OrH Newsletter

Or Haneshamah - Ottawa's Reconstructionist Community

No-Increase Membership Renewal Opens July 1st
At our AGM, we shared with you that we will not be increasing the fees for
membership (or Machaneh Shabbat), due to both the generosity and growth in
our membership. In the coming week, check your email for a reminder to renew your membership for the coming year. Janet, our membership coordinator, is always available to speak with potential new members. If you have family, friends, or others in your network who might be interested in joining, connect them with Janet at membership@orh.ca.

Registration for 2017-18 Machaneh Shabbat Opens July 1st
Machaneh Shabbat may have just ended for the summer, but it's already time to sign up for the coming year. Registration opens on July 1 at orh.ca/machaneh-shabbat. As announced at the AGM, Machaneh Shabbat fees will remain the same as last year. Machaneh Shabbat (Shabbat Camp) is OrH's inclusive, family-based weekly Jewish learning adventure providing an in-depth Jewish education for families with children ages 4-13. Our camp model allows us to explore Torah, prayer, Hebrew and the Jewish year through field trips, drama, art, social action, cooking, building and more! We believe that we can ignite the lifelong spark for Jewish living and learning through community connection and taking the time to live Jewishly, especially on Shabbat. This spark is the key to raising engaged and informed Jewish young people!

Federation Statement on Recent Israel Government Decisions
OrH members may be interested in the following statement issued by Federation on Tuesday:
 
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa expresses deep concern with Sunday's decision by the Israeli government to withdraw from the plan to establish an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall (Kotel), thereby abandoning the previously agreed upon concept of "One Wall for One People."
 
In addition, a government decision regarding conversion will have significant negative impact on Diaspora and Israeli Jews.
 
We are concerned that these measures could create a divide between Jews in Israel and the Diaspora, and in turn, harm Jewish unity. We have shared our concerns with Israel's senior representative in Canada, His Excellency, Ambassador Nimrod Barkan.
 
These are important issues for the Jewish people and we urge you to be informed. A silver lining to this turn of events is that they have generated a unity of conviction that Israel is the national home for the entire Jewish people. We hope this will be strengthened as we debate and grapple with these critical issues.
 
Sincerely,
 
Andrea Freedman, CEO & President and Hartley Stern, Chair

Help Design a New Or Haneshamah Logo
We are looking to create a new Or Haneshamah's logo, used on the website and other communication, and are reaching out to members for their ideas. Send any and all suggestions, creative inspirations, or sketches to communications@orh.ca. Professional-quality design not required!

Upcoming Services And Events
 
Shabbat in the Park
Saturday, July 22, 2017, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Andrew Haydon Park
Our annual summer Shabbat morning service in the park, followed by pot-luck picnic lunch.

Reconstructionist News

Masa Israel Teaching Fellowship Opportunity.
BINA, one of the Reconstructionist movement’s partner organizations in Israel, invites young North American adults (ages 21-30) to apply for a Masa Israel Teaching Fellowship. The 10 month-Fellowship offers teaching and volunteering opportunities with Israeli Jewish and Arab youth. Fellows serve as teachers (those with teaching certification) or teaching assistants in Arab schools, while engaging in unique learning experiences focused on social justice, Israeli society and Hebrew language immersion. Help make coexistence a reality, while promoting equal opportunities to reduce the education gap in Israeli society, fostering dialogue, and developing platforms for Jewish-Arab interaction. Participants pay $1000 and in receive: airfare, housing, Ulpan (Hebrew language immersion classes), amenities, and a small stipend from about $650-$1,430 per month.
 
BINA considers itself “the leading organization at the intersection of Jewish Pluralism & Social Action in Israel.” They design and implement programming that integrates cultural, social and educational elements of Judaism, while promoting religious pluralism, honoring secular Israeli identity, and focusing on social justice work across all kinds of lines and sectors in Israeli society.
 
More information is available at www.bina.org.il/itf . If you have additional questions or want to speak directly with someone from BINA about this program, contact Elliot Glassenberg at elliot@bina.org.il or at (847) 920-8641. (This is a US telephone number and Elliot is based in the US).
 
Read the May edition of Reconstructionism Today
The monthly newsletter of the Jewish Reconstruction Community is available online at: http://eepurl.com/cQJcMz.

In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
 
How the Past Configured the Present: History of the Jewish People & Israel by Prof. Jacob Kovalio of Carleton University. Presented by the Federation's JWRP Women's Trip. Thursday, July 6, 7 - 9 pm, SJCC, Social Hall B & C. Free. For more info contact Sarah Beutel at sbeutel@jewishottawa.com.
 
"The Jewish Future in a Multicultural Canada," with playwright, performer, academic (and OrH member) Sarah Waisvisz. Sarah will speak at Shabbat services at Kehillat Beth Israel, as part of their Jewish Identity in Canada in this celebratory 150th year. Saturday, July 8, 9 – noon. OrH members are specially invited to join KBI's services this morning to hear Sarah's presentation. KBI is located at 1400 Coldrey Ave.
 
