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December 2009
Bring on the Latkes...
With one new year’s celebration behind us (think apples and honey) and another on the way (think champagne), we’re doing our bit to celebrate (think Chanukah) and reflect (think Shabbat services). Enough with the thinking. Time for some doing. Do join us at our combined Shabbat services/Chanukah party. If you favour something on a smaller scale, consider our in-home Shabbat service or a challah baking workshop. December tends to be a bit of whirlwind. As the days become shorter and the nights longer, we hope the candlelight we offer — from a glowing menorah, from a Shabbat candlestick — provides you with comfort and strength to see you through December and into the new year. It’s a new year that will see us sift through survey results (thanks to all who responded) and initiate a fundraising drive to coincide with our Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration (start shaving your shekels). Bring on the latkes. Bring on the light.
And when you get an unexpected, unsolicited phone call in November, please don’t hang up as you curse telemarketers. The DJC will be in touch about our need to raise some significant funds if we are to remain a significant part of your life.
DECEMBER CALENDAR…At a glance
| date | time | event/details | location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, December 4 | 6:15 pm | DJC YG volunteers: Out of the Cold | Eastminster - Hurndale
Contact: Facebook group “DJCYG” or e-mail: djcyouthgroup@gmail.com |
| Friday, December 4 | 7:00 pm | In Home Shabbat Host: Mitzi Zohar |  49 Gormley Avenue See details here Rsvp by Dec 2: 416.932.1968 |
| Sunday, December 6 | 2:00- 5:00 pm | Challah baking workshop Host: Deena Altman |
1078 Logan Avenue See details in newsletter Rsvp: 416.783.1269 |
| Friday, December 11 | 5:30 - 8:30 pm |  CHANUKAH CEREMONY/PARTY! |
Eastminster310 Danforth Avenue Auditorium **HURNDALE ENTRANCE** See details here |
| Saturday, December 12 | 10:00 am- 12:00 pm | Torah Study Led by Rabbi Lynn |
Eastminster - Board Room
|
| Sunday, December 13 | Time TBA | DJC YG Chanukah party! | Location details TBD Contact: Facebook group “DJCYG” or e-mail: djcyouthgroup@gmail.com |
DJC Board Nominating Committee and Nominations Process
We are seeking three community members to serve on the DJC Nominating Committee. The DJC nominating determines the slate of nominees for the 2010 DJC Board of Directors.
The Nominating Committee is appointed by the Chair of the DJC Board, with the approval of the Board. It is composed of five members, two of whom are members of the Board of Directors. This year’s Nominating Committee, chaired by Tanya Lewis and Alex Lowy, will be recruiting community members to stand for five vacant positions on the Board of Directors. The time commitment is approximately 4-8 hours.
Board members who are completing their first two-year term are eligible to be nominated.
If you are interested in sitting on the Nominating Committee, please contact Kathy Miller info@djctoronto.com, 416.580.6303 by Thursday, December 3.
If there is someone you would like to nominate to the Board, please send their name to Kathy Miller info@djctoronto.com; 416.580.6303.
The Nominating Committee will be looking for people who can work well on a Board that makes decisions by consensus, who have a demonstrated enthusiasm for the DJC and who want to contribute to our community.
It is very important that we find people who reflect DJC values and can provide effective and committed leadership. It is only through member participation that the DJC will continue to play a vital and meaningful role in so many of our lives. Please consider volunteering for these important committees.
Nominating Process
The nominating process is set out in our bylaws:
- By January 28, the Nominating Committee must submit its nominating report to the membership.
- By February 8, any community member can nominate candidates directly by filing with the Chair of the Board Daphne Woolf.
- By February 13, the membership will be notified of the names of the people submitted directly to the Chair of the Board.
The membership will elect the new Board members at the 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Danforth Jewish Circle which will be held February 28, 2010. Location and time will be announced in the new year.
DECEMBER SERVICE & EVENT DETAILS
IN-HOME SHABBAT SERVICE
When: Friday, December 4
Time: 7:00 pm
Location/Host: Home of Mitzi & Eyal Zohar & children
49 Gormley Avenue: situated between Yonge St & Oriole Pkwy (west of Yonge) and north of St Clair Ave West
Details/What to bring: Mitzi will prepare a large salmon and welcomes any additions to the buffet following service. Children are welcome. Rsvps required.
Attendance cap: 30.
