In this Newsletter:
. Paula Wolfson takes her leave — Catch her in “From Broadway to the Bimah,” July 11 at 7:30 pm
. “Cantor’s Corner”: A NEW MONTHLY FEATURE! Sign up for tea with
Cantor Wunch
. Torah study July 3 and a full Shabbat service July 17, celebrating the nuptials of Daniela & Eric!
. Catch Your Breath Before the Service with Lorne Blumer
. “Pride at Shul Panel,” Part 2, July 29 with Carmel Tanaka and Arya Marvazy
. Call out for High Holy Day volunteers: read, sound the shofar
or even give a sermon!
. From our Members: social justice seder plate & climate change
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Dear Members,
Happy Pride! Thanks Rabbi Emerita Goldberg, Cantor Wunch and Chazzan Paul Wolfson for a moving and meaningful Pride Havdalah service. And thank you Cantor Wunch for organizing the conversation on LGBTQ+ Jews and Jewish leadership with Rabbi Nikki DeBlosi and Rabbi Andrea Myers. It was an extraordinary, moving and inspiring evening. If you missed it, see "Past Offerings" for the video and be sure to join us for the second part of the Pride panel on July 29 when Cantor Wunch will be in conversation with Carmel Tanaka and Arya Marvazy. Thank you to Jonathan Silin and Karen Lior, as a chance conversation between them outside Harbord Bakery was the genesis for the Pride panels.
We are sad to announce that Paula Wolfson has decided to step down after almost nine years as our Shabbat and B’nei Mitzvah Chazzan. Her soaring voice and spirit will be missed. Paula will be in the spotlight on July 11 at 7:30 pm, as we celebrate her journey “From Broadway to the Bimah.” Don’t miss it because it will not be recorded. Paula, we wish you all good things and will look for you on other stages (or in other gardens).
Cantor Wunch and the board are starting to plan for this fall’s High Holy Days, which come early in September. If you would like to participate in our High Holy Day services this year, either as an English reader, Torah reader, shofar sounder, or even want to try your hand at delivering a sermon, please reach out to us as soon as possible at: slboard@shirlibeynu.ca.
We are also planning our education programming for 2021-22 and are pleased to announce that Yonah Sienna (they/them) will be our new Director of Education. As many of you know, they taught our B’nei Mitzvah class this year. They will work closely with Cantor Wunch to develop and deliver exciting new education programs, including an adult B’nei Mitzvah class. Stay tuned for all the details coming soon!
Wishing all of you a safe and healthy summer.
Board of Directors
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It is with great joy that I write to all of you, for the first time, as your new Spiritual Leader. I know that many of you have read my bio and learned about me through our brief interactions thus far, so rather than recite my résumé, I want to begin by simply saying thank you. Thank you for welcoming me to this beautiful community. Thank you for opening your hearts to me, sharing your stories with me, and teaching me about the ways of Congregation Shir Libeynu. I know that this time, both globally and locally, has not been an easy one for many of us, and so the grace and warmth with which I have been received is all the more powerful and appreciated.
Over the past 15+ months, I have had the pleasure of being one of the moderators of the 3000-member Facebook group “Dreaming up 5781.” This group has provided the space for Jewish community and synagogue leaders to share ideas, successes and challenges as we all learn to traverse the COVID and post-COVID landscape. There are a lot of decisions to be made and experiments to try as we figure out how to emerge from this difficult time. Many of the group members have noted that it is important for us to acknowledge what we have lost, take stock of what we have learned and try to move ahead with renewed energy. This is exactly what we at Shir Libeynu must attempt as well. To put it very plainly, transitions are tough, and our community is going through several transitions at once. We can and should acknowledge the sadness that we feel as we look back and grieve our losses. We also must join together to be creative, try new things, and use what we have learned to continue to strengthen our bonds as individuals and as a community.
I extend my most sincere thanks to Rabbi Goldberg, Daniela Gesundheit, Paula Wolfson, Karen Lior and the Board of Directors who have been so generous with their time and wisdom in helping me get acclimated through this transition. I know that I still have a lot to learn about this wonderful community, and I look forward to getting to know all of you and your traditions. I encourage everyone to sign up for one of our “Tea with the Cantor” sessions, so that we can connect and continue building our relationships. I want to hear from you. This is your community and your voices matter. We all have much work to do as we dream up 5782, and I am confident that together we can continue, and expand upon, Shir Libeynu’s legacy of inclusion, diversity, innovation and thoughtful spirituality.
