Bulletin VoL.70, No. 2 | KISLeV 5781 • deCemBer 2020 | WWW.BeTH-TzedeC.orG In this Issue Special events Scholar Series with Professor Stephen Berk 1 DECEMBER AND FEBRUARY See p. 2 Lighting the Way 2 VoluFnteePr ApO preciation Night DECEMBER See p. 10 Finding Home: 3 Books, 3 Presenters 3 DECEMBER , JANUARY & Celebrate Hanukkah Program Guide - ˙ FEBRUARY with Beth Tzedec Winter See p. 19 See p. 7 See p. 22-29 the sam & sarah kerzner and joseph kerzner Mai Hanukkah? Why Hanukkah? holocaust memorial institute ˙ ˙ guest scholar In discussing H anukkah, in what is a Hanukkah still is a hugely popular very short seri˙es of passages in the h˙ oliday among the Jewish people. And Talmud , this is the question rabbis ask: its name, meaning dedication, has Mai H anukkah? extended its impact beyond the holiday ˙ itself. When we dedicate a home or a Professor “Why H anukkah?” Don’t they know? synagogue that ceremony is called Did the˙ rabbis not know of the . Such ceremonies The Hanukkah we Maccabees? Of the courageous Hanukkat HaBayit a˙re symbolic of our dedication to Stephen Berk ˙ rebellion Judah and his brother’s waged Jewish values and the institutions— celebrate today against the Assyrian-Greeks? home and synagogue—that most Did the rabbis not know of the miracle nurture them. is actually an of the oil? Of how that tiny cruse of It’s not by accident, then, that on sacred oil, found in the ruins of the Friday night, December 9, the 25 th of amalgamation of Temple, lasted eight days? Kislev, 1955, Beth Tzedec Congregation Mai Hanukkah? Why H anukkah? Why was dedicated. As Lorne Hanick the original story ˙ ˙ ask such a question?! reminds us, the dedication of the If you want the fuller explanation, join building was meant to reflect the found in the Book my “Learn Talmud at Your Own Pace” dedication of the Temple. Sixty-five class Monday, December 14 at 7:30 PM . years ago, we celebrated the H anukkat ˙ of Maccabees and You can register here . HaBayit of Beth Tzedec on the first night of H anukkah. The short answer is that the rabbis had ˙ the Talmud. a theological problem with H anukkah This year, the night of December 9 falls in that the success of the Ma˙ ccabees on Wednesday (24 Kislev) and H anukkah ˙ could not be reconciled with their begins the following evening, Thursday understanding of the Davidic Dynasty December 10. The Shabbat o f Hanukkah ˙ and the coming of the Messiah. And will be Saturday, December 12. yet, H anukkah was a hugely popular In celebration of our 65 th ˙ anniversary Our People Are Your People: The New Middle East holiday among the people. So in asking as a Congregation, we invite you to the question “Why Hanukkah?” (some ˙ share with us your stories of what Beth American Jews and the TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 7:45 PM 600 years later), the rabbis create an Tzedec has meant to you. We will opportunity to reinterpret its meaning. publish them on social media, include Struggle for Civil Rights The H anukkah we celebrate today is ˙ them in our H anukkah celebrations and In his final lecture of the 2020-2021 series, actually an amalgamation of the reflect on the˙m over Shabbat H anukkah. original story found in the Book of ˙ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15 AT 7:45 PM Professor Stephen Berk will analyze the Simply finish this statement: “When I Maccabees and the Talmud . ongoing changes to the Middle East ’s In his second of three online lectures, political landscape and share the implications Professor Stephen Berk will address the point for Israel and the Arab and Muslim states in of intersection between the American Civil the region. Rights movement and the American Jewish community. PRE -REGISTRATION REQUIRED . Click here to register. PRE -REGISTRATION REQUIRED . Click here to register. 2 KISLeV 5781 • deCemBer 2020 CommeNTAry Rabbi Steven Wernick | KISLeV 5781 • deCemBer 2020 3 CoNTINued Rabbi Steven Wernick Lighting Our Way think of what Beth Tzedec means to me, I think of…”. You can send your BeTH TzedeC BuLLeTIN | Winter responses to Terri Humphries at [email protected] . Here at Beth Tzedec, we embarked entertained, inspired and spiritually VoL. 70. No. 2 KISLeV 5781 • deCemBer 2020 And if you haven’t seen Debbie Rothstein’s article yet (on the opposite upon the new year embracing the connected. We also need your help page), in which she shares what Beth Tzedec means to her and what we theme of Olam Hesed Yibaneh —we nominating people to be honoured at ˙ Beth Tzedec Congregation have accomplished together this past year, this is a good time to view it. build this world from love. The last this special evening. For more 1700 Bathurst Street, nine months have seen incredible information about the evening or to Toronto, Ontario Canada M5P 3K3 Beth Tzedec Congregation inspires and enables its community to live demonstrations of love and hesed as submit nominees, click here>> . Tel 416-781-3511 / Fax 416-781-0150 meaningful Jewish lives. We have been doing so successfully for the last www.beth-tzedec.org The power of we all navigate these uncerta˙in times. 