A 60th Anniversary Shabbat UpdateDear Friends:During the past 60 amazing years, Beth Tzedec has provided outstanding programs and services to our community. From time to time, we have faced challenges, yet each time we have turned the challenge into an opportunity.Late Wednesday night, we received word that our guest speaker, Rabbi Donniel Hartman, had fallen ill and had to immediately...

This summer, i witnessed the bringing together of  long separated art and spirit to restore a whole heart, םלש בל (lev shalem). I thought of the different paths our personal yearning for wholeness and healing may take: in the beauty of sea, sky and snow; the solitude of meditation; the activity of family celebration; exquisite moments of song and prayer. Just before the...

Since June 2015 Beth Tzedec Congregation has been in discussions with JIAS (Jewish Immigration Aid Services) Toronto about sponsoring a refugee family from Syria.We have committed to sponsor one family of four at a cost of $30,000. This figure helps to cover basic needs and start-up costs of refugees during their first 12 months in Canada. We need your help to move forward. In order to...

The18th century rabbi and mystic Yisroel ben Eliezer, lovingly known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, referred to the Jewish people as a living Torah. He explained that a Torah that is missing even just one letter is considered pasul, invalid, and no longer fit to be used until it is corrected. Similarly, if even one Jewish person feels like an outsider, unwelcome and not part of our collective...

During the recent PanAm Games here in Toronto, I attended my first-ever swimming and track and field competitions. Both were a lot of fun and a great way to spend a morning, and it also marked the first time I got to cheer on Canadian athletes in person. At each event, there was something that I had never experienced before. Prior to a race starting, when the starter called the...

Since the beginning of my tenure at Beth Tzedec in 2009, without fail, I have visited Camp Ramah in Canada every summer and the approximately 60 campers and staff for whom Beth Tzedec is their shul. Beth Tzedec is one of the camp’s founding synagogues and we maintain a very strong relationship with the camp to this day. I must admit, though, that I make the four and half hour...

It is a game we all played as children to teach the parts of the body and to demonstrate movement. We laugh and revel in the performance of the child who has no limitations. The new parent cannot imagine anything less than a “perfect” child, however unrealistic that may be. As we age, we all face challenges that require attention, be they visual, auditory, physical or otherwise; if you...

In answer to the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, Beth Tzedec Congregation has established the Syrian Refugee Program. This new fund will help us to provide food, shelter and support to a Syrian family being resettled in Toronto, and is offered as part of a larger Toronto, JIAS and international initiative. Donations can be made through the Synagogue office by calling 416-781-3511 or...

I want to devote this column almost exclusively  to soliciting your comments on our proposed renovation plans for the Sanctuary so that I may receive your feedback. [In my September 2015 Bulletin article on page 5] are two renderings of what we are considering. As I reported in the Bulletin this past February, we propose raising the Sanctuary floor to the level of the foyer, thereby...

Mahzor Lev ShalemThis year, as Beth Tzedec mark's its 60th anniversary, we introduce Maẖzor Lev Shalem, a completely updated prayer book for the High Holy Days.After an extensive examination of a variety of new prayer books, and with the recommendation of our klei kodesh (clergy), our Ritual Committee and Board of Governors enthusiastically endorsed Maẖzor Lev Shalem (A Whole Heart) to...

This summer, I witnessed the bringing together of long separated art and spirit to restore a whole heart,לב שלם (lev shalem). I thought of the different paths our personal yearning for wholeness and healing may take: in the beauty of sea, sky and snow; the solitude of meditation; the activity of family celebration; exquisite moments of song and prayer. Just before the Fast of Av,...

As part of a highlight event for Beth Tzedec Congregation's 60th Anniversary celebrations, Cantor Simon Spiro is compiling old photos and/or footage from member weddings, bar mitzvahs or other special events that took place at the synagogue. If you have items that could be included, please contact Cantor Spiro.

Strategic Planning Focus Groups are now being scheduled to be held during the summer beginning in the last week of June. Share your vision of Beth Tzedec's future. We are looking for members interested in participating in a small-group structured conversation led by our facilitator, Christine Govern. Sessions will be held outside of Beth Tzedec and will last up to two...

The Voices of Tomorrow Children's Choir is for kids who like to sing and have fun. This musical group sings with Cantor Simon Spiro and the Beth Tzedec Singers at several holiday services and performs in concerts at Beth Tzedec and in the community. It's a wonderful experience for children—and their parents enjoy it, too!For information about joining the Voices of Tomorrow, please contact...

Beth Tzedec’s Mishpacha program: Toddlers, Tunes and Treats (for children ages 1 to 3 with a parent, grandparent or caregiver) is now open for registration for the Fall and Winter sessions. Classes will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., led by Tobie Seligman. Come play, sing and create arts & crafts around a different theme each week. To...