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Selichot and a very special b'mitzve
Tot Shabbat and High Holy Days
Membership renewal
Registration is now open for pre-B'Mitzvah this class for our youth!
Celebrating Chazan Daniela Gesundheit
Thinking about B'Mitzvah for you or your child(ren)?
And more...
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Your tiny but mighty board has been very busy! | |
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2023 - 2024 membership
The board will maintain the Pay What You Can approach to membership fees for the upcoming membership year. We are, however, increasing the recommended minimum contribution for adults. This is to ensure we have the resources we need to implement the programming members have asked for.
The success of Pay What You Can is dependent on all of us putting into practice “from each according to their ability”.
To keep Pay What You Can viable, we need those who are able, to contribute more than the minimum recommended amount, so that those with less remain fully supported, and so our programming can continue. Together we can continue to ensure equal membership for all.
We are grateful for the generosity of this giving community, and look forward to a successful membership renewal season!
Watch for further information and a new membership renewal form coming to your email sometime this summer.
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High Holy Day Planning
Children’s care and programming - know any good stories?
The board is working on ensuring that there is on-site child care during the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning services. We are still seeking members who would be willing to augment that child care with some Holy Day programming - tell a story; teach some songs; do a craft related to the Holy Days. If this sounds like something you can contribute, please let us know by contacting our administrator, Amanda, and we will be in touch.
Our new High Holy Day prayer book
We are working within our budget to provide members with a new machzor that is as beautiful and unique as our services are. The content is currently being edited and formatted, and printing and binding options are being researched. We are also considering cost recovery possibilities. Details to follow.
Will you be at Rosh Hashanah or a coming Shabbat service?
If you are planning to attend High Holy Day or Shabbat services, can you also pick up food for our Kiddush? If you’re going to be there, can you help with setting up? Or stay behind to help with cleaning up? If this sounds like something you can do, please email Amanda to let us know!
Additional events - planning underway
In addition to our focus on High Holy Day preparations, the board will hold a special meeting in November to consider the changes to our by-laws remaining from our last AGM.
We are working on booking space so we can come together in December for our Annual General Meeting and to celebrate Chanukah. In addition, we hope to revive the speaker series in the fall, after the High Holy Days.
We are also instituting an Annual Volunteer Appreciation Shabbat each November, and a New Member Welcome Shabbat annually, each February.
Watch for details on all of these events!
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Interfaith Outreach Grant - next steps
Thanks to the participation of so many of our interfaith families, we now have gathered enough information that we are ready to move to phase 2 of our implementation plan.
The board is pleased to inform you that we have hired marketing expert Sam Braemer - the same Sam Braemer who spoke at our Pride Havdalah service - to assist us with promotion and outreach, for which the grant was specially provided.
We are looking forward to working with Sam.
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Bookkeeper needed
We are unendingly grateful to Mary Wunch for the time she has donated to Congregation Shir Libeynu to help us with bookkeeping.
We are continuing our search for a part-time bookkeeper with experience working in the non-profit sector to pick up where Mary left off. We have posted ads in the appropriate places.
If you know of anyone who fits the bill, please ask them to contact Amanda at shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com for details.
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Donate to Congregation Shir Libeynu
What better way to honour a special event or occasion or to remember a departed loved one than by making a donation to Congregation Shir Libeynu? Help build up the resources we need to achieve our goals.
Click here to make your tax deductible donation today, or at any time during the year. You will receive a tax receipt and, if you choose, your honouree will receive notification of your generosity on their behalf.
When you donate, please consider adding 3.75% of your donation to cover the administrative cost charged to us by Canada Helps. This fee covers the generation of your tax receipt, as well as access to a suitable e-card that will be sent to your recipient with the personal message you write.
When you make a donation, we will reach out to ask whether we can thank you in the newsletter, and acknowledge your generosity and act of Tzedakah.
Donations this past month:
With gratitude we acknowledge AbbVie Pharmaceutical Research & Development for their generous donation to our General Fund.
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Setting the stage to seek forgiveness and renewal
On the evening of September 9th, our congregation will hold our first Selichot service. The word Selichot comes from the Hebrew word selicha, which means ‘pardon’ or ‘forgiveness.’ The Selichot service is a special ritual that marks the official start of the High Holy Day season.
Selichot is my favourite service of the year. In Ashkenazi communities, it is held on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah, beginning, of course, with Havdalah, and it sets the stage for the internal work of seeking forgiveness and renewal that we undertake during the chagim.
Enhancing readiness for the Days of Awe
The Selichot service incorporates various elements, including penitential prayers, poetic verses, biblical passages, and supplications for forgiveness. The liturgy often reflects themes of contrition, humility, and the acknowledgment of human frailty. Many Selichot prayers are accompanied by melodies that evoke a sense of solemnity and introspection, contributing to the overall mood of the service. It is also the first time in the year that we hear some of the familiar and poignant melodies of the High Holy Days, enhancing our sense of excitement and readiness for the Days of Awe.
