OrH Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter

3 July 2018

Summer at OrH
The next two months will be a quiet time at OrH, with many of our services and events on summer hiatus. Look for more information in next week's newsletter about our annual Shabbat in the Park at the band shell at Andrew Haydon park on July 28. This summer OrH will not be holding a dedicated Pride Shabbat on the August Pride Weekend. However, Members of Or Haneshamah are invited to attend Temple Israel's Community Pride Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday, August 24 and to march with other members of the Ottawa Jewish community in the annual Pride parade on August 26. Look for more information in the community section of next month's newsletter.

Emergency Pastoral Care While Rabbi Liz is on Vacation
Rabbi Liz is on holiday until July 22nd. She has arranged with colleagues to cover emergency pastoral care situations only -- that is, death of a loved one or serious trauma.
 
Jean Hanson, chair of Hesed, will act as the contact person between the members of the congregation and the rabbis on call. If you should have an emergency need for pastoral care, please call the ORH number, 613-239-4988, and leave a message with your contact information and some details of your situation. Jean will pass the information on to the rabbi on call and ask him to call you.

Upcoming Services and Events
 
Shabbat in the Park
Saturday, July 28, 2018
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Andrew Haydon Park, 3169 Carling Ave.

Reconstructionist News
 
Reconstructing Judaism Statement on Immigration
The movement has issued a statement on the latest controversy regarding the treatment of asylum seekers at the US southern border: https://tinyurl.com/ydabyjxt. 
 
Experience Camp Havaya Family Camp
FAMILY CAMP at CAMP HAVAYA is a great way to get a taste of what this wonderful camp is like. It's an easy drive, and you are certain to have an unforgettable experience! https://camphavaya.org/family-camp. 
 
Join the Tikkun Olam Commission
Reconstructing Judaism's Tikkun Olam Commission is currently seeking new members who are passionate about social justice and reflect the diversity of the movement. For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/yaxdewqk. 
 
Reconstructionism Today
The latest issue of Reconstructionism Today can be found at: http://eepurl.com/drgFTX. The archive of back issues are available at: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/newsletter-archive. 

In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
 
Community Events and Announcements
 
* Tzofim Israeli Friendship Caravan Concert, Thursday, July 12, 7 - 9 pm. Community wide concert - all welcome! The Tzofim Friendship Caravan is celebrating over 40 years of bringing excitement, energy and friendship to North America! Sponsor: Vered Israel Cultural and Educational Program, SJCC. Contact Ella Dagan at edagan@jccottawa.com.  
 
Community Opportunities
 
* Call for Volunteers to assist with "Discovering Multicultural Canada: A Digital Archive Project of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario." The Multicultural History Society of Ontario (MHSO) has amassed the most extensive collection in Canada of archival materials related to the immigrant and ethnic experience. Fifty-four different ethnocultural communities are represented in the collection. In addition to personal and institutional textual records, the collection includes nearly 6,000 oral history interviews and over 90,000 historical photographs.
 
The Society is looking for dedicated individuals who wish to support the establishment of this innovative digital archive. Volunteer Opportunities Include: Transcribing oral history interviews; transcribing oral history interviews recorded in heritage languages and then translating transcripts into English; indexing oral history interviews; and editing transcripts of oral history interviews.
 
Although the Society is located in Toronto, volunteers can work from anywhere in the province. Interviews will be accessible electronically. Required Skills: Responsible, organized, enthusiastic individuals who can work well independently. Time Commitment: Volunteers must be able to commit 4-8 hours per week towards the project. As volunteers can work from home, the exact days and hours of volunteering are flexible. 
 
If you want to volunteer, send a letter of interest outlining your experience and what you can contribute to the project and the MHSO to Daniel Panneton, Historian & Outreach Officer at daniel.panneton@mhso.ca. For information on the Society, view our website at www.mhso.ca and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/multiculturalhistorysociety
 
Friendly Visitors urgently needed for JFS clients!

1. Active senior looking for a female volunteer with a car to take her on outings like bowling, JCC Library, AJA 50+ programs, coffee dates, etc. Carling/Preston area.
2. ​​​​​​​Senior with mobility issues is looking for a visitor who can help with her gardening. Every 2 weeks or so. JFS neighbourhood.
3. Man with mental health challenges needs transportation only for groceries/banking/errands every second week, during morning hours. 1-2 hours maximum commitment. Very flexible on dates. Vanier area.

 
Jewish War Vetarans of Canada, Ottawa Post, is offering two $1,000 scholarships to Jewish students graduating in 2018 from secondary school and entering university in 2018. All documentation must be received no later than July 13, 2018. For application requirements and submission details, please see the flyer at: https://tinyurl.com/y8tecfe7

Get Involved! Opportunities for Community Involvement
Are you looking to get involved with OrH activities? We are always in need of helping hands with event planning and other activities. All are welcome, including High Schoolers who are looking for community volunteer opportunities. Please contact info@orh.ca or visit the OrH home page (look for the Get Involved! banner). 

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 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.

Potluck Protocol
Our community’s long time practice is to welcome egg, dairy and fish on the potluck table. Please label your meal contributions with all ingredients to help people with food allergies or sensitivities; also advise kitchen staff whether dish is to be served hot or cold.

Rides to Services and Events
Will you need a ride to services and OrH events? Are you able to offer a ride to services OrH events? We encourage members to be generous with their offers of rides. Please contact  info@orh.ca  with your name and area of the city you are coming from.

Visiting or Studying in Toronto or Montreal?
If you or your children will be in Toronto or Montreal, they are very welcome at our sibling congregations. We have reciprocal memberships with both Darchei Noam (Toronto) and Dorshei Emet (Montreal). Likewise, we welcome their members to our services, programs, and High Holy Day services. For security reasons we ask to call ahead to make arrangements for the High Holy Days.

A Caring Community
Members are encouraged to contact the rabbi or any board member to let us know about your pastoral care needs, or the needs of another member, whether related to a new or an ongoing circumstance. These may include such situations as a pending hospitalization, a change in health, relationship, or employment status, other life transitions, or the death of a loved one. Through knowing what is happening in each other’s lives, we give each other, including our rabbi, the opportunity to perform acts of gemilut hasadim/loving kindness, the hallmark of a caring community.

We Are Listening
How do you feel things are going in our community? Do you have ideas about programs or events that we should pursue? What aspects of Or Haneshamah do you feel are working well, and what do you think can be improved?  In the interest of making OrH the best community that it can be, the board and rabbi invite you to submit comments and feedback at any time. Please send your thoughts to  feedback@orh.ca  or directly to any member of the board (email addresses below).

Board of Directors
Interim President (until Dec 2018): Monica, president@orh.ca
Treasurer: Jacob, treasurer@orh.ca
Interim Secretary (until Dec 2018): Martine, secretary@orh.ca
Communications: David, communications@orh.ca
Learning: Michael, learning@orh.ca
Membership: Barbara, membership@orh.ca
Member-at-Large (Shabbat-Around-the-Table): Jan, member-at-large.jan@orh.ca
Member-at-Large (Hesed/Caring Committeee): Jean, member-at-large.jean@orh.ca
Member-at-Large (Membership): Sharon, member-at-large.sharon@orh.ca
Interim Member-at-Large (until Dec 2018): Halina, member-at-large.halina@orh.ca
Past President: Paula, past-president@orh.ca

 
Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton:  rabbi@orh.ca
Members are welcome to contact Rabbi Liz, 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.