OrH Newsletter

Bi-Weekly Event Snapshot 
31 January 2023

Upcoming Services and Events

Shabbat Morning Torah Service 
Saturday, February 4 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
In-person and Zoom

Once a year we read parashat Beshalach and the passages of Miriam raising her timbrel in song after the Sea of Reeds is parted. This music-filled extravganza is NOT to be missed! 

TUESDAY NIGHT SHIRAH Music Circle - Tuesday, Feb. 10th from 7:00 - 8:30pm

Join us in Room 5 (30 Cleary Ave) for informal liturgical music making. It's a chance to learn and practice melodies for our Shabbat and festival services, to build our harmonizing muscles, and to enjoy some musical company. No Hebrew or music reading skills required. Questions? rituals@orh.ca

Tu Bishvat
Sunday, 5 February, 2023 • 14 Shevat 5783
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
NOW Room
The ritual of the Tu Bishvat Seder dates back to the 16th Century as Kabbalah was finding its voice in Medieval Jewry. Now a Tu Bishvat Seder is a chance to explore the Torah, Jewish tradition and the modern issues of taking care of our earth. Seder foods and drinks will be provided by Or Haneshamah's B'nei Mitzvah Group. Dinner and dessert are potluck! Please bring something to share.
Register here .

Freylekh Friday - Friday, February 10
If you haven't checked out Freylekh Fridays, what are you waiting for?! 

In person, 30 Cleary, Room 5
Teddy Bear Shabbat at 5:30 pm
Potluck Shabbat Dinner at 6:30 pm 
Musical Kabbalat Shabbat at 7:30 pm (available via Zoom as well)
Guest Speaker Joel Westheimer at 8:15 pm (available via Zoom as well)
Register for Teddy Bear Shabbat here .
Register for Freylekh Friday here .

Portraits of Or Haneshamah - Launch Party!
Sunday, February 12, 2-4pm
In person at 30 Cleary, Fellowship Hall
Hard copies of this beautiful book will be sold for $54. Bring extra for the bake sale! Enjoy some music, snacks, and meet the community.

How many congregations are lucky enough to get their own photobook? Not many. In fact, this project is so special that we are throwing an old fashioned launch party to celebrate. Join us as we admire beautiful hard copies of “Outside: Portraits of Or Haneshamah.” Members Gary Stein and Deborah Margo started working on this project in 2020 and kept at it. A digital version can be viewed here.

This event will also serve as a fundraiser for Or Haneshamah, with copies of the book available to purchase (and should we run out, order-to-purchase). We will have music, snacks, some chatting and some toasting. We hope you will come.

L’chaim!

PS: could you contribute something to the bake sale to help us fundraise? Let us know at communications@orh.ca .

Reconstructionist News and Events
*indicates new information

*Deconstructing Racism to Reconstruct Judaism: The Story of a Pilgrimage Down South
Thursday, February 9, 2023 - 7:30pm EST - Register Here
This past October, a minyan of Black Jewish leaders embarked on a historic pilgrimage to the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice and neighboring Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery, Alabama. As a first of its kind, the Reconstructionist Movement organized the trip, focusing exclusively on American Jews of African descent grappling with the United States’ foundational sins and the necessary work for healing and teshuvah.
Join us on Zoom as the leaders from the pilgrimage share powerful stories from their journey with a public audience for the first time.  The program will be moderated by Adam McKinney, who served as facilitator for those who went on the pilgrimage. 

Reckoning Together: A Reconstructionist Pilgrimage Towards Racial Justice
Thurs, Mar. 16 - Sun, Mar. 19
This spring, Reconstructionists from all across the movement will make a pilgrimage to the  National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and we want you to journey with us. Learn more and REGISTER NOW! 

Community Events

Combatting Antisemitism with Jewish Pride
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7pm
Soloway JCC,  21 Nadolny Sachs Private, Social Hall A
Register here.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa is excited to be hosting a community-wide event with guest speaker Ben M. Freeman, the founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement and author of Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People and Reclaiming our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride. This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of the leading voices against modern-day antisemitism. This talk will benefit teenagers and adults of all ages. (While the cost is $10, we are happy to help cover ticket prices for those who require support.

