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Friday Night SERVICES  + Potluck KIDDUSH

Friday, Apr 13
6pm
 – Doors open; 6:15 – Services start
@ Makom  402 College St

Celebrate Shabbat with spirit! Wind down from the week and welcome Shabbat with soulful, song-filled services, in which everyone can participate.

After services, join us for a community kiddush; please bring a kosher-certified food or beverage to share for snacking & schmoozing.

TORAH STUDY by the Lake

5 Tuesdays, Apr 10 – May 8
10:30am-12:30pm
65 Harbour Sq (Queen’s Quay W & York St)
$125 for the series

Come learn Torah! In our ongoing, multifaceted study of the Torah, we’ll learn and discuss Devarim (Deuteronomy) chapters 25-29 from a great variety of perspectives: ancient and modern, traditional and academic, literary and historical, etc.

No prior Jewish study or Hebrew knowledge required. Contact Rabbi Aaron for more info and to register.

FENTSTER presents: A Place of Wholesome Amusement

February 26 – May 22, 2018
@ Makom – 402 College St

In a striking new neon light installation, Toronto-based and Beijing-born multidisciplinary artist Shellie Zhang reimagines marquee signage to represent two significant cultural institutions established by Chinese and Jewish newcomers to Toronto in the same building at the corner of Dundas and Spadina. First known as the Standard Theatre, the venue opened as a Yiddish theatre in 1922 and five decades later hosted Chinese cinema as the Golden Harvest Theatre. The artist considers how one building served as a locus for cultural expression and cohesion for two different communities. Accompanied by a detailed overview of the building’s colourful history and reproductions of archival materials, the exhibition surfaces immigrant narratives embedded in the architecture of the Kensington Market-Chinatown neighbourhood, revealing little-known points of connection and breaking down siloed conversations about our city’s past.

Presented by FENTSTER and the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre as part of the 2018 Myseum Intersections city-wide festival
Curated by Donna Bernardo-Ceriz, Dara Solomon and Evelyn Tauben

The Murmuring Deep: Literary and Psychoanalytic Reflections on Torah, with special guest Dr. Avivah Zornberg

Sunday, Apr 29
7:00 – 8:30 PM
@ MNJCC – 750 Spadina Ave 
Advance Tickets – $10, Door – $15
Tickets Here

World-Renowned Torah scholar and Professor of English Literature Dr. Avivah Zornberg joins us from Israel for a richly textured exploration of biblical narratives, modern midrash and the biblical unconscious.

Dr. Avivah Zornberg was born in London and grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, where her father was a Rabbi and the head of the Rabbinical Court. She studied with him from childhood; he was her most important teacher of Torah. She holds a BA and PhD in English Literature from Cambridge University. After teaching English Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she turned to teaching Torah. For the past thirty years, she has taught Torah in Jerusalem at Matan, Yakar, Pardes and the Jerusalem College for Adults. Dr. Zornberg also holds a Visiting Lectureship at the London School of Jewish Studies. She travels widely, lecturing in Jewish, academic and psychoanalytic settings.

Dr. Zornberg is the author of five books, some of which will be available for purchase at the event: Moses: A Human Life, The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious, The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus, and Bewilderments: Reflections on the Book of Numbers.

Co-sponsored by Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto, City Shul, Congregation Shir Libeynu, Danforth Jewish Circle, First Narayever Congregation, Kiever Synagogue, Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism, and Miles Nadal JCC.

Partners: Annex Shul

PJ PLUS: Bringing Jewish Books to Life

Sundays, April 15 – May 13,  10 – 11:15am
Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism – 402 College St. 
$75 for 5 weeks
For details and to register: HERE

PJ Plus is a parent/grandparent & tot (2&3 yr olds) weekly class, based on PJ Library books.

This Spring session come and experience: Celebrating Israel and Yom Haatzmaut, Shavuot Shakes, Mother’s Day Magic and much more through hands-on Jewish learning, crafts, music & movin’ based on PJ Library books. Have fun and connect with other young Jewish families downtown!

Questions? Contact Adina Lipson at alipson@ujafed.org or  416-621-5675.

 

 

 

Softening into Liberation: Pre-Pesah MEDITATION

Sunday, Mar 25
7:30-9pm
@ Makom – 402 College Street
PWYC $15-$30 donations suggested
RSVP required

Chanting, singing, guided and silent meditation to prepare ourselves for Passover and our liberation.

Everyone is welcome. No previous experience necessary.

Led by meditation teacher, musician and prayer leader Aviva Chernick.

Please arrive before 7:30 to set up. We have chairs; feel free to bring a cushion for the floor and a blanket to wrap up in for warmth and comfort. Registration required; please email Aviva.

Spiritual Sounds Lab HAVDALAH CONCERT with Deborah Sacks Mintz

Saturday March 24
9:30 PM – Doors Open
9:45 PM – Concert Starts 
@ Creeds Coffee Bar – 390 Dupont St.
FREE Tickets HERE

Deborah Sacks Mintz (from NYC), a rising star in the Jewish music world known for her soulful, beautiful prayer leading, original songs, and niggunim (wordless melodies), will lead a musical havdalah and melaveh malkah – a spiritual singalong to bid adieu to Shabbat. Joined by our own, amazing Avivah Chernick.

Presented by Beth Tzedec Congregation, Annex Shul, Holy Blossom’s Young Professionals & Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism
Sponsored by Jeffrey Gertner and Family

Sell Your Hametz before Passover

Traditional Jewish law (see Exodus 12:19) forbids owning any hametz (leavened foods) during Passover. While it’s ideal to consume or donate (e.g., to a soup kitchen) all hametz prior to the morning before Passover starts, rabbinic tradition allows for the sale of hametz to a non-Jew, even while it remains on your premises.

If you would like to sell your hametz through Makom, please complete and sign the linked form (in either doc or pdf format), scan it, and email it to aaron@makomTO.org by 9:00am on Thursday, March 29.

Or you may mail the completed and signed form to: Makom, 402 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1S8. Mailed forms must reach Makom by Wednesday, March 28.

There is no fee for this service.  Donations to Makom are appreciated (minimum suggested donation of $18). You may donate online or mail a cheque along with your form.

Hag kasher ve-sameiah – wishing you a happy and kosher Passover!

Outdoor MATZAH BAKE

Presented with PJ PLUS

Sunday March 25
12:00 – 2:00 PM 
Dufferin Grove Park – North End 
$5/person
Get your Tickets Today

 

Join us for a fun afternoon of making and baking Matzah! See if you can mix, kneed, roll and bake in 18 minutes or less!

We will have Passover stories for the kids to hear and we will have tents, so come rain or shine!

Find us at the North end of the park near the bread ovens. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Please note: Matzah won’t be Kosher for Passover but it’s still a fun and wonderful way to prepare for Pesach!
 

Makom ATID OPEN HOUSE

8:00 – 9:00 PM
Thursday March 22 
@ Makom (402 College Street)
RSVP required

 

Introducing Makom ATID – Makom’s innovative approach to serious Jewish learning and preparation for Bar/Bat Mitzvah for students in grades 5-8.

Our Open House is a chance to learn about our amazing program, meet other ATID parents and have all your questions answered!

For more information, please contact Rabbi Emma