One of the traditions for preparing to receive a new Torah is for Torah readers, service-leaders, board members, and members of the congregation to go to the mikvah. We have booked the mikvah at the JCC for 9:30 for women and 10:30 for men. If you are interested in participating in this ritual,  please email Paula at president@orh.ca and we will send you the details.

 

1:00 - Ceremony at Kehillat Beth Israel, 1400 Coldrey Ave. Procession to JCC Campus.
Mark Dermer and Rabbi Liz will be receiving the Torah on our behalf. Following the ceremony of handing over the Torah,  we will be leaving through the back door and weave our way towards the JCC campus. Hope Harris will be the parade marshal. The walk is approximately 25 minutes. The Torah will be carried underneath a chupah and we will have flags and horns for all those who will participate in the process. If you have a shofar,  bring that along to blow too. Some people may want to park at the JCC so that they can give others a lift back to Kehillat Beth Israel or head straight to Cleary. Yoram Lapid will be driving the Torah from the JCC to Cleary. 

 

For those who are not going to the first part of the ceremony at Kehillat Beth Israel, we will be gathering outside the Unitarian building and decorating the pathway with sidewalk chalk and finishing the set-up in the NOW room. Paula Speevak will be there to help with the flow of the preparations. It would be great to have people of all ages to help us with this.  Then we can walk to the corner of Cleary and Richmond to wait for the new Torah to arrive by car and join in the parade. We will have horns and flags for this part of the procession too. 

 

The Torah will be driven to the corner of Richmond and Cleary and park in front of the Polish Deli. Anyone coming by car should park in the Unitarian parking lot then walk to the corner to greet the new Torah. From there we will parade the Torah down Cleary. Walter and Teena Hendelman will be holding our current Torah to greet the new one. We will then go inside to the NOW room and put both Torahs together into the Ark, followed by a few blessings and brief remarks. A kosher sweet table will follow.

 

When we read from the new Torah for the first time, we will walk around the table 7 times, saying seven blessings. Our Torah processions and dancing will celebrate Simchat Torah and the welcoming of our new Torah. We will be finishing by 5. It is going to be joyfully awesome! 

 

See you there.