OrH Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter

2 June 2020

Member-Led Shabbat Torah Service
 
SHABBAT TORAH SERVICE - PARSHAT BEHAALOTECHA, June 6, 2020 at 10:30 am.
 
Join a fabulous line-up of OrH member-leaders for a meaningful Shabbat gathering of ritual, prayer, and reflections on the Torah portion, this Saturday, June 6, at 10:30. 
 
We encourage those who do not have a copy of our prayer book, Kol Haneshamah, to download a PDF of the Shabbat portions of the prayerbook, available here and on the event page of the website. As we become more comfortable meeting via Zoom, we learn that it is important and meaningful for us to see each other as comfortably as possible on the screen.
 
During the service, we also encourage folks to use the “chat” function, whether in response to an invitation from the leader, or a reflection that arise for you from the prayers, songs, or teaching. We have always been a community that values the prayer leader’s platform, or “bimah” not as a “high place” (its literal meaning) but as a shared space. 
 
If you have any questions or challenges around using Zoom, please reach out to rituals@orh.ca. This Shabbat, Rabbi Liz will be serving as your Zoom “gabbay,” and along with the whole team, looks forward to greeting you in our virtual lobby and enjoying Shabbat together.

Women’s Torah Study: “White Women…We Have Work to Do”
 
Members are invited to join Kehillat Beth Israel Rabbi Deborah Zuker’s weekly women’s Torah study tomorrow evening, Wednesday, June 3 at 7 pm. This week’s Women's Torah Study will be different. We will be looking at white privilege, and how our feminist ideals demand more of us:
 
“I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have white privilege…. Describing white privilege makes one newly accountable. As we in women's studies work to reveal male privilege and ask men to give up some of their power, so one who writes about having white privilege must ask, ‘having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it?’…I have met very few men who are truly distressed about systemic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance. And so one question for me and others like me is whether we will be like them, or whether we will get truly distressed, even outraged, about unearned race advantage and conferred dominance, and, if so, what we will do to lessen them.” --Peggy McIntosh, Feminist Scholar
 
To join, please send an email to rabbizuker@kehillatbethisrael.com for Zoom address.

Upcoming Services and Events
   
Guf Va'Nefesh Online
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, via Zoom  
 
Shabbat Morning Torah Service
Saturday, June 6, 2020
9:45 AM - 12:15 PM, via Zoom  

Roots and Reflections
Sunday June 7, 2020
9:45 AM – 11:30 PM, via Zoom  
 
Chanting and Chocolate
Sunday, June 7, 2020
7:30 PM to 9:00PM, via Zoom   

Reconstructionist News

Convention 2022. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us on March 23-27, 2022 for the next Reconstructing Judaism Convention, outside of Washington, D.C., which will be held in partnership with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and Havaya Summer Programs. Bookmark our Convention website, Reconvention2022.org, which will be updated regularly.  Schedule and program details coming soon!  For questions or more information contact Jackie Land or Lani Moss.

Reconstructing Judaism offers us a Virtual Shabbat Box: https://tinyurl.com/qqdr4l9

The archive of back issues of Reconstructionism Today is available at: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/newsletter-archive


SAJ, the "flagship"/original/Kaplan's congregation is making these offerings open to smaller RJ communities like ours:
Monday – Friday 
8:00AM - Ma Tovu Wake Up Prayers, led by Rabbi Lauren - 20 minutes of reflection and meditation to start your day every weekday (Zoom ID: 555-616-175)

Tuesdays (every week) 
2:00PM - Text Exploration with Rabbi Lauren or Guest Teachers TBD  (Zoom ID: 790-811-981)
 
Thursdays
2:00PM - Philosophy of Prayer, with student Rabbi Sarah Brammar-Shlay (Zoom ID: 790-811-981) 
Sarah will teach her biweekly Shabbat class now on a weekly basis. Even if you have not participated yet, you are welcome to join the learning!

RitualWell is offering a series of 7 writing workshops for the Omer .

