The fun of a play date meets meaningful Jewish family education! Join us for a weekly parent/grandparent and tot program for children aged 18 months through three years, focused on Jewish holidays, Shabbat, and Jewish values.
8 Sundays, October 18 – December 6 10:30-11:30am Register
PJ Plus builds on the overwhelming success of PJ Library, using PJ Library books as a springboard to develop engaging and inspiring weekly classes for parents or grandparents and their tots. It’s where the fun of a play date meets the value of Jewish family education.
• Interactive PJ story circle time • Arts and crafts • Music and movin’ • Snack and schmoozin’
Join us on Saturday, September 5 as we conclude Shabbat together with a musical havdalah, and then socialize over dessert. We’ll kick off the High Holiday season with a singalong to learn stirring holiday melodies, followed by the powerful prayers of Selihot.
9:15 p.m. Doors open
9:30 sharp Musical Havdalah
9:45 High Holiday Tunes Singalong
10:15 Dessert & Socializing
10:45 Selihot Service
12:15 Lilah Tov ~ Goodnight!
Selihot are special penitential prayers recited on the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They’re also a great opportunity to learn some of the prayers and melodies we’ll use on those Days of Awe.
This event is free! Donations are greatly appreciated.
Accessibility
Makom welcomes participants of all abilities. Makom’s main space is wheelchair accessible; unfortunately, the downstairs washroom and playroom are not. There are wheelchair accessible washrooms one block away at the coffee shop on the corner of Bathurst and College. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.
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.
Accessibility Information
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.
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.
Accessibility Information
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.
Supervised childcare will be provided in Makom’s playroom during services.
At lunch, Professor Sara Verskin will teach on “Interfaith Spa Night! The Bathhouse as a Social Experience for Medieval Women.”
In the medieval world, the bathhouse, hammam, or mikveh was a venue where women congregated together for medical and life-cycle events, away from the supervision of male religious leaders. We’ll explore writings by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian authorities about the social significance of the bathhouse and their belief that it was a place where women developed close ties with women from other religions and where they formulated their own, separate framework for understanding what the religious commandments meant to them.
Sara Verskin is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto in the departments of Religion and of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, where she teaches courses on Islamic family law, the history of medicine, and medieval social history.
Posted on by Ben in Uncategorized | Comments Off on July 22: Tishah be-Av
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.
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
Posted on by Ben in Class, Programs, Shabbat | Comments Off on June 27: Shabbat Morning Services + Lunch ‘n’ Sing
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!
Posted on by Ben in Uncategorized | Comments Off on June 19: Pride Shabbat
Join us for Toronto’s annual Pride Shabbat
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.
Posted on by Ben in Makom Families | Comments Off on June 18: Family Challah Bake
Join us for a fun, hands-on evening as we prepare for Shabbat together!
Thursday, June 18 | 5:45 – 7:15pm @Bathurst & College Registrationrequired
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.
