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Milibeynu מלבנו
From our Heart
February 2024
New Member Shabbat - February 3rd
Special four-part Speaker Series presentation
Save the Date for our Purim Spiel
Queering the Jewish Wedding
and more....
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The Conflict in Four Parts - a special Speaker Series presentation
In recognition that we all come at the Israel/Palestine struggle with different understandings, the Congregation Shir Libeynu Board is pleased to present a four part learning experience, The Conflict.
Taught by Dr. Dan Aviv who has been engaged in Jewish learning as an educator, professor, published scholar and author for thirty years, this four-part series will provide context for the ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine. Dr. Aviv has developed and taught curricula on classical and modern Jewish texts, philosophy, history of the diaspora, and Israel and Zionism as well as Jewish food culture.
Over the course of four 90-minute sessions, we will look at government documents, poetry, song, selections from fiction, manifestos, speeches, UN resolutions, and key historical events in an attempt to provide a frame in which to understand what’s going on right now.
As the founding principal of ADRABA (adraba.ca), an online Jewish high school, Dr. Aviv currently teaches high school credit courses to Jewish teens in six communities across Ontario. The Board is thrilled that he has agreed to provide this program to our congregants and the broader community.
These sessions will be offered over ZOOM on Sunday February 11th, 18th, 25th and March 3rd, at 7:00pm.
Registration Details
We require a minimum of 7 people to register in order to run this course. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, February 7th.
Members can attend all four sessions for just $20; non-members $25. If you would like to attend but cannot afford this rate, please contact our administrator, Amanda.
To reserve your space, click this link today. Please pay by e-transfer or cheque, or, if you would prefer to pay by credit card, contact shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com.
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Our first New Member Shabbat is this week!
The board has designated each February as Congregation Shir Libeynu New Members Month. All members are encouraged to attend this extra-special Shabbat service on Saturday, February 3rd at 10:30 AM at the MNJcc, room 318, because what better way to warm ourselves in the coldest part of winter than to honour those who are newest to our community!
As this is our first of what will be an Annual New Member Shabbat program, we especially invite anyone who is new to our community from 2020 through to this year to join us for this special service and celebration!
If you haven't yet RSVP'd, please email Amanda to add your name to the list.
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Thank you for your generous donations!
With deeply felt gratitude, the board would like to acknowledge the donations made this month, in memory of Shelley Glazer, and in honour of her first yahrtzeit. Many thanks to Michele O'Keefe, Maria Meindl, Lorraine Mazzocato, and Shoshana Fainsilber.
Thank you also to Furqan Qureshi, Ruth Dworin, Cherie Miller, and Deborah Britzman for your recent donations.
Your generosity is appreciated!
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Donate to Congregation Shir Libeynu Today!
Special occasion coming? Would you like to honour someone? Make a donation to Congregation Shir Libeynu. Your honouree will receive notice, and you will receive a tax receipt. We have a number of different accounts to which you can make a donation including our General Fund, Adult Education Fund, and New Machzor Fund. Check out the possibilities for giving here!
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A wonderful time was had by all!
A wonderful time was had by all! It was so great to see so many children, parents and grandparents enjoying themselves, together!
Many thanks to Cantor Wunch, Penny and Lorne, for leading us in song; to Shoshana for leading us in dance and to Eden for regailing us with story!
To see pics and video of the dancing, singing and fun, visit our Facebook page!
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Purim is Coming!
We are excited to be returning to in-person Purim celebrations! Watch this space for news about our 2024 Elton John-themed Purim spiel "I Guess That's Why They Call it A Spiel." We will be looking for singers and actors to help us put on this production. Our spiel will be performed on March 23rd.
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A personal response
A few weeks ago, I received an email from the National Director of the League for Human Rights, B’nai Brith Canada. The email is attached here for those of you who are interested in reading it in its entirety. I was challenged by this letter and I decided to write back. I have decided to share my response with all of you, to keep you informed of some of what goes on behind the scenes. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response to my email, but I would love to hear what you think. I know that some of you will agree with me, and some will disagree – I welcome all of your feedback.