B’ahavah
Cantor C. Wunch
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Tea and Conversation with Cantor Wunch
Please join Cantor Wunch for tea and conversation at one of the Zoom meetings listed below. She would like to get to know our members in casual, small group settings. These are excellent opportunities for you to meet Cantor Wunch and catch up with other members.
Sign up here for one of the following four dates. We want to keep the groups small, so we have asked you for first and second choices.
Sunday, July 4, 7:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, July 7, 7:30-8:30 pm
Sunday, July 18, 7:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, July 21, 7:30-8:30 pm
If none of these days/times work for you and you want to speak with Cantor Wunch, please email her at: cantorwunch@gmail.com
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Note that this month, we will be having our full Shabbat service on July 17.
On July 3 at 10:30, we will be having a brief Torah study followed by the opportunity to say Kaddish. We are not having a full Shabbat service this morning, but we will gather for about an hour to discuss the Torah portion. The morning will end with the Mourner's Kaddish for anyone who is in a period of mourning or observing a yahrzeit. No previous experience with Torah study is necessary—just an open mind and an interest in engaging conversation!
On July 17 at 10:30 am, we will hold our regular Shabbat morning service. This aufruf service will celebrate the upcoming nuptials of our treasured Chazzan, Daniela Gesundheit, and her beloved Eric. Please join us for this uplifting celebration. We will also celebrate the birth of Gil Nathaniel to members Elysse Schlein and Jon Medow. Register here.
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Catch Your Breath Before the Service with Lorne Blumer
Before the service on July 17, 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 click here.
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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From Broadway to the Bimah
Sunday, July 11, 7:30 pm - Please note the new time
Don’t miss “From Broadway to the Bimah,” swan song of our dear retiring Shabbat Chazzan, Paula Wolfson. Paula — a Dora-award winning performer — will tell us, through story and song, about how her love of music led her into chazzanut. Hosted by our Rabbi Emerita, Aviva Goldberg, this on-line event will give us a glimpse into the heart that Paula pours into every song. This is one night only! It will not be recorded, so make sure to register and tune in for this goodbye gift from Paula. Register here.
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Pride at Shul: Conversations about LBGTQ+ Jews and Leadership in Jewish Institutions
Thursday, July 29, 7:30 pm
As part of our Pride celebrations this year, we are hosting two conversations between Cantor Cheryl Wunch, our new Spiritual Leader, and esteemed panelists.
Join us for Part 2 on July 29 to hear Cantor Wunch in conversation with Carmel Tanaka and Arya Marvazy.
Carmel Tanaka is the Founder & Executive Director of JQT Vancouver (https://www.jqtvancouver.ca), Vancouver’s Jewish queer trans non-profit. She is a queer Jewpanese woman of colour from Vancouver, and a Community Engagement professional. Her mother is Ashkenazi Israeli and her father is Japanese Canadian.
Arya Marvazy is the CEO at KAHAL: Your Jewish Home Abroad (https://kahalabroad.org), which gives Jewish students studying abroad the resources, tools and connections to engage meaningfully with the Jewish community. He is a first generation American born to Iranian-Jewish immigrants and raised in Los Angeles.
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From Shabbat Chazzan Paula Wolfson
Dear Shir Libeynu,
I’ve had such a wonderful and meaningful time as your “Shabbat Chazzan” (as Rabbi Goldberg dubbed me.)
It was always a dream of mine to chant/sing at the Bimah and thanks to the support and guidance of Daniela, Aviva, and Zev and Yona Frishman, I was able to do just that for nine years of Bar and Bat Mitzvot, High Holidays, Prides and Shabbats.
I will take my leave of you now, after a wonderful year of transition with Rabbi Lithwick. I encourage you to step up to the Bimah and take part in our inclusive service with a chant or a song.
