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In This Edition
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1. *NEW* Shir Libeynu Initiative
THIS Sunday, June 8th, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Information Session @ 2:00 pm
2. Celebrating Shavuot and Shabbat
a) Tuesday, June 3rd @ 7:30 p.m. to Wednesday, June 4th @ 6:00 a.m.,
Where Sinai Meets Spadina: Downtown Tikkun Leil Shavuot at the MNjcc
b) Saturday, June 7th, Contemplative Shabbat Morning Service @ 10:30 a.m. at the MNjcc
3. *Save the Dates* Shir Libeynu and World Pride, 2014
a) Friday June 20th - Kabbalat Shabbat @ 7: 30 p.m. & Shabbat Dinner @ 8:45 p.m. at the MNjcc
b) Saturday, June 21st - World Pride Events
i) Interfaith Fair, 3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m at McGill Square
ii) Sunset Interfaith Service. 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m at the Metropolitan United Church
ii) Havdallah Service, 9:15 p.m. at McGill Square
c) Wednesday, June 25th - Panel Discussion with The Aguda @ 7:30 p.m. at the
MNjcc
d) Sunday, June 29th - Pride Parade
4. Item of Interest
a) Solidarity of Nations - Achvat Amim
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Bar/Bat Mitzvah Information Session Sunday, June 8 @ 2 p.m.
Families with children approaching bar/bat mitzvah age have many questions:
- What does it mean today to have a bar/bat mitzvah?
- What are the responsibilities for the child and his/her family?
- How can the effort involved be both manageable and meaningful?
- What role does community play a part in an individual's coming of age?
Parents, grandparents and guardians can explore these questions and more at our bar/bat mitzvah information session on Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 2 p.m.
Learn about Congregation Shir Libeynu's new bar/bat mitzvah group education program. Led by Marilyn Arkin under the supervision of our rabbinic leader, Aviva Goldberg, those about to become bar or bat mitzvah will explore together what it means to become a Jewish adult.
Please RSVP for the information session by noon on Friday, June 6th. Please note that this session is for parents, grandparents and guardians only. We look forward to getting our bat/bar mitzvah cohort together in near future.
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Where Sinai Meets Spadina:
Tuesday, June 3rd @ 7:30 p.m.
to Wednesday, June 4th @ 6:00 a.m.
Miles Nadal JCC
Celebrate Shavuot with Congregation Shir Libeynu and many other downtown Jewish organizations at this free all-night learning event, with activities for all ages.
For Adults:
Over 40 learning sessions take place between dusk and dawn. Choose between TWO sessions led by members of Shir Libeynu during the second wave of sessions:
Between the Sacred and the Profane: Jewish Texts, Jewish Community, and Queer Jew with Shlomo Gleibman
Room 202 @ 10:00 p.m.
What are the cultural homelands of queer Jews? Come and learn about the changing debates from mainstream and queer Jewish perspectives in their ongoing interpretation and reinterpretation of classical Jewish texts.
Shlomo Gleibman is a Ph.D. candidate at York
University, Department of Humanities (Jewish Studies and Queer Studies), Educational Coordinator of Kulanu Toronto, and a member of Congregation Shir Libeynu and of Darchei Noam. Shlomo has led a number of discussion groups at Shir Libeynu.
Beloved Enemies: David and Saul with Eden Nameri, Jacquie Buncel and Jordan Cares
Room 206 @ 10:00 p.m.
Why did King Saul try to destroy David, his most loyal warrior and his son-in-law? Through ancient story and contemporary poetry, explore love and betrayal in the family circle, concluding with a guided discussion on these dynastic dynamics.
Jacquie Buncel, writer and second-generation Holocaust educator, is the author of the poetry collection Turning the Corner at Dusk. Jacquie has frequently read her poems at Shir Libeynu's services and has also led a creative writing workshop on Yom Kippur. Eden Nameri, a longtime board member, has told the story of Esther, Jonah and the Whale, tales of Chelm and many other stories to congregants of all ages. They are both longtime members of Congregation Shir Libeynu. Jordan Cares is a social worker at Jewish Family & Child, specializing in child welfare and counseling. Jordan is experienced in facilitating complex and challenging discussions.
FOR KIDS:
CAMP OUT AT THE CORNER OF SINAI AND SPADINA!