In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
 
Community Events and Announcements

* Jewish Teen Initiative Boston invites teens to their Lowkey Convo: “Jewish Teens, Racial Identity and Activism for Today.” Join educator, facilitator, and activist Emilia Diamant for a lowkey convo about what’s happening in our country right now and explore some of the ways in which we can educate ourselves, advocate, and create change. Let’s learn together. Let’s ask the hard questions. Let’s have the difficult conversations. Let’s stand with our friends and neighbors. Let’s speak up against injustice. Click here to register or visit jewishteeninitiative.org/jti-hub/

Announcing a much needed new digital source, the Canadian Jewish Record, which carries on after the now defunct Canadian Jewish News. Co-founders are Ron Csillag and Bernie Farber: https://canadianjewishrecord.ca/
 
The Chair and Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa cordially invite all community members to attend the Annual General Meeting. Wednesday, June 17th, 2020. Call to order: 7 pm via Zoom. Special guest: Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Agenda to include a Federation business update and congratulations to Community Service Award recipients:
Student Leadership Award - Daniel Kuhnreich & Cara Lebenzon
Freiman Family Young Leadership Award - Adina Libin
Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award - Sharon and David Appotive
RSVP to Cibele at crosa@jewishottawa.com to receive the AGM information package as well as the login credentials.

In addition to our own Hesed Caring Committee support, we want to bring to your attention other services provided in the Ottawa Jewish Community for those in need:

• If you need help placing an online grocery store order, call Tanya at 613-798-4696, ext. 241, or email tpoirier@jewishottawa.com. Federation volunteers are available to do the pick-up and delivery for you and/or help those less familiar with computers to navigate online systems.
• A highly skilled and trained Jewish Family Services team is ready and able to help those who are suffering from food insecurity, mental health challenges, abuse, loss of income, confusion around government supports and eligibility, challenges in supporting unwell or senior family members, or those who are disconnected from family and community because of social isolation and distancing. All inquiries are kept fully confidential – please call 613-722-2225, ext. 300, and leave a message or email info@jfsottawa.com.
• The Ottawa Kosher Food Bank remains at your service for those who are struggling to put food on the table. Please call 613-728-3501, ext. 235.
• Finally, visit Federation’s Facebook group Jewish Ottawa Helps to connect with community volunteers for general help, and visit Federation’s resources pages to keep up to date on virtual offerings. 

  
The 2020 Toronto Jewish Film Festival will be taking place online May 30- June 7th. Please visit: TJFF.com for information about the films in the line-up, along with details on how to purchase tickets.

Learn Yiddish. The Shalom Foundation and the Center for Yiddish Culture invite all Yiddish lovers to a three-week virtual meeting with Yiddish language and with Jewish history, literature, culture and art, which will take place through the ZOOM platform on June 29 – July 17. 
Our year’s long tradition and experience related to the Warsaw seminar has been enriched this year with an online teaching and learning so that despite unfavorable conditions everyone can immerse themselves in the language and cultural world of Yiddish through intensive classes, as well as tutorials, lectures and workshops. From the comfort of your own home, but surrounded by participants from all over the world and under the guidance of the best specialists, we will once again delve into the extraordinary world of history and tradition associated with the language and culture of Ashkenazi Jews. Contact: zumerkurs@shalom.org.pl. Details: http://jidyszland.pl/en/letnie-seminarium/
 
The Gamliel Institute is a center for study, training, and advocacy concerning Jewish end of life practices.  Their (online) courses for 2020-2021, long and short, can be found at https://www.jewish-funerals.org/  They also have a new seminar series on the Spiritual Challenges of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The 18th Kavod v’Nichum North American Chevrah Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery Conference will be held through Zoom this year, June 7-10, 2020, Sunday through Wednesday.

June 2020 Short Courses
"You Want It Darker” –The Death Awareness Practice of Leonard Cohen (Gary Goldberg) June 25, 2020, 8:00pm Eastern (one 90-minute class), USD$36​​​​

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.

Board of Directors

June Board Chair: David, communications@orh.ca

Treasurer: Ari, treasurer@orh.ca
Secretary: Joanie, secretary@orh.ca
Communications: David, communications@orh.ca
Membership: Barbara, membership@orh.ca
Member-at-Large: Sharon, member-at-large.sharon@orh.ca
 Member-at-Large: Timna, member.at.large-timna@orh.ca

Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton: rabbi@orh.ca
OrH 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.