65 years. And with your dedication to our mission, we will continue to do 2020 has been a year built on countless It goes without saying that essential so today and tomorrow, too. acts of kindness, selflessness and President Debbie Rothstein community is all workers have helped ensure that we love. For me personally, my family has [email protected] remain safe and healthy, while they been my rock. They light my way on a remained on the front lines. Chair of the Board Bernie Gropper around us—from daily basis. But there were also two [email protected] In our kehillah , there have been so many different programs that were a bright Rabbi Steven C. Wernick, Anne and Max the essential people who have made a difference. light for me in the darkest days at the Tanenbaum Senior Rabbinic Chair Volunteers making thousands of phone beginning of the pandemic and ext. 218, [email protected] This year, when you workers who are calls to reach out to our members; continue to be demonstrations of the Associate Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin teens and under-25s delivering hallah power of community. ext. 219, [email protected] CeLeBrATe • HoNour • CommemorATe ˙ to seniors for Shabbat; our Spiritual Sheldon and Patti Rotman started a Cantor Sidney Ezer keeping us safe to Leadership Team who not only created ext. 296, [email protected] Choose ‘Treasures of Beth Tzedec’ Tribute Cards weekly “Kiddush Club/L’Chaim” that online portals for prayers and pastoral first week we closed the building. This Ritual Director Lorne Hanick the Beth Tzedec care from scratch but innovated to ext. 240, [email protected] coincided with a huge upheaval for ensure we remained engaged while me in my professional life. To be Director of Community Building & mastering new online skills. Spiritual Engagement Yacov Fruchter volunteers making honest, I was not really in the mood ext. 279, [email protected] It is in honour of all the people that for that first “L’Chaim”, but I cleaned Executive Director Randy E. Spiegel the 'check-in' have gone above and beyond in our myself up and logged onto Zoom. I ext. 211, [email protected] community that we are holding our was met by 25 smiling faces and the Director of Education / Congregational phone calls. “Lighting the Way” event on positive influence of seeing these School Principal & Programming Our ‘Treasures of Beth Tzedec’ series, by local photographer Wednesday, December 16. At this people was immediate. I was able to Coordinator Daniel Silverman Darren Levant, beautifully captures signature architectural details, unique program offered on Zoom, we connect to my community, who like ext. 231, d silverman @beth-tzedec.org noteworthy art and precious artifacts—timeless treasures of our will acknowledge and honour our my family, had my back. Each week, as Director of Youth Engagement Shirel Barkan Congregation. The Tribute cards featuring general, lifestyle and members who have gone above and the numbers grew, participants spoke ext. 290, [email protected] holiday themes, with space to add your own personal message, are beyond to ensure that our community about their week, their lives, their Teen Engagement Associate Sylvie Moscovitz available as a set of 6, or as individual cards sent from the remains safe, educated, nourished, feelings. I cannot begin to describe ext. 246, [email protected] Synagogue office. Receptionist Avital Narvey • Purchase a package of 6 cards for $50, or $10 for an individual card, 416-781-3511, [email protected] and personalize and send them out yourself; or Executive Assistant & Events Coordinator Florence Bendelac • Call us to order cards at a cost of $18 each and we’ll inscribe and ext. 213, [email protected] send them out for you. Manager of Marketing & Communications Linda Marleny Dow All ‘Tribute card’ contributions are fully tax receiptable. For ext. 281, [email protected] information or to purchase, contact the Synagogue Office at Production Manager Terri Humphries 416-781-3511 or [email protected] . ext. 212, thumphries @beth-tzedec.org Member Engagement & Development Klara Romm ext. 220, kromm @beth-tzedec.org Museum Curator Dorion Liebgott ext. 232, [email protected] Executive Assistant to the Rabbis Sheri Federman ext. 227, [email protected] To contribute your news, congratulations, member updates or other listings, Community Manager Noah Brown send an email to [email protected], call 416-781-3514, ext.