OrH Newsletter

Biweekly Newsletter

31 August 2021

Take a Breath

It’s that time of year. Renewal and reflection are so close that we can almost taste the honey. While we had wished to gather everyone in person at 30 Cleary Ave, our home away from home, we are instead pouring our energy into giving you the best (mostly) virtual High Holy Days services we can. Read on, renew, register, and feel free to share our HHD schedule with your loved ones - we still have room for Tishrey Visitors who wish to join us for the holidays.

To those of us who made it out to Pride Shabbat, it was a joy to see you all. These distanced gatherings give us hope for the future. In fact, let’s not forget that we are  meeting in person to hear the shofar and participate in tashlikh on September 7. Bring your masks, and get ready to feel moved.

Now to the *actual* newsletter, where we hear from Rabbi Liz, we prod you about membership, we sign up to pick apples and learn about honey, we gush about Machaneh Shabbat, and we announce some truly wonderful new programming for teens.

Words of the Spirit - Hope for the New Eighteen

Divisions of time always have been a source of reflection and expression in both our secular and ritual spheres. Idioms and catch phrases – TGIF, “after the holidays” (my current favourite) – compress a great deal of information, or perhaps assumption, into their pithy formulations. 

Much of how we do this is based on just a few time frames or measures – the week, the month, the Gregorian calendar year, the Jewish calendar year, the decade, the century. In addition to the biblical, the solar, the lunar and the deca, Jewishly we have some curious outlier numbers: we might wish someone “to 120” on their birthday (the age of the biblical Moses at the time of his death, or make donations using $18 as the base, rather than 10, to subliminally imprint good luck onto the bills, check or etransfer, since the two Hebrew letters that form the number 18 spell chai, life.

This otherwise lucky and hope-filled number has now joined the lexicon in our secular realm, as the fall 2021 school year begins 18 months after the sudden, shocking shutdowns brought international pandemic caused by the coronavirus. Recently “the past eighteen months ….” has popped up in so many articles and reflections that I wonder if there will be a new word coined for this time frame, or if perhaps an old one existed that will be revived. Is there an 18-month equivalent for “fortnight?” However we reference it, March 2020 to September 2021 will forever be marked in ways we can’t even fully grasp in this moment, as we continue to contend with the social, personal and spiritual challenges wrought by COVID 19. 

This pertains to us as a community as well. In the 18 months since March of 2020, we have celebrated the coming of age through Bar/t Mitzvah with six teens and their families. Though we were all able to kvell in pride as we saw and heard them chant torah via our screens, we know that much of the ruach/spirit of our life cycle and community celebrations arises from being together.  We anticipate – date TBD! – a fabulous communal celebration, filled with music and one of our characteristically wonderful potlucks, to celebrate them and present them with their gifts from the congregation. And yet, like the other moments of celebrating and consolation that arose this past 18 months, they needed to be marked without the visceral warmth of the hugs and physical proximity of gathering. 

The new year approaches, with its rituals, prayers, gatherings, meals and songs, creating memories for the years ahead, and adding to memories of years past. We celebrate a mythical beginning of time 5782 years ago with this heralded time-marker, the new year – and, this time, a new 18-months. What do we wish for, what do we call upon for this next chai-athon?

What I will wish for is more of what I believe has sustained us during this past 18 – hope and creativity. In the face of so many egregiously persistent global woes, these two qualities have buoyed, re-jiggered, amazed, held, enlightened, and sustained. Living into hope and creativity calls for a kind of trust rooted in the belief that hoping engenders creative action-for-good, simultaneously mining and renewing our reservoirs of imaginative faith.

For 5782, and for the next 18 months, may your days be sweet, filled with hope and creativity. Shana tova umetuka – maleh tikvah v’yetziratiyut.

Rabbi Liz

On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, join Rabbi Liz for Day 2 study session via Zoom, exploring HOPE. View or download the texts in advance here.

Celebrate the Days of Awe with us!

