Class

Mar 11: Shabbat Morning Services + Lunch n’ Learn

Join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services, followed by Shabbat lunch and learning!


Saturday, March 11
9:30am – 2:00pm
@Makom – 402 College St (map)
Services do not require registration.
Lunch registration is required – click here to register.
Various price options are available so that finances aren’t an impediment to anyone’s participation. Become a Makom Member first and save 10%.


We’ll hear the Torah reading of parashat Ki Tissa (Shemot/Exodus 30:11-34:35), which includes the pivotal episode of the golden calf. There’s also a special, additional Torah reading for Shabbat Parah (literally, cow Shabbat): Bemidbar/Numbers 19:1-22.

Supervised childcare will be provided in Makom’s playroom during services.

At lunch, Rabbi Aaron will guide us in learning “But Why?! Do Mitzvot Have Reasons?”
Through text study and discussion, we’ll explore diverse approaches (including our own) to this foundational philosophical question in Judaism. (No prior Jewish learning experience or Hebrew knowledge necessary.)

Please come on time so we can start services strong with a double minyan,* especially for anyone saying kaddish.
*As a diverse and inclusive Jewish community, Makom has mens’, womens’, and all-genders’ seating sections. Female, male, and gender non-binary Jews can lead parts of services, read and be called up to the Torah, and count in our double minyanim of both 10 Jewish men and 10 Jews regardless of gender. Makom services follow the traditional Ashkenazi liturgy (prayer text).

Covid Precautions

To make services safer for community members who have health concerns, everyone age 5+ must wear a surgical or higher-quality mask (KN-95, KF-94, etc.) throughout services. Children 2-4 should try to wear any mask they’ll keep on. We’ll provide masks for those who don’t have.

After services conclude and folks who aren’t staying have a chance to leave, those staying for lunch are welcome to remove their masks.

Jan 15: A Modern Prophet: The Torah & Legacy of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Sun, Jan 15
8-10pm
Online
Free

Registration Required

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was a tremendously influential Jewish philosopher, prolific author, and civil rights activist. (His actual yahrtzeit – the Jewish-calendar anniversary of his death – is today, the 18th of Tevet.)

Makom is excited to partner with Yeshivat Chovevei Torah – Rabbi Aaron’s rabbinical school – on this online program exploring Heschel’s Torah (teachings) and enduring legacy.

Please register to join us and other communities for this inspiring evening of learning, including talks by Prof Susannah Heschel and Rabbi Aaron’s teacher Rabbi Saul Berman, who, like Rabbi Heschel, marched with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.

ASL Interpretation & Closed Captioning available

Nov 19: Shabbat Morning Services + Lunch n’ Learn

Colourful Hebrew letters spelling Shabbat Shalom

Sat, Nov 19
9:30am – 1:30pm 

@Makom – 402 College St (map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Registration Required by Fri, Nov 18 at 12noon

Join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services, followed by a home-cooked Shabbat lunch and learning!

Please come on time so we can start services strong with a double minyan,* especially for anyone saying kaddish.

Want to read Torah or HaftarahEmail Adina.

Supervised childcare will be provided in Makom’s playroom during services.

Lunch is FREE; donations are greatly appreciated!

Our guest teacher at lunch is Nadav Sharon (bio below). In preparation for Hanukkah, which starts in exactly one month, he’ll teach us about “The Story of Hanukkah and Its Historical Sources.”

Covid Precautions

To make services safer for community members who have health concerns, everyone age 5+ must wear a surgical or higher-quality mask (KN-95, KF-94, etc.) throughout services. Children 2-4 can wear any mask they’ll keep on. We’ll provide masks for those who don’t have.

After services conclude and folks who aren’t staying have a chance to leave, those staying for lunch are welcome to remove their masks.

*As a diverse and inclusive Jewish community, Makom has mens’, womens’, and mixed seating sections. Female, male, and gender non-binary Jews can lead parts of services, read and be called up to the Torah, and count in our double minyanim of both 10 Jewish men and 10 Jews regardless of gender. Makom services follow the traditional Ashkenazi liturgy (prayer text).

Nadav Sharon

Nadav Sharon

Nadav Sharon holds a PhD in the history of the Jewish people in the Second Temple period from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (2013). His PhD dissertation focused on the end of the Hasmonean state and the beginning of Roman rule in Judea (67–37 BCE), and a revised version of it was published in 2017 as Judea under Roman Domination: The First Generation of Statelessness and Its Legacy. He has also published several academic studies in the field of Second Temple Judaism.

Following a number of postdoctoral positions, including one at the University of Toronto, Nadav earned a Master of Information degree from the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, and, as of January 2020, serves as Judaica Librarian at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library of the University of Toronto and Jewish Studies selector for the University’s Central Libraries.

Nov 8-29: Torah Reading for Beginners


4 Tuesdays, Nov 8 – 29
7:00 – 8:30pm

@Makom – 402 College Street (map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Register today

Learn to read Torah!

We’ll introduce the system of chanting marks known as “trop,” and how it encodes structure, meaning, and melody. You’ll learn the Torah reading melody commonly used in Ashkenazi communities in North America.

