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March/April 2021 Adar/Nisan/Iyar 5781 Worship Schedule

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March/April 2021 Adar/Nisan/Iyar 5781 Worship Schedule the BULLETIN March/April 2021 Adar/Nisan/Iyar 5781 Worship Schedule NOTE: WATCH FOR YOUR WEEKLY EMAILS AND THE TEMPLE WEBSITE FOR CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT IN HOUSE SERVICES Holiday Dates Times SHABBAT Friday, March 5 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, March 6 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Ki Tisa, Shabbat Parah MORNING Thursday, March 11 9:00 am Morning Minyan MINYAN SHABBAT Friday, March 12 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, March13 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Vayakhel/Pekude SHABBAT Friday, March 19 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, March 20 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Vayikra ARZA Canada Shabbat (see page 6) MORNING MINYAN Thursday, March 25 8:00 am Morning Minyan SHABBAT/ Friday, March 26 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service PASSOVER Saturday, March 27 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Tzav 3:30 pm Family Fun Passover Pre-Seder (see page 5) Sunday, March 28 9:00 am 1st Day of Passover ZOOM Chag Minyan 6:00 pm Passover Seder Hop Friday, April 2 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service SHABBAT Saturday, April 3 10:15 am Shabbat & Passover Yizkor Service, memorial plaque dedication MORNING Thursday, April 8 9:00 am Morning Minyan MINYAN SHABBAT Friday, April 9 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, April 10 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Shemini Celebrating our Czech Torah (see page 6) SHABBAT Friday, April 16 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, April 17 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Tazria-Metzora MORNING Thursday, April 22 8:00 am Morning Minyan MINYAN SHABBAT Friday, April 23 5:30 pm Family Fun Shabbat- It’s Israel’s birthday! 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, April 24 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Achrei Mot/Kedoshim SHABBAT Friday, April 30 6:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service Saturday, May 1 10:15 am Shabbat Service, Parsha Emor 2 | TEMPLE ISRAEL BULLETIN - March/April 2021 From the Pulpit President’s Message Next Year in Person January was a mild, tolerable win- try month, whew! Sunny February In some ways, the time has brings slightly longer days, lifting passed excruciatingly slow. In our spirits at the prospect of steady other ways, where have the days progress towards the next season. gone? A reminder to appreciate seasonal change with much to look forward We find ourselves back at Pass- to! over. Last year we were caught off guard, needing to regroup At Temple, we notice many positive with drastic speed as we found signs – high program attendance, ourselves somewhat lost. How with new and familiar faces join- can we possibly do a virtual seder? We rose to the ing us from afar; record participation at committee and occasion and surprised ourselves as we connected board meetings; a balanced budget and stable overall amidst a period of disconnection. fi nancial situation; teams and task forces hard at work – Life & Legacy, Truth & Reconciliation and Anti-racism Here we are again, but we find ourselves in a very (forming); wonderful Shabbat celebrations to honour different place even as we once again need to our lay cantors and our volunteers; family Shabbat and commemorate our rituals online: Purim festivities by the school; a new relationship with Kiryat Shmona, a sister shul in the Hula Valley in Israel • We’re getting better and better at technology, near the Lebanese border. So much to connect with, en- using it in creative ways to foster meaning. This is joy and be excited about! not our first choice, but we’ve embraced these tools to the best of our abilities. As Reform Jews we’ve We are getting the hang of virtual events, communica- truly modelled the pathway to blend our tradition tions and relationships. I’ve had several virtual brunch- with a grounding in the 21st century. Take note of es, happy hours, dinners – even outdoor walks chatting the various virtual offerings for Passover. There’s on the phone! We can do this! something for everyone for the youngest of friends to the young at heart. A meeting of all committee and task force chairs and team leaders is planned soon and leadership develop- •Our holidays remind us of our whole-hearted ment will be a topic. Anyone keen to take on a volunteer commitment to community and tzedakah. We live challenge is warmly invited to explore with staff or a and breathe this each day, no matter the circum- board member. Help build our Temple community stron- stances. And in these difficult times we’ve connected ger! in