DJC Blog

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.

Israeli Opera: Somewhere A few weeks ago, a video came out of 60 Jewish and Arab singers and musicians joined together on the Israeli Opera’s stage to record a special rendition of “Somewhere,” which was written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for West Side Story. United on one stage, these beautiful musicians convey a […]

InterAct Education Center I recently learned about the InterAct Education Center, a non-profit organization committed to bringing “the multi-narratives of conflict to the wider world, building empathy and understanding on a much larger scale.” Their vision is to “generate critical understanding and deep empathy among war torn parties in conflict, and in the general public, […]

1. The podcast called “For Heaven’s Sake,” produced by the Shalom Hartman Institute. In pre-October 7 days, the podcast was co-hosted by Elana Stein Hain, Donniel Hartman, and Yossi Klein Halevi and its purpose was to “revive the Jewish art of constructive discussion on topics related to political and social trends in Israel, Israel-Diaspora relations, […]

A journalist’s reflections A video showing Chris Cuomo’s 8+ minute reflections on seeing the 47-minute footage of the horrors that occurred on October 7 in Israel. This material has been shown to journalists so that they can bear witness to the atrocities. Cuomo notes connections he makes to both September 11th and the Shoah and […]

Identity/Crisis Today, I am sharing a podcast called “Identity/Crisis” which is hosted by Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Insitute of North America. While the podcast has been producing episodes since 2020, I would recommend the recent offerings since October 7. Topics explored over the past two months include: “In a frenzied media cycle, […]

From Rabbi Ilyse Glickman: We are starting a new blog series to introduce the DJC community to podcasts, books, websites, and other media offerings that may expand our understandings of the current war in particular and Israel/Palestine more broadly. I hope you listen/watch/read these recommendations with curiosity, openness, and empathy.Please let me know what you […]

In her Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Ilyse Glickman outlined biblical tales of sibling rivalry, paralleling them with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She emphasized shared Abrahamic heritage and advocated for hope and unity by highlighting groups like Standing Together and Sulha Peace Project that foster coexistence. Her message revolved around the need for peace and understanding, drawing on the symbolism of Isaac’s wells – particularly the Well of Spaciousness, which signifies en

Dear DJC Community Member, Security has always been a topic which we have treated with great importance and attention. Recent events in Israel and here in Canada have underscored the need to revisit our security measures. The safety of our community and our staff is our primary concern. We pride ourselves on being a diverse […]

Reflections on our recent Multifaith Vigil A learned rabbi once asked her students how they could tell when the night had ended and day had begun. “Could it be,” said one student, “when you can see an animal in the distance and tell if it is a sheep or a dog?” “No,” answered the rabbi. […]

My heart aches as I try to process what has happened over the past 2 weeks. Like you, I find myself glued to the news in an effort to stay up to date and in the know. My cousin, who lives just outside Tel Aviv, regularly updates me on WhatsApp as to the situation on the ground. He and his spouse, and their two children, are constantly running to their bomb shelter. Their eldest child is the same age as my Joel. On October 7, Hamas conducted the largest massacre of Jews since

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! LGBTQSTS Chavurah Group December 3rd, 2023 I In person Members of Toronto’s […]

I am writing to you at this truly difficult time. Today is Shabbat and Simchat Torah – both intended to be joyful and celebratory. But this joy has been transformed into pain and sorrow as we witness the waves of terror inflicted on Israel by Hamas today in a surprise attack. Many of our community members have friends and family in Israel and we are concerned and trying to connect with them by phone, social media, or email. With Israel under attack, we stand in solidarity wit

Over 100 participants joined us at the DJC Welcome Back Shabbat Picnic for an unforgettable evening of joy, music, blessings, and surprises. We celebrated our community and welcomed our new clergy. Picnic baskets were filled, smiles abound, and the togetherness was heartwarming. To welcome our new trio of clergy, Alan Gotlib created the song “A […]

As the world continues to heat up and governments, decision-makers and stakeholders continue to argue about the best ways to prevent global warming from getting worse, it’s not wrong to want to escape from this new climate reality. But within the DJC’s Climate Action team and amongst many of our members and beyond — we […]

The month of Elul invites each of us to turn inward, take stock, and reflect on the past year. I am pleased to share the following resources with the DJC community to help with this process. Let’s journey toward Rosh Hashanah together, Rabbi Ilyse Glickman The month of Elul, leading up to the High Holydays, is […]

Dear friend of the DJC, As we prepare to celebrate a New Year – 5784, we look forward to gathering together for High Holy Day services in our beautiful sanctuary at the Danforth Multifaith Commons – singing together, hearing the voices of our community choir, assembling on the bimah for group aliyot – as well […]

There are many ways to take action in response to the current crisis of Black Refugees and Asylum Seekers who have come to Toronto to be safe and were forced to sleep in the Street and, the intervention by a north Toronto church group that responded to the need for shelter since none was available. […]

Black African Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Toronto Our country’s inadequate policies around welcoming and supporting refugees and asylum seekers has led to the recent crisis for Black African asylum seekers who were left without shelter and other supports for weeks in downtown Toronto. Our government’s inaction in assisting these newcomers who were forced to […]