Dear friends, 

At the end of December, I stepped away from the shul for just over a week but did not venture far. Mostly I was home, only two doors away from the shul. My family took some time to discover Toronto activities that were foreign to us.

On Boxing Day, at our daughter’s suggestion we went to Little Canada. For those unfamiliar, Little Canada is a unique visitor attraction that tells the stories of Canada and showcases the country’s cities & landscapes through the art of miniature. Currently, it offers Little Niagara, Little Toronto, Little Golden Horseshoe, Little Ottawa, Petit Québec, Little East Coast and Little West Coast. I was told that Little Yukon is next and Petit Montreal will be ready after that. 

What amazed me the most is that we found Jewish representation in Little Canada. For a community that makes up around 1% of the population of Canada, I was surprised to see as much Jewish representation as we did. 

As it was the end of December, there was a tiny replica of a large Chanukiah in front of Old City Hall in Little Toronto. 

As we walked through Petit Quebec, we were stunned to see a mini Jewish wedding in Little Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. There were joyful guests and a little bride and a little groom on mini chairs that went up and down with Klezmer music in the background.

But what surprised us the most is that in Little Golden Horseshoe, not too far from the little original Tim Hortons, there was a little sukkah in a backyard of a little house. I took out my phone and magnified what we were seeing.  I don’t think other people would have looked at this twice as they might have thought it was a hut in a backyard, to shelter from the sun. But through the magnifier, I saw a lulav and etrog, wall decorations and kippot on heads.  For context, the people were probably smaller than my thumbnail. It was marvellous and I was in awe.

It is possible I did not see all of it, but as I reflected on the Jewish representation that I did see in Little Canada, I realized that everything Jewish was an expression of Jewish joy. It was just so refreshing to see our people and our customs highlighted for our joy, instead of what we read so often in the news these days. 

When we walked by the makers studio, I commented on the Jewish components that we saw in the exhibits. The artists who were there told me that they had a team member named Sharon and she created those three sections. Thank you, Sharon, whoever you are, for creating and sharing expressions of Jewish joy for the world to see.

I encourage you to go to Little Canada. I hope you will love it as much as we did. It is a good 90 minute to two-hour excursion. Among other things, you will see little car accidents, little moose, a little Canada day concert and a little Blue Jay game. But when you see a reflection of your Jewish identity, all you will see is joy.

See photos below.

Shabbat shalom

Little Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin (I have never been tall)