OrH Newsletter

Biweekly Newsletter

29 July 2021

August President's Message

What a relief it is as we gradually, cautiously, and gratefully reconnect in person! Our Board had its annual retreat on Sunday, July 25. For many of us who are fairly new to OrH, it was the first time some of us had stepped out of our Zoom boxes and met one another face to face.
 
Because our Board is so new (only two of the seven of us are starting their second year on the board, and six have been OrH members for less than five years), you might want to get to know us a bit: https://www.orh.ca/board-of-directors. We want to get to know all of you, so please say hi the next time you see us – on Zoom or in late September, in the synagogue!
 
We are now sharing our board meeting minutes – if you want to know more about the inner workings of the synagogue, please check out: https://www.orh.ca/board-news.html
 
Ken, who organized our annual retreat, did a fantastic job coaxing out of us a 10-year vision and a set of goals for our two-year terms. We are so fortunate to have such a skilled facilitator in our community. I’ll share the mission and goals in September, but for now my exciting news is that we all have two opportunities to pray together in person and outdoors over the next month.
 
Next Saturday, July 31, from 10:30 to noon, we are having an Emancipation Day Picnic Shabbat at Andrew Haydon Park, 3127 Carling Avenue. We had our Board retreat at this location and it is a lovely riverside site. To get to the site, enter the car park at Carling and Holly Acres Road and turn right into the first parking lot. Walk west towards the bandshell, the little lake with the fountain and the river, cross a couple of bridges, and we will be between the little lake and the Ottawa River, with our banner. We will be discussing a Jewish perspective on Black history, dispossession and reparations.
 
We’ll also be hosting a Pride Shabbat outdoors, on Saturday, August 21 (check our website for the location) as well as an online Torah service on August 7. Our online High Holidays service will be from our synagogue – please contact David at webmaster@orh.ca to help with hosting, ushering and chat responsibilities.
 
We look forward to being back together in person for Simchat Torah in late September. By then, we should know more about the impact of the Delta variant and school reopening on our community health and safety.  In the meanwhile, enjoy your summer, hug your vaccinated loved ones, and let us know how you are doing.
 
Carolyn (president@orh.ca) on behalf of the board

Membership Renewal
 
Our membership renewal has begun. You may have noticed a special membership message in your inbox earlier this week. Renewal is simple to complete, and if you get yours done before August 23, you benefit from an early bird rate. Also, while we include a suggested rate as part of your renewal, you can opt to contribute more than the standard amount. This system allows us to give rate reductions to those in need. As we are still a small congregation, these top-ups are immensely helpful, and help us remain flexible for members of all income levels. 
 
A reminder that High Holy Days start September 6th this year. You must be renewed as a full or student member, or registered as a Tishrei visitor (for associate members and non-members) before then in order to receive the Zoom links. Also, a small note that all donation receipts will be issued in February.
 
If you are not currently a member, consider joining our vibrant and inclusive community! We offer services, celebrations, talks and activities all year round. When you become a member, you help us expand our offerings, and you support our ongoing work. (And, if we may say, this coming year will be fantastic.)
 
Every member matters - we thank you for your incredible support.

High Holy Days
 
This Jewish New Year will be marked by the unusual circumstances, challenges and opportunities wrought by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Here at OrH, while our doors remain closed, our hearts – and our community – are open. We welcome members, guests and visitors to join us via Zoom for a full schedule of highly interactive services and programs, delivered with our usual mix of spirit, good humour, thoughtful intention, and joyous music.
 
As we do every year, we welcome you as you are, whoever you are, and wherever you are.
 
Or Haneshamah members can pay for immediate family members who are not included in a household membership (adult children, parents, grandparents, siblings, and their partners), regardless of where they live, to join them for the High Holy Days at OrH at the rate of $72/guest. Payment is made through the member's account by accessing the current year registration form (available soon). 
 
