adult Education Speaker Series:
After Shabbat services/kiddish, 1:00-2:15 p.m., chapel, 3rd floor.
Presented by
Bernie Farber, Community Activist/Writer
Topic: "A Canadian Genocide in Search of a Name"
Take a journey of discovery with
Bernie Farber exploring our Canadian history to understand the story of an Aboriginal people, trusting the newcomer, betrayed by colonialist ideals and eventually forced to conform or die. A story that is difficult to bear but must be heard.
We thank Carol Zemel for curating our adult-education speaker series.
See
below for an interview conducted with Mr. Farber by our newsletter editor, Harriet Eisenkraft.
(Please do not bring any food or beverages, except for water, into the chapel at any time. Enjoy your kiddish first in Rm. 318 before attending.)
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Shir Libeynu is pleased to welcome Bernie Farber as our next adult-education speaker on
May 5
. Mr. Farber will illuminate how and why Indigenous people rightly believe that their historic treatment by the Canadian government constituted a genocide as defined by the UN
Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide
. This is a topic that has concerned Mr. Farber, the son of a Holocaust survivor, since his time as chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), and subsequently in his role as leader of the Mosaic Institute, from which he recently retired. After he wrote (in 2012) that Canada had committed this genocide, he was threatened and harassed publically. I
spoke
with Bernie Farber recently about his advocacy for and dialogue with Indigenous communities.
-Harriet Eisenkraft
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Other Upcoming Services
Saturday, May 26, 2018
, Bat Mitzvah of Belle MacCool-Garber and Shabbat morning service, First Unitarian Site, 10:30 a.m.
Saturday evening, June 16,
2018,
Annual Pride Havdallah Service/Reception, MNJCC
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Who We Are: Rabbi Goldberg on What Makes Shir Libeynu Different
In response to a member's query about what makes our shul different than others, Rabbi Goldberg presented on the topic at a 2016 adult-education session. There, a small but very enthusiastic group heard her riveting, rich answers and added to it with feedback and discussion. Recently, Rabbi Goldberg has re-formulated the ideas into an
essay, which we present here. It outlines our philosophy and practice on liturgy, ritual, theology and participation.
We would love to
hear your responses to this essay.
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CALLING ALL FAMILIES!
Bnei Mitzvah Program and the Shir Libeynu School
Shir Libeynu School (Ages 7-11)
The Shir Libeynu School: our supplemental program for 2018/2019 will start in September, 2018, weekly on Sunday mornings, at a central location.
This innovative program has two-10 week sessions (autumn and winter) that will focus on themes such as Jewish stories, rituals, holidays, language and the arts. Children who have had minimal or no formal Jewish education, or for whom this may be a first learning experience, are welcome.
The School fees will be in line with last year's sessions and with those of other supplemental schools.
Registration forms will take be available for our fall session in a couple of weeks.
If you would like to reserve a spot (subject to registration and payment by June 15th), please email admin@shirlibeynu.ca and we will inform you when the registration form is available.
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Our teacher, Dana Rubinshtein, with the 2017 Module 1 class
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For information on the current year program, please click
here.
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B'nei Mitzvah Program (Grades 6-8)
Young people who will be at least age 13 in 2019 to early 2020 are eligible to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Shir Libeynu, and for the mandatory one-year learning-enrichment program that precedes it, which
will begin in the autumn of 2018.* The learning program is a year-long series of monthly classes, excursions such as a tour of Jewish Toronto and other outings, a social-action project and opportunities for families to socialize together. The classes run on Sunday afternoons at a downtown location. For specific details on fees and dates, please contact our administrator, Natalie Wallach, at: admin@shirlibeynu.ca.
Registration forms will take be available for our 2018/2019 B'nei Mitzvah program in a couple of weeks , w
hen we will welcome a small cohort of candidates. If you would like to reserve a spot (subject to registration and payment by June 15), please email admin@shirlibeynu.ca and we will inform you when the registration form is available. Our administrator can also walk you through the steps necessary to booking and planning a bar/bat mitzvah simcha with the shul.
For more information about our current program, please click here.
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*Students in the learning program are not obliged to participate in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony, although most families do choose this option around or after completion of the learning program.
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Letter from our President, Shlomo Gleibman, on our UJA Volunteers of 2017 & 2018
Dear Friends,
As many of you might know, every June UJA Federation of Greater Toronto features community volunteers from across the GTA on UJA's Community Volunteers
webpage
.
This annual roster pays tribute to the volunteers' work and publicly highlights their contributions to their communities. A selected volunteer represents her/his organization throughout the year. In 2017, our shul's representative was Harriet Eisenkraft. In 2018, our representative is Eden Nameri
. Please read here
about these volunteers, and why our board nominated them for this honour.