Thank you to Eden Nameri for the invitation to present to you my sung farewell, “From Broadway to the Bimah” on July 11, as part of the Speaker Series.
Wishing you every good thing and love, as Shir Libeynu goes from strength to strength,
Paula Wolfson
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From Rabbi Emerita Aviva Goldberg
It is most difficult in a few words to express my thanks and my deepfelt appreciation of Paula Wolfson and all that she has given to Congregation Shir Libeynu and personally to me. On countless Shabbat services, and bar/bat mitzvahs I have had the pleasure, indeed the honour, of working side by side with her. I have enjoyed my ‘front row seat’ listening to her soaring emotion filled voice as she sings each of the various prayers in her own inimitable way. At no time over these years has she balked at my often-last minute suggestions of a song or a prayer to add to the service. In fact, she approached each service with passion and enthusiasm.
Paula, I wish you all my very best and trust that as you have assured me this is not really a goodbye, and you will return often as our ‘guest’ chazzan to take your place at the bimah.
Aviva
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From Musical Director and Chazzan Daniela Gesundheit
I don’t remember a time at Shir Libeynu without Paula Wolfson, though I arrived in 2008 and she did not start volunteering with us until 2012. I remember hearing her electric voice on our bimah for the first time; her spirit and heart reverberated throughout the entire room as the congregants erupted into spontaneous applause, before quickly remembering that they were in shul. She is a master at giving it her all, and for nearly a decade, we at Shir Libeynu have been the beneficiaries of that utter generosity.
I remember one time attending Paula’s Singing with Parkinson’s class. The room was filled to the brim with admirers— loyal students in awe of Paula’s talent and infectious joy. Students lined up to speak with Paula after the class, eager to share how the class, or something Paula said, or some part of a song, had opened them up, helped them feel like themselves again. She has a way of putting people at ease with her energizing presence and humour.
Paula would often show up to the High Holidays— the busiest time of year for those of us leading the services— with thoughtful gifts for Aviva and me— handmade earrings, or “Honey Drop” lozenges to keep our voices from tiring. In the middle of all of the bustle— helping me musical direct while preparing her own repertoire— she managed to always think of some small way to brighten our day before we headed out to the bimah.
Paula and I have often noted privately to one another how very different our voices are, and yet somehow so complementary. Her spirit is woven through every fiber of this congregation’s musical quilt, and that legacy will endure for a long time to come.
Paula, I will deeply miss your unique light— it has been an irreplaceable piece of the Shir Libeynu rainbow for many years. I wish you every imaginable and unimaginable happiness as your venture to your next endeavor!
With love and admiration,
Daniela
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Social Justice Seder Plate at the Gardiner Museum
Juana Berinstein
Juana Berinstein, member and ceramic artist, has designed a social justice seder plate which is part of the "Cultivate" retail exhibition at the Gardiner Museum now until the end of July 2021. You can view the exhibit catalogue on-line here or you can view the seder plates directly here. The Gardiner Museum is currently closed to the public due to COVID.
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Deputation in Support of Pursuing Compensation for the Cost of Climate Change to the City of Toronto, April 25, 2021
Aviva Gale-Buncel
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If you missed any of our past offerings or wish to view them again, below are the links:
June 5 Shabbat service with Rabbi Lithwick and Shabbat Chazzan Paula Wolfson, celebrating the Bat Mitzvah of Emily Jojkic, click here.
June 12 Pride Havdalah service with Rabbi Emerita Aviva Goldberg, Cantor Cheryl Wunch and Shabbat Chazzan Paula Wolfson, click here.
June 24, “Pride at Shul Panel,” Part 1: Cantor Wunch in conversation with Rabbi Nikki DeBlosi and Rabbi Andrea Myers, click here.
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Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition: Call for Submissions
The winning playwright will receive $1,000 (CDN) and an 8-hour CAEA ITA workshop with a director and up to six actors. This workshop concludes with a public reading. (A virtual workshop and reading will take place in lieu of a live public performance if we are unable to meet safely in person). The winning playwright will also receive one session with a dramaturge before the playwright, director and actors meet for the workshop/reading. Generously supported by the Asper Foundation. Submission deadline is September 7, 2021.
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Congregation Shir Libeynu
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