Please note that our Tishrey Guest policy only applies to registered members and to their immediate family. Non-immediate relatives and friends of OrH members who wish to attend services are asked to register as Tishrey Visitors.

Refugee Sponsorship
 
Are you interested in helping out with refugee sponsorship and settlement tasks? Or Haneshamah will be working with First Unitarian to co-sponsor a Syrian refugee family of nine people (including 6 children and one grandmother). The great news is that they already have a strong family support network in Ottawa, and they are trying to find a community to help sponsor their loved ones to come to Canada. We need to be able to raise the funds necessary to support this family for the mandatory one year period.
 
In order for this sponsorship to be possible, we would need a core team of volunteers to coordinate the refugee application process, and a larger team of people who would be willing to help with specific settlement related tasks once they arrive in 2-3 years. It would be helpful to have some people involved who have children, so they can provide referrals to services and school related resources.
 
If you are interested in helping with this important cause, please contact Carolyn at president@orh.ca

Upcoming Services and Events

Saturday, July 31 10:30-noon
Emancipation Day Shabbat Torah Service & Picnic
Shabbat morning service with Emancipation Day themed dvar Torah

(in person, outdoors and distanced, please bring masks)
Andrew Haydon Park

Saturday, August 7 10:30-noon
Mostly lay-led Shabbat morning and Torah service with special blessing for Rosh Chodesh Elul (Zoom)
 
Saturday, August 21 10:30-noon Centretown Park (TBC)
Pride Shabbat, led by Rabbi Liz

(in person, outdoors and socially distanced, please bring masks)

Wednesdays, August 25 and September 1, 8pm EDT
Do We Need to Engage in Collective Teshuvah? Difficult Conversations on Israel
With Rabbi Brian Walt and Professor Joel Beinin - a rabbi and scholar focus on collective teshuvah (Zoom)
 
Monday, Sep 6th 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Erev Rosh Hashanah
Greet the new year with apples, honey and the sweetness of community blessings! (Zoom)
 
Tuesday, Sep 7th 9:30am to 2:00pm
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Service
Prayer, Song, Reflections and Torah, ending with our family program (Zoom)
 
Tuesday, Sep 7th 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Shofar & Tashlikh Experience
Join us outdoors and listen to the shofar ring out over the river; then complete the ritual of tashlikh with your fellow community members on the riverbanks. Please bring masks, location TBD.
 
Wednesday, Sep 8th 10:30am to 12:00pm
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Text Study
Explore the New Year texts with members of OrH (Zoom)

Reconstructionist News and Events

A Reconstructionist Day of Learning on Reparations 
Sunday, August 8, 2021
11 a.m. EDT
Save the date to join Reconstructionists from around the world for our movement-wide day of learning. Starting with a special Hallel service and opening remarks, followed by multiple sessions of learning. Registration to open in July and fees will be on a sliding scale from $0 to $54 - register here .

Convention 2022
From March 23 – 27, 2022 we will come together for B’Yachad: Reconstructing Judaism Together in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Over these four days, both in person and virtually, we will learn from and with experts, scholars and lay leaders. We will engage in conversations, ask questions, and listen. We will pray together, sing together, dance together and celebrate all that we do every day in our communities to reconstruct Judaism.  
Visit the Convention 2022 website here.

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

* PJ Library Virtual Camp-Out
August 15, 3 - 3:30 pm
Join PJ Library for a virtual camp-out to celebrate summer! Order your free kit of craft supplies and s'mores ingredients, set up a backyard tent (or indoor pillow fort!) then gather online with friends to share activities and a PJ Library story.
Contact Lindsay Newman at 613-798-4696 x272 or lnewman@jewishottawa.com to register.

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

Chair: Carolyn, president@orh.ca 
Treasurer: Elijah, treasurer@orh.ca
Secretary: Nicola, secretary@orh.ca
Communications: Andrea, communications@orh.ca
Membership: Myrna, membership@orh.ca
Learning: Diana, learning@orh.ca
Ritual/Many Hands: Shira, rituals@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.