OrH Newsletter

Biweekly Newsletter

26 October 2022

Autumn Warmth

Let us enjoy the stunning weather while we can - and when it gets truly chilly, we can cozy up and enjoy all the events November has to offer. Coming up, we have some enriching talks, joyous Shabbat services and of course, our popular music circle. Also, our Rituals coordinator is looking for some reading / leyning help during services over the coming year. If you can contribute, be in touch!

An Invitation From Our Rituals Coordinator

One of the beautiful things about the high holidays was just how many voices we had leyning, praying, offering readings and reflections. Let’s make this happen year-round! 

This is especially a call for leyners (Torah readers) but there are lots of ways to participate (and lots of support if you are new to participating in a service). If you have any interest in participating, either with a reflection, a leyn or anything else, please email rituals@orh.ca. We’ve got the schedule ready for the whole year, and it’s an extra mitzvah to sign up early. If you’d love to get involved but really aren’t sure what this entails, drop us a line. Shira, our Rituals coordinator, will be delighted to chat with you about the possibilities. (Also, as an aside, services are just so much more dynamic when we get to enjoy contributions from the congregation - don’t be shy! You’ve got this!)

Teddy Bear Shabbat

Join us on the second Friday of every month from 5:30pm - 6:30pm (next event: November 11) where the sensational Rabbi Deborah Zuker will lead families in Shabbat songs, storytime and family kiddish! We are thrilled to offer this fun and inclusive option to our Shabbat roster, and may we just say, you had us at kiddish. Find us in Room 5 at 30 Cleary. Register here, and bring your stuffies!

Membership Renewal
 
It’s time for renewal, spiritually and otherwise! Recently, you may have received an email inviting you to renew your membership to Or Haneshamah. Renewal is fast and simple to complete (and you’ll be helping us continue with our excellent programming - just a small bonus). This year will be especially exciting, as we continue to expand in-person programming and diversify some of our event offerings. Picnics, Kabbalat Shabbat, Sukkot, the High Holy Days… We are thrilled to connect with you all again.
 
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. 
 
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.

If you have any difficulty with your renewal, please don’t hesitate to contact membership@orh.ca and we will sort it out as quickly as possible. There are occasionally gremlins in the system, but we are ready and waiting to help.

Upcoming Services and Events

Ruach Music Circle
Every Tuesday from 7:00 - 8:30pm
Room 5 at 30 Cleary (vaxxed, masked and with a Hepa air filter)

Palestinian Voices: Expanding Our Conversation on Israel/Palestine
Yafa Jarrar (Human Rights Lawyer), "The West Bank: Life Under Apartheid"

[with an optional screening of the short film The Present at 7:30 p.m. Eastern]
Tuesday, November 1, 8:00 - 9:30pm
Zoom. Register here  
 
Shabbat Morning Torah Service - Parshat Lech Lecha
Saturday November 5, 10am - noon  
In Worship Hall and via Zoom   
Join Rabbi Liz “on the bimah” for our 1st Saturday Torah service, as we celebrate the opening arc of the Torah reading cycle, from the first “universal” stories of Creation and the flood to this week’s parshah, which begins the “Jewish” story. What are our stories of claiming and entering the Jewish story? If you are interested in contributing a vignette from your conversion to- or reclaiming of- Judaism story, please reach out to Rabbi Liz – rabbi@orh.ca
 
Shabbat Limmud Service - Parshat Chayyei Sarah
Saturday November 19, 10am - noon 
In Fellowship Hall and via Zoom   
We’ll sing, contemplate and study, taking a deep dive into stories of “Sarah Imeinu” – our foremother Sarah, from her first appearance in Torah, to interpretations from the midrash around her miraculous late-stage motherhood. How and why communities support or emphasize bearing children – often in ways that cause harm – will be one of the themes we explore, with compassion and sensitivity. Bring your curiosity about Torah and Midrash, along with your stories and commentaries about mothering, parenting, and communal response-ability.

Teddy Bear Shabbat with Rabbi Zuker
Friday, November 11, 5:30 - 6:30pm
Room 5 at 30 Cleary 
Register here.
Big kids and little kids welcome - bring a stuffy! 

Reconstructionist News and Events
* Indicates new this week

Aleinu: Writing Social Justice Liturgy with Trisha Arlin on

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 19 & 26, Nov. 2, 9 & 16 at 12 p.m. EDT.

Songs of the Grass: Exploring Jewish Eco-Poetry with Hila Ratzabi

Thursday, Oct. 13, 20 & 27, Nov. 3, 10 & 17 at 12 p.m. EDT.

Meditating with the Siddur with Daniel Raphael Silverstein

Monday, Oct. 24 & 31, Nov. 7, 14, 21 & 28 at 1 p.m. EDT.

Community Events
* Indicates new this week

*Forever Young: A Ghetto Story
By Darrah Teitel. Directed by Sarah Kitz.
Pre-Show Discussion with Rabbi Liz (this discussion is free to the public - you don’t need to attend the evening’s production to join)
Wednesday, 9 November, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Lobby of the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Irving Greenberg Theatre.
We are pleased to announce the world premiere of Forever Young: A Ghetto Story by Darrah Teitel and directed by Sarah Kitz, running from November 8-20 at the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Irving Greenberg Theatre. Opening on Kristallnacht and just one day before Remembrance Day, Forever Young: A Ghetto Story explores untold histories of the Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Following three young residents of Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto in 1943 - at the height of the Second World War - this third generation Holocaust story uses humour to engage the audience in a story of occupation, revolution, and betrayal.

*Battling Indifference: How We Teach the Holocaust
Sunday, November 6, 1:00 - 6:00 pm ET
Participate Online or In-Person
Featuring a Dialogue with Elisha Wiesel and the Honourable Irwin Cotler
Moderated by Randi Boyette
Register here.
To kickoff the Holocaust Teach-In's day of learning, Elisha Wiesel and the Honourable Irwin Cotler will discuss the importance of Holocaust education for protecting human rights and preventing mass atrocity. Join President Zev Eleff, moderator Randi Boyette of the Philadelphia ADL, and the Tuzman family in-person at Gratz College. Boyette will engage Wiesel and Cotler, who will be joining remotely, on the challenges and opportunities for leadership in today's world.

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: Ben, treasurer@orh.ca
Secretary: Nicola, secretary@orh.ca
Communications: Andrea, communications@orh.ca
Membership: Myrna, membership@orh.ca
Many Hands Coordinator: Caroline, caroline@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.