DJC Blog

Four years ago, the DJC Board signed onto ‘No Silence on Race’ (NSOR), an initiative of Jews of Colour in Toronto. This group’s objective is to redress the issue of exclusion across Jewish communities in Toronto. By signing this document, the DJC Board was committing us to acknowledging and working against racism in our congregation. And an Antiracism Working Group was created, reporting to […]

I had the pleasure of sharing my thoughts on the topic of “Wintering: Letting Within and Without Lie Fallow” with our neighbouring congregation at NUUC this past Sunday morning. We are fortunate to share wisdom and community through this unique Multifaith relationship. A few months after my 29th birthday I was in a serious car […]

1st Night of Chanukah: Community Community Event in Partnership with Camp Gesher 2nd Night of Chanukah: AntiBlack Racism By: The Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion Group 3rd Night of Chanukah: Climate Action By: Kathy Glazier 4th Night of Chanukah: Homelessness By: Mira Lyonblum 5th Night of Chanukah: Food Insecurity By: Alysse Rich 6th Night of Chanukah: Refugee Settlement By: Diana Chastain 7th Night of Chanukah: Multifaith By: Sharron Kusiar 8th Night of Chanukah: Truth an

By Lorne Opler As we conclude reading Sefer Bereshit, the Book of Genesis, a reflection of this first book of the Five Books of Moses yields many momentous events. From the story of creation, to Noah’s Ark, to the “akeda” or the sacrificial binding of Isaac by his father Abraham; from Jacob’s stealing the birthright from […]

“Happy New Year!” This phrase can be heard starting in December and continuing through January in every store and street, in each gathering and encounter. It is a beautiful wish for our human family: May 2023 prove to bring you much happiness and joy. May 2023 usher in greater gladness and merriment. The Jewish calendar […]

Now more than ever, organizations assisting others in our wider community need support from those of us more fortunate. Maria Rio, Director of Development at The Stop Community Centre, wrote in the Toronto Star this month: “If your favourite charity does work providing emergency supports like food, housing, or health care, I can guarantee that they […]

The intent of this task force is to help the DJC become a model of a welcoming community where all members, including interfaith/intercultural couples and families, feel a strong sense of belonging and pride in being part of the DJC community and the larger Jewish community. The DJC has always been a leader in progressive […]

“Time is the soul of this world,” wrote Greek philosopher Pythagoras over two millenia ago. How right he was! The span of our lives is so often marked by noting the passage of time: a birthday to mark our increasing age, an anniversary to acknowledge our loving partnerships, the counting of school grades our children […]

A HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in The Ve’ahavta Project at the DJC! More than 50 participants of all ages made 12 blankets and over 350 cookies for Ve’ahavta to distribute from their outreach van to those sleeping on the streets. DJC was the second largest site after Ve’ahavta itself! Almost $1700 has […]

To all our valued DJC members! In the spirit of transparency and community care, and as we embark on the journey toward searching for our permanent Rabbi, we are starting a (monthly?) column in our newsletter titled: Want to Know What’s going on with the Rabbi Search? To date, we have formed the rabbi search […]

Havurot are community-led small groups for getting to know other members and connecting around shared interests. Would you like to start a Havura of your own? Fill out this form and the DJC staff will contact you to help get it up and running! Learning Hebrew with Duolingo Dates to be confirmed | online In this […]

What an incredible year it has been celebrating our 25th anniversary. These large scale tapestries are the end result of dozens of arts workshops and series with our wonderful artist-in-residence Leah Gold. Special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for their generous support of this project. We are so fortunate to have these beautiful pieces to […]

Are you interested in being part of a 5-10 person Welcome Circle for a refugee family, most likely from Ukraine or Afghanistan?. The Social Justice Committee is interested in forming a Welcome Circle, either with DJC members or in partnership with another synagogue. Moving forward with this project depends on having enough volunteers from the […]

– Susan Avishai Six years ago I was invited to attend a fibre-art residency at the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Latvia. We nine artists were expected to each create a piece for their collection. My first days were spent in Riga (where my grandfather was born), and I should not have been surprised to […]

I want to thank my supportive, inspiring sermon hevrutah/thought partner and dear friend, Shira Stutman, for working out these ideas together. You can hear her Rosh Hashana sermon on Chutzpod. It’s been 3 years since we’ve gathered together like this as a community in person – how precious and moving. Seeing each others’ eyes, even […]

I grew up at a large Conservative shul where I only ever saw men leading prayer and ritual. This was a time at our shul when girls could be called to the Torah on the day of their bat mitzvah, which was a pretty recent concession to the rabble-rousing feminists in the community, but rather […]

Already you might be thinking, “Ask people for money? No way. Not me.” Yet fundraisers make unique and impactful contributions to the social good, and their work can change the world in real and meaningful ways. For some, fundraising is a career skill that can lead to well-paid career opportunities in a wide variety of […]

Your support is needed! Food Bank Donations at our High Holyday Services Every year at the time of the high holidays, the DJC launches a food drive to support the Bethany Church Food Bank in our Riverdale ‘neck of the woods’. Before services, we come to Eastminster bearing food offerings and place them in the bins set […]

Listen for moment. Can you hear the shofar? Be still and take a slow breath – inhaling deeply, exhaling and emptying out. Can you hear it? You are being called. We have just begun the Hebrew month of Elul. It’s the month leading up to Rosh Hashana and the intensive […]

We are offering hybrid services this year, people can join on zoom or from the sanctuary. The Eastminster building is wheelchair-accessible, including washrooms. There is a ramp up to the side entrance off Jackman Avenue, power buttons to open the door, and an elevator. There are 3 wheelchair-accessible, single-stall all-gender washrooms, one on each of […]