|
Milibeynu מלבנו
From our Heart
June 2023
THE PRIDE EDITION
| |
|
Pride Havdalah
Community Pride Shabbat
2023 High Holy Day update & new machzor
Membership renewal & Pay What You Can review
Kiddush comeback help needed
New board vacancy
and more....
| |
The board continues to be immersed in following up our planning meetings to ensure the vitality and vibrancy of Congregation Shir Libeynu. | |
|
PRIDE
A very happy Pride to all members who celebrate! Once again this year Congregation Shir Libeynu is celebrating Pride with our very special Pride Havdalah service (see Shabbat section for details), as well as through sponsorship of the Community Pride Shabbat Service (details in the community section of this newsletter).
In addition to celebrating Pride during our Havdalah service, we are thrilled that Chazan Daniela Gesundheit will be joining us over Zoom as a special guest.
| |
|
Farewell with gratitude & new board vacancy
Sadly, our former treasurer Rebecca Sugarman, has resigned. She was a valuable board member and her important contributions will be missed. Rebecca was influential in our adoption of the Pay What You Can Policy and worked very hard to bring order to the organization’s chaotic financial record keeping. She provided key insights into our planning and thoughtful commentary on the importance of adhering to our mission and mandate.
Representation on the board
The board is now composed of only 5 members, and while we love this community and want to see it thrive, we simply cannot do it all. We are seeking at least two new board members.
Congregation Shir Libeynu was founded over 25 years ago as the first intentionally 2SLGBTQQIA+ synagogue in Toronto. It is important we keep this part of our identity at the centre of what we do. For this reason we especially hope to increase representation from the 2SLGBTQQIA+ membership.
If you have the time for one evening meeting a month, and to help us to plan and implement programming and services for our beautiful community, we would love for you to join the board.
Please send an email to Amanda with board inquiry in the subject line if you want more information, or you are interested.
| |
|
Interfaith Outreach Grant update
This past month we completed the process of surveying our Interfaith families. We had excellent uptake and thank those of you who took the time to participate and to help us in our bid to improve our programs and services. We are now working on debriefing the surveys. After that we will develop a plan for next steps based on the requirements of the grant we received that began this whole project. More information to come soon!
| |
|
Kiddush is making a comeback!
The board has decided that it is time to resume our tradition of having community kiddush following our Shabbat services, for those who attend in person and would like to join in. We will maintain a masking policy for services so those who do not feel safe in an unmasked environment can still feel safe while participating in person.
| |
|
Organizing kiddush
With the decision to bring back kiddush, we need people to assist with organizing! The more people we have who are willing to pitch in, the less work for everyone!
If you can help with this - even for one service! - please email Amanda with the word “kiddush” in the subject line.
| |
|
CSL Kashrut Policy
With Kiddush coming back, the board felt it was time to institute a Kashrut policy for our community. As a result we passed a motion requiring all Congregation Shir Libeynu event food to be either dairy or vegan. If at any time you are planning an event you have a question about this, don't hesitate to reach out to Cantor Wunch or a member of the board.
| |
|
High Holy Day Planning
High Holy Day 2023 planning is underway! And we need YOU!
You don't need to do it all, just pick one!
Can you assist with children’s programming; or help with organization; or come early to help set up; or help us with decorating; or arrange kiddush; or greet arrivals; or sit at the registration desk?
Our services are beautiful, but they don’t happen without many hands pitching in.
If you can help organize the 2023 High Holy Day services, please email to our administrator, Amanda with the subject line High Holy Day planning committee.
| |
|
New Machzor search complete
With gratitude to the members of the committee who volunteered to assist with the search for a new machzor for our congregation, the board accepted their recommendation that for the foreseeable future we continue to use the machzor developed by Cantor Wunch for the 2022 High Holy Days. After extensive research the committee members agreed that it is the best way to ensure our commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
The next step is to have last year’s machzor edited, formatted, bound and printed. The board will be looking at design and printing options over the next little while.
| |
|
Membership renewal & Pay What You Can
The board is currently reviewing our membership application form and our Pay What You Can policy as both were new last year, and we want to ensure we are capturing the information and resources necessary to meet members’ expectations around programming and services. Watch for further information.
| |
Special Thanks
A warm thank you to Congregation Shir Libeynu members Jacquie Buncel, Penny Winestock, Jaclyn Piudik and Lisa Richter for their Tikkun Leil Shavuot session Soul Stirrings: A Sinai Literary Salon. By all accounts, a great success!
| |
|
Changing our By-laws
We began the process of updating our bylaws at the 2022 AGM. During that meeting it became apparent that we need a meeting to focus on just this task. For this reason the board will call a General Membership Meeting to update the bylaws in November, 2023. We will announce the date and location once finalized.
| |
|
Hiring a bookkeeper
We are incredibly grateful to Mary Wunch who has been invaluable in assisting us with bookkeeping and administrative support over the past 18 months, or so. With Mary ready to move on to other Congregation Shir Libeynu volunteer opportunities, the board has made the decision to hire a part time bookkeeper and has begun the search process.
| |
|
Donate to Congregation Shir Libeynu
What better way to honour a special event or occasion or to remember a departed loved one than by making a donation to Congregation Shir Libeynu? Help build up the resources we need to achieve our goals.
Click here to make your tax deductible donation today, or at any time during the year. You will receive a tax receipt and, if you choose, your honouree will receive notification of your generosity on their behalf.
We would like to convey our gratitude to this month's donors...
