DJC Blog

Love is the foundation of all Jewish values and practices. When we delve into Torah through this lens, the text begins to reveal itself as a divine call toward empathy, connection, and compassion. Each mitzvah becomes an opportunity to expand our hearts, to move beyond self-interest, and to embrace a life marked by kindness, patience, and a profound respect for the dignity of every person.

Nearly 100 DJC community members gathered to sing, cry, grieve, mourn, remember, and mark the day with a Yahrzeit candle. We ended by singing Hatikvah, full-throated, wiping away tears, holding onto one another. If you were there, you know how powerful the experience was for you, for me, and everyone in attendance. If you were not there, well, I wish you had been

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

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.

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.

In early 2023, I had a conversation with DJC member Alan Gotlib (exemplary human being/lay leader/dedicated volunteer) about my desire to see a clothing and accessory line in the marketplace proudly representing Judaism. To my great delight and surprise, Alan crafted a hat for me that perfectly matched my vision: a white cap with the letters “JEW” embroidered in two shades of blue, boldly proclaiming my identity. He presented it to me on Yom Kippur. Thirteen days later: Octob

Pesach 5784 begins in five days and it is clear to all of us that our sedarim will feel different than last year. How could they not? How might we consider what additions to bring to the table to supplement our usual haggadot? Should we bring new readings or poems to speak to the matzav (“situation”)? How about additional items to the seder plate? And is all of this kosher (by that I mean, OK)?

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?

Imagine the following scenario: A rabbi is officiating at a funeral for a 75 year old person. Only she and the funeral home director will be present. The mourners – a spouse and adult children – are not going to be there. “It’s too much for us,” they say. The rabbi doesn’t know the family […]

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

Rabbi Ellenson was a past President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and was one of my favourite professors at HUC-JIR. He was the person who physically laid his hands on my head in May 2004 at my rabbinical ordination ceremony. He was a brilliant scholar of many subjects, including history, tensions between tradition and modernity, trends in contemporary American Jewish life, and ethics. He wrote and edited countless publications, taught any num

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