As we do every year, we open our doors, our hearts and our community to visitors to celebrate the High Holy Days. This year, with a few exceptions, we will be holding our services virtually. If you participated last year, you know that we still managed to create a meaningful and inclusive environment. The advantage of virtual is that we can welcome you, as you are, whoever you are, and wherever you are.
 
Please join us. Tishrey Visitors will have access to a full schedule of virtual gatherings in which to participate, all of them embodying the same thoughtfulness and energy, and intending the same spiritual and community uplift as in previous years. Check out the schedule here, including a link to an electronic copy of our High Holy Day machzor.
 
The suggested minimum donation for Tishrey Visitors this year is $108 (for one-adult households)/$180 (for two-adult households). This includes all services and events in the month of Tishrey for all members of your household. Students may join us for just $36 (and receive a full year's OrH membership). This donation level reflects the cost of delivering our High Holy Day services and events – costs that are not substantially different from our usual in-person services. At the same time, we appreciate that the pandemic may have caused hardship for some individuals and families. In those case, we encourage visitors to make a donation that corresponds to their personal circumstances, while respecting the membership and clergy that uphold our community.
 
If you are a longstanding Tishrey visitor with Or Haneshamah, welcome back. If you are new to us, you are wholeheartedly invited to join in. And tell your family and friends, near and far, to join you, and us, to celebrate the heart and soul of the Jewish year. Click on the "Register Here" button below.

For security reasons we require advance registration for all who wish to attend a service. Details are below. (As a reminder, Associate Members of Or Haneshamah who plan to join us for the High Holy Days should register as Tishrey Visitors.)

Membership in OrH
 
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.)

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. 

Machaneh Shabbat - New Season, Same Fun
 
Have you daydreamed about a Jewish learning experience for your kids that keeps them engaged, amused and enthused? Did you know that OrH has the best weekend “camp” in town? Our beloved Machaneh Shabbat begins again this September for a whole new season. Machaneh Aleph is designed exclusively for young children (0-4), where we focus on stories, songs and Judaism through movement activities. Machaneh Bet is for school-age children (4 and up). We focus on Torah values and characters, the meat of our Jewish holidays, and familiarity with important prayers. With our new online format, we invite you to experience our special program by dropping in for a trial session - or several (a donation of $36 per session is welcome to help cover costs). Please reach out to educator@orh.ca to participate and receive your zoom link.

Calling B-Mitzvah Teens!

Jewish History (for Teen History Geeks and their Adults!)
Cost: FREE
Monthly meet up on Zoom: Sundays 7:00pm-8:30pm-ish
(10 sessions: Sept 12, Oct 3, Nov 7, Dec 5, Jan 9, Feb 6, Mar 6, Apr 3, May 1, and Jun 12)
Facilitated by: Eliyanah Delicate, M.Ed.
 
For the past year, 6 teens and their adults have been gathering monthly on Zoom to spend an hour or so diving into Jewish history by reading a chapter aloud from a graphic-novel-style book, followed by a 30-45 min. discussion in which we add to our timelines and individually research and share ideas and questions that arise from the reading. Some of us grab for the books, others hit up google – and we read and share interesting tidbits we find. Did Jews really have to wear special garb in various times and places? Why have the Jews been targeted for hatred? What else was going on in the world at this point in time? We welcome any new members who are excited to explore Jewish history with us! Folks starting this fall would need to purchase a copy of the book and read Chapters 1-14 ahead of our October 3 meet-up. Please contact Eliyanah at ElexLearning@gmail.com for more information.

Playwriting, Primary Sources and Performance for Teens!
Cost: $270
90 minute monthly meet up on Zoom: Sundays 7:00pm-8:30pm
(10 sessions: Sept 19, Oct 17, Nov 21, Dec 19, Jan 23, Feb 27, Mar 27, Apr 24, May 15, and Jun 19)
Facilitated by: Eliyanah Delicate, M.Ed.
 