*Must Rsvp by December 2, call Mitzi: 416.932.1968;
e-mail:
mitzi129@yahoo.com
CHALLAH BAKING WORKSHOP
When: Sunday, December 6
Time: 2:00- 5:00 pm
Location/Host: Home of Deena Altman
1078 Logan Avenue
Details: At a recent In-home Shabbat, Deena’s challah was a big hit and many asked for her recipe. She is happy to share it and has volunteered her home for a challah baking workshop. Rsvps are required.
Attendance cap: “handful” (Deena lives in a small semi)
*Rsvp: Deena: 416.783.1269, e-mail: deena.altman@gmail.com
Chanukah!!
Let’s party...
You are invited to the DJC Chanukah ceremony & party on Friday, Dec 11 at “Bethminster” Auditorium. Bring your family, friends, your menorah and your enthusiasm to celebrate with us!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Eastminster Auditorium
5:30– 8:30 PM
** Eastminster (310 Danforth): Enter via Hurndale entrance as Out of the cold is using the Jackman entrance.
Please bring your menorah so we may light them together
Featuring...
- Storytelling with Rabbi Lynn
- Chanukah songs with Cantor Lisa
- candle lighting
- Chanukah candles for sale
- Crafts, dreidles
- Yummy latkes and more…!
TORAH STUDY
With Rabbi Lynn
When: Saturday, December 12
Where: Eastminster - Board Room
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
DJCYG UPDATE
The DJCYG has had a great start to this new year! The first activity we did was glo bowling at O’Connor Bowl. It was lots of fun and we had a great turn out, a lot of new members came. We had a great time getting to know each other and having fun. The Friday after that, November the 13th, the DJCYG volunteered with Out of the Cold, a program which serves meals to the homeless. We really enjoyed helping out and we each got two volunteer hours after the night! After we were done, we went back to one of the members’ house and ordered pizza and watched a scary movie due to the date, Friday the 13th!
Coming up in December, we have even more fun activities planned. On Friday December 4th, we’re volunteering with Out of the Cold again, then going to a member’s house for pizza afterwards (house is still TBD). Then, on Sunday December 13th, we have a Chanukah party planned which will involve a dreidle tournament and lots of latkesJ We did this last year and can say from experience that it’s tons of fun! We hope to see even more new members come out for these next events, because we always welcome new comers!
—Sophie Sher
DJCYG DECEMBER ACTIVITIES
- Friday, December 4, 6:15- 8:30 pm Volunteering “Out of the Cold”, Eastminster (310 Danforth), Jackman St Entrance.
- Sunday, December 13 Location, time TBD: Chanukah party: Menorah making, dreidle competition:
**Check out Facebook group “DJCYG” or e-mail djcyouthgroup@gmail.com for more details and if you want to join us!
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES/EVENTS TO KEEP ON YOUR RADAR
DJC Online survey results:
- We had a great response - over 100 people took the time to contribute - A sign of commitment and interest in the future of the DJC.
- We are doing the analysis; we already know that the results reflect our community's diversity and wide range of interests.
- We will be providing the membership with a report in December.
PREVIEW OF JANUARY 2010 ACTIVITIES:
Look for details in the January news out mid-December
- Friday, January 8: DJCYG Potluck Shabbat dinner with grade 8s
- Friday, January 15, 7:00 pm: Shabbat service
- Saturday, January 16, 10:00 am: Torah Study
- Friday, January 22, 6:15- 8:30 pm DJC YG Volunteering “Out of the Cold”
- Saturday, January 23, 30: 10:00 am- 1:00 pm: Hebrew Marathon (JS grades 5, 6, 7)
- Wednesday, January 26, 7:30 pm: DJC Book Club: The Holocaust is over; we must rise from its ashes by Avraham Berg
- Friday, January 29, 7:00 pm: In-Home Shabbat service
DJC B’Nei Mitzvah year party
Please mark your calendars for this event in April- date TBA
JANUARY EVENT DETAILS NEEDING ADVANCE REGISTRATION
LEARN TO READ HEBREW IN 6 HOURS!!!
As part of the curriculum for the grade 5, 6 and 7 classes this year, we are offering a 6-hour “Hebrew Marathon” taught by Nirit Gruber. This is a great opportunity for you to learn to read Hebrew and to launch any further Hebrew study you may be doing in preparation for bar/bat mitzvah - or just for the pleasure of learning the language.
