Saturday, July 25 | 9:30 am – College & Bathurst
Join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services, followed by a delicious Shabbat lunch and stimulating learning! Speaker TBA.
Lunch registration required by Thursday, July 23.
Services don’t require registration – no need to register if you’re not staying for lunch!
Become a Makom Member first and save 10%.
Supervised childcare will be provided in Makom’s playroom during services.
Please join us for a powerful, contemplative evening marking historical Jewish loss and ongoing brokenness in the world as we usher in Tishah be-Av, the ninth day of the lunar month of Av. This date marks the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history. It is traditionally observed with fasting, refraining from wearing leather, and other mourning customs. (For more background, see here.)
Saturday, July 22
9:00 – 11:00pm
Bathurst & College
Bring Food or $$ to Donate + Flashlight
We’ll pray the brief evening service and listen to the Biblical book of Eikhah/Lamentations, hauntingly chanted by community members. We’ll also sing somber songs; read kinnot (elegies) for ancient calamities, the Holocaust, and October 7; and chant niggunim (wordless melodies).
As signs of mourning, it’s customary to sit on the floor of the synagogue with the lights dimmed, so please bring a flashlight.
Please BRING FOOD, CASH, or CREDIT for our neighbours at Fort York Food Bank, in keeping with the spirit of Isaiah 58:6-7, “This is the fast I desire… It is to share your bread with the hungry.” Fresh produce, grains, and canned or boxed foods are all welcome, as are cash and credit card donations.
Doors open at 9:00pm; services begin promptly at 9:15pm.
FYI, in Toronto, the fast begins Wednesday at 8:51pm, and the fast ends Thursday at 9:31pm.
Friday, July 10 | 5 pm – Register now!
Join us for a joyful, family-friendly Shabbat in the Park!
We’ll begin with a relaxed arrival time for connection, playground play, and settling in together, before gathering for a Shabbat program with stories, songs, Shabbat-themed activities, and challah and grape juice. Afterward, families are invited to stay for more playground time and a bring-your-own picnic dinner.
Please note that this program is designed to give parents and kids a chance to celebrate Shabbat together (not a drop-off program). Geared for families with children ages 0-10.
All families welcome, including LGBTQ+ and interfaith/intercultural families!
Any Qs? Email Talia Levitt, Makom’s Youth Programming Coordinator, at youth@makomto.org
Presented by Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism, MNJCC’s Families @ the J, and PJ Library
Saturday, June 27 | 9:30 am – College & Bathurst
Register now!
Join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services, followed by a delicious Shabbat lunch. After lunch, we’ll sing zemirot (table songs) together. Rabbi Aaron will teach them first, so even if you’re unfamiliar with the words or melodies, you’ll learn them and can join in!
Lunch registration required by Thursday, June 25.
Services don’t require registration – no need to register if you’re not staying for lunch!
Become a Makom Member first and save 10%.
Supervised childcare will be provided in Makom’s playroom during services.
Friday, June 19 | 6:00 pm
Join us for Toronto’s annual community-wide Pride Shabbat. The evening will feature a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat service led by queer and allied clergy, followed by a kosher dinner and time to connect.
This event centres LGBTQ+ Jewish community members and welcomes allies who want to celebrate and support inclusive Jewish life. It’s a chance to gather, reflect, and celebrate.
Pride together in a warm, welcoming space.
Thursday, June 18 | 5:45 – 7:15pm
@Bathurst & College
Registration required
Mix, knead, braid, and decorate your own homemade challah to take home and bake fresh for Shabbat. Plus, we’ll enjoy dinner and a Shabbat story together (choose pizza or falafel; must be ordered in addition to registration).
Registration required by 12noon sharp on Thursday, June 18.
Families of all Jewish identities are warmly welcome, including interfaith/intercultural and LGBTQ+. No Makom affiliation necessary.
This is designed to give parents and kids a chance to make a delicious challah together (not a drop-off program). This program is geared toward families with kids from JK through Grade 5; younger siblings are welcome!
Any Qs? Email Talia Levitt, Makom’s Youth Programming Coordinator, at youth@makomto.org.
Sunday, June 14 | 4:30 to 6:00 pm – College and Bathurst St.
Registration required
There are many ways to mark the month of Pride. Let’s begin together with this community sit. This gathering will celebrate through connection in a warm, loving and playful environment.
Join facilitator Aviva Chernick, Director of the Beth Tzedec Centre for Spiritual Well-Being, together with fellow community members for this opportunity to rest in loving attention through meditation, reflection and song, in a Queer and Trans Jewish space. While we honour our allies, this particular event is for those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Presented by:
Beth Tzedec Centre for Spiritual Well-Being, Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism, Darchei Noam, First Narayever Congregation, Hillel Ontario, Miles Nadal JCC, neySHEV
Sunday, June 14 | 12:30 – 2:30 pm – University Ave. & Dundas St.
Registration required – Free – Suggested $10-20 donation to Shir Libeynu
In the 1880s, Toronto was colloquially known as the “City of Churches.” What did it mean to be Jewish in such a place? Wander back to Victorian and Edwardian Toronto, where two very different Jewish worlds took shape just blocks from each other: the city’s earliest Jewish industrialists nestled near a new wave of Eastern European Jews fleeing poverty and pogroms. From rabbis to racketeers, playground activists to the first home of kosher smoked meat, uncover how Jews adapted to the City of Churches — and how the city adapted to Jews — at the turn of the 20th century.
Please be sure to arrive on time so that the tour can proceed as scheduled.
Presented by Shir Libeynu, Makom & College Street United Church. Led by Sharoni Sibony.
Friday June 12 | 7:15pm – Register now!
Wind down from the week and welcome Shabbat with soulful, song-filled services, in which everyone can participate.
After services, we’ll enjoy a delicious, catered kosher vegan Shabbat dinner and each other’s warm company.
Dinner registration required by Wednesday, June 10 at 10am.
No need to register if you’re coming just for services and not staying for dinner.
Become a Makom first and save 10%.
Thank you to Green Economy Law for their generous sponsorship.
Please try to come on time for services at 7pm.
Makom is a diverse and inclusive community that welcomes participants with many different approaches to Judaism, from secular to traditionally observant. Our services blend traditional and progressive practices, so our community can join together without regard to denominational labels.
We offer men’s, women’s, and mixed (all-genders) seating sections. All genders may lead parts of services. We need an egalitarian minyan of 10 Jews and a non-overlapping traditional minyan of 10 men to start the maariv service, so we encourage you to come on time.
Makom welcomes participants of all abilities. Makom’s main space is wheelchair accessible; unfortunately, the washroom and playroom are not. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.
Saturday, May 30 | 9:30 am – College & Bathurst
Register now!
Join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services, followed by a delicious Shabbat lunch and stimulating learning!
Lunch registration required by Thursday, May 28.
Services don’t require registration – no need to register if you’re not staying for lunch!
Become a Makom Member first and save 10%.
Thank you to Green Economy Law for their generous sponsorship.
Supervised childcare will be provided in Makom’s playroom during services.
After lunch, Dr. Adina Gamse will lead us in thought-provoking, interactive learning on “Math & Mishna.”
Dr. Adina Gamse loves introducing non-mathematicians to the joys of the subject. She has a PhD in Mathematics from Northeastern University and held post-doctoral research fellowships and a teaching fellowship at U of T before switching careers. Adina also loves Jewish learning and is excited to combine these subjects in this class. You may know her as Makom’s Managing Director, keeping all the administration and logistics for our community flowing. In her free time, she enjoys trampolining and flying trapeze.