Join us as we take a short, funny script about two teen angels who come to earth and get into all kinds of mischief and explore the original Bible stories behind their mischief.  Then we’ll dive into the Biblical sources for inspiration to create new scenes to add to the script. We’ll wrap up the year with the option to perform the play on Zoom. Love theatre but hate writing? No problem! You can help provide the ideas and let someone else do the writing. Love writing but hate performing? No problem! You can help craft our masterpiece without ever appearing on screen! Intrigued by exploring the original Biblical sources but not inspired by writing or performing? Come helps us dig in and explore! Please contact Eliyanah at ElexLearning@gmail.com for more information, or register and pay through your OrH online account.

Even More Teen and Family Programming:

presenting B-MITZVAH

Our synagogue is partnering with Moving Traditions (www.movingtraditions.org) to pioneer a new and exciting approach to b-mitzvah that connects Jewish wisdom to the interpersonal and social elements of this coming-of-age ritual. We are grateful to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa for a microgrant enabling us to cover the costs related to this exciting new program.

Much like our previous Bnei Mitzvah Group activities involving games and discussion, the Moving Traditions’ sessions will help parents and pre-teens explore what it means to celebrate this milestone, to be the center of attention during a life cycle ritual, to navigate expectations from friends and family, to find Jewish meaning in the ceremony, as well as exploring other social-emotional challenges and joys associated with the b-mitzvah.  

In addition, the program is structured for some separate teen and family sessions, so this year Rabbi Liz is delighted to be co-leading BMG with Jenny Burns, who not only leads our Machaneh Shabbat, but teaches this age cohort at Temple Israel. As with BMG, we anticipate families will participate in B-Mitzvah for a 2-year cycle. Our B-Mitzvah Group for 2021-2022 will meet for 8 (virtual) sessions Sundays 1pm-2:30pm on:
October 17, November 21, December 19, January 16, February 20, March 20, May 15, June 19

If your teen is celebrating a Ba/r/t Mitzvah in 2021 or 2022, please be in touch with Rabbi Liz at rabbi@orh.ca.

Helping Those In Need

Many of you may be wondering how and where to make donations to assist the people of Afghanistan. Jewish Family Services here in Ottawa is deeply involved in serving refugees and newcomers to Canada who settle here. Any contribution to their Refugee Sponsorship fund will create opportunities to assist newcomers who arrive from all corners. They will also be made aware and will share with groups and agencies currently involved in refugee resettlement, when the Canadian government will make new sponsorship opportunities available for the promised 20,000 refugees they have pledged to relocate from Afghanistan. Donate online, by phone, or by mail at https://www.jfsottawa.com/donate.

To support repair and recovery efforts in Haiti, this page from CanadaHelps provides a range of options. 

To all in harm’s way, whether due to the forces of nature or the desperate need for safety, we offer what we can, when we can, through support, solidarity and advocacy. May all efforts combine to help manifest compassion, justice and love.

Upcoming Services and Events

Wednesday 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)

Sunday, September 5th 9am to 11:45am/1pm to 2:45 pm
Honey & Apple Day
Before the Shofar sounds and before we settle down for our Rosh Hashannah Seder, let's pick some apples and grab some honey! Gee's Bees Honey Company is offering orchard tours, apple picking scavengers hunts, a beekeeping Q&A and more! Each ticket is $5.65 and comes with a jar of their homemade honey. Let's make the New Year a Sweet Year. Morah Jenny and family will be in attendance for the morning session. Register here. 

Monday, September 6th 5pm to 7pm
Erev Rosh Hashanah
Join Morah Jenny and Rabbi Liz Rosh Hashanah seder with participatory maggid/story-telling featuring interactive play by Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, followed by the first service of the New Year. Seder begins at 5pm, followed by service at 6pm.
 
Tuesday, September 7th 9:30am to 2:00pm
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Service
Prayer, Song, Reflections and Torah, ending with our family program (Zoom)
 
Tuesday, September 7th 4:00pm to 5:00pm Brentwood Park
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 and meet at Brentwood Park in Old Ottawa East, by the water beyond the tennis courts.
 