New Podcast Series: Playing Anne Frank
This seven-part series is a deep dive into the history of The Diary of Anne Frank —  the original 1955 Broadway production that won Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, the Oscar-winning 1959 film — and how it shaped those involved in it. 
Listen and subscribe here.  

Book Launch - Clara at the Door with a Revolver
Thursday Feb 9 2023 7:00pm - 8:30pm
The Spaniel's Tale Bookstore, 1131 Wellington St W
Doors open at 7pm

Join us for an evening of conversation about Clara at the Door with a Revolver, with author Carolyn Whitzman and playwright Sarah Waisvisz.
On the night of October 6, 1894, Frank Westwood was shot to death by an unknown assailant as he stood in the doorway of his home. Six weeks later, Clara Ford – a Black tailor and single mother known for wearing men’s attire – was arrested and confessed to the murder. But as the details of her arrest and her history with Westwood emerged, Clara recanted, testifying that she was coerced by police into a false confession. Carolyn Whitzman tells the story of a courageous Black woman in nineteenth-century Toronto and paints a portrait of a city and a society that have not changed enough in 125 years.

*This event is free, however, an RSVP is required as space is limited. Register with the ‘buy tickets’ button to RSVP .

Cleary Avenue Detour

Effective Monday November 21st, 2022, visitors and congregants will use the new detour for Cleary Avenue to enter 30 Cleary. The new entrance is through the parking lot of Kristy’s Restaurant. Please drive slowly and pay attention to new detour signage. The construction will include signage, a pedestrian walkway from the detour intersection to Unitarian House, and a traffic light at Richmond Road. The detour will be in place until September 2024 as part of the O-Train construction.

Over the two year detour period, you'll be able to find updates about the detour and related construction impacts https://www.firstunitarianottawa.ca/cleary-detour.html here .

Donations to OrH

Donations are a significant part of the funding for activities and rabbinic support in our community. You can direct your contribution to different areas of Or Haneshamah’s activity, including: general donations to fund programming, rabbinic leadership, donations in honor or in memory of a person or event, or dedication of ritual objects. We also welcome donations to the Gita (Tova) & Zvi Taub Memorial Fund, the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund, the Or Haneshamah Endowment Fund. Federal employees or retirees can also give to OrH through the Annual Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign. Information on all these programs and how to give can be found at this link, or by clicking on the "Donate" tab on the main menu of the OrH website.

** Disclaimer Regarding Community Event Postings **

Or Haneshamah frequently receives requests to post notices of upcoming events in the community at-large.  These events run the range from cultural, educational, and in some cases explorations of topical political issues.  In the interest of providing information to our congregation about the diversity of interesting events in the Ottawa community we will post notices of these events in our regular newsletter.

We recognize also that from time to time we are requested to post notices of events which are highly controversial in nature and reflect a wide range of opinions among our congregation on particular issues.  We are, however, of the opinion that it is appropriate for us to post events taking place in the community which may challenge us, which may cause discomfort, and which may cause us to reflect on some of our beliefs.  Our openness to post notices for a wide range of community events, however, does not mean that we have abdicated our responsibility to show discernment and to distinguish between those events which demonstrate an open-minded and thoughtful approach to specific issues and those which do not appear to reflect such values.  So, we will make judgments about what notices we believe are appropriate to post and those which we believe will not contribute to a thoughtful and balanced exploration of ideas and issues.

Will we make mistakes along the way?  Probably.  But the possibility of errors of judgment does not mean that we can excuse ourselves from the responsibility to show judgment in posting notices about events in the community and we promise to do so with openness tempered by a sense of responsibility.

In agreeing to post any notice of an event in the community, Or Haneshamah does not endorse, support or promote any perspectives, positions or ideas expressed in the events which are posted in our newsletter.