A special Kabbalat Shabbat service in honour of International Human Rights Day. We celebrate the deep intersections between Judaism and human rights, joining a network of other communities throughout the U.S. and Canada to turn the Shabbat of International Human Rights Day into a time for learning and commitment to action​. 

Our JED talk speaker following the service and pot-luck meal is OrH member and professor of literature Brenda Vellino, who will discuss Tikkun Olam, the ancient concept that came into prominence in the 1960s in Jewish social justice circles and continues to be central to Jewish spiritual ethics. This idea suggests that humankind is tasked with assisting the Divine in repairing those areas of brokenness and suffering in the world that we can identify. Brenda will engage with participants to think about how this might apply to the concept of the stranger in our city, our province, our country, and the world. What are the areas of broken-ness in our nearby world? How much can we hold in our hearts? How much can we respond to? In what ways?