OrH Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter

9 October 2018

• Original art
• Made by community members
• Jewish theme

Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
Our first Jewish mindfulness meditation session of the season takes place Thursday, October 11 – and every second Thursday of the month until June 2019, 6:45-8 pm in Room 5. This learning activity is open to all who want to explore, learn, grow and share a mindfulness experience with a Jewish perspective. No RSVP or registration fee required. We encourage free-will offerings to maintain access to the space and seed the establishment of a fund to subsidize attendance at future Jewish-Buddhist retreats. Come to one, some or all of the sessions. For more information visit: www.orh.ca/jmm.html.

October JED Talk: "The Crimea Project"
Our first Jewish Education and Dialogue (JED) talk of the season takes place Friday, October 12, at 8:00 pm, following Kabbalat Shabbat services at 6:30 and potluck supper at 7:30, in Room 5. Come for the service or join us for dessert while we hear from OrH member Allan Kagedan who will discuss the "Crimea Project." As we celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday, we should remember all the events that led up to its birth. One of these was the effort to create a Jewish republic in the Soviet Union, alongside republics for Ukrainians, Armenians and Georgians. The Crimea Project drew significant support from American Jews on Wall Street and in union halls and from Jewish communities around the world. Thousands of resilient Russian Jews moved to South Ukraine and Crimea. The dream of a Jewish republic in the USSR survived the Holocaust but ended as a paranoid fantasy for Stalin, on the eve of Israel’s creation.
 
Our speaker, Allan Kagedan, earned a Ph.D. in history and political science from Columbia University, and is the author of Soviet Zion: The Quest for a Russian Jewish Homeland. He has taught at McGill University and is an affiliate of Carleton University’s Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies and a senior advisor to the Canadian Defence Association Institute.

Shabbat Kehillah Services – Activities For Every Age, Heart, Body & Soul!
Following the success of our Shabbat fairs, we’ll continue our monthly lively Shabbat morning experiences this fall, winter, and spring on the third Shabbat morning of the month in the NOW Room, lower level. Each Kehillah Service features a short musically-driven service and a potpourri of activities led by ORH members and Rabbi Liz, addressing a theme or concept related to the season, or the weekly torah portion. Following a closing gathering that include the opportunity to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish, we’ll enjoy a delicious communal pot-luck Kiddush luncheon.
 
Our first Kehillah service takes place on October 20 at 9:45: The theme will be, Lekh-Lekha: Liberating Journeys, New Beginnings. There are so many connections and parallels with the story of Avram hearing and heeding the call to change everything about his life – to leave his homeland, his birthplace and his parent’s house to become a “stranger in a strange land.” Rabbi Liz and guitarist Howard Kaplan lead opening and closing Tefilat Shirah with joyous song and prayer. Stay tuned for the full program! Special Guests will share their personal experiences of both their inner and outer journeys to new places!

Upcoming Services and Events
 
Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
Thursday, October 11, 2018
6:45 PM - 8:00 PM, Room 5
 
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, October 12, 2018
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM, Room 5
 
JED Talk: "The Crimea Project"
Friday, October 12, 2018
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Room 5
 
Shabbat Morning Kehillah Service
Saturday, October 20, 2018
9:45 AM - 12:15 PM, NOW Room, lower level
This month's theme is "Lekh-Lekkha: Liberating Journeys and New Beginnings"
 
BaMa'gal B'nei Mitzvah Group
Sunday, October 21, 2018
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM, Room 5

Reconstructionist News
 
Reconstructionism Today
The latest issue of Reconstructionism Today can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/ydce3wxy. The archive of back issues are available at: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/newsletter-archive.

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.