precious ways from phone calls, to baskets, to giving funds. Thank you for your ongoing generos- It is customary for the Temple Board to consider every ity and care. I keep hearing from our members that rabbi’s contract a year before its conclusion. Rabbi Mike- they have never felt more connected to Temple – this lberg’s original contract with Temple Israel is for three is heartening. years, concluding in the summer of 2022. Accordingly, contract talks with the Rabbi will begin this spring. Tem- •We conclude our seders with the words, “Next ple’s practice is for our Human Resources Committee to Year in Jerusalem.” In days past, this was a literal meet with the Rabbi to review the contract and make ap- prayer to return to our beloved homeland. Today it is propriate recommendations to Temple’s Executive Com- expanded, Jerusalem represents our aspirations for mittee. The Board approves the fi nal contract. tomorrow. We have many, to return to our building, to see our friends and family, to feel safe out and The HR Committee is currently chaired by Heather about… Unlike last year, the light at the end of the Evenchick, with members, Temple Treasurer Steven tunnel is within reach. Let’s continue to be strong Mendelsohn, past president Lorne Rachlis, and former and resilient. Board member Christine Kessler. Temple members are invited to provide input to Heather Evenchick I look forward to seeing you in a host of virtual ([email protected]) by March 19th. settings in coming days, and I really look forward to seeing you in person again when the time is right. Margot Montgomery We’ll get there, we’ll cross the sea, we’ll reach the President Promised Land. If the Israelites escaped slavery so too can we! KAIROS Blanket Exercise Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg Tentatively coming this April! See page 8 for more informa- tion March/April 2021 - TEMPLE ISRAEL BULLETIN | 3 School News Condolences FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK It is mid-February as I write this arti- cle. We have just had one of only a few snowstorms so far this year. Stores are starting to re-open for the second May their memory forever time and our kids are back in school during the week. As an extra-curricu- be a blessing. lar program, TIRS classes have been virtual since September and, for the Condolences are extended to the families of: safety of our students and teach- ers, will likely remain virtual for the Andres Garami, beloved husband of Ana-Maria remainder of the year. Thankfully, vaccines are rolling out Garami, father of Daniel & Robert into the arms of Canadians as we look forward with the hope for in-person classes in the fall. Maxine Deroche, beloved mother of Diane (Michael) Parkin It is diffi cult to imagine that it has been almost a full year since this pandemic aff ected our lives, and yet we have Naomi Skoll, beloved mother of Rosemarie Skoll (Les prevailed. From Purim to Purim and Pesach to Pesach, Grumach) we have discovered new and exciting, albeit challenging, ways to celebrate Jewish holidays, to be with family and friends and to educate and engage our students. Yahrzeit Plaques It seems early to be thinking of the next school year, but Memorialize your loved ones I am already starting to look for teachers for 2021-2022. with a purchase of a Yahr- This year, even I have been in the classroom as I was not zeit Plaque. Donation is $400 able to fi ll one position, and there’s no time like the pres- (tax receipt is issued for this ent to start searching. If you know of anyone who would amount). be interested in teaching 2-7 hours per week starting in September, please send them my way! New plaques are installed annually at our 7th day of Passover service. Please note that with the announcement by the Ontario Minister of Education on February 11th to move the “March” Break to April, TIRS will be following the OCDSB in this shift for the break. The good news is that this means our teachers will have more time to teach our students about Passover. In the original plan, we had very little time for our students to learn about this major Jewish holiday. It means we can not only have a mock seder but we can also have our annual Chocolate Seder along with JYG and FROSTY. With our Rabbis We can look to Torah for wisdom on every aspect of Looking forward to longer days of sunlight ahead. our lives! Our rabbis will help us delve into some of the more tricky issues of the day with our traditional texts Chag Pesach Sameach! and values as our guide. (Wednesdays, 7:30pm) Sue Potechin Wednesday March 24,2021 TIRS Principal Passover is on the way. Our story of the ancient slaves is intended to open our eyes to slavery of the present. Rabbi Mikelberg will speak about various forms of Bnai Mitzvah contemporary slavery. We can weave these realities into our own seders as we work towards freedom for all.
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