Thank you to so many of you who spoke to me over the High Holidays wishing me well and encouraging many of our initiatives. Beth Tzedec continues to be at the forefront of Conservative Judaism. On October 6, we hosted The Future of Jewish Life in the Diaspora with Chancellor Arnold Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary in dialogue with writer and film-maker David Bezmozgis and moderated...

Take the opportunity to study and reflect on what we—as Conservative Jews—uniquely do.A hallmark of Conservative Judaism has been a fidelity to Jewish law and observance combined with an awareness of the historic development of Judaism. In mid-19th century Europe, the forerunner of what came to be Conservative Judaism called itself Positive-Historical Judaism. “Positive” meant...

There are eight qualities of leadership we find in the BibleThe recent election of Kathleen Wynne as Premier of Ontario and the race for Mayor of Toronto have focused attention on the nature and quality of leadership.Decisions by Prime Minister Harper, President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu draw attention to different dimensions of leadership in times of national stability,...

I want Beth Tzedec to transform the way our members experience their lives Jewishly.My connection to Beth Tzedec Congregation began with my maternal great-grandparents who were members of Goel Tzedec, one of our two predecessor synagogues. My parents joined Beth Tzedec in 1955 when they moved with their then two young sons into Cedarvale. I attended Beth Tzedec Day School (which would later...

MEKOR CHAIM Yom Kippur – Dancing Cheek to Cheek If Rosh Hashanah is about awareness of God, a proclamation of divine sovereignty and transcendence, then Yom Kippur is about getting close to God.  The ritual is a “dance” to help establish the connection, reveal our personality and demonstrate by our behaviour that we want such a relationship to exist. Our tradition teaches that...

Dear Friends,This has been a challenging summer for the Jewish community: the kidnapping and killing of "our boys", the revenge murder of a young Palestinian, the missiles from Gaza, the Israeli defensive response, the missiles from Gaza, the need for diplomatic and political advocacy, the missiles from Gaza. Many members of our congregation are in Israel; others have children, siblings,...

In Judaism, we know the power of the spoken word. We will shortly be recognizing the 50th anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer, the historic campaign to register as many African-American voters in Mississippi as possible. As was the case in many elements of the march for civil rights, Jews played a prominent role. As Cheryl Greenberg writes in Troubling the Waters: Black-Jewish...

Life is for living. Don’t wait. Go out and live it! As I write this, Aliza and I are still doing the switch from Pesaẖ dishes to ẖametz dishes, even though Pesaẖ ended more than just a day or two ago. True that it’s a big job and we lead busy lives, but that’s not the only reason it takes us so long. Our Pesaẖ involves more than dishes—we have Egyptian bobble head...

It’s time to take stock. The snow is gone, the broken trees are beginning to mend, my lawn is finally turning green and I’m getting ready to plant my garden. Maybe THIS year, we’ll have squash for Sukkot. Maybe. The cloud of winter is finally lifting and, with it, an emotional blanket that has covered blessings too numerous to count. It’s time to take stock: Amazing parents (I am...

We are not obligated to finish the work; neither are we free to desist from it. (Pirkei Avot) I can’t believe it was six years ago when I began my service to the Congregation on the Board, then as Chair of the Board of Governors for two years and as President for three. Throughout this time, I have been proud to work with my colleagues on the Board and its committees who shared similar...

The gift of Torah, which we re-enact and celebrate on Shavuot, is linked by custom to the scroll of Ruth. Her story is associated with Shavuot for three reasons: The narrative is set at the time of the spring harvest which took place in late May/early June.A major theme of the narrative is ẖesed by and for Ruth. Loving-kindness is understood as the essential value of Torah and a means...

Following the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, May 28, the Board of Governors met and elected the Executive Committee, comprised of the following individuals:S. Blake Teichman - PresidentDr. Sheldon Rotman - Chair of the Board of GovernorsTed Zittell - Vice-PresidentDebbie Rothstein - Vice-ChairPeter Weinstein - TreasurerAlan Sless - SecretaryDena Libman - ParnosCarolyn Kolers -...

New York City is an amazing place. Commuting from England, I stayed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years. Aliza lived there for 18. We actually lived around the corner from each other for over a decade without ever knowing it! Like many of you, we try to get back to New York as often as possible. There’s an energy there that is difficult to describe. It’s a pace, a...

For all the efforts of the great Jewish thinkers to develop a systematic exposition of Jewish beliefs, Judaism is primarily defined by narrative theology, the telling of a sacred story that gives meaning to our past and momentum to our future. Each morning during prayers we retell a précis of our sacred saga. And on Passover, we devote significant attention to the Telling. In The White...

With the winter weather continuing, Purim just behind us and Pesaẖ sneaking up, I hope you are keeping warm and looking forward to the eventual arrival of spring. Another Incredible Visit to IsraelLast year at this time, I wrote about our meaningful family trip to Israel, my first visit there after 20 years. I was recently privileged to return to Israel to participate in the selection of...