DJC Blog

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, […]

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

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

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

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.

It was announced a few days ago that four Israeli hostages who were held captive in Gaza are confirmed dead. It has been 242 days since October 7th and since these individuals and hundreds of others were abducted. How does one compute and begin to understand 242 days of living as a hostage? How much longer will the remaining hostages be in Gaza under Hamas rule?

Sheryl Sandberg’s new documentary is called “Screams Before Silence.” Let us bear witness to what happened on October 7. Also, please join your DJC community on June 13 for a Community Conversation where we explore our recent Israel Survey findings.

I have two offerings today for our community. The first is about the beautiful program the DJC hosted last week with The Parents Circle – Family Forum, which is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization comprising of nearly 800 bereaved families who have lost close family members to the conflict.

We are distressed by the hundreds of drones and missiles that were launched from the Iranian Regime directed at Israel. We pray for the safety of everyone living in Israel, and for the recovery of all the injured, including a 7-year-old Beduin Israeli who sustained significant injuries and is in life-threatening condition. As Israelis wait to hear the next round of air raid sirens and contemplate the threat of a regional war with Iran, those living in the West Bank are also e

Director of the Shalom Hartman Institute Yehuda Kurtzer takes us on a musical journey in a recent episode of the podcast Identity/Crisis. To set the scene for exploring the musical offerings from Israel since October 7, he outlines the history of the politics of Israeli music in three phases (I hope you will permit me quoting him at length here as I think this history is fascinating)

Last night, over 600 people gathered in the Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library here in Toronto for an event co-sponsored by The New Israel Fund, Friends of Standing Together Canada, and Heart to Heart. I was in attendance and was delighted to see no fewer than two dozen DJC community members. The program was a moderated conversation by Dr. Miri Sucharov (professor of Political Science at Carleton University) with Rula Daood and Itamar Avneri. Daood (an Arab Israeli)

Today’s offering is not about the war in Israel and Gaza directly but about the fall-out of it, namely the rise in antisemitism globally. Consider this recent Time Magazine article titled “The New Antisemitism” written by Noah Felman, which explores “How an ancient hatred has reinvented itself in the modern world.” The United Kingdom has […]

By the time Erev Purim hits, we ought to be flying high and ready to rock and roll… Right? But, for many reasons this year it almost feels incongruous to increase our joy. How can I celebrate at a time like this?

Two days ago, a protest in downtown Toronto started at the Israeli Consulate and then travelled south along major city streets. Organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, it was an urgent “Hands Off Rafah! Emergency Action” gathering. At some point along the way, some of the participants scaled the scaffolding and portico in front of Mount Sinai Hospital.

This past Sunday the Grammy Awards aired, celebrating music and musicians and recognizing exemplary achievements in the music industry. Besides the Tony Awards (which I religiously watch in its entirety), the Grammys are the only other award show I tune into for just the live performances. Highlights from Sunday night included Joni Mitchell performing “Both Sides, Now” and Billy Joel performing his first music release in 17 years. But beyond the performances, there was one mo

Expressing pain, grief, sadness, and hope through the artistic medium of music sits close to my heart. Perhaps it does for yours as well.