One of the distinctive features of the Selichot service is the recitation of the "Thirteen Attributes of Mercy'' or Shelosh Esrei Middot. These attributes, derived from Exodus 34, describe the compassionate and forgiving nature of God. The repetition of these attributes during Selichot serves as a reminder of the power of Divine mercy and the potential for personal and collective repentance.
Although the Selichot prayers themselves are ancient, dating back to around the 5th century, in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the Selichot service among Jewish communities worldwide. Many synagogues organize special events, musical performances, lectures, or even film viewings and discussions as a way of transitioning into the service.
Making our Selichot even more special - a b’mitzve celebration!
This year, our service will be made even more special as it will be the celebration of the adult b’mitzve of Congregation Shir Libeynu member freygl gertsovski. For several months, freygl has been studying the Selichot prayers and composing new poetic interpretations for us to share together at the service. It is going to be a beautiful, powerful, and spiritual evening.
I hope you can all join us as we sound the shofar and begin our passage into the High Holy Days ,
B’ahavah,
Cantor C. Wunch
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Tot Shabbat in the park
In partnership with the MNJcc Cantor Wunch will be leading a child-centered, community Shabbat in the Park Celebration in August. Watch for the date and location TBA. We hope that your interest and participation will lead to additional family and child-centered events in the coming year.
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Pre-B'Mitzvah class registration now open
and not just for those celebrating B'Mitzvah!
Do you have a child(ren) entering grades 6, 7 and/or 8 in September, 2023? Would you like them to have the chance to explore the intersection of their identity as Jewish with their other identities? If so, this class, created and taught by Cantor Wunch is for you.
While this class is a requirement for those preparing to celebrate becoming B’Mitzvah with Congregation Shir Libeynu, we welcome to this class all youth in this age group, whether or not a B’Mitzvah is planned.
Please note that at least one parent/guardian needs to be a member of our congregation in order to enroll in this class. We will be in touch with all families who register to discuss membership options.
Details…
The course will meet in-person, with an online option for those who cannot attend in-person, on Thursdays from 4:30-6:00 pm, on a bi-weekly schedule from September to May at a downtown Toronto location TBD.
The cost is $850 per student. We remain an inclusive congregation. If you require assistance with the cost of this program, please email our administrator at shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com. All requests for financial assistance will be kept strictly confidential.
Please click here to register
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Considering celebrating becoming B’Mitzvah?
It’s never too early - or to late! - to check out the new Congregation Shir Libeynu B’Mitzvah Information Package for further details!
If you have any questions about the B’Mitzvah preparation process, or you are interested in celebrating the B’Mitzvah of your child(ren) and you have not yet booked the date for your simcha, please schedule a meeting with Cantor Wunch by clicking on the following link: https://calendly.com/cantorwunch
Congregation Shir Libeynu also supports adults wishing to celebrate becoming B’Mitzvah. Please contact Cantor Wunch for details.
If you have any questions at all about celebrating B’Mitzvah with our synagogue, please contact Cantor Wunch at cantorwunch@gmail.com
While you are considering it, click the following link and scroll to the bottom of the page to check out these two beautiful D’vrei Torah, each written by a recent CSL B’Mitzvah!
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Please join the Shir Libeynu community on Saturday, July 8th at 10:30 AM, for an extra special Shabbat service being held in person at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC), Room 318, and online via Zoom.
Not only will we celebrate Shabbat, but we will also celebrate and thank Chazan Daniela Gesundheit, who will be joining us via Zoom!
Masking required. If you feel at all unwell, please join us via Zoom.
The Zoom link, prayer book and supplemental materials will be emailed on Friday, July 7th. If you have not received this email by 2:00 PM, please email our Administrator Amanda at shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com.
No registration is required. Please either come in person to the MNJcc or join via Zoom.
We welcome new attendees!
If you know of anyone who wants to attend our services, please ask them to email our administrator, Amanda, at shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com
Did you know?
Did you know that you can find Shabbat and Havdalah start times as well as the weekly Torah portion on our website? To find this information, click this link
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Upcoming celebrations-at-a-glance
All Jewish festivals begin at sundown on the first date, and end at sundown on the last date.
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Tot Shabbat in the Park, August; Date and location TBA
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Congregant-led Shabbat service; Saturday August 9, 10:30 AM
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Selichot service & b'mitzve of freygl gertsovski; Friday, September 9
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Rosh Hashanah; Friday, September 15 - Sunday September 17
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Kol Nidre & Yom Kippur; Sunday September 24 - Monday September 25
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B’Mitzvah of Anton and Juliet Cellarius; Saturday, September 30
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Volunteer appreciation Shabbat; Saturday, November 4
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General Membership Meeting to update Bylaws; November; Date TBA
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Chanukah Celebration & Annual General Meeting; December; Date TBA
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New Member Welcome Shabbat; Saturday, February, 3, 2024
For a complete list of Jewish dates of significance, click this link
For summary information about Jewish dates of significance, click this link
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