Volunteer needed: Elderly male client in the Lincoln Fields area is looking for a male companion to go on outings and get a break from caregiving. Movies, coffee, AJA 50+ programs… Weekdays; weekly or bi-weekly. Mobility is somewhat limited, but improving. 613.722.2225, ext. 315 to help.
 
March of the Living Chaperones needed. Currently seeking chaperones for the April 2018 March of the Living trip. For more information contact Natalie at nabenhaim@jewishottawa.com, or 613-798-4696 ext. 355.
 
The Jewish Federation's Volunteer Centre is looking for volunteers to assist with a wide range of activities in the community. There is something for everyone. For a complete list of opportunities visit https://jewishottawa.com/volunteering. Help give back! Volunteers help make our community strong! For more information contact lkaufman@jewishottawa.com or call Leslie Kaufman at 613-798-4696, ext. 297

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:

Donations toward ongoing congregational operations:

• General donations, which fund programming, rabbinic leadership, and essential administrative costs.
• Donations in honour of, or in memory of, a person or event. All such donations are acknowledged through the Or Haneshamah card program, which sends notices of donation and a personalized message to a designated recipient.

Targeted donations:

• Dedication of ritual objects and books. We are currently seeking donations of $54 for each new copy of our Machzor (high holiday prayer book). Donations will be recognized by bookplates that may be in honour of, or in memory of, a person or event.
• Gita Taub Education Fund, which supports educational programming and access for members who would otherwise be unable to afford participation in Or Haneshamah or other valuable activities. Our present focus for disbursements from the fund is OrH’s new Machaneh Shabbat (Shabbat Camp) for primary school-aged children, which launched in September.
• Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund. Donations that the Rabbi gives to people in need or to support charities the Rabbi deems important.

Please make any of the above donations through the website by clicking on the "Donate" menu item.

Or Haneshamah Endowment Fund

• Established in May 2016, the Endowment Fund is a pool of financial assets that is invested to provide a reliable and ongoing source of income for our community's activities. Annual payouts from the fund go into Or Haneshamah's general revenues. Donations are made through the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation (OJCF) online at www.ojcf.ca or by telephone at 613-798-4696 ext 274.
  
  

Thank you for your generosity and support of OrH!

Potluck Protocol
Our community’s long time practice is to welcome egg, dairy and fish on the potluck table. Please label your meal contributions with all ingredients to help people with food allergies or sensitivities; also advise kitchen staff whether dish is to be served hot or cold.

Rides to Services and Events
Will you need a ride to services and OrH events? Are you able to offer a ride to services OrH events? We encourage members to be generous with their offers of rides. Please contact  info@orh.ca  with your name and area of the city you are coming from.

Visiting or Studying in Toronto or Montreal?
If you or your children will be in Toronto or Montreal, they are very welcome at our sibling congregations. We have reciprocal memberships with both Darchei Noam (Toronto) and Dorshei Emet (Montreal). Likewise, we welcome their members to our services, programs, and High Holy Day services. For security reasons we ask to call ahead to make arrangements for the High Holy Days.

A Caring Community
Members are encouraged to contact the rabbi or any board member to let us know about your pastoral care needs, or the needs of another member, whether related to a new or an ongoing circumstance. These may include such situations as a pending hospitalization, a change in health, relationship, or employment status, other life transitions, or the death of a loved one. Through knowing what is happening in each other’s lives, we give each other, including our rabbi, the opportunity to perform acts of gemilut hasadim/loving kindness, the hallmark of a caring community.

We Are Listening
How do you feel things are going in our community? Do you have ideas about programs or events that we should pursue? What aspects of Or Haneshamah do you feel are working well, and what do you think can be improved?  In the interest of making OrH the best community that it can be, the board and rabbi invite you to submit comments and feedback at any time. Please send your thoughts to  feedback@orh.ca  or directly to any member of the board (email addresses below).

Board of Directors
President: Paula,  president@orh.ca
Treasurer: Jacob,  treasurer@orh.ca
Education: Heni,  learning@orh.ca
Communications: David,  communications@orh.ca
Secretary: David,  secretary@orh.ca
Membership: Janet,  membership@orh.ca
Member-at-Large: Jean,  member-at-large.jean@orh.ca
Member-at-Large: Jan,  member-at-large.jan@orh.ca
Past President: Mark,  past-president@orh.ca
 
Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton:  rabbi@orh.ca ​​​​​​​
Members are welcome to contact Rabbi Liz, or any member of the board, regarding pastoral needs.

Or Haneshamah
30 Cleary Ave., Ottawa, ON, K2A 4A1
613-239-4988
www.orh.ca
info@orh.ca

** 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.

Or Haneshamah - Ottawa's Reconstructionist Community
30 Cleary Ave.
Ottawa, ON K2A 4A1

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