In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
* Mark your calendars for Lorne’s monthly Chanting and Chocolate gathering at Temple Israel on Monday, January 29, 7:30-9pm. Join in sacred Hebrew chanting with beautiful melodies and spiritual intention to open the heart and connect with the Divine. Lorne Mallin is joined by Ottawa musical friends. Hebrew knowledge is not required – chant sheets are provided. After the chanting, enjoy tea and home-baked, triple-chocolate brownies. $10 suggested donation to help Ugandan orphans to go to school. Contact Lorne at lorne.mallin@gmail.com or 604-222-3379.
* Friday, January 26, between 12 and 2 pm, there will be a Commemoration Service to Mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The service takes place in Jean Pigott Place, Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave W. RSVP at: cija.ca/weremember.
* Parenting in the 21st C: Free 3-Part Parenting Series for Jewish Families. Is parenting leaving you feeling frustrated? Confused? Worried? Do you wonder about how to set limits? How to manage your teen's moods, your child's outburst? Do you feel disrespected as a parent? Come and meet with other parents as our in house clinical experts share some knowledge and suggestions on how to feel more confident in parenting. Rabbi Tanger will be in attendance. Pareve refreshments will be served. Sessions are free, Child minding available. To register contact Quinn at qriviergatt@jfsottawa.com. Feb 6, 13, 20 at Jewish Family Services of Ottawa, 2255 Carling Ave suite 300.
* KBI's Guest Lecture Series featuring Lauren Tuchman in honour of Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month, Lauren is a visually-impaired rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she serves as a chaplain at the New Jewish Home and previously served as the rabbinic intern at T'ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She has taught widely on the intersection between Judaism and disability throughout North America and has been widely published. February 2, 2018. For more information contact rabbizuker@kehillatbethisrael.com.
* In honour of Black History Month on February 6 attend a screening of "Rosenwald" - a documentary film about Jewish businessman and humanitarian Julius Rosenwald. The film tells the story of Rosenwald's partnership with legendary African-American thinker and activist Booker T. Washington, and their joint establishment of 5500 schools to serve poor, rural African-American youth. Proceeds will support the enhancement of the Ojigkwanong Centre, “a home away from home” for many Indigenous students, and JET’s education programming. Drinks and silent auction at 6:30, Film at 7:15, at the SJCC, 21 Nadolny Sachs Prvt. More info at this link. Tickets are $10 at www.jetottawa.com or by calling 613-695-4800.
* Upcoming events through the Gamliel Institute and Kavod v'Nichum. For more information please contact Judith at bt708@ncf.ca.
- The next session of the Gamliel Cafe will be on February 15 featuring Vickie Weitzenhofer and her daugher Ellen on inter-generational Chevrah work.
- Taste of Gamliel starts February 4th, 2018. The 2018 Series is titled "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone: Jewish Customs of Remebrance". Teachers include: Maharat Victoria Sutton February 4th on Graveside Customs; Rabbi Stuart Kelman March 4th on Kaddish; Jacob Klein of Keshet April 8th, Jewish Trans Day of Remembrance; Rabbi Yonitan Cohen April 29th on Disenfranchised Grief; and Rabbi SaraLeya Schley May 27th on the Yizkor Service. All Sunday evenings 8 pm EST, 5 pm PST. Sessions are recorded and available to those registered after the event. Suggested donation of $36 for the entire series. Registration required. http://jewish-funerals.org/gamreg. For more information contact Rabbi Joe Blair at rabbijoeb@gmail.com.
- 16th North American Chevrah Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery Conference takes place at Congregation Beth El in Bethesda, Maryland (just north of Washington, DC), June 3-5, 2018. For more information and to register: https://jewish-funerals.givezooks.com/events/16th-n-american-chevrah-kadisha-jewish-cemetery-confere.
Community consultations with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa's advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, (CIJA). Sunday, Jan. 28 from 2-4 p.m. at the Soloway JCC. This is a vital opportunity for community members to meet one another, engage CIJA's team, and share your concerns and priorities. These consultations will directly shape CIJA's advocacy work in the year ahead. To register visit: http://cija.ca/grassroots-ottawa. For more information, contact Federation's advocacy adviser, Allyson Grant, at agrant@cija.ca or 613-234-8271 x 226.
