OrH Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter

9 February 2021

Schmooze ’n Learn: So what is Jewish food anyway? 
 
Jewish food is as diverse as the communities and sects our people has developed into (and out of) around the world. Some similarities exist - every community has their version of bread and an (Erev) Shabbat stew - but outside of that, it's hard to see how American kasha varnishkes and Bukhari osh palov belong in the same category. Or is it? Join Tom Grana, amateur foodie and collector of random knowledge, for a fresh (maybe even subversive!) look at what makes a dish Jewish at our next Sunday Schmooze ‘n Learn, February 14 at 10:30 am. More information here.

Purim Celebration

You KNOW that you have all been waiting for an opportunity to DRESS UP (or at least dig up a mask that goes over your eyes and not your nose) and GO somewhere! ZOOM on over to SHUSHAN for a quick EREV PURIM trip on Thursday, February 25, 7:30-8:30 pm! 

To mark the holiday, we will RHYME our way through the story of the Megillah. Here are the verses – check it out and claim one - add YOUR NAME/S right in! Get in on it – on your own, with your family, or shared between households. There are still chapters available. DON’T DELAY! 

And EVERYONE is invited to bust out some dance moves, or pump up your screen with wild video frames, backgrounds and other embellishments to distract us when Haman’s name is uttered.

There are also SONG SPOTS available. Let Rabbi Liz know what favourite PURIM SONG YOU would like to offer!

And instead of our classic Hamantaschen-tasting competition, during the Megillah we’ll invite submissions to a CAPTION CONTEST. A distinguished (and perhaps tipsy) panel of judges will determine the best three captions for this pic. The winner gets a “zayde” mug - Mishloach Manot basket with baked goodies from Rabbi Liz!

More learning from the Repairing the World Committee!

We have two new learning sessions scheduled for our congregation. On March 2nd, we will be discussing the difficult topic of “Racism in the Jewish Community”. Our resource will be a series of articles gleaned mostly from the Reconstructionist Movement. 
 
March 2, 2021, 7 pm
Racism in the Jewish Community
Resource: Series of short articles, maximum 30 pages - articles will be sent to you after you register
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvdOChqTksHNCAZ3r0hGeRCHs69zNpiS09
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
 
And join us on April 6th, when we will be discussing Ibram Kendi’s book, How to be an Anti-Racist. This gives lots of time for those interested, to read this very topical, straight from the heart book, by this celebrated author, historian, professor, and anti-racism activist who was included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

Care for the Caregiver Course
 
A 3-Session Workshop via Zoom presented by Ottawa Rabbis Bolton, Kenter and Mikelberg and Ottawa Pastoral care trainer Lisa Boulay. Thursdays March 4th, 11th and 18th from 1.30 to 2.45 p.m. Cost is $20.00 for all three sessions.
 
This program is for those in the Ottawa Jewish Community who are caring for their loved ones, either at home or in a community setting.  It will provide a Jewish perspective on caregiving, as well as helpful general coping strategies. Topics will include: Self care, Understanding compassion fatigue, and Setting boundaries. 

Please register through the Temple Israel Office at reception@templeisraelottawa.com or by calling 613-224-1802, Extension 5. If you would like more information about the program, please contact Jane Gordon at gordon.jane38@gmail.com or Susan Fried at susanfried@rogers.com

Upcoming Services and Events

Schmooze 'n Learn: Jewish Food
Sunday, February 14, 2021
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Zoom  

Machaneh Shabbat
Saturday, February 20, 2021
9:00 AM (Machaneh Aleph), 9:30 AM (Machaneh Bet) – 10:30 AM, Zoom  

Shabbat Limmud
Saturday, February 20, 2021
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Zoom  

Chanting and Chocolate
Sunday, February 21, 2021
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Zoom  

Purim Celebration
Thursday, February 25, 2021
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM, Zoom  

Reconstructionist News

OrH Members may be interested in some upcoming Recon events:
 
Neurodiversity and Inclusion: Lessons from Covid 19 and from the Torah (Recon Community Live)
Sunday, February 21, 2021, 7:00 pm EST
Presenter: Kehillat Sukkat Shalom - Columbus, OH
Presenter email: joaniecalem@gmail.com
In honor of JDAIM, Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, (February!) please join us for an online conversation with Prof. Samuel Levine, Professor of Law, Director of the Jewish Law Institute, and founder of the Disability Rights and Inclusion Project at Touro Law Center, on the topic of: “Neurodiversity and Inclusion: Lessons from Covid 19 and from the Torah.” To register for this event, please email Joanie Calem, Education Coodinator, at joaniecalem@gmail.com. Click here to receive event details .

