Huge thanks to Vered Philip and Karen Lior for coming up with the new name for our newsletter. It goes nicely with “Shir Libeynu,” which means “song of our hearts.” |
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In this Newsletter:
. A Very Special Shabbat Service on May 1 with Aaron's Bar Mitzvah
. Meditation on Shabbat on May 1 with Lorne Blumer
. The Shir Libeynu Social Action Committee Book Club - NEW!
. Save June Dates for our Pride Havdalah Service & Anti-Racism Presentation
. Links to Past Offerings
. Counting the Omer with Cancer by Barbara Center
. Queer Jews: A 20th Anniversary Symposium in Memory of David Schneer
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Dear Members,
This has been a busy time for our congregation. We celebrated Pesach, had a lovely April Shabbat service and a wonderful introduction to the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make these events possible and to everyone who participated.
For our April 3 Shabbat service, thanks to Rabbi Dara Lithwick, Shabbat Chazzan Paula Wolfson, Vered Philip, Jamie Flagel, Harvey Weisfeld, Zev Frishman, Penny Winestock and Lorne Gould. Clearly it takes a community to create meaningful ritual.
Thanks to Avi Sadiv, Michael Meyer, Allan Shiff, Eden Nameri, Shoshana Fainsilber and Jamie Flagal for inspiring us with nature and the work of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. And thanks to Eden, Jamie, Shoshana and Lorne B. for submitting awesome photos. We have so much talent in this congregation.
We are quickly approaching the festival of Shavuot, one of the three Pilgrimage Festivals, along with Pesach and Sukkot, in which the ancient Israelites were commanded to journey to the temple in Jerusalem with gifts and earlier, sacrifices.
Shavuot comes from the Hebrew word shavua, or week, and marks the end of the seven weeks or 49 days of the Omer, which we start counting from the end of Passover. This is the time it took the people of Israel to journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. Originally a harvest holiday, Shavuot now celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Some people celebrate the holiday by staying up all night to study and symbolically prepare to receive the wisdom of the Torah. This event is called Tikkun Leil Shavuot. Check out the MNjcc’s event on Sunday, May 16, from 6:00 pm till midnight: https://www.mnjcc.org/shavuot.
We hope everyone is well and staying connected as much as possible. If we can help, please get in touch.
Board of Directors
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Join Rabbi Dara Lithwick and Shabbat Chazzan Paula Wolfson, for a very special Shabbat service on Saturday, May 1 at 10:30 am, where we will celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Aaron Magerman-Bayer. All members, family and friends are welcome! The service booklet will be available closer to the service. Please contact shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com to register.
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Sue, Zamy and Aaron are excited to be sharing their Simcha with Congregation Shir Libeynu. Zamy and Sue were both born and raised in Toronto and were involved with Jewish reform synagogues and camps. Strangely enough, the two grew up in close proximity to each other but never met and fell in love until much later. Fortunately for them, same sex marriage had become law in Ontario and some reform rabbis were just starting to perform ceremonies. This allowed them to have a traditional Jewish wedding with loving support from both their families.
There was only one thing missing from the equation and that was their son Aaron who was born in 2007. Sue and Zamy have adored and been proud of this charming, kind, funny and smart guy ever since. They live in downtown Toronto with their Portuguese Water Dog, Lucy, and where Aaron is finishing grade 8 at Winona Middle School. He is looking forward to starting high school next year at Harbord Collegiate. They feel so fortunate to have their family and friends join them on this special day.
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Catch Your Breath Before the Service with Lorne Blumer
Before the service on May 1, from 9:30 to 10:15 am, Lorne Blumer will once again offer “Meditation on Shabbat.” You need to register for this session separately. Please contact shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com to register.
Abraham Joshua Heschel once described Shabbat as a “sanctuary in time.” Let’s see if we can cultivate a sense of exactly that as we near Shabbat services, catching our breath, finding some stillness, and working with meditation (guided and silent), shaped by the mood of the moment and ancient Jewish texts.
Lorne Blumer is a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s program in Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, who's often led meditation for the Shir Libeynu community.
To participate in virtual offerings, you need to have a Zoom account and register. See our website for more details.
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ANNOUNCING...
The Shir Libeynu Social Action Committee Book Club
Tuesday, May 18, 7:30 pm
When we spoke with many of you earlier this year, we learned that members thought we needed a book club. So, we are doing just that—starting a book club!