The program is free for all DJC students in the final three years of the program. The program works especially well when kids and parents attend together - and so we encourage students to attend with their parents (who also can participate at no cost).
| When: | Saturday, January 23 Saturday, January 30 |
| Time: | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (both days) |
| Cost: | Free to all students and families |
| Location: | Riverdale Presbyterian Church 662 Pape Avenue: Enter via the side door, go down the steps, and turn right- to the large room in the basement |
To register & for any further information please contact Nadya Burton at 416.538.9949 or by e-mail: nadya.burton@ryerson.ca
JANUARY BOOK CLUB NEWS
 |
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Modern Israel and the Jewish Community are strongly influenced by the memory of Hitler and the Holocaust. Avraham Burg, who comes from a traditional Zionist background, and is a leading political figure in Israel, argues that the Jewish nation's trauma has disallowed it from trusting itself, its neighbours, and the world around it. And he shows that this has caused the growing nationalism and violence that is plaguing Israeli society and reverberating through Jewish communities world-wide. Thought-provoking, compelling and original, this book is bound to spark a heated argument when it is read. "Burg takes a blunt, loving painful and desperately important look at the state of the Jewish soul today. Anyone who cares about the future of the Middle East and the fate of victimized peoples needs to read this book and think hard." (J.J. Goldberg, author of Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment, and Editorial Director of "The Forward"). Derek Penslar is Samuel 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, particularly Germany, 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). |
| To participate, please rsvp to info@djctoronto.com | |
IT’S A WRAP!
DJC’s Annual Women’s Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh Retreat update
16 DJC members joined Rabbi Lynn over Nov 14th weekend at the DJC’s Annual Women's Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh Retreat for a weekend of ritual, study and relaxation at the Mysthaven Country Retreat and Spa in Stouffville.
Mysthaven was an amazing space for a retreat with its beautiful rooms, acres of woodland, ponds, hot tub, steam room and labyrinth and our vivacious and welcoming hostess Mariel.
We were served copious amounts of delicious healthy food and offered massage treatments throughout the weekend. Friday included a welcoming circle which was loads of fun as well as a Shabbat meal. We were up early on Saturday to do an hour of Nia, a fitness program that incorporates movement from the martial, dance and healing arts choreographed to a dynamite sound track. After breakfast, Diane Wise led us in a beautiful Shabbat service that was gentle and thought provoking.
Rabbi Lynn joined us after lunch as we embarked on a silent walk of Mysthaven's huge labyrinth where we were invited to let our feet kiss the earth and our hearts listen to the sounds around us. We studied Torah in its many forms where the female divine takes shape in Judaism followed by the most beautiful Havdallah service. It took place under the starry sky which soon erupted in spontaneous and exuberant hassidic dancing and singing full of devotion and joy. After dinner we split our time between a bonfire and the hot tub which was situated on the lip of a misty pond just moments from the house...we all ended up drinking wine in front of the fireplace inside and jamming and dancing - with Rabbi Lynn and Dina on the hand drums, Susan on the clarinet, Sheri on the didgeridoo and Josie on guitar with the rest dancing and singing along.
Sunday morning meditation was led by Ana Bodnar and it truly stilled our minds and opened our hearts for the creative study time that followed with Rabbi Lynn in which we learned about women's ways and created our own mishkan/altar for the sacred Jewish objects we each brought with us. Finally, lunch and the closing ceremony which incorporated a First Nations ritual in which we snaked around hugging each other and giving thanks!
It was one of the best retreats ever and was enjoyed by all involved, organisers and participants alike. We are inspired to conspire on the next one!
- Dina Waik
COMMUNITY NEWS
Volunteers urgently needed...
Out of the Cold volunteers are urgently needed on Friday nights (overnight shift) and Saturday mornings at Eastminster. Please contact Sheila Spencer at sspencer55@sympatico.ca if you can help out.
Thanks!
The Challenges of Public Discourse on the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Led by Sarah Margles and Rabbi Miriam Margles
Both Jews and Palestinians have histories of discrimination and violent persecution. As a result, public discourse about Israel and Palestine is often reactionary and embedded with emotionality. This series will look at the many factors that pile atop of each other making discussion difficult. This will not be a history course nor a political science class, but rather a look at what makes public discourse about Israel so challenging and how to navigate forward.
The series will run for 10 weeks, at two available time slots.
- Tuesday evenings, beginning December 1, 2009 7 – 9:30pm
- Wednesday mornings, beginning December 2, 2009 10am – 12:30pm
Cost is on a sliding scale: $160 - $235
Registration is required. Each time slot has a limited number of spots. Please register early in order to secure your place.
Location to be announced. To register, and for more information, please visit www.CulturalPolitics.ca.