How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Join Rabbi Maurice Harris, Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist at Reconstructing Judaism, for a 3-part online class on the History of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. First class takes place Wednesday, February 24 at 7pm. The following sessions take place Wednesday, March 17 and April 7. Please register in advance at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvduysqD8pHNOqhIaOziGNszO5-Ieftgox
 
Prior to beginning his current work at Reconstructing Judaism, Maurice served as an adjunct faculty member of the Judaic Studies Department at the University of Oregon, where he taught a course called "Israelis and Palestinians" for 4 years. These 3 sessions will offer a comprehensive but not too overwhelming overview of how Jews came into being as a nation in the ancient Land of Israel, how their many centuries of exile affected their relationship to that land, and how modern Zionism developed into a successful state building movement culminating in the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948. The class also unpacks the major components of the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts, taking care to honor both Palestinian narratives and Israeli narratives of what happened and continues to happen. Side by side, the course attempts to describe and humanize the narrative of dispossession and resistance of the Palestinians alongside the narrative of survival, return, and state-building of Jewish Israelis. Rabbi Harris approaches the subject matter from a progressive Zionist perspective, seeking to develop insight into how large blocs within both peoples tend to narrate and mythologize the conflict; and always striving to honor the depth, humanity, and complexity of all the people involved in the conflict. Rabbi Harris also urges people who take this class to hear other points of view and to raise challenging questions to his presentation. The views and analysis presented are entirely the presenter's, and do not speak for Reconstructing Judaism as an organization. 


Reconstructing Judaism is changing the location where digital prayerbooks are stored. The new links are now hosted on the Reconstructing Judaism website and should be much more stable and accessible. These links are not visible on the main website. Although the old links will remain active for the time being, we strongly encourage you to switch to these new links as soon as possible. 
 
Daily Prayerbook
Shabbat Vehagim
Prayers for a House of Mourning
Machzor

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

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

* You are invited to attend three 2021 Neustadt lectures by Alvin H. Rosenfeld presented by the Oklahoma City University’s Wimberly School of Religion: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7-8 PM (EST): “Antisemitism in Today's America: Causes and Consequences”; Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2.30-3.45 PM (EST): “History of Antisemitism And Its Culmination in the Nazi Genocide of the Jews During World War II,”; Thursday, Feb. 11, 1-2 PM (EST): Connections Between Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism. This event is free of charge. Registration is required by emailing RSVP@OKCU.EDU. 

* The Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies at Carleton University presents a virtual lecture: Dr. Rohee Dasgupta on “Cosmopolitics and Holocaust Education,” Wednesday, February 10 at 7:30P.M. Register with michaelabaxleaney@outlook.com to get the Zoom link and passcode.

* Indiana University Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism presents free upcoming lectures:  Armin Lange, “From Plague to Coronavirus: The Myth of Jewish Disease-Spreading and the Old Roots of a Contemporary Slander,” Sunday, February 14, 2021. Click here for more information and to register.  Gerald Steinberg, “NGOs, Antisemitism, and the IHRA Working Definition,” Sunday, February 28, 2021. Click here for more information and to register. 

JDAIM,  Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month events
Mobilizing Canadians for Inclusion, February 16 from 3 - 4 pm, Register here.
We will welcome the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion for an interactive discussion on Disability Inclusion in Canada and how we can all make our community more inclusive to all. This event is presented in partnership with CIJA.
For the Jewish Federations of North America's full event listing: click here. To see more information on local Ottawa & Canadian Programming & Resources: click here. 

