In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
Community Events and Announcements
* Airplane Tragedy in Iran. The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'is of Ottawa cordially invites you and your friends to a series of five interfaith memorial prayer gatherings in honour of those who died in the crash of Ukrainian International Flight PS752, a flight which included many Canadians. Noon to 1 pm, Monday through Friday, Jan 20 to Jan 24 at the Ottawa Bahá'i Centre - 211 McArthur Avenue.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 7- 8:30 pm. Join the community at the Library Archives Canada to hear keynote speaker Pinchas Gutter, the first Holocaust survivor to be immortalized in an interactive three-dimensional projection in the USC Shoah Foundation’s New Dimensions in Testimony. Admission is free, however kindly RSVP as places are limited. Library of Archives Canada
395 Wellington St., RSVP: https://holocaust-holocauste.eventbrite.ca. More info contact Carol at cfaucher@cija.ca
* The Exodus – Myth or History? A lecture by Shawna Dolansky, College of the Humanities, Carleton University. The Bible commands its readers to tell their children the story of the Exodus; but biblical scholarship and archaeology of the 20th and 21st centuries have increasingly cast doubt on the fact that the Exodus actually happened historically. This lecture reviews the biblical story in light of the archaeological evidence – or lack thereof – reflecting on how to answer the question of whether these foundational events of Israel actually occurred. Glebe Community Centre, Thursday, January 30, 7:00 pm, Scotton Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. More info at: https://carleton.ca/chum/2020/free-public-lecture-the-exodus-myth-or-history/
* Disability Rights 101 - A Workshop, January 30, 7 - 9 pm, at Jewish Family Services, 300-2255 Carling Ave. Human rights are created to protect and empower people. The ins and outs may seem elusive, but they are public, important, and for everyone. Join us for an informative evening of learning and discussion with Harvey Goldberg, human rights advocate and expert.
Contact Deborah Zuker at deborahzuker@gmail.com
Mitzvah Day 2020, February 2, 8:30 - 12 pm. Join your community Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Soloway JCC for a morning of fun-filled and educational activities. Free breakfast begins at 9 am, Mitzvah Day promises something for people of all ages. Visit www.mitzvahdayottawa.com for the list of activities that highlight the theme of "Better Together" and explore the mitzvot of helping the sick and hungry, passing on Jewish traditions, Jewish learning, and more. Register via the website for your preferred activity! We look forward to seeing you! Contact Tanya for more info at Tpoirier@jewishottawa.com.
* "El Lissitsky": Artist, Architect, Revolutionary, February 9, 10:30 am - 12 pm at the SJCC. Ian Ferguson will explore the life and extraordinarily varied oeuvre, of the Russian avant garde artist El Lissitsky. In addition to official work alongside such artists as Chagall, he served as an important bridge between Soviet artists and their counterparts at the Bauhaus and the West.
Contact: Roslyn at rwollock@jccottawa.com
* Music of the Heart, February 10, 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm, at the SJCC. Join classical guitarist and vocalist Andrew Mah and violinist Anna Baksheeva as they present a program of music of the heart. Included are pieces composed by John Dowland, Edward Elgar, Giacomo Puccini and Jerome Kern, all in the spirit of romance. $15 Contact: Roslyn at rwollock@jccottawa.com
Soloway JCC Winter Israeli Film Series
Film series with short talk by Orly Erlich, Consul at the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa and Ohad Kaynar, Charge d’affaires, Deputy Head of Mission.
January 16: Turn left at the end of the world
February 19: Zero Motivation
March 19: Peace after Marriage
Doors open at 6:40
Sponsor: Vered Israel Cultural and Educational Program, SJCC, The Embassy of Israel, CICF
Soloway JCC, 21 Nadolny Sachs Pvt.
“More than Just Mosaics: The Ancient Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee.” A lecture by Jodi Magness, Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Sunday, February 23, 19h00 (7:00pm), SJCC – Social Hall, 21 Nadolny Sachs Pvt.
International Women's Day Celebration Party, March 7, 7 pm, SJCC, 21 Nadolny Sachs Pvt. The first annual party bringing together Israeli and Jewish women of the Ottawa community to celebrate International Women’s Day! A fun evening of dancing, delicious Israeli food, drinks and lots of great entertainment. You won’t want to miss this party of the year - Israeli style! Tickets are $50 each and are limited – for more info or to buy tickets via etransfer contact Israeliwomeninottawa@gmail.com.
Ottawa Tour to Israel: Celebrating Women’s Voices, May 17-27, 2020. Join an exceptional group of women on this educational and thought-provoking tour to Israel. Tour covers inspirational speakers on topics such as Ethiopian Jewry, civil rights, and Israeli health innovation. It also includes events with Palestinian Member of Knesset, Aida Touman-Sleeman, and a panel of experts discussing Palestinian and Jewish/Israeli perspectives on political and social issues. We will celebrate Rosh Chodesh with Women of the Wall and among other activities visit a Bedouin Weaving Centre and Dead Sea spa. Eight spaces remain to share in this exciting tour. For the itinerary, please contact: Yaffa Greenbaum at yaffa.greenbaum@gmail.com (613-266-6677) or Paula Agulnik at agulnikpaula@gmail.com (613-298-7520).
Community Opportunities
Daily Dose of Talmud. We want to share a great new Jewish learning resource from myjewishlearning.com. You can sign up here to receive a "daily dose of Talmud" email offering interesting and accessible insights into the first tractate of the Talmud. The project will begin on January 5, 2020, the day that begins the new 7 ½ year cycle of "Daf Yomi" (Daf Yomi is a learning project where people choose to study one page of the Talmud per day). Historically, studying this much Talmud would be inaccessible for all but the most traditionally learned folks (with the most free time), but the entire Babylonian Talmud is now available on Sefaria.org, for free, in clear English translation, with helpful editorial comments. These two resources make learning Talmud more accessible than ever before. This blog post by Nigel Savage , Executive Director of Hazon, gives some great insight what it's like for a Talmud outsider to study this text each day.