Wednesday, September 8th 10:30am to 12:00pm
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Text Study
Explore the New Year texts with members of OrH (Zoom)

Saturday, September 11th 10:30am - 12:00pm
Shabbat Shuvah
Join us for a special Shabbat Shuva service with our sister congregation Dorshei Emet of Montreal to reflect on this particular time in the Jewish year. Rabbi Liz will deliver a d'var Torah (Zoom).
 
Wednesday, September 15 6:15pm - 8:15pm
Kol Nidre
Experience the beauty of music and communal transcendence as we witness the approach of Yom Kippur (Zoom).

Thursday, September 16  9:45am - 1pm and  4:00 - 8:00pm
Yom Kippur 
Zoom (and Live from Worship Hall)
During Yom Kippur, there is an opportunity for a limited number of adult members of OrH who are fully protected by vaccination to attend Yizkor and Neilah in person in the sanctuary at Cleary Avenue, on Thursday, September 16 from 6:15 - 8:00 PM. These services will, like all others, also be accessible through Zoom. If you are interested in joining the in-person event at the sanctuary, please apply here. Note that we are restricted by the number of people who can gather indoors, and as a result, not everyone who applies will be assigned a spot.

Reconstructionist News and Events

Thursday, September 30 at 12 p.m. EDT
Resting in Heshvan: When Doing Nothing Makes Everything Possible
The month of Heshvan is the only month on the Jewish calendar that has no holiday. In our session, using Jewish meditation practices, niggunim (wordless melodies), text study, and creative ritual, we will explore how to make the most of this gift of pausing, so that we can fully integrate the powerful journey of the High Holidays in our everyday lives. This event is free and open to all. Register here.

Fridays, October 1, 8, 15, 22 @ 12–1:30 p.m. EDT
Culturally Responsive Ritual Creation: Lessons from the Latin-Jewish Community
In this four-part series, Kimberly Dueñas of Jewtina y Co., an organization that nurtures and celebrates Latin-Jewish community, will guide us through somatic as well as creative rituals on identity, the global Jewish family, and community care. US$144 for 4 sessions. Register here.

Monday, November 1 - Tuesday, November 2
RRC Online Institute for Prospective Rabbinical Students
Are you thinking about becoming a rabbi? Do you want to learn more about RRC? Join us to experience our Deeply Rooted and Boldly Relevant program and community. This year's Institute takes into consideration that participants are stretched across the time zones (and spend a lot of time on Zoom!) Join us for as much of the program as you can attend. Attendees will be sent a final schedule. Register now to hold your spot.

Convention 2022 
B'Yachad: Reconstructing Judaism Together
Convention Registration opens Sunday, September 26!
Come gather together from March 23 – 27, 2022 for B’Yachad: Reconstructing Judaism Together. 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. Our convention will take place in the versatile spaces of the beautiful Hilton McLean Tysons Corner hotel, located in the Chesapeake region. Reserve a hotel room for our convention at a special rate.

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

The Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) wishes the members of Or Haneshamah a happy, healthy and safe new year.

* November 9, 2021 7pm
“All in the Telling” — CHES presents an evening in Commemoration of Kristallnacht with acclaimed Canadian actor Saul Rubinek
Saul Rubinek’s presentation will focus on how delving into and re-telling the story of his parents’ survival during the Holocaust in Poland affected three generations of his family. He has recently completed his play, “All in the Telling”, highlighting the many strands of this story and he will perform excerpts from it. Registration info coming soon.

* November 14, 2021, 7pm
Second Generation Program–Keynote Address by Helen Epstein: “The Shadow of the Holocaust on the lives of descendants of survivors – Is it possible to move beyond its grip?”
CHES presents well-known author, journalist, and child of survivors, Helen Epstein. Her published works include the non-fiction trilogy Children of the Holocaust, Where She Came From, and The Long Half-Lives of Love and Trauma. In 2020, she edited and annotated her mother’s 1974 memoir, Franci’s War. Her pioneering work on the inter-generational transmission of trauma paved the way for hundreds of works by second-generation writers, artists, and researchers and has been widely translated. This is a virtual event via Zoom with Advance Registration. In lieu of tickets, a donation of $18 will be gratefully accepted. Registration info coming soon.

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.