With the Habonim Dror team and Daniel Eisenkraft Klein
KIDS' TIKKUN (Ages 5 - 10)
Gymnasium
Drop-off anytime between 7:00 and 8:45 p.m.. Program runs until midnight. The Kids' Tikkun lets you camp out at the MNjcc as if you were in the wilderness of the Sinai desert. Kids can make delicious snacks by hand like they did in the olden days (without machines) and learn about Torah and the meaning of Shavuot through games and activities.
YOUTH TIKKUN (Ages 11-14)
Aerobics Studio
Come by any time after 7:00 PM. Program runs until midnight. Participate in an inspiring and engaging program that will allow you to explore the holiday of Shavuot through food, movement, ideas, discussion and more. Teens are invited to stay past midnight and join the general Tikkun.
TEEN LOUNGE (Ages 15-18)
Room 401
Come by any time after 7:30 PM. Kick off your Tikkun by meeting other teens and mapping out your night together. Snacks and board games will be available until midnight.
Daniel Eisenkraft Klein, the Recreation and Leisure Coordinator for the Miles Nadal JCC, first started working with kids as a volunteer with Congregation Shir Libeynu, where he grew up. His energy and enthusiasm have benefited children throughout Toronto.
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Contemplative Chanting Service
Where Prayer, Silence and Melodious Soul-Jamming Meet
Saturday, June 7th @ 10:30 a.m.
Michael Bernstein Chapel at the Miles Nadal JCC
750 Spadina Avenue
Join us on a joyful journey to "an island in time," as Abraham Joshua Heschel has described Shabbat. Through music and chanting, with some grounding in silence, we catch our breaths, we pray, and find innovative ways to navigate our way to the pleasures of connecting to the here and now, to Shabbat and to community.
These services are led by Lorne Blumer, with the assistance of fellow Shir Libeynu soul jammers Helen Bauer, Lorne Gould, and Penny Winestock.
We thank Shoshana Fainsilber for sponsoring the refreshments after the service to commemorate the yarhzeit of her father, Tsvi Fainsilber.
Childcare will not be available at this service.
Please note that this is a morning service.
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*SAVE THE DATES*
SHIR LIBEYNU AND WORLD PRIDE, 2014
FOR ALL MEMBERS,
LGBTQ AND ALLIES ALIKE!
World Pride is coming to Toronto - Friday, June 20th to Sunday, June 29th. Congregation Shir Libeynu has been at the forefront in bringing together the Jewish community to ensure that we and other faith communities are a positive, cohesive presence at World Pride.
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, June 20 @ 7:30 p.m.
Michael Bernstein Chapel at the MNjcc (750 Spadina Ave.)
Joyfully celebrate the coming of the Sabbath at our liberal, inclusive, pride-filled and participatory Kabbalat Shabbat. Shir Libeynu will celebrate as a community while affirming the experiences of LGBTQ individuals from around the world.
LGBTQ members and allies from all communities are welcome.
A free children's program will be provided during the service.
Please RSVP for the service by Wednesday, June 18 at 5 p.m.
Friday, June 20 @ 8:45 p.m.
Room 318 at the MNjcc (750 Spadina Ave.)
Our service will be immediately followed by a Shabbat dinner sponsored by Kulanu Toronto and other Jewish organizations. This kosher vegetarian meal will include Israeli wine, A DJ-led dance party will follow. A $10 minimum donation is requested. Please RSVP for the Shabbat dinner by Monday, June 16th at 5:00 p.m. Contact Kulanu for information on dinner reservations.
World Pride Interfaith Fair and Sunset Service and Havdallah Saturday, June 21 Metropolitan United Church (56 Queen Street East)
Fair: 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. @ McGill Square
Interfaith service: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. @ MCU
Havdallah: 9:15 p.m.@ McGill Square
Join faith-based communities from across the GTA coming together to celebrate World Pride. The theme of the fair - The Rainbow Railroad - is to raise awareness about the persecution that LGBT communities continue to face in many countries across the globe, their struggle to find a safe haven and how we can help. Performances will include the band Snowblink, featuring our own chazzan, Daniela Gesundheit. A youth-led sunset service will be held inside the church, followed by a Havdallah service conducted by our own rabbinic leader, Aviva Goldberg.
Panel Discussion with The Aguda
Wednesday June 25 @ 7:30 p.m.
MNjcc (750 Spadina Ave.)
The leadership of The Aguda, Israel's national LGBT task force, will be in Toronto for World Pride. At this panel, they will speak about the emerging LGBT issues in Israel -- a complex civil and religious legal landscape. Presented by Congregation Shir Libeynu, Kulanu Toronto and the MNjcc.
