LOOKING BACK AT THE HIGH HOLIDAYS
“Why am I here?” was a question that shaped this year’s High Holiday services, and those of us who were there can now reflect upon a pivotal time in the Jewish new year devoted to reflection. Each of us was there for particular and personal reasons but we all stood on common ground. We are blessed to have a community that speaks from the heart and the head, individuals who unearth wisdom and small truths that strike a collective chord. The sermons of Josie Lalonde and Bobby Rotenberg and the reflections shared by Pierre Gelineau, Karen Kuzmochka, Shoshana Reimer, Janice Fricker, Charlotte Doucette, Lisa Kent, Roger Simon and Ana Bodnar spoke to the depth of thought in our midst. Their words took us down one path; music led us toward another place all together. The choir voices of Donna Goldenberg, Lisa Kent, Christel Kleitsch, Kathy Miller, Aviva Rajski and Ilana Waldston were exquisite and ethereal. The children’s service (organized by the indefatigable Diane Wise) continues to create a space where children are given a voice and parents learn to listen. And weaving it all together was Rabbi Eli Kukla, whose sermons, guidance and quiet passion linked all the parts into a meaningful whole. Hers is a delicate balancing act that she pulled off with grace and generosity: she knows when to step forward to offer what we need to hear, and when to step back to make room for what we need to say. Once again, David Wyman ensured our Yizkor board was there to commemorate those who are no longer here, and Richard Chartash made the blowing of the shofar the wake up call it is meant to be. Thanks to Aviva Rajsky, David Green, Barbara Silverstein and Mark Franklin for the Torah readings, and all those who made the services what they were, with special thanks to Harriet Chartash, David Wyman, Brian Grebow and Ralph and Noreen Rosmovits for all their ‘behind-the-scenes’ work, and to Jacob Bali for all his tireless work on the supplement. Our apologies in advance for those we may have missed. Let us know so we can acknowledge your contributions.

We welcome your thoughts about this year’s High Holidays, which can be sent to info@djctoronto.com. And thank you to all members who took the time to write thoughtful and thought provoking letters.

LOOKING BEYOND THE HIGH HOLIDAYS: NOW WHAT?
By Rabbi Eli Kukla

We have just finished the most intense period of the Jewish year. During the High Holy Days we spend our time engaging in prayer, introspection and connecting to community. All this focus can renew us, but in these weeks after the Days of Awe we can also feel a bit of a spiritual and/or a community let down as we wonder what comes next. Now is the perfect time to reinvigorate with the DJC. Here are three good ways:

1) Join us for a Friday Night Shabbat service or Saturday morning Torah Study

We hold monthly Friday night services at 6:30pm at Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Avenue [map]. They will take place the first Shabbat of the month from November to February and the second Shabbat of the month from March to June. Everyone is welcome including young folks. Lisa Kent and I lead services, but we want more participation from you! Let me know at rabbi@djctoronto.com if you want to lead a song, a reading, a prayer, a story or offer a short devar torah (a teaching from your own life or from the torah portion).

The following Saturday mornings we gather from 10:00 to noon to explore the Torah portion for the week and discuss the ways it applies to contemporary issues, ethical conundrums, philosophical and spiritual questions and our own lives. We meet at Riverdale Presbyterian Church, 662 Pape Avenue—just south of the Danforth [map].

Please mark your calendars (any changes will be posted online)

Friday Night Services at 6:30pm (Eastminster):
Nov 3, Dec 1, Jan 5, Feb 2, March 9, April 13, May 11 (Children’s led Shabbat), June 8

Saturday Morning Torah Study at 10:00am (Riverdale Presbyterian):
Nov 4, Dec 2, Jan 6, Feb 3, March 10, April 14 (Special Saturday morning services will be held in May and June)

2) Get involved in the Listening Campaign

On October 3, the day after Yom Kippur, a great group of 25 DJC members gathered to learn about this new campaign and share energy and ideas. This campaign will help us hear where we are as the DJC community. What do we need most? Do we want more education, celebration or prayer? Do we need a cemetery, a comprehensive b’nai mitzvah program, a conversion class? Do we feel invisible at the DJC because of our religion, sexuality or family status or do we feel at home? How can we best build our power to engage in the world? How can we connect to other congregations and faith groups in our neighborhood to impact our area positively? What forms of injustice impact us the most? Do we have the energy to work for peace in the Middle East or economic justice right here on the Danforth?
If you would like to get involved please come to our next training on November 5 from 11:00am-1:00pm at Riverdale Presbyterian. Please come at 10am if you missed last month’s info session so you can get caught up! If you would like to be considered for the core team that will be initiating this campaign you MUST come to this session or be in touch with us to make other arrangements. I encourage everyone to consider getting involved in this campaign. It doesn’t take special skills to listen; it just takes caring and curiosity. You are invited to take part whether or not you have been active with the DJC in the past. This is a way to shape your community’s future. To RSVP send an e-mail to Kathy at info@djctoronto.com

WHAT: DJC Listening Campaign Training
WHEN: Sunday, November 5 11:00am-1:00pm
(10:00am if you missed the October info session)
WHERE: Riverdale Presbyterian Church, 662 Pape—just south of the Danforth [map]

3) Share Important Life Moments With the DJC!