Mitzvah Day is on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. On Mitzvah Day, members from the Jewish community come together to volunteer their time and energy in the spirit of Tikkun Olam. Mitzvah Day aims to help not only the Jewish community, but the broader Ottawa community, giving a helping hand to those in need and the amazing organizations serving them. Mitzvah Day is about teaching our children and experiencing for ourselves the value and importance of one person helping another. It is about hands-on Judaism. It is about Our Community, Our Responsibility, Our Future. Visit www.mitzvahdayottawa.com for more details.
Employment Opportunity with Federation. Community Engagement Specialist - 1 year contract. A fantastic job opportunity for someone passionate about helping to foster a warm, inviting and inclusive Jewish community. If you are outgoing and friendly, customer service oriented, self-motivated and love working with people, this position is for you! Under the supervision of the Vice President of Community Building, this key member of the Community Building Team is responsible for overseeing Federation's Volunteer Centre, welcoming newcomers, the virtual Jewish Ottawa Info-Centre, Holocaust education initiatives and the March of the Living program. See the full job description at https://jewishottawa.com/careers/community-engagement-specialist-1515093799. To apply please send your cover letter and resume by January 25, 2017, to Sarah Beutel, Vice President of Community Building at sbeutel@jewishottawa.com.
Volunteers Needed!
Your community agencies are in need of specific volunteers. For a full list of current needs, or to register, visit https://jewishottawa.com/volunteering:
- Ottawa Kosher Food Bank is looking for drivers to help deliver meals once a month to shut-in clients. If you are interested in helping, please contact Michelle at okfb@kehillatbethisrael.com or call 613-728-3501 x235.
- Hillel Lodge needs volunteers to help provide a variety of services for seniors such as: assisting with and participating in special events, driving them to appointments, or taking them for an outing. Learn more at https://jewishottawa.com/volunteering/hillel-lodge.
Calling on Emerging Generation members: Develop your professional skills and impact your community! J-Fellows is a new Federation initiative meant to inspire the next generation of community volunteers and leaders. The initiative will enable participants to better understand the Jewish community and help identify their community passions, as well as provide opportunities to develop leadership skills. It runs over a period of six months, with six interactive sessions. It is free of charge and pre-registration is required. Find out more at https://jewishottawa.com/our-community/j-fellows or contact Natalie Abenhaim at nabenhaim@jewishottawa.com or call 613-798-4696 x355
OJB Call for Submissions. Help celebrate Israel at 70. Israel is marking its 70th anniversary this year and to help celebrate this milestone, the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin is preparing a special birthday tribute for the May 21, 2018, edition and we would love your input. Do you have special memories you would like to share about your personal Israel experiences? Stories of early settlements? Photos that show the country's growth and change? Please send your submissions to Michael Regenstreif, Bulletin editor, by April 20, at mregenstreif@ottawajewishbulletin.com. For more info, please call 613-798-4696, ext. 255.
Hire an Intern to support Camp B'nai Brith student staff. Could you use an intern for May/June 2018? Camp B'nai Brith of Ottawa has recently set up a unique program whereby our staff participate in a 5-6 week internship in their field of study for May/June, and then continue their employment at camp for July/August. It enables the camp to retain staff longer, and the students (1st year university students or older) to gain a summer full of relevant work experience. Please consider offering an internship at your workplace that can be presented to staff. Our staff are hard-working, motivated, and eager to learn and contribute! We hope you will consider partnering with CBB of Ottawa to help grow the next generation of Jewish leaders. If you are able to help or would like more information, please contact Cindy at cindy@cbbottawa.com or 613-244-9210.
The Canadian Jewish News CJN Prize for young writers 18-29. The CJN Prize for excellence in Jewish writing is open to Canadian citizens and residents of Canada, 18-29 years old. Write an essay on any Jewish topic expressing individual’s identity, experiences and ideas, between 500 and 1000 words, in English. Submission deadline: January 25. Submissions should be emailed to: thecjnprize@thecjn.ca. All submissions will be judged by an independent panel of judges. Winners will be announced in March. First place is $1,800. For more information about The CJN Prize visit: bit.ly/CJNPRZ18.