Pride Parade
Sunday, June 29
Time and location TBA
For the first time ever, Congregation Shir Libeynu is officially registered to march in the World Pride Parade. We will be part of an interfaith contingent - there will even be a float! All marchers will be sporting a logo and colours that show the solidarity of faith-based communities coming together for World Pride and that reflect The Rainbow Railroad. We are all raising awareness about the persecution that LGBTQ communities face in places such as Jamaica, Iran, Russia and Uganda, to name just a few. We hope our whole congregation -- LGBTQ members and allies alike -- will march together at this once-in-a lifetime World Pride event.
Make sure the Shir Libeynu banner flies high. Volunteer to march in the Pride Parade.
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A full listing of all World Pride events in the Jewish community can be found here. Information can also be found on the World Pride website.
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ITEM OF INTEREST
Items listed in this section have been included at the request of Shir Libeynu participants and/or are considered to potentially be of interest to our congregation. Listed items are not necessarily endorsed by Congregation Shir Libeynu or its members. Listings appear at the discretion of the newsletter editor.)
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Solidarity of Nations - Achvat Amim
This new five-month volunteer experience based in Jerusalem directly engages with the reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the core value of self-determination for all peoples.
Participants are involved in hands-on work with educational, community, and human rights organizations, including Rabbis for Human Rights, doing grassroots work with Israelis and Palestinians in and around Jerusalem. Participants volunteer in a group project and in individualized placements, while traveling extensively, and learning with leaders in the field. Achvat Amim is renewing the conversation on Jewish Peoplehood and Zionism for the 21st century. Together, they build a dynamic learning community in which we explore and shape Jewish culture and identity as individuals and as part of a greater whole. The next program is beginning in September. Applications are open until June 12th! For more information, please visit www.achvatamim.org or email [email protected].
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Shir Libeynu Fund
Proceeds from the fund will go towards ensuring that Shir Libeynu continues to thrive while ensuring access to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.
Click here to donate to the Shir Libeynu Fund (please note that we do not have credit card capability - just PayPal).
Alternatively, you can make out a cheque to Congregation Shir Libeynu (please write "Shir Libeynu Fund" in the "Memo" or "Re" section on the cheque) and mail it to:
Congregation
Shir Libeynu,
P.O Box 73509
Toronto, Ontario
M6C 4A7
stating the reason for your donation so we can acknowledge it in the Shabbat handout and on our website. Donations in any amount are welcome and income tax receipts will be issued.
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The congregation holds Shabbat services one Saturday morning of each month, in the Michael Bernstein Chapel, on the 3rd floor of the Miles Nadal JCC, followed by a light Kiddush. A free Shabbat program is offered for children during services. We also offer adult education workshops and programs, the possibility to participate in our choir and chanting events, as well as holiday celebrations and Oneg Shabbat dinners throughout the year.
Congregation Shir Libeynu is unaffiliated, liberal, inclusive and egalitarian. Our participatory services combine tradition and innovation. Shir Libeynu is Hebrew for "song of our hearts," and our services include prayers and music both ancient and modern. Our diverse community is a welcoming one.
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Shir Libeynu Fund
Proceeds from the fund will go towards ensuring that Shir Libeynu continues to thrive while ensuring access to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. Click here to donate to the Shir Libeynu Fund (please note that we do not have credit card capability - just PayPal). Alternatively, you can make out a cheque to Congregation Shir Libeynu (please write "Shir Libeynu Fund" in the "Memo" or "Re" section on the cheque) and mail it to: Congregation Shir Libeynu,
P.O Box 73509
Toronto, Ontario
M6C 4A7
stating the reason for your donation so we can acknowledge it in the Shabbat handout and on our website. Donations in any amount are welcome and income tax receipts will be issued.
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|
The congregation holds Shabbat services one Saturday morning of each month, in the Michael Bernstein Chapel, on the 3rd floor of the Miles Nadal JCC, followed by a light Kiddush. A free Shabbat program is offered for children during services. We also offer adult education workshops and programs, the possibility to participate in our choir and chanting events, as well as holiday celebrations and Oneg Shabbat dinners throughout the year.
Congregation Shir Libeynu is unaffiliated, liberal, inclusive and egalitarian. Our participatory services combine tradition and innovation. Shir Libeynu is Hebrew for "song of our hearts," and our services include prayers and music both ancient and modern. Our diverse community is a welcoming one.
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