Hello. Thank you for your letter. Before I begin, I would like to point out that the email containing your letter did not address me using my proper title, Cantor. I expect any Jewish organization to respect and use my title appropriately. It was correct in the attached letter but not in the email salutation.
Second, I am dismayed that you are seemingly exploiting this devastating war in order to promote Jewish Heritage Month. The war between Israel and Hamas is a crisis that concerns all of us, and yet to use it to garner interest in a Canadian event seems both gruesome and opportunistic.
Jewish Heritage Month should be an opportunity to celebrate Judaism in Canada, to recognize the great work that Jews in Canada do, and to be proud of our religion and our culture. It is not the time to conflate Judaism and Israel, nor is it the time to make sweeping statements about diplomatic relations or promote your assertion that "we must, as a nation continue to Stand[sic] with Israel."
I don’t have "clientele," I have congregants and a community and they are interested in far more nuanced, sensitive, and informed content. They want to celebrate their Judaism without being forced to choose sides in this winnerless war. They want the joy and beauty of Jewish culture to stand on its own, rather than constantly being told that they must support a foreign government whose policies in recent years decidedly do not display the "shared common values" that you claim. As a 2SLGBTQIA+ community, it is even more alarming to be expected to support a government who employs openly homophobic "leaders."
Israel will always be important to us, and we will continue to advocate and pray for peace for all of the inhabitants of that region, but Canadian Jewish Heritage Month should be just that - Canadian. If the goal is, as you say to "reaffirm to our fellow Canadians that Israel and Canada share common values and that we must as a nation continue to Stand with Israel," then it seems that it is not Jewish Heritage Month you are planning, but Israel Promotion Month. Many people in my community are feeling very conflicted about their connection to Israel, and will be hesitant to support a Jewish Heritage Month whose focus is not Judaism, but Israel.
If you are open to discussing a Canadian Jewish Heritage Month that promotes Canadian Judaism, then we would be happy to share thoughts and ideas. We would love to see a campaign that highlights the many contributions that Jewish people have made to Canadian society, for example.
Please be in touch if you would like to discuss this further. My contact information is below.
Thank you.
If you need to talk, please contact me at cantorwunch@gmail.com, or make an appointment at https://calendly.com/cantorwunch
B’ahava
Cantor Cheryl Wunch
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Please join the Congregation Shir Libeynu community for an extra-special Shabbat morning service honouring new members on Saturday, February 3rd at 10:30 AM. Our services are held in person at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC), Room 318, and online via Zoom.
Masking is not required, however we encourage those members who would like to continue to wear a mask to do so. As always, if you feel at all unwell, please join us via Zoom.
The Zoom link, prayer book and supplemental materials will be emailed on Friday, February 2nd. 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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Join Cantor Wunch on Tuesday, February 20th at noon on Zoom as she hosts this month’s conversation about a parasha from the Torah.
Always engaging. Always interesting. Always something new to learn! No prior Torah experience necessary!
No registration required. Zoom link will be sent to all members prior to the date.
Save the date now for future Lunch & Learn Tuesdays
March 19
April 16
May 21
June 11 (note - 2nd Tuesday of the month)
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Upcoming observances & celebrations-at-a-glance
All Jewish festivals begin at sundown on the first date, and end at sundown on the last date.
- New Member Welcome Shabbat - Saturday, February, 3
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Passover Monday, April 22 - Tuesday, April 30
- Shavuot Tuesday, June 11 - Thursday, June 13
Watch for new events to be added here as dates are confirmed!
For a complete list of Jewish dates of significance in 2024, click this link.
For information about Jewish observances & celebrations, click this link.
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Queering the Jewish Wedding
Wondering what you need to think about when planning a Queer Jewish wedding? Hoping to find ways to blend traditional and modern marriage practices to fit your needs? Attending a Queer Jewish wedding and curious about what you might encounter?
Join LGBTQ+ at the J and Toby King on February 13 for a workshop on Queering the Jewish Wedding based on archival work during their time in the Queer Jewish Incubator. This event will take place over Zoom and all are welcome to attend.
Zoom's automatic closed captioning will be enabled for this webinar. The webinar will be recorded.
For more information and to register, click this link.
For any additional access considerations, please email emunahw@mnjcc.org.
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