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Milestones
Mazel tov to members Ilana Teitelman and Benett Axtell
on the birth of their daughter, Lior Teitelman,
born April 13, 2018.
Our condolences to Dinah Rosen and Rabbi Aviva Goldberg on the death of Dinah's beloved cousin,
Wendy Herman, who passed away on Saturday, April 14, in Toronto.
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Donations
We thank the following people for their contributions to
Shir Libeynu:
Denis Frawley and Jon Novick, and Denis' law firm, Ormston List Frawley LLP, for making available to our shul the year-long use of the office venue for our new Shir Libeynu School. Their generosity was instrumental in allowing us to keep our costs low to the families during the pilot project for our nascent supplemental school.
George Saltzberg and Timothy Swift for sponsoring May, 2018, kiddish in memory of George's father, Walter Saltzberg, who passed away in Winnipeg, on March 8, 2018.
Harvey Worth and Arlene Grajcer to our siddurim fund, in Memory of Howard Nathan, Dr. Martin Barkin and Lou Orzech; and in Honour of the forthcoming marriage of Marla Rosenblatt-Worth and Philip Kuperhause.
Rebecca Sugarman, in memory of her parents, Alice and Jack Sugarman
Harriet Eisenkraft to the Shir Libeynu Fund, in honour of Jonathan Silin for his tireless devotion to the community as education director, especially for our children's programs
The Weisfeld and Zevaviv families for sponsoring the January 6, 2018 kiddish in memory of Zvi Puni צבי פוני, the beloved father of long-time member Ariela Weisfeld.
Please think of Shir Libeynu and be generous when you wish to honour a friend or relative, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit, or show appreciation for our clergy or volunteers. To donate to Shir Libeynu, please click here.
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Jonathan Silin's Book Reading
Members of Congregation Shir Libeynu and their friends are invited to hear Jon
athan Silin, long-time member and director of education, read from his new book,
Early Childhood, Aging, and the Life Cycle: Mapping Common Ground
on Thursday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the Nexus lounge, OISE.
If you plan to attend please let him know
here.
Read
here
Jonathan's recent op-ed on aging (the "young-old").
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Saturday May 19, 8:00 p.m .- Sunday, May 20. 8:30 a.m .
MNJCC, 750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Shir Libeynu is proud to be a sponsor of the Tikkun Leil Shavuot again this year. Our
Rabbi Aviva Goldberg will explore Judaism and medical assistance in dying (MAID)
, and Shir Libeynu members
Eden Nameri
and
Shlomo Gleibman,
will also be among the presenters (click the links for more on their respective topics).
Join the MNJCC for a free night (and later night...and morning) of community, study, singing, snacking and more! More than 50 sessions to attend. Reimagine traditional Jewish texts and open up new and engaging conversations. Special programs for kids and teens. All are welcome!
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No Shush Shabbat - for Families & Individuals with Disabilities
Friday, May 25, 2018
Holy Blossom Temple*, 1950 Bathurst St, Toronto
Family service at 5:30 p.m | Shabbat dinner at 6:00 p.m. Kids programming to follow.
An interactive Shabbat service precedes the dinner (free). Come alone or with your whole family to a relaxed, playful, and accessible experience. Individuals and families of all backgrounds and Jewish affiliations are welcome.
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Toronto Jewish Film Society
Toronto Jewish Film Society's presents its 40th season of Jewish film gems on select Sundays with noted speakers in the Al Green Theatre. Call (416) 924-6211 x 0.
Rush Seats on sale 30 minutes before each screening.
$15 General Admission; $10 Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
Shir Libeynu is a promotional partner of the Society's June 3 screening of "Melting Away." Shir Libeynu members may purchase tickets for the 7:30 p.m. screening for $12 by clicking here and entering the promotional code CSL. Cash-only rush tickets for the 4:00 p.m. show at the discounted rate may be purchased in person, at the door,
TWO SCREENINGS for all films: 4:00 and 7:30 p.m.
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SAVE THE DATE: LGBTQ+ Shabbat (Service and Dinner) - for LGBTQ+ and Allies
The 519 (Community Centre):
Friday, June 8, 2018
Rabbi Goldberg will be leading a Kabbalat Shabbat service, with our own Paula Wolfson conducting chazzanut (cantorial music), from 6:15-7:00 p.m, the 519 Ballroom.
The dinner will begin at 7:15 p.m.with an introductory welcome by the hosting organizations and a keynote speech from Rabbi Goldberg
about the Torah portion of the week.
Presented by our shul, the MNJCC, Kulanu Toronto and
other organizations. Shir Libeynu is proud to be a sponsor of this event.
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