Sun, April 10 4:00-5:15pm @Dufferin Grove Park Free – donations greatly appreciated! Registration Required
Families with kids 0-10! Let’s have fun learning about the pre-Passover rituals of bedikat hametz (searching for leaven) and biur hametz (burning leaven).
Hametz hunt around the park
Burn hametz in the bonfire
Roast marshmallows
Eat s’mores
Seder songs singalong around the fire
Meet other downtown Jewish families
All families are welcome, including LGBTQ+ families and interfaith/intercultural families.
Cancelled in the event of rain.
Presented by Makom, Families at the J & PJ Library: Annex / Seaton Village / Wychwood / Dufferin Jewish Families
ALL* interfaith/intercultural/interracial couples** with one Jewish partner are invited to come together (virtually) to join our growing, warm community!
Get to know other interfaith couples and learn how to rock your Passover seder!
By the end of this session, you’ll understand the seder steps and know some tips and tricks to make your seder fun and meaningful, for both adults and children.
*LGBTQ and straight couples warmly welcome! **One or both partners of interfaith couples are welcome to join us.
Posted on by Adina in Class, Programs | Comments Off on April 6: Min Hameitzar/From the Narrow Space: Liberatory Halakhah from a Queer Lens
with Maayan Belding-Zidon
Wed, April 6 7:30-8:45pm @Beth Tzedec – 1700 Bathurst Free
Some tend to think of queerness and halakhah (Jewish law) as two things that are inherently opposed to one another. Passover teaches us, however, that narrowness and restriction is the starting point of our liberation.
In that spirit, we will study (in pairs and as a group) short Talmudic texts from a queer lens that will reveal dynamic and creative forces that shape our legal tradition. Together, we will consider the power of queering our collective norms to transform ourselves, the Jewish people, and the world.
Maayan will speak from a queer-normative lens and all are welcome.
Maayan Belding-Zidon (she/they) is a rabbinical student at Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem. Born and raised on the lands of the Wappinger people in Hyde Park, NY, she has degrees in Modern Middle East Studies, Talmud and community management, and teaching English as a foreign language. Since moving to Israel in 2016, she has worked at a Bedouin elementary school, as a community coordinator for Masorti communities in Tel Aviv and Rehovot, and as an educator for Jewish young adults doing service in Israel. She lives in Rishon LeZion with her wife, Ronnie, and their three cats.
Posted on by Adina in Class, holidays, Programs | Comments Off on April 5: Understanding the Seder: Questioning + Freedom
Gain a deeper understanding of the seder and its linked themes of freedom and questioning.
Next Tues, April 5 8-9pm Online via Zoom Meeting ID: 894 1628 0680, Passcode: 71826613 Free – donations greatly appreciated! Automatic Closed Captioning Everyone is welcome! No prior Jewish study or Hebrew knowledge required.
Registration Required by Friday at noon – register below. You must bring photo ID in order to enter the building.
Please join us for Makom’s soulful, song-filled Friday night services!
As a diverse and inclusive Jewish community, Makom has mens’, womens’, and mixed (all genders’) seating sections. Female, male, and gender non-binary Jews can lead parts of services, and count in our double minyanim of both 10 Jewish men and 10 Jews regardless of gender. At our services, we follow the full traditional liturgy (prayer text).
Covid Precautions
Because Makom’s storefront is too cozy for Covid, we’re renting a much larger space so that we can properly distance. The HVAC system and large, stand-alone HEPA air purifier unit will provide good ventilation.
Everyone age 2 and over must wear a mask at all times while in the building. Adults and age 5+ must wear a surgical mask or respirator (KF94, KN95 or N95); cloth masks are no longer acceptable. We will provide adult- and kid-sized surgical masks for anyone who doesn’t have one. Kids 2-4 should wear whatever mask they will wear consistently and fits best.
Anyone who, within the last 10 days, had symptoms of Covid-19 or a household member with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 must not attend.
Vaccination Policy
Adults, teens, and kids 5+ must be vaccinated to the fullest extent eligible* (includingboosters), and must provide an enhanced vaccination certificate** with a QR code upon registration. If you have a valid medical exemption you must provide your verified certificate with a QR code.
Adults must bring ID with their name and birthdate to services.
*In most cases, the “fullest extent eligible” means:
Adults (18+) need boosters, or to have received their second dose within the past four months.
Teens (12-17) need boosters, or to have received their second dose within the past seven months.
Kids 5-11 need three doses, or to have received their first dose within the past two months.
