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November 2007
CONTENTS:
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
A weekend visit with our spiritual leader, Melissa Heller, that included Torah study that was engaging and enlightening. A rejuvenating women’s retreat that strengthened bonds: October was an enriching month, and there’s more in store: upcoming house meetings, updates on our Listening Campaign, Book Club news, Chanukah shopping and more…so, please read on!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
November Calendar at a glance
All details about specific meetings are provided in the newsletter
Please note confirmed dates for Melissa’s visits as follows:
December 6-8
January 17-19
All Melissa’s visits from February to June 2008 will be placed in December’s newsletter.
“Chanukah oh Chanukah, come light my menorah…”
Excerpt from Sharon, Lois and Bram song
Chanukah comes to us early this year, beginning on December 4th. We’d like to remind you that by doing your shopping at www.judaicamaven.ca a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Danforth Jewish Circle. Whether you’re looking for candles, chocolate coins, menorahs or dreydels, you can order online and have it shipped or avoid shipping charges by placing the order by phone. Please call Temi @ 416.656.5650 and she will be happy to take any phone orders and organize a delivery drop off depot.
Still Listening - the DJC's Ongoing Listening Campaign
Through 2006 and 2007 a core group of DJC members embarked on a fascinating and heartfelt journey to get to know our community "one-on-one". These 1-1 listening discussions (over 100 occurred), were a chance for members to meet and chat intimately about what made them tick and what made them DJC-ers. Four themes emerged as "top-of mind" in our collective minds and hearts:
- the need for us to address environmental issues as a community
- the struggle of caring for aging parents and of our own aging process
- the need for a DJC youth program beyond the B’Nei mitzvah years
- how can we better listen to and respond to the needs of our diverse community
Environment: the year-long DJC Green House/Bayit Campaign
The focus of our green sustainability campaign continues to be our homes, in the most expansive sense of the word. Launched with our CFL light bulb sale and awareness drive on Rosh Hashanah, we will be continuing with a November Torah Study learning about Jewish environmental stewardship led by Melissa Heller. We continue to plan a Jewish calendar of green events connecting the DJC membership to the environment and to each other, to the larger Jewish green community, and to communities of faith in Riverdale.
It has been said that at the core of the environmental crisis is a great divide between mind and body, head and heart, between human and nature. The split is now so great that we understand its consequences to be potentially catastrophic. What does Judaism say about environmental stewardship, our relationship to nature, and our covenant?
Come join us for our Torah text study’s theme on the environment led by Melissa Heller.
Time/Date: Saturday, November 17, 10:30 AM
Location: Room C17, Eastminster Church, 310 Danforth Avenue—Jackman Street entrance
(see signage at entrance for room directions).
The Diversity amongst Us House Meeting: Tuesday, November 20th
Please join the diversity committee for a house meeting and discussion on what makes us so diverse and how we can address those differences. Whether you're an interfaith couple
or family; a same sex couple; a single person longing for more community or spiritual connections; or just interested in talking about how the DJC can respond to its diverse membership, please come join us…
Time/Date: Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 7:00 PM
Location: 1030 Logan (north of Browning) at the home of Alex Lowy and Julia Mustard.
The nearest subway stop is Chester.
*In case you have allergies, they have cats which will be put in the basement for the meeting.
For more information or to Rsvp:
Please contact Karen Robbins karenmrobbins@aol.com or Tanya Lewis: t7lewis@ryerson.ca.
The DJC Youth Group is beginning to get off the ground! Names of interested members were collected at Rosh Hashana, and we're in the process of getting some input from the Rabbi and leaders of other youth groups before we have an official 'kick-off' meeting with everyone in the next month or so. Stay tuned for the next update!
And in the meantime, anyone who has not signed up, but is interested in joining, please e-mail us directly: DJCYouthGroup@gmail.com and we'll be in contact soon!
House Meeting on Aging- meeting next month - December 6th
Through last year's Listening Campaign we identified caring for aging parents as a common experience for many DJCers. It comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, depending on where the parent(s) live, what shape they are in, what their level of independence and needs are, and what the parent-child relationship has been and is now.
It doesn't take Sigmund Freud to tell us that this is complicated territory, full of feelings and consequence. Although we each carry our own set of responsibilities for our parents, there is much we can share and learn from each other. It begins with stories and continues with lessons and resources that are available. As a caring, interested community, we give and receive support. We plan to have several meetings on caring for aging parents in the coming months.
Our Spiritual leader, Melissa, also has a keen interest in the subject, and has offered to lead a discussion on the topic drawing on a book/short story titled, Tell Me A Riddle by Tillie Olsen on December 6th.
(Try to have the story read prior to the meeting)
Time/Date: Thursday, December 6, 7:15 PM
Location: Riverdale Presbyterian Church, 662 Pape Avenue - Large room in basement
If this speaks to your life experience, and you are interested in joining the discussion on December 6th, please let us know.
Contact: info@djctoronto.com or Alex Lowy alowy@sympatico.ca.
Please consider a 1-1 conversation - any new and “long time” members…
And if you'd like to have a one-on-one discussion with one of the Listening Campaign organizing group members, send your request to: info@djctoronto.com. This is highly recommended for newer members of our community, but we’d love you to step forward and share your thoughts even if you're not so new!
The DJC Book Club launched its 2007-2008 season with a bang!
