OrH Newsletter

Biweekly Newsletter

10 November 2021

A Crisp November

Time is flying. How is it possible that Hanukkah is a few weeks away? Wasn’t it just the High Holy Days? Luckily, our board members and our incredible volunteers have been hard at work to make the Festival of Lights truly something to remember. We are working on two events - one outdoors so that children can attend - and one hybrid event that will be indoors and on Zoom. While the details are still being hammered out, we want you to know that Hanukkah will be overflowing with gelt, candles and music, as it should be. And speaking of bright lights, our Schmooze ‘n Learn special guest is an award-winning author who will amaze and inspire you. Let’s get reading. 

Coming Soon! Exploring Judaism 

If you are seeking to deepen your understanding of your Jewish heritage, or to explore Judaism as a spiritual and religious tradition you wish to embrace, you’ve found the right learning opportunity - as you are, whoever you are, or wherever you are. Led by Rabbi Liz, and featuring plenty of interaction among students, this course leads participants through the major value concepts and practices of Judaism. We wrestle with fundamental questions while learning from and studying with each other.

1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month - 7pm - 8:30pm

2021 - November 18, December 2nd, December 16th

2022 - January 6th, January 20th, February 3rd, February 17th, March 3rd, March 17th, April 7th, April 21st, May 5th, May 19th, June 2nd & June 16th (15 Sessions)

LOCATION : Zoom

FEES: OrH Full Members and Student Members: $180, Non-OrH Members or Associate Members: $360

Repairing the World Committee

The Repairing the World Committee will soon be starting up again. A little bit about us: after deciding to concentrate on the issue of anti-black racism, we spent the pandemic year in a learning program together. On the OrH website, you can read about the four key areas we investigated. It was an exciting year of learning and some hard discussion. The purpose of this learning has always been viewed by the group as a precursor to action. We invite members of the community who are interested in joining us to please have a look at the Tikkun Olam section of the OrH website. This will help in the preparation for the discussion of next steps. We look forward to moving forward by developing an action plan together, with as many members of OrH, both old and new as possible. To be added to our contact list e-mail, or if you have any questions, please message tikkunolam@orh.ca

Virtual Tours of Israel

It is a difficult time to travel internationally, but our congregation has been offered a special opportunity: virtual learning tours of Israel. These tours were created during the pandemic for communities that are unable to travel, but who still wish to “visit” and learn. While normally these tours have an admission cost, these fees have been generously covered for any OrH members who would like to sign up. Starting December 1st, members can enjoy these tours and the content will remain available until Passover. More info to come, but you can check out this video for an idea of how these tours are put together. 

Upcoming Services and Events

Schmooze ‘n Learn - Naomi K. Lewis presents a journey of Jewish identity: Tiny Lights for Travellers
Sunday, Nov 14th 10:30am to 12:00pm
Naomi K. Lewis is a writer and editor from Ottawa, who lives in Calgary. Tiny Lights for Travellers was a finalist for the 2019 Governor General''s Literary Award for Nonfiction and the W.O. Mitchell City of Calgary book award. The book won the Western Canada Jewish book award for nonfiction as well as the Vine Award for nonfiction and the Alberta book award for non-fiction.
Register here.
 
Shabbat Morning Service
Saturday, Nov 20th 10:30am to 12:00pm
Zoom  
 
Outdoor Hanukkah Celebration! (in person with Machaneh Shabbat)
Saturday, Nov. 27th 10am to 12pm
Outdoors in the ‘backyard’ of our Cleary Ave home. This will be a wonderful Hanukkah activity for the whole family, with loot bags, songs, a scavenger hunt and a (wrapped) treat exchange. Families are invited to 'pitch a tent' and bring cozy blankets so that we can sit with our bubbles and be warm and toasty while we celebrate. More details to come.

Hybrid Hanukkah First Night
Sunday, Nov. 28th 5pm
Cleary Ave and on Zoom
Since we can’t have our usual style of Hanukkah party inside the building, this will be a hybrid event with some (vaccinated and pre-registered) spots available as well as a fantastic Zoom event to light candles, sing and listen to our favourite Hanukkah stories. More details to come for the in-person component of the evening.

Reconstructionist News and Events

#GivingTuesday: Shining a Light on Justice
Saturday evening, November 27 - Tuesday, November 30
Join Reconstructing Judaism online as we shine a light on justice as part of #GivingTuesday. On Saturday evening, we'll kick off our events with havdalah. We'll also host short virtual learning sessions on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with Reconstructionist leaders. All sessions are free and open to all! Register here.
Saturday Evening, November 27
7 p.m. EST - Musical Havdalah with Solomon Hoffman

Sunday, November 28
10 a.m. EST - Neurodiversity: A Jewish Approach with Rabbi Amber Powers
2 p.m. EST - On Hanukkah and the Use of Force with Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum

Monday, November 29
10 a.m. EST - The Story of Judith with Rabbi Jessica Lott
2 p.m. EST - Light One Candle for Justice with Rabbi Lily Solochek

Tuesday, November 30
8 a.m. EST - The Cabin of Candles with George Kelley
11 a.m. EST - A Balm for All Wounds: Etty Hillesum's Wisdom for Dark Times with Hila Ratzabi
2 p.m. EST - Session with Amanda Mbuvi, Ph.D.
4 p.m. EST - Bolstering our Courage to Pursue Justice: Resilience Practices from Birkhot Hashakhar/Morning Blessings with Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D.
6 p.m. EST - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Rabbi Sandra Lawson
9 p.m. EST - Session with Rabbi Seth Goldstein

November 14 @ 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. PST (4 p.m. - 6 p.m. EST)
The Tower of Babel: People’s Choice or Public Nuisance?
Join University Synagogue to find out why the Tower was the last straw and watch the drama unfold! Professor Oren Izenberg will introduce the story, followed by Professor Laurie Levenson and Dean Erwin Chemerinsky presenting the evidence and arguing the case in a thought-provoking and entertaining debate over the legal and ethical questions at stake. Finally, you, the jury, will decide this important biblical case. Click here for more information and to register for this event.

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

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 ​​​​​​​
Interim Member-at-Large: Lyn


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.