In all cases, 14 days must have passed for a vaccine dose to be counted.
Adults and teens 12+ who were infected with Covidwithin the past four months, and had received two doses prior to this Covid infection, are exempt from the booster requirement. (This is in accordance with guidance from NACI that people infected with Covid after completing their primary vaccine series but before getting their booster should get their booster three months after infection.) If this applies to you, please upload your enhanced vaccination certificate showing two doses and email us with the date your symptoms began (or your positive test date if you were asymptomatic).
If you have questions about our policies, please contact us.
**You must provide your enhanced vaccination certificate with a valid QR code. You can download your proof of vaccination from the Ontario website here. If you were vaccinated outside Ontario, you can obtain an Ontario certificate by first reporting your vaccination information to your local public health unit. For Toronto residents, that form is here.
Posted on by Adina in Programs | Comments Off on Mar 26: Shabbat Morning Services
Sat, Mar 26 9:30am-12:00pm Free Near Harbord & Spadina (Exact location provided upon registration) Registration Required by Fri 12noon – register below!
Please join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services with Torah reading and a devar Torah (Torah teaching).
As a diverse and inclusive Jewish community, Makom has mens’, womens’, and mixed (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 full traditional liturgy (prayer text).
Covid Precautions
Because Makom’s storefront is too cozy for Covid, we’re renting a much larger space so that we can properly distance. The HVAC system and large, stand-alone HEPA air purifier unit provide good ventilation.
Everyone age 2 and over must wear a mask at all times while in the building. Adults and kids age 5+ must wear surgical mask or respirator (KF94, KN95 or N95); cloth masks are no longer acceptable. We will provide adult- and kid-sized surgical masks for anyone who doesn’t have one. Kids 2-4 should wear whatever mask they will wear consistently and fits best.
Anyone who, within the last 10 days, had symptoms of Covid-19 or a household member with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 must not attend.
Vaccination Policy
Adults, teens, and kids 5+ must be vaccinated to the fullest extent eligible* (includingboosters), and must provide an enhanced vaccination certificate** with a QR code upon registration. If you have a valid medical exemption you must provide your verified certificate with a QR code.
Adults must bring ID with their name and birthdate to services.
*In most cases, the “fullest extent eligible” means:
Adults (18+) need boosters, or to have received their second dose within the past four months.
Teens (12-17) need boosters, or to have received their second dose within the past seven months.
Kids 5-11 need three doses, or to have received their first dose within the past two months.
In all cases, 14 days must have passed for a vaccine dose to be counted.
Adults and teens 12+ who were infected with Covidwithin the past four months, and had received two doses prior to this Covid infection, are exempt from the booster requirement. (This is in accordance with guidance from NACI that people infected with Covid after completing their primary vaccine series but before getting their booster should get their booster three months after infection.) If this applies to you, please upload your enhanced vaccination certificate showing two doses and email us with the date your symptoms began (or your positive test date if you were asymptomatic).
If you have questions about our policies, please contact us.
**You can download your proof of vaccination from the Ontario website here. If you were vaccinated outside Ontario, you can obtain an Ontario certificate by first reporting your vaccination information to your local public health unit. For Toronto residents, that form is here.
We’ll deliver Torah right to your home! We’ll focus on a brief piece of the parashah (weekly Torah portion) together with a commentary or midrash (interpretation). Through guided text study and discussion, we’ll arrive at an inspiring message we can apply in our lives.
Everyone is welcome! No prior Jewish study or Hebrew knowledge required.
7:30pm – Doors open for Ma`ariv, Zakor & Megillah Reading
7:45 sharp-8:00pm – Ma`ariv (Evening Service): Traditional service in Hebrew (Ashkenazi text).
8:00-8:05pm – Parashat Zakhor: Fulfill the mitzvah of hearing 3 verses read from a Torah scroll, in which we’re commanded to remember Amalek’s attack on the Israelites after we left Egypt (Devarim/Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Mixed, all-gender seating.
8:08-9:15pm – Megillah Reading: Hear the full Book of Esther chanted by community members from a scroll. Mixed, all-gender seating.
9:15-10:15pm – Trivia Game: A light & fun, team game experience, led by comedian, actor & pro trivia host Lori Pearlstein
10:00-10:45pm – Additional Megillah Reading, for those who prefer a later start
Please note that we will not be serving food or drink. There is an outdoor space where you can eat or drink anything you bring with you. Masks are required indoors at all times.
Come in costume! B.Y.O. Gragger/Ra`ashan/Noisemaker!