It was a "sold-out" event where we gathered to discuss the novel Suite Française. The combination of this extraordinary book, a passionate facilitator, engaged members, the fun and friendship of the post-discussion nibbly socializing, all in the gracious home of our host, Anne Amitay, added up to this season's outstanding start.
To Rsvp: If you want to attend our next meeting, please e-mail: info@djctoronto.com.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
THE NIMROD FLIP-OUT BY ETGAR KERET
FACILITATOR: DEREK PENSLAR
The Nimrod Flip-Out is the third and latest collection of absurdist short stories by Israel's popular and acclaimed contemporary writer, Etgar Keret. As reviewed by Yann Martel, “Keret's stories are short, strange, funny, deceptively casual in tone and affect – stories that sound like a joke but aren't.” Amos Oz writes: “Etgar Keret's short stories are fierce, funny, full of energy and insight, and at the same time often deep, tragic, and very moving.”
Derek Penslar is Samual Zacks Professor of Jewish History and the Director of Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto. His publications focus on Jewish political, economic and cultural life in modern Europe, and on Zionism and the state of Israel. Among his many books are “Shylock's Children: Economics and Jewish Identity in Modern Europe” (2001), and “Israel in History: The Jewish State in Comparative Perspective” (2006). Derek Penslar returns to the DJC Book Club for his 3rd year!
Wash your clothes in cold and $ave!
Every month, we will share a tip or tool in the newsletter that helps reduce energy in the home, the focus of the DJC's Green House/Bayit Campaign for the Jewish Year 5768. This month, we look to saving energy consumption and costs doing your laundry.
If you wash with warm water and rinse with cold water, switching to cold could save you up to $52 a year. Your savings can be more than double if you currently wash and rinse with warm. Since 80-90% of the energy used in doing the wash is used to heat the water, you too may save both energy and money by switching your washing machine dial to cold and keeping it there! Switching to cold also reduces greenhouse gases which cause climate change.
Thankfully, there are now new detergents that are specially designed for cold water washing - even for whites and on tough stains. So, revisit your laundry aisle. By choosing a front loading machine, you'll save water by 40% and save energy by half.
COMMUNITY NEWS EVENTS
You've heard her sing at High Holiday services, now you can come hear her lift your spirits in an entirely different way. Ilana Waldston is doing a repeat performance of her sold-out show attended by many DJC members in July. If you like jazz music and stand-up comedy, come on out to hear Ilana.
When: Sunday, November 4th
Time: 3:30 to 6:30 pm
Location: Ten Feet Tall, 1381 Danforth Avenue
To reserve, call 416.778-7333.
For more information or to be put on Ilana's mailing list contact her at jazznlaughs@yahoo.ca.
On behalf of the hundreds of children and youth in our community who benefit every year from the efforts of our Drive for Dreidels Chanukah gift drive, we are attaching a flyer (LINK HERE). Jewish Family and Child is once again partnering with the Cooper/Shear Family and National Council of Jewish Women of Canada - Toronto Section, to brighten the holiday for those in need across the Jewish GTA and York Region.
This flyer contains all the relevant drop-off information for the gift collection and contact numbers for further details.
It's hard to believe how quickly Chanukah will be upon us!
Laila Friedman
lfriedman@jfandcs.com
EVENT: LIMMUD: A Festival of Jewish Learning and Culture
DATE: Sunday, December 2, 2007
TIME: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
PLACE: Bahen Centre, University of Toronto, 40 St. George Street
On Sunday, December 2, academics and rabbis, politicos and novelists, members of the artistic community, all will come together to teach, to learn, and to enjoy the second all-day Toronto Limmud Festival of Jewish Learning and Culture. This multi-faceted, multi-denominational, experiential program which debuted in 2004 returns with over 60 presenters offering everything from a chance to participate in an instant Jewish choir to an analysis of John Lennon's theology.
- Come and hear:
- Canada's former Minister of Justice and renowned human rights advocate Irwin Cotler
- Counsellor and rabbi Aryeh Pamensky, on marriage: his story, her story and the truth
- Political insider Hershell Ezrin, on the media's fascination with Israel
- Fabric artist Temma Gentles, on the wedding canopy
- Teacher and television personality Rachel Turkienicz, on Hanukkah's warrior-heroes
- Historian Derek Penslar, on Jews and militarism
- Astute Israel-watcher Shira Herzog, on the legacy of the Six-Day War
-
You can:
- learn YidRhythmics and scat-singing to Jewish melodies
- improvise and do stand-up in the great tradition of Jewish humour
- become part of an instant Jewish choir
-
Find out about:
- Jewish life in Canada's arctic
- How Judaism was revolutionized 1800 years ago
- Why 20,000 Jews ended up in Shanghai during World War II
- Whether modern medicine could have helped Pharaoh handle the plagues
And you don't have to be a grown-up to enjoy Limmud. The Young Limmud program welcomes 5- to 12-year-olds for a day of fun, while their parents attend the main conference.
Cost $65 per adult and $25 for students.
For more information or to register:
WEBSITE: www.limmud.ca (ONLINE registration available)
EMAIL: info@limmud.ca
PHONE: 416.781.8711
ISSUED BY: Shayna Kravetz, Publicity Committee, Toronto Limmud
Contact information: skravetz@look.ca or 416.787.8775
Our next newsletter will go out by Friday, November 30.
Please have all December newsletter submissions in
by November 21.
Thanks!
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