DJC Blog

Our community is rich with creative, talented artists, and we want to showcase you! We are inviting artists of all kinds to submit original work for feature in our community communications, including holiday materials, event promotions, digital campaigns, print pieces, thank-you notes, and other special projects throughout the year. We welcome submissions across all disciplines, including […]

Havurot are community-led small groups for getting to know other members and connecting around shared interests. The DJC has had some wonderful and active groups over the years and welcome new ideas! Would you like to start a Havura of your own? From book clubs, knitting circles, LGBTQTS community-building and Hebrew lessons to Yiddish conversation, […]

Once again this year, the DJC has been asked to join our partners in the Danforth Multifaith Commons in supporting the weekly Out of the Cold program, which provides people in need with shelter, food and warm clothing on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, November through March. The DJC is currently looking for volunteers: 1) Bakers to make […]

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will soon be upon us and, like so many of you, we continue to watch with despair the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We ask ourselves, what can we do that reflects our commitment to the DJC value of standing against injustice and to seek ways to repair the world (Tikkun Olam)? How can we stand with and support the global Jewish community to end the violence, loss of life, starvation, and devastation? Our tradition teaches us that our lives

As we enter into the month of Elul, we may find ourselves soaking up and embracing the last sweet weeks of summer. We may also find ourselves acknowledging how privileged we are to enjoy this experience while so many others continue to face the most excruciating circumstances. At this moment we want to recognize Rabbi Glickman, who, on behalf of The Danforth Jewish Circle, has just signed onto the Open Letter from Canadian Jewish Leaders: Gaza Humanitarian Crisis led by New I

Dear Friend of the DJC, As we prepare to welcome 5786, we invite you to reflect with us on the heart of our community – and to renew your DJC membership on July 1st at djctoronto.com/membership. This past year has tested us all – emotionally, politically, spiritually. In a world increasingly divided, we’ve stayed true […]

Did you know that 77% of queer and trans youth report being the victims of bullying and are twice as likely to describe their mental health as poor (33%) compared with other bullied youth populations? Trans and non-binary youth in particular struggle with poor mental health outcomes due to bullying, with 1 in 5 transgender […]

When DJC members Eve-Lynn, Kathy, Ellen, Ruth and Dorothy attended the Refugee Shabbat on April 4 this year, they had no idea that they would leave as members of a Constituent Group supporting a refugee. But when a JIAS (Jewish Immigrant Aid Services) speaker announced that a 40-something Ugandan woman was slated to arrive in […]

I have been thinking a lot lately about connection — how we at DJC connect with each other, and how we connect with others. I sometimes think of us as a little island of progressive Judaism in the shtetl of Riverdale (after all, we meet in a church, next to an iconic vegetarian co-op), but […]

What is your “Mitzrayim” this year? Mitzrayim means “narrow place”. What is a narrow place you’ve been stuck in — and what might freedom look like? What helps you move forward when you feel stuck? The Exodus wasn’t a solo journey — who or what helps you take the next step?

Following a very positive reception for the first series, when each evening had close to 100 people in-person and online, the DJC invites you to a second three-part adult education series. The series is designed to foster dialogue and reflection. Together, we will navigate our collective knowledge, challenge assumptions, and confront what remains unexamined. This series builds on the discussions from Season 1, with three session “Looking to the Future”. The first explores wh

As part of Refugee Shabbat, DJC has been invited to participate in a multi-faith initiative to raise funds for a volunteer collective called “HIVE.” Refugee Shabbat is an opportunity for congregations to express their solidarity with the global Jewish movement for refugee protection and welcome. “We used to help refugees because they were Jewish. Now we help refugees […]

Alicia – Emily’s House Youth HospiceSee poster below: Sasha – Ranger Stewardship project at High ParkHigh Park is special because it’s a haven of green in a concrete jungle that provides a respite from city life. I know this because, for my Tikkun Olam project, I’m working with a stewardship program called the High Park […]

The DJC is hosting a three-part speaker series featuring Jewish and Palestinian scholars who will explore the narratives shaping modern Israel/Palestine. Speakers include Michael Soberman from the iCenter; Raja Khouri and Jeffrey Wilkinson, authors of The Wall Between: What Jews and Palestinians Don’t Want to Know About Each Other; and Derek Penslar, Harvard Professor of Jewish Studies and the author of Zionism: An Emotional State.

Have you ever loved something so much that you wished it would happen for the first time again? Let Rosh Hashanah be that for you. And what a beginning it will be at the DJC. Let our tefillot (worship services) move you, providing comfort and inspiring you to new ways of thinking, being, and action. Hear the cry of the shofar.

Six murdered hostages. Six Israelis. Six beautiful souls. I, like you, am heartbroken and filled with grief and anger. Today, I have no words of uplift, no silver lining to offer to my community. It’s ok to mourn and cry and wail. It’s ok right now to sit in this grief and anger. As Yossi Klein Halevi said in his recent podcast “There is the sense of being in a nightmare that just keeps getting deeper and a feeling of loss of control and also rage, tremendous rage.” But…when

Join the Danforth Jewish Circle, a vibrant and inclusive community committed to accessibility, social justice, and meaningful Jewish life. Renew your membership today and support our mission of radical inclusivity and communal growth.

The Jewish middah called Hakarat Hatov is about Noticing the Good in life (aka “an attitude of gratitude”). This soul work is an important emotional, mental, and spiritual stance that can help frame our relationship with ourselves, other people, animals, and our planet. It does not come easily to many of us. With so much happening in our world right now, how much more so is this challenging work. AND: how much more so is it vital at this time.

Thank you to everyone who came to our recent community conversation. We had a tremendous response and are grateful to the organizing committee, participants and to our volunteer facilitators. These conversations weren’t easy. We witnessed deep listening, patience, respect, compassion, and gratitude for the opportunity to come together and share our views and emotions as a community. We were struck by the beauty of seeing firsthand how the DJC continues to be a place where div

Hundreds of people descended onto lower Manhattan to protest outside an exhibit called “The Moment the Music Stood Still,” about the attack on the Nova Music Festival on October 7th where 364 people were murdered by Hamas. I am not often at a loss for words but find myself dumbfounded at this news.