* The Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies at Carleton University presents a virtual lecture: “Jews and the Development of Popular Music in the20th century in the USA and Canada,” presented by Allan Moscovitch, Thursday, February 18, 2021 @ 7:30 pm (EDT). To attend, email: michaelabaxleaney@outlook.com to get the Zoom link and passcode. Please: For security reasons, do not share the link or passcode with anyone else – ask them to contact Michaela directly.

Kavod v’Nichum’s Gamliel Institute Course 3: Chevrah Kadisha: Educating, Organizing and Training. Whether you’re already in a Chevrah Kadisha that provides Taharah and Shmirah, or you’re thinking about starting one in your own community, this course is for you. Chevrah Kadisha Educating, Organizing and Training will help you learn how to build and strengthen your Chevrah, and how to build support from your community, clergy, and lay leaders.
Course 3 of six courses that comprise the core curriculum needed to receive Chevrah Kadisha Certification. Tuesdays, February 23 – May 11, 2021 – 8pm EST $500USD – Discounts and Scholarships available. More information: https://www.jewish-funerals.org/core-curriculum-course-3/

Honouring Black Jewish Experiences. We invite you to the premiere broadcast for I am Jewish: Honouring Black Jewish Experiences on Wednesday, February 24 at 8 pm. In honour of our Black Jewish community members, we want to celebrate Black History Month together. The program will feature experiences & performances from here in Canada, and in connection to Israel.
Witness the experiences of June Girvan (Black History Ottawa), Tema Smith (18Doors), Nissim Black (international producer & rapper) & more. To view the full Speaker & Performer line-up & to register: click here.

* Purim Torah. Purim Torah is a tradition of humorous and satirical comments disguised as Talmudic or halakhic discourse. Our community rabbis will perform topsy-turvy sermons for Purim. You won’t believe what you hear…you’re not supposed to! Visit https://www.jccottawa.com/purim-torah/ on Thursday, February 25 through Friday, February 26 to hear from: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Blum, OTC Chabad Congregation, Rabbi Liz Bolton, Or Haneshamah, Rabbi Eytan Kenter, Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation, Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg, Temple Israel and Rabbi Idan Scher, Congregation Machzikei Hadas. For information contact Maxine Miska at mmiska@jccottawa.com

Invitation from KBI to demonstrate on behalf of the Uyghurs. This year, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, members of Kehillat Beth Israel (KBI) demonstrated every weekday afternoon opposite the Chinese embassy on St. Patrick Street on behalf of the oppressed and
persecuted Uyghur population of China. At the conclusion of the week they decided to continue the demonstrations and protests on a weekly basis – they continue to meet and demonstrate one day a week, on Thursday afternoon.  They have also reached out to other faith communities to join them in this stand and their numbers have grown over time.
The mistreatment of the Uyghurs, including forced labor and “re-education” camps, is reminiscent of the Jewish experience with concentration camps of the Second World War, in the opinion of campaign organizer Andre Brantz, which inspired him to start the protests in September. Since then, a committee of the Parliament of Canada has described the Uyghur persecution as a form of genocide.
This week, the Guardian newspaper published an article by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis: "As chief rabbi, I can no longer remain silent about the plight of the Uyhgurs."  The subtitle is: "An unfathomable mass atrocity is being perpetrated in China.  The responsibility for doing something lies with all of us."
(https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/15/chief-rabbi-silent-plight-uighurs-atrocity-china)
We invite all members of the Ottawa Jewish community to join us on Thursday afternoons at 3 PM opposite the Chinese Embassy on St. Patrick Street.  It is our hope and our prayer that this action, taken in conjunction with other political and economic actions, will raise awareness and will lead to the end of these atrocities.

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

February Board Chair: David, communications@orh.ca ​​​​​​​
Treasurer: Ari, treasurer@orh.ca
Interim Secretary: Kathy, secretary@orh.ca
Communications: David, communications@orh.ca
Membership: Barbara, membership@orh.ca
Learning: Diana, learning@orh.ca
Ritual/Many Hands: Shira, rituals@orh.ca ​​​​​​​
 Interim Member-at-Large: Elijah, elijah@orh.ca  
​​​​​​​Interim Member-at-Large: Carolyn, carolyn@orh.ca

Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton: rabbi@orh.ca
OrH Members are welcome to contact Rabbi Liz, the Hesed team (hesed@orh.ca),
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.