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...

While Robert Frost encounters two equally trodden paths in the forest and knowingly accepts that one day he’ll lie about choosing the one less traveled, many of us, throughout our lives, repeatedly encounter unequal paths and always choose the more obvious, and arguably easier, route. How often, if ever, did we take risks? How frequently did we not follow the direction set out by those...

Is Passover your favourite Jewish holiday?  If you’re in charge of the cooking, the cleaning or making a seder, the answer is probably no; but if you’re a child or teenager, you might say yes (by the way, if you are a child or teenager reading this column, I’m very impressed!). I believe that Pesah is our most child-focussed holiday. There’s lots of singing, many ways to...

A number of years ago, I hired a delightful woman, born and raised in Ireland. She always wore a smile and her work ethic was positively motivating. Though not Jewish, she remarked on how similar the Jewish people were to the Irish in our attitudes towards family and the significance of life. We traded stories about grandparents, family gatherings (there was always food involved) and even...

On November 21, Beth Tzedec was proud to co-host the special From the Heart event, together with The Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation. The event was co-chaired by Beth Tzedec members Bernie Abrams and Norman Bacal, both of whom have been active supporters of the Shaare Zedek Hospital. The evening’s theme of tzedec rang out in the opening remarks of Rabbi Adam Cutler and the...

The arrival of January marks the midway point through our year and, as always, the time has passed incredibly quickly. I hope that you are well and that you have managed through the past few difficult weeks, with the ice storm, the resultant power outages and the extraordinary cold. At Beth Tzedec It is always busy at our Synagogue, and the closing weeks of 2013 were no exception. The From...

In 1994, the Birthright Israel program was created. This is a free 10-day heritage tour of Israel for Jewish young adults, aged 18-26. As I write this, my step-daughter Ariel is with Birthright. She left from New York, and upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport she posted the following on her Facebook page: “On Israeli soil. That was one of the most emotional, surreal plane landings ever. I’m in...

As we turn the page on 2013, we begin the planning cycle for programs to be launched next September. Part of our process involves gathering data on attendance. Usually the first indicator of satisfaction, compiling the many snapshots of how many came to what, provides a picture of the usage of our building and its place in the community. A Community Destination for Jewish Living, active...

I’m not sure where the month of October went, but I hope yours was a good and productive one!  Like many of you I expect, I spent the start of October recovering from the earliest-possible High Holy Days, before delving back into “normalcy”.  The USCJ Centennial In mid-October, our Chair, Dena Libman, and I accepted an invitation to attend the Centennial...

Forty-eight golfers and a dozen others attended Copper Creek Golf Club on May 31. Funds raised will be used to help fund Synagogue events and projects.The Men's Club is grateful for the support of the donors and organizers who made this inaugural event an outstanding success.