DJC Blog

As the arrival of the DJC-sponsored Syrian family approaches, volunteers from the community came together on Sunday, May 15, to learn about Syrian culture, understand how trauma may impact the family’s experience, and consider how the experience of the team currently supporting a government-assisted refugee family may inform our planning and support for the family […]

If you love to sing, you’ve come to the right place! Be part of the choir at our Friday, June 17th, Pride Kabbalat Shabbat Service. Contact the DJC for details.

On May 7th we held our third annual Shabbat Itanu. The service was warm and welcoming thanks to Rabbi Miriam, Cantor Lisa, and our wonderful accompanist Alan Gotlib. Our guests for the event were John and Mel from L’Arche Toronto. John and Mel have enjoyed a special friendship for more than 20 years, starting when […]

As you have no doubt been reading, Fort McMurray is under siege as wildfires burn incessantly, prompting the largest evacuation in Alberta’s history. According to news reports, the fires have now consumed more than 10,000 hectares. Homes have been destroyed in many neighbourhoods, and up to 80,000 people have left the city. Please consider a […]

The Nominating Committee consists of two Board representatives and three community members who responded to a broad call for members. We were asked to reach out to the membership for recommendations to fill upcoming vacancies on the Board, consider potential candidates, and present a list of nominees at the AGM to fill the vacant positions […]

In light of our Year of Wrestling Together, Rabbi Miriam and Board members wowed the crowd dressed as WWF Wrestlers, contributing to making our community-wide Purim celebration on March 24th a fabulous and fun success — and we collected $270 for Matanot La’evyonim, gifts for those in need! Half will be donated to the Out […]

The following is our innovative decision regarding Jews and non-Jews in ritual leadership roles. Since October 2015, in our Year of Wrestling Together, the DJC has held a series of community conversations on topics that are central to our community and that are core issues in contemporary Jewish life. The overarching questions have explored the […]

Year of Wrestling Together – Jews & Non-Jews in Ritual Leadership Roles at the DJC No issue we’ve discussed has attracted more passionate attention than the question of ritual leadership roles – what they mean, what knowledge and commitment are required of a person taking on a ritual leadership role, and whether or not these […]

Two Ritual & Leadership Training sessions will be offered on June 26 and August 28. Each full day intensive will be followed up with one 2 hour evening session. Read the following to learn about our new, innovative decision regarding Jews and non-Jews in ritual leadership roles – and join us at our final Community […]

In April, the DJC Social Justice Committee was contacted by the Welcome Project, a private sponsoring group working with government-assisted refugees (GARS). Unlike the privately-sponsored initiatives, there is little one-to-one assistance for GARS. When the Welcome Project group reached out to the DJC, eight volunteers stepped forward. The group is working with a small family of […]

We need your help to form a Pride Committee. Our goal is to increase the presence of the DJC at Pride Toronto. We need a few focused DJC members to form a committee to develop a strategy to make this happen. One thing that we at the DJC pride ourselves on is the inclusiveness of our community. It […]

In a recent article in the Washington Post weekend magazine, freelance journalist Robin Shulman writes, “In the United States — which has the largest refugee resettlement program in the world but does not permit private sponsorship — lawmakers and refugee advocates are watching Canada.” Read her thoughtful account of the settlement experiences of a Syrian family […]

The DJC Accessibility Committee would like the community to know we have two large print siddurim and one braille siddur available for use during Shabbat services. If you need one, or know of someone who does, please be sure to let Volunteer Coordinator Anne Shaddick know upon arrival.

Musings on a pre-Passover Torah study with Rabbi Miriam… One week ago, on Sunday, April 3rd, 13 people weaved their way through a Greek parade on the Danforth to negotiate an obstructed pathway to the Auditorium at “Beth-minster” for a Torah study session with Rabbi Miriam on the subject of “Peach, Refugees & The Jewish […]

Daily we are inundated with media stories and images of the plight of Syrian refugees in Europe and beyond. Watch this refreshing and revealing video about basic human kindness and connectedness (video is 22 minutes in length).

In April, the DJC Social Justice Committee was contacted by the Welcome Project, a private sponsoring group working with government-assisted refugees (GARS). Unlike the privately-sponsored initiatives, there is little one-to-one assistance for GARS. When they reached out to the DJC, eight volunteers stepped forward. The group is working with a small family of three: mother, father […]

As many of you know, the DJC community has shown an incredible amount of support — both financial and in-kind — for the resettlement of a Syrian refugee family who we are privately sponsoring. The Jewish Immigrant Aid Service (JIAS), our Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), has advised us that they have recently submitted the family sponsorship […]

Shabbat Itanu is the annual Shabbat service held in conjunction with many congregations across Toronto as part of a broader UJA Initiative to promote inclusion and accessibility within the Jewish Community. The DJC Accessibility Initiative is pleased to welcome this year’s special guest John Guido, a member of L’Arche Toronto, who will speak on their […]

Our Year of Wrestling Together conversation about the Role of the Rabbi and Rabbi-Community Relationship was another rich, thought-provoking discussion. Read the full results of our conversation. The ideal relationship between Rabbi and Community is a covenant, or Brit, with both sides making a commitment to the other. We opened the discussion by sharing different models […]

We’ve created one page all about the Syrian refugee family we’re sponsoring. read more