The Torah of Nonviolence
Dear friends,
You are invited to join a circle of study and reflection devoted to learning The Torah of Nonviolence.
Each month, for a year, readers will receive one chapter from The Torah of Nonviolence. You are invited to form or join a Shomeret Shalom Circle to discuss the contents of the material and provide feedback to the author and explore the dimensions of nonviolence within your own life and the life of your community. The circles can be open to all interested, to both Jewish and non-Jewish participants.
The first circle will discuss Introduction to the Torah of Nonviolence which lays out the general principles of Jewish nonviolence, the challenges we face as Jewish people when considering nonviolence, and an overview of the terrain of Jewish nonviolence.
Those of you who decide to facilitate Torah of Nonviolence study circles: please contact Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and register your circle with her. Torah of Nonviolence study circles are invited to create questions and responses which will eventually become part of the 'commentary' that will accompany The Torah of Nonviolence.
The Shomeret Shalom House at The Community of Living Traditions is initiating a study circle at our open house on February 20th, 2010. Let me know if you are interested in starting a study group in your community and how I might support your effort.
Toronto:
The first circle will meet at the home of SHERI COHEN
Sunday Dec.13: 2:00 - 4:00 pm.
Please Rsvp: Sheri: shericohen@rogers.com
Please write to Sheri to receive reading material in advance so that you may create questions for discussion and be ready for great conversation.
Dr. IZZELDIN ABUELAISH
On Tuesday, November 17th the Palestinian doctor and bridge builder, Dr.Izzeldin Abuelaish, spoke at an event at Beth Tzedec synagogue which was initiated by “Canadian Friends of Peace Now” that included the Canadian Jewish Congress, New Israel Fund, Hillel and the DJC (among others). One of the key initiators of this event was DJC member and “Canadian Friends of Peace Now” Board member, Jacqueline Swartz, who reviews this very moving event:
Dr. Abuelaish continues to bring his passionate, inspiring words of reconciliation to synagogues around Toronto and in the US. His message, finding a new path to peace, creating bridges rather than walls, impressed audiences before, long before his three daughters and a niece were killed by Israeli shells during the bombardment of Gaza last January. This powerful message, combining his spiritual convictions with his physician's take on healing, will continue to reach people when his book comes out in February, 2010. But, as Beth Tzedec Rabbi Frydman-Kohl remarked, this was a special audience, a remarkable setting.
“Peace Now”, Israel's largest peace movement, presenting a Gaza doctor at Beth Tzedec was not something that was predictable. It took a master bridge-builder like Dr. Abuelaish, it seems, to make Peace Now kosher at a mainstream Toronto synagogue. But people came - there were lines down the block. I was thrilled to see the DCJ logo on the program (the only two other synagogues were Beth Tzedec and Holy Blossom) and Rabbi Lynn and others representing the DJC. The following day, parts of the event were televised on CBC Newsworld, and a video will be available. Most importantly, I hear that this is just the beginning.
Click here for Rabbi Lynn’s remarks on this extraordinary event.
Shabbat Itanu Planning Workshop
December 17th from noon to 2 pm.
The week of April 16, 2010 will witness the second annual Inclusion Action Week within the Jewish community of the GTA. The goals of the week are to raise awareness and promote the full inclusion of individuals with special needs into the fabric of this community. As part of our Inclusion Action Week, we are encouraging synagogues in the GTA to hold a Shabbat Itanu, a Shabbat of Inclusion. We have scheduled a planning workshop to which representatives of all synagogues are invited, to provide you with information and ideas for your own Shabbat Itanu.
This planning workshop will also serve as an opportunity to share with all synagogues in the GTA, the “Breaking Down Barriers” guide.
By January 1, 2012 every non-profit organization in the Province will have to comply with the government’s mandatory Customer Service regulations for people with disabilities. The ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ guide for synagogues has been created to assist all GTA synagogues meet the requirements of this legislation. The Guide will be launched at the Shabbat Itanu Planning Workshop on December 17th and will be of immense assistance to synagogues as they reach out to individuals with special needs and their families.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be informed about the Guide and to hear about the new Accessibility Network of synagogues being formed in the GTA.
Leigh Brown
Corporate Affairs, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
4600 Bathurst Street
Toronto, Ontario, M2R 3V2
Telephone: 416.635.2883 ext. 5394
Fax: 416.631.5682
E-mail: lbrown@ujafed.org
Visit us at: www.jewishtoronto.net
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