Alice Newman - New Torah Scrolls Fund
Leslie Wolfe - General Fund
When you make a donation, we will reach out to ask whether we can thank you in the newsletter, and acknowledge your generosity and act of Tzedakah.
| |
|
The Holiness of Transition; The Beauty of Change
Happy Pride Month!
In a few days we will be kicking off Pride month in true Congregation Shir Libeynu style with our annual Pride Havdalah at the JCC. I am so excited that fabulous Chazan Daniela will be Zooming in from California to help us celebrate.
This year, our theme is the Holiness of Transitions and the Beauty of Change.
While we often think of Havdalah as a time of separation, as a way of keeping Shabbat apart from the rest of the week, this year we are going to be focusing on the gentle joy that comes with moving between days, stages, and identities. We will be thinking about shifting into the week, shifting into Pride month, and shifting our perceptions of who we are and who we can become.
In keeping with this theme, I am thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming Samuel Braemer as our guest speaker. A few short years ago, Samuel and his husband Keith together created Transforming Style, an organization that provides accessible and cost-free styling services, wardrobe, and psychological support to 2SLGBTQIA+ community members who face socio-economic barriers. According to Samuel, "We're really trying to break down barriers, build confidence and create a network of support. And we're doing that one style at a time."
Transforming Style began in Manitoba, and has recently branched out to Toronto, where they employ Beauty Consultants and Therapists, who help the organization reach a wide and underserved population. Samuel will be speaking about his own transition into the nonprofit world, and how his Jewish upbringing, and family’s focus on Tikkun Olam inspired his work.
I hope that you can all join us, either in person or on Zoom on June 3rd at 7:30pm for this service where we will sing, pray, celebrate, learn, and eat together. No registration is required!
Our congregation will also be supporting the community-wide Pride Shabbat service and dinner being held on June 16th at the Cecil Street Community Centre.
Please register for this event by clicking here.
Wishing you all a very happy Pride!
B’ahavah,
Cantor C. Wunch
| |
|
Upcoming Jewish & Community Celebrations
All festivals begin at sundown on the first date, and end at sundown on the last date.
-
PRIDE SHABBAT*, Friday, June 16 (see below for details)
*For all other PRIDE events, please see From the Community below
For a complete list of Jewish dates of significance for 2023, click this link.
For summary information about any of these days, click this link.
| |
|
Please join the Shir Libeynu community for our very special Annual PRIDE HAVDALAH service Saturday, June 3rd at 7:30 PM being held in person at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC), Room 318, and online via Zoom, with special guest Chazan Daniela Gesundheit joining from her home in California!
Masking required. If you feel at all unwell, please join us via Zoom.
The Zoom link, and prayer book will be emailed on Friday, June 2nd. If you have not received this email by 2:00 PM, please email our Administrator Amanda at [email protected].
No registration is required. Please either come to the MNJCC, or join via Zoom.
We welcome new attendees!
If you know of anyone who wants to attend our services, please ask them to email our Administrator at [email protected].
| |
|
Save the date
On Saturday, July 8 at 10:30 AM, not only will we celebrate Shabbat, but we will also celebrate and thank Chazan Daniela Gesundheit!
Did you know?
Did you know that you can find Shabbat and Havdalah start times as well as the weekly Torah portion on our website? To find this information, click this link
| |
|
Are you interested in learning (more) about Torah?
Join Cantor Wunch on Tuesday, June 20th as she hosts an online conversation about a parasha from the Torah.
No prior Torah experience necessary! No registration required. Zoom link will be sent to all members prior to the date.
This is our final meeting before we break for summer. Lunch & Learn will resume after the High Holy Days next fall. Watch for dates!
| |
|
COMMUNITY PRIDE SHABBAT
Congregation Shir Libeynu is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this year’s Community Shabbat service and Kosher vegan dinner. It will take place at the Cecil Street Community Centre, 58 Cecil Street, Toronto, 6 PM - 8:30 PM.
This event focuses on 2SLGBTTQ+ Jewish community members. Allies to both Jewish and 2SLGBTTQ+ communities are more than welcome to attend as well.
Family Programming
Families are encouraged to bring children, with programming offered by Machane Lev for those aged 8-17.
Tickets
Tickets cost $25 for adults and $10 for children. If this cost is prohibitive to your attendance, you are welcome to select the $18 ticket option. We likewise invite community members who can, to sponsor a community member’s dinner by selecting the $36 option to offset somebody else’s meal cost. If the reduced fee is still a barrier to your attendance, please reach out to [email protected] for further conversation.
For further information, to register and purchase tickets, click here.
Accommodations, health & safety
We are committed to ensuring our programming is accessible to anybody who wishes to attend. Cecil Community Centre is wheelchair accessible and has gender neutral washrooms. We ask that folks who are not feeling well stay home and encourage attendees to wear masks whenever you are not eating. Please email [email protected] with any accessibility questions or requests and we will work together to find ways for you to join us. The venue has a limited capacity, so buy your tickets as soon as you can!
| |
|
Pride at the J
In addition to the above, there is a full calendar for Pride at the J!
- Rainbow Babka with Shauna Godfrey
-
LGBTQ+ at the J and the Toronto Jewish Film Festival Concerned Citizen: Screening
-
United Jewish People's Order Yid Pride: A Sultry and Raucous Queer Cabaret Fundraiser
- TransFormations: A Summit on Trans Spiritualities
-
Families at the J and Machane Lev Pride Shabbat Circle For children ages 0-4 with their grown-ups.
Check out the full calendar of events here!
| | | | |
