OrH Newsletter

Biweekly Newsletter

16 February 2022

Hope In The Air

Can you feel that buzz? Black History Month is here. We are only a month away from Purim, and a month after that is Passover. Spring is coming. The parsley seeds we planted at Tu Bishvat are sprouting (we will ignore the fact that they are being systematically eaten by cats). Discussions about in-person events will be happening soon. This week’s parsha is wonderfully complex. Friends: we are making it though.

David Shentow Park

From member Sarah:

Dear OrH friends; Family and friends of my adopted zaide David Shentow (z"l) have submitted an application to rename Tilbury Park “David Shentow Park” in honour of the remarkable impact he had on Canadians across the country through the telling of his story of survival and resilience. Tillbury Park was right by the house he shared with his beloved wife Rose. The application has received initial approval from the city, and there is now a 30-day consultation period where they request input from the public. We would like to get as many people as possible to express their support by completing a short online survey. Would you be able to help me spread the word through email, social media, and newsletters? 

Complete the survey here.

The overview from the City of Ottawa is:
In recognition of the work to foster equality and reduce discrimination, the City has been asked to name Tillbury Park, located at 725 Sherbourne Road, “David Shentow Park”. David Shentow was a survivor of the Holocaust who dedicated his life to educating others about the dangers of hatred, intolerance, and racism. By sharing his experiences for over 24 years, no matter how difficult it was for him, he has inspired thousands upon thousands of Canadians of all backgrounds to fight genocide and injustice no matter who the victims are, and to always respect one's fellow human beings.

Black History Month - Films to Watch

For Black History Month, the JFO is hosting a selection of films to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities, and in particular racial diversity that exists within the Jewish community. You can register to receive film links here. In addition, there are links to panel discussions, lectures and documentaries to peruse.

Purim at OrH!

Are you ready to have some fun?! We know we are! On March 16 at 7:30pm, we will be celebrating Purim together. That means costumes, general hilarity, and masks that are meant to cover your eyes instead of your nose and mouth. Everyone is invited to bust out some dance moves to distract us when Haman’s name is uttered. And this year, for the first time, bring along a bell or finger cymbals to celebrate the names of Esther and Vashti during the Megillah reading! 

To mark the holiday, we will rhyme our way through the story of the Megillah. There are also song spots available, so start thinking about what kind of Purim song you may want to share. And instead of our classic Hamantaschen-tasting competition, we are looking for a clever game-creator to come up with a game or competition we can do over Zoom. 

OrH Annual Fundraiser

We’ve made it halfway up the mountain; can you help us reach the top? So far we have raised over $17,000, and it has been so exciting watching the needle creep up on our 5782 Annual Campaign donation meter! The funds we raise during our annual fundraising drive go to paying for essential costs and core activities for our community. The more we are able to collect; the more opportunities we can craft for our members throughout the year. We encourage you to give what you can to help us reach our $32,000 goal! Questions? Email our treasurer, who will be happy to assist you.  

Liturgy 101 - A Practical Course
 
What exactly goes on in a Shabbat morning service? What is the structure of the service? What are the essential prayers? This course is for anyone who would like to know more about our Reconstructionist Shabbat liturgy but will be aimed particularly toward those just beginning to explore Jewish liturgy. The course is intended to be practical, enabling people to participate and even lead elements of a service. A familiarity with the Hebrew alphabet is helpful but not necessary. (A free course to learn or review the alphabet can be found here.) The course will include learning melodies, blessings, and essential liturgical terms. Class sessions will be recorded to be posted on the OrH website along with course resources. The course is free to members (with donations suggested and appreciated). Questions and registration: email rituals@orh.ca
 
Next class is February 21.

Upcoming Services and Events

Shabbat LIMMUD
Saturday, February 19, 10:30am to noon
You’ve heard of the Golden Calf? This week’s parshah, Ki Tisa, is filled with iconic imagery, texts that have become familiar through liturgy, and paradigmatic episodes. We’ll enjoy a compact musical shacharit service along with a deep dive into some of the parshah’s textual riches.
Zoom 

Speaker Series: Expanding Our Conversation About Israel / Palestine 
Rabbi Toba Spitzer, “A New Conversation: A Land for All”
Tuesday, February 22, 8:00pm - 9:30 pm
Zoom  

Reconstructionist News and Events

*Listen: Blessing for Creativity - from Ritualwell

*Evolve: Transforming Our Unjust World & Personal Teshuvah: Considering Reparations for Slavery with Mark Pinsky, Mon, Feb. 14 @ 1 p.m. EST

*The Masked Writer: Persona Poetry as Modern Midrash with Sivan Rotholz,

Wed, Feb. 16 @ 12 p.m. EST

*The Torah of Country Music with Rabbi Sandra Lawson and Joe Buchanan,

Tues, Mar. 8 at 8 p.m. EST

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
 
Opportunities

*Covenant Grants. The Covenant Foundation invites applications for innovative programs in Jewish schools, community organizations, and other institutional settings. These grants will provide funding to help creative Jewish educators develop and implement significant and financially responsible approaches to Jewish education that are potentially adaptable in other settings. Covenant Grants may also be awarded for projects whose purpose is to disseminate particularly effective existing programs. The new grant cycle has begun - deadline for inquiries is Feb. 24. More information is available on their website .

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, lyn@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.