Twice a month, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa will be sharing a Shabbat greeting from a member of our Board of Directors. This Friday, we are pleased to share this personal message from Nikki Shapiro.
Dear friends,

On Sunday night, we begin celebrating Shavuot, the day we received the Torah at Mount Sinai, where we agreed to the terms and conditions of our people for generations to come. Jewish scholars teach us that every soul past, present and future, were at Sinai that day. We each heard G-d’s voice and accepted his call to action. When we heard G-d’s words it is taught that we trembled with a sense of awe-someness.

Have you ever had an awe-some experience in your life? Can you imagine what it must have felt like that day on Mount Sinai?

I have experienced awe. In November 2019, my husband and I travelled with Rabbi Eytan Kenter and Staci Kenter along with other community members on a special trip to present a Jewish community in Arusha, Tanzania, with their first-ever Torah, a gift from Kehillat Beth Israel.

In no way could any of us been prepared for this experience. Our upbringings in North America could not even imagine a world with no choice of synagogues, without a choice to give or not give our child a Jewish education, not having a choice to keep or not keep a kosher home, not having a choice to believe the words of the Torah or not. The Jewish community of Arusha wanted so badly to have a sliver of what we take for granted every single day.
Our fellow Jews, who live near Mount Meru and the great Mount Kilimanjaro, are building their community with few resources. They excitedly prepared for the Torah’s arrival. It felt like a wedding day, complete with a chuppah, flowers, singing, dancing and food. Our scholars teach us that our relationship with G-d is much like a wedding contract, so the festivities were appropriate. Much like a nervous bride and groom, the community wasn’t sure what to do. They had never held a Torah before much less even seen one in person. One by one, we witnessed each of their community see the Torah unscrolled for their first time. We stood with them as they had their first aliyot and cried tears of joy together as they were blessed with this gift. Our fellow Jews of Tanzania were like the Jews at Mount Sinai and we were grateful to have observed this special moment. Just like on that day, our friends brought their children to be guarantors of receiving the Torah, from generation to generation.

With the sun warming my skin, the sound of wonder in the air, the clouds over the mountains in the distance, I took a quiet contemplative moment and felt the awe. I thought to myself at that very moment that this would be the closest I would ever experience to what it must have felt like that day at Mount Sinai. 

I was truly honoured to share that moment, and I cherish the experience. I will retell that day of awe to my grandchildren and the story will continue just as it has since Mount Sinai.

This special history binds us and is why when the people of Israel are under barrage, as is currently the case, we all feel the hurt and worry.

As I prepare now for Shabbat, I pray for peace in Israel and for all Jewish people. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Shavuot Sameach from my family to yours.


Nikki Shapiro,
Member of the Board of Directors
Rally in support of Israel this Sunday at 12 pm
Please join us on Sunday, May 16, 2021, at 12 PM EDT at Generations United for Israel, a national gathering of solidarity as Jewish students and Holocaust Survivors from across Canada lead us in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Israel under attack.

Israel in Crisis - Emergency Fund
Israel has been under relentless rocket attacks from terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip that have caused extensive damage, terrible injuries, and loss of life. Millions of adults and children are living in fear and have to race for shelter each time the sirens sound. Jewish Federations of North America are working closely with our partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and the Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC). They are already on the ground bringing life-saving humanitarian aid, including emergency grants to victims and their families, psychological counselling to all those affected, and support for first responders.


Thank you.
P.S. The community is invited to join two important sessions, hosted by Tamir, to share and discuss the results from the 2021 Jewish Disability and Awareness Inclusion Month survey. The first session is May 20, 1-2:30 pm. (Click here to join).

The second session is on June 2 at 1- 2:30 pm (click here to join) and will focus on exploring and planning for the next steps to address barriers to inclusion.