We would like to mark life milestones within the lives of all of our community members as a part of our Friday night services. Here are some ideas of milestones you might choose to celebrate or mark within the DJC: baby namings, adult name changes, recovery from addiction or abuse, anniversaries, birthdays, b’nai mitzvah, coming out, gender transitioning, Yartzeits/memorial, weddings/commitment ceremonies, conversion to Judaism and more. All members are invited to share important life moments with the DJC. If you would like to share a milestone with us, please e-mail Kathy at info@djctoronto.com to set-up a half-hour individual meeting with me. In this meeting we will talk about this life passage and discuss what ritual would be most meaningful for you as a part of our monthly Shabbat services.
I look forward to seeing you as we move into this next phase of the Jewish year and each other’s lives!

A WORD FROM THE BOARD ABOUT B’NEI MITZVAH
Due to time constraints, our Rabbi will not be able to officiate at B’nei Mitzvah this year. Rabbi Eli is available to meet with prospective B’nei Mitzvah (2 meetings) to prepare and share a devar Torah with the community at a Friday night Shabbat service. Please contact Kathy at info@djctoronto.com to book an appointment.

SHABBAT AT HOME . . .
We are continuing our tradition of offering warm, welcoming Friday evening Shabbat services in neighbourhood homes. All are welcome: adults and children, the curious and the committed. If you are a newcomer to our community, this is a lovely way to meet DJC members. Finger food contributions are welcome as we nosh and socialize after the service.

Where: At the home of Daphne Woolf and Rex Hagon, 19 Playter Blvd. [map]
When: Friday, November 17
RSVP: 416.469.1300

If you would like to volunteer your home for a Friday evening service, contact Diana Chastain at dianach@allstream.net or 416.465.0635.

Volunteers urgently needed!
We need some members to step up and help coordinate (with parent volunteers from our Children’s Jewish Studies program) our upcoming Chanukah party, slated for Sunday, December 3 at Eastminster. Rabbi Eli Kukla will be there as well to share a Chanukkah story. Please e-mail info@djctoronto.com ASAP if you can help with this community event.

Bereavement Committee meeting
Many in our community have long spoken of the need to be there for DJC members during those difficult days following the death of a loved one. Many of us are—thankfully—unfamiliar with the particulars of sitting shiva. And in the spirit of the prayer books we have assembled for the High Holidays, we are considering creating a guide (prayers, readings) that offers guidance and sustenance to those who need it. If you would like to learn more about lending a hand to someone in our community as they grieve and mourn we hope you can join us for our first meeting to discuss the different ways we can be there when we’re needed. Cooking meals, running errands, lending an hour to simply listen to someone speak about their loss: there are no shortage of ways we can help, and we hope there are no shortage of members willing to offer it. Please join us on Wednesday, November 1 at Riverdale Presbyterian at 8:15pm.

Book Club News
On Tuesday, October 10, the members of the DJC Book Club met for the first evening of its third season at the lovely home of Nicki Weiss and Michael Fox, and what an auspicious beginning it was. It was a very special event because it was the first time that the author of the chosen book was the facilitator of the evening. Natalie Zemon Davis—a renowned scholar—gave a wonderful, lively, interesting and enlightening presentation of her latest work Trickster Travels: A Sixteenth-Century Muslim Between Worlds. After a prolonged and lively discussion the evening ended over coffee, tea and nibblies with many enthusiastic comments and positive feedback from all the members present.
And our next event ... read on!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006 THE DROWNED AND THE SAVED, BY PRIMO LEVI FACILITATOR: JACQUES KORNBERG In his final book, The Drowned And The Saved, published in 1986, a year before his suicide, the Italian chemist and writer Primo Levi sums up issues and lessons of the Holocaust, based on his own experiences and extensive readings of the literature. His themes involve memory, how people lie to themselves and others, and what enables some to survive and others not. A major literary figure in Italy, Primo Levi's first book, Survival at Auschwitz, has been described as one of the most important books of the 20th century. Jacques Kornberg is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, where he formerly served as Director of the Jewish Studies Program and presently continues to teach courses on the Holocaust. His chief teaching and research interests have focused on Modern European Intellectual History and Modern European Jewish History. His book, Theodore Herzl: From Assimilation to Zionism, was a 1994 National Jewish Honor Book.

There are still spaces left, so if you haven’t signed up for the DJC Book Club, please write to info@djctoronto.com today! Members may RSVP now for the next meeting.

Looking forward to Chanukkah . . .
Q: How can you purchase beautiful Judaica at reasonable prices and support the DJC at the same time?
A: Shop at Juadica Maven, online: www.judaicamaven.ca. Choose the Tzedakah program and 10% of the price of your purchase will be donated to the DJC. It’s simple, it’s easy and we all benefit! Everything you need for Chanukkah—decorative candles, chocolate coins, dreidels, menorahs and more—is available. Phone: 416.656.5650.

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