We have all been there; having a job that you never seem to get around to doing. For a while, one of mine has been washing the DJC’s tallitot, and with time to spare now, I decided to start. I realized they would need to be done by hand as the tzitzit (fringes) would get …
As I listened to Amanda Gorman perform her powerful poem at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration, I remembered and re-remembered this statement – “artists are the new rabbis.” These were the words of Kendell Pinkney, a theatre artist and rabbinical student who moderated the recent panel, ‘Art and Artists On Being Black and Jewish,’ assembled by Fenster …
I was walking with a dear friend in High Park right after a beautiful snowfall. Tree branches held ribbons of snow along their leafless lengths. The cedars and spruces wore the snow more thickly among their needles. The ground was so soft, muffling the sounds of traffic and voices and our footsteps. We followed a …
Miriam’s Cup: Learning From Trees – What Will Get Us Through the Winter Read More »
Some of us have asked, “How big a donation should I give to the DJC over and above my Membership fees?” There are so many variables that a simple straightforward answer is not possible. We hear a Jewish voice saying, “On the von hand and then on di udher hand…” “I do not believe one can settle how …
How do I decide what to give as my donation to the DJC this year? Read More »
This past weekend, I spent more time in our sanctuary at Bethminster than I have in the past 9 months! I felt a special kind of quiet and reverence walking into the space. The colourful fabric banners were already hanging on the walls and the aron kodesh (the ark) was in its place on …
Miriam’s Cup: What 15 B’nei Mitzvah Students are Teaching Me About Chanukah Read More »
The Nominating Committee consists of one Board representative and three community members who responded to a broad call for members. We were asked to reach out to the membership for recommendations to fill upcoming vacancies on the Board, consider potential candidates, and present a list of nominees to fill the vacant positions for a two-year term at the …
Revised Nominating Committee Report to the Membership – October 30, 2020 Read More »
This past week, we held two community conversations about Judaism in the time of Covid on Zoom. I love community conversations! (Yes, I am that kind of nerd.) As a rabbi, I spend a lot of time leading and shaping experiences and practice for the community but when we gather to think together, share ideas …
A Little Less Alone, A Lot More Together: A Report from our Community Conversations Read More »
Dear DJC Community, I’m pleased to report that our education programs are all up and running, despite the difficult times we find ourselves in. Now, more than ever, our students need community, and I’m so proud of the creative and connected programming our teachers have been putting together throughout the pandemic. In the early fall, …
Our DJC Climate Action Team has curated a list with inspiration from Green11 of ways you can get involved and make a difference. Here’s the latest! Call for donations for sleeping bags via the Encampment Support NetworkThere are 1,000+ people sleeping rough in Toronto https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYTxeYAJN3/Email ESN at report.on.toronto@gmail.com to donate. You can follow ESN on …
Take Action! Opportunities to get Involved from the DJC Climate Action Team Read More »
During the afternoon of Yom Kippur the Social Justice Committee led an interactive discussion and learning workshop on “Identity, Oppression and Racism — Starting the Conversation”. Over 30 people participated on Zoom. The session kicked off with a very informative and provocative presentation made by long-time SJC members, Lynne Raskin and Eve-Lynn Stein. They posed …
Greta says that our climate actions send messages to others and encourage governments to take action. We know our DJC community is concerned about the climate crisis and, as a community, we can make a difference by taking both individual and collective action. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stressed that individual …
We can’t all be Greta Thunberg, but your choices have a ripple effect Read More »
I was going to give this sermon on Rosh Hashana day, when our theme was Dismantling and Building Anew, but between all the challenges with technology and timing, I didn’t share it then. I want to share it tonight. The last community-wide program we ran at the DJC before we went into Covid lockdown was …