We have had speakers addressing being Black and Jewish, and antiracism within the Jewish community. Continuing along that line we have chosen the book, Overcoming Bias, by Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman, for our first meeting. It is a small, very readable book and is available at the public library.
We see this club as being very participatory and leaderless. In other words, we will all lead through participating. At the end of the meeting, we will talk about the club’s frequency and ideas for future books. Feel free to email shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
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Pride Havdalah Service
With Rabbi Aviva Goldberg, Shabbat Chazzan Paula Wolfson & Friends
Saturday, June 12, evening
More details coming in our June newsletter.
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From Anti-Semitism to Anti-Racism: Why Jews Should Support Defunding the Police
Sunday, June 13, 2-3:30 pm
Join the Social Justice Committee of the Danforth Jewish Circle for a discussion on why Jewish communities should support defunding the police, taking into account the perspective of some Jewish communities who feel reliant on the police given anti-Semitic threats.
Speakers: Rima Berns-McGown, MPP, Beaches-East York; Shalomyah Bowers, Founder & President of Bowers Consulting Firm and Deputy Executive Director of Black Lives Matter; and Hannah Freedman, Kavod Boston. Moderated by the Reverend Anne Dunlap, Coordinator of Standing Up for Racial Justice-Faith (SURJ-Faith).
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April 3 Shabbat service with Rabbi Lithwick.
April 18 Speaker Series: The Natural State of Israel.
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Counting the Omer with Cancer
By Barbara Center
Reaching ...
Reaching ...
Reaching for meaning ...
In the upside-down cake of my world.
I pluck a star
from my six-pointed tradition,
and ride the tsunami waves
Home to the majestic shore.
When Moses and the Jewish People crossed the Red Sea out of Egypt, they spent 49 days in the desert, spiritually preparing themselves to receive the Torah, or Five Books of Moses, at Mt. Sinai. The tradition of counting the days in 7 weekly cycles continues to the present time, giving each of us an opportunity to refine our expressions of Lovingkindness, Discipline, Compassion, Endurance, Humility, and Bonding, culminating in Nobility.
Although I was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2011, I had my first chemotherapy treatment on April 25, 2012, during the weekly cycle of Compassion. Extending compassion to my own body, mind, and heart - including the cancer and chemotherapy drugs that were making me so sick - was the first step in extending compassion to the world. I learned it is impossible to walk in another person’s shoes without fully nurturing and embracing my own life journey.
The week following treatment called for Endurance, knowing that I could make it through one day at a time. Survival became a state of mind, as I allowed the tsunami of physical side-effects to run its course. I was still captain of my own ship.
By the third week I began losing my hair. My challenge moved from physical to emotional. That’s when the penny dropped. I was no longer in control of the image in the mirror. I had to surrender vanity for Humility. I am deeply humbled every time I touch or see my baldness. All that I took for granted is seeking love and care and nurturing now. When I catch myself spiraling into self-pity, I draw on the inspiration of friends who have had alopecia since youth. They’ve fashioned a radiant image for themselves that’s irresistible!
My second chemotherapy treatment took place in the hospital during the Bonding cycle. I deepened connections with close family and friends who visited me and reaffirmed that I am not alone. I opened up to allow people to see me less than my best. By the end of this journey I’ll proudly say I have no masks left.
As my 49-day meditation draws to a close, I reach for the last of the 7 attributes - Nobility - the majesty of the human spirit that is always with me.
Reaching ...
Reaching ...
Reaching for meaning ...
In the upside-down cake of my world.
I pluck a star
from my six-pointed tradition,
and ride the tsunami waves
Home to the majestic shore
Barbara wrote “Counting the Omer with Cancer” during her cancer treatment in 2012. It was published in the Annual Passover Literary Supplement of the Canadian Jewish News in Toronto and Montreal on March 28, 2013. Many of you journeyed with Barbara at that time.
Today she continues her journey cancer-free and in good health. She rode “the tsunami waves home to the majestic shore.”
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Queer Jews: A 20th Anniversary Symposium in Memory of David Shneer
Sunday, May 2, 12 noon to 6 pm
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UJA’s Vaccine Registration Assistance Program
Throughout the vaccination rollout in Ontario, UJA’s Vaccination Registration Assistance Program has been helping community members who are eligible to register but who may have difficulty using or accessing technology.
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If you have questions or need assistance with vaccine registration, please reach out to registrationassistance@ujafed.org or call 416-636-5813, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If you are interested in volunteering, click here.
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Congregation Shir Libeynu
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