Over the course of four weekly sessions, we’ll cover all the trop marks and how they fit together, and how to prepare to read a Torah portion at services.

Prerequisites
You should be comfortable reading a short Hebrew text with vowels, out loud in a classroom setting. You do not need to be “good at singing”!

Covid Precautions
To make this class safer for community members who have health concerns, surgical or higher-quality masks (KN-95, KF-94, etc.) are required. We’ll provide masks for those who don’t have.

Nov 1: Practical Torah Skills Workshop


Tues, Nov 1
7:00 – 8:30pm

@Makom – 402 College Street (map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Register today

Develop your Torah-handling skills in this hands-on workshop!

Learn how to open a Torah scroll and roll it to the right place, what to do when you’re called up to the Torah, and how to lift and wrap the Torah.

We’ll practice in a relaxed environment so you’ll feel comfortable and confident handling a Torah at services.

We’ll also take a close look at the inside of a Torah scroll and discuss how they’re made.

Everyone is welcome; no experience necessary!

Covid Precautions
To make this workshop safer for community members who have health concerns, surgical or higher-quality masks (KN-95, KF-94, etc.) are required. We’ll provide masks for those who don’t have.

Sept 21: Shofar Blowing Workshop


Wed, Sept 21
6-7pm
@Makom’s Backyard
(map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Registration Required

Learn to blow shofar!
In this outdoor workshop, you’ll learn:

  • Sources on the practice & purpose of blowing shofar,
  • Ashkenazi & Sepharadi customs for blowing shofar, and
  • How to blow like a pro!

Taught by Makom’s shofar blower, Chaim Grafstein, and Rabbi Aaron.

No experience necessary; everyone is welcome!

If you have a shofar, please bring it.  We’ll have a few to share (sanitizing between uses).

Sept 15 & 29: Language Exchange

Language Exchange

image is tiled with brightly-coloured strips of paper, each saying "thank you" in a different language

Thurs, Sept 15 & 29
7:00-8:30pm

@Makom (map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Registration Required

Looking to meet people to learn language with? Wondering how to say “hello” in Hindi, Judaeo-Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, or Yiddish? Join us for a language exchange!

We know our community is rich with knowledge of languages from around the world, so we’re coming together to share that wealth in a relaxed and friendly environment.

No previous knowledge required!

Any Qs? Email Benjamin.

Surgical or better-quality masks required to be worn. (Makom will provide for those who don’t have.)

Sept 18: The Blanket Exercise

Indigenous History & Colonization Workshop

Participants in a blanket exercise


Sun, Sept 18
4-6pm
@Dunn Avenue Parkette
 – 185 Close Ave (near Queen & Dufferin)
Free
Registration Required

During the month of Elul, a time for personal and communal reflection and teshuvah (repentance) leading up to the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), please join us for an important, interactive program on Indigenous history, colonization, and reconciliation that fosters truth, understanding, and respect.

All adults and children 8+ are warmly encouraged to participate.

Created in 1997 by Indigenous people and allies, the Blanket Exercise was intended to introduce Canadians and Indigenous peoples to findings from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) and major historical events in Canadian history in relation to settler-Indigenous relations and legislation.

This popular cultural tool, later known as the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, is built on relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to raise awareness of continuing injustices and impacts of colonization, and to promote further learning.

The script has been updated numerous times to reflect current events, including most recently the final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada  and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

  • Each person should bring their own sheet or blanket.
  • Please wear comfortable clothes.
  • You’ll be required to remove your shoes, so wear comfy (or interesting) socks.

In the event of rain, we’ll meet in the nearby Parkdale Library auditorium. If we’re indoors, masks and proof of triple vaccination for ages 12+ (double vax for kids 5-11) will be required. The library, auditorium, and washrooms are all wheelchair accessible.

We’ll be led by Dawn T. Maracle, who is Mohawk, sits with the Bear Clan, and lives in Toronto. Dawn is an award-winning diversity community organizer, facilitator, cultural advisor, consultant, and curriculum writer.

June 30: Jewish Sources on Abortion

Close-up image of writing in Torah scroll

Thurs, June 30
8-9pm
Online

Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Registration Required
Zoom link sent upon registration

What does Judaism teach about abortion?

In light of the US Supreme Court’s tragic decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion, join Rabbi Aaron online to explore relevant Jewish sources, from ancient to contemporary.

In addition to learning the texts, we’ll discuss the changing legal ground in the US and its implications for women’s bodily autonomy and freedom of religion.

Everyone is welcome!

No prior Jewish study or Hebrew knowledge required.

Automatic Closed Captioning.

June 4 – Downtown Tikkun Leil Shavuot


After a two-year Covid hiatus, this incredible festival of diverse Jewish learning is back in person, in a condensed format, from 6:00 to 11:30pm.

Among the many fascinating sessions (and snacks!), our community will offer holiday ma’ariv/evening services (9:30pm on the MNjcc rooftop) and Rabbi Aaron will teach “When’s Shavuot?! Adventures in the Jewish Multiverse” (10:45pm in Robert Street Park at Sussex). In the event of rain, sessions will be held inside the MNjcc.

It’s free and open to all, but registration’s required by Friday afternoon. You won’t want to miss it!