A time to mourn and a time to dance

—Kohelet/Ecclesiastes 3:4

Please join Makom and Hillel UofT for an evening of mourning and dancing, crying and laughing, as we commemorate the third yahrtzeit (anniversary) of the Simhat Torah/Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel and then celebrate the joyous holiday of Simhat Torah (rejoicing with the Torah upon completing its annual reading).

Due to security measures, everyone must register in advance, even if you’re not participating in the dinner. (The memorial service, services, and hakafot are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.)

Schedule

5:00 pm  Doors open
5:15 pm  Memorial ceremony – prayers, poems & songs to remember the victims of the attack and all those who have died in the ensuing war, and pray for peace
6:00 pm   Festive holiday dinner (catered, kosher & vegan)
7:45 pm   Ma’ariv & Hakafot – evening service + singing & dancing with the Torah
10:15 pm Torah reading & conclusion of service
11:00 pm Goodnight!

Dinner registration required by Wednesday, Sept 30.

Please try to come on time for the memorial service at 5 pm so as not to disrupt the service.

Why are we commemorating Oct 7 on Oct 3?

As a Jewish spiritual community, we mark time based on the Jewish lunar calendar. Therefore, we’ll be ritually commemorating the third  anniversary of the attack on Israel and the start of the ensuing war on 22 Tishrei. This is the date of Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah, the holidays that were suddenly turned from joy to grief and celebration to mourning three years ago. This year, 22 Tishrei falls on October 3. 

Services

Makom is a diverse and inclusive community that welcomes participants who espouse many different approaches to Judaism, from secular to traditionally observant.

In order to join together as one community without regard to denominational labels, our services blend traditional and progressive practices. We offer mixed (all-genders), women’s, and men’s seating sections. Women, men, and non-binary folks may lead parts of services. We’ll have three dancing circles (mixed, women’s & men’s), each with a Torah scroll.

Accessibility Information

Makom and Hillel UofT welcome participants of all abilities. Our venue for this event is fully wheelchair accessible, with an elevator and accessible washrooms. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.

Registration

The post Oct 3: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance: Oct 7 Memorial + Simhat Torah appeared first on Makom.

Chill in a sukkah with other downtown Jewish teens! 

Enjoy some pizza and games with new and old friends and learn about the holiday of Sukkot.

Next Thursday, October 1 | 7:30pm
@Kensington Market
This event is FREE! Register by October 1 at noon

Donations are greatly appreciated and help us cover pizza, sukkah rental, staff time, etc.

High school teens of all Jewish identities are warmly welcome, including interfaith/intercultural and LGBTQ+. No Makom affiliation necessary.

Please note that this is for high school students only (Grades 9-12), not for parents.

Accessibility Information

Makom welcomes participants of all abilities. The sukkah is wheelchair accessible. However, the washroom is down a flight of stairs. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.

Registration

The post Oct 1: High School Teens Sukkah Pizza Party appeared first on Makom.

Ḥativah (Grades 6-8) Sukkah Pizza Party

Come hang out with other Jewish middle schoolers, enjoy some pizza, shake a lulav and etrog, and play fun games together, all in a sukkah. Feel free to invite friends!

Next Thursday, October 1 | 6:00pm
@Kensington Market
This event is FREE! Register by October 1 at noon

Donations are greatly appreciated and help us cover sukkah rental, staff time, etc.

Middle school kids of all Jewish identities are warmly welcome, including interfaith/intercultural and LGBTQ+. No Makom affiliation necessary.

Please note that this is for middle school students (Grades 6-8) only, not for parents.

Accessibility Information

Makom welcomes participants of all abilities. The sukkah is wheelchair accessible. However, the washroom is down a flight of stairs. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.

Registration

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Friday Night Sukkot Services + Shabbat Dinner

Join us for doubly-joyous services in the sukkah as we welcome the start of Shabbat and Sukkot!!  After services, we’ll enjoy a delicious, catered, kosher vegan Shabbat dinner together in the sukkah.

Friday, September 25 | 6:30 pm
@Kensington Market
Dinner registration required by Wed, Sept 23

No need to register if you’re coming just for services and not staying for dinner.

Become a Makom Member first and save 10%.

Thank you to Green Economy Law for their generous sponsorship.

Arrive at 6:30 pm to light candles, socialize, and find a seat. Services will start at 6:45 pm.

Services

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.

Services in the Sukkah will have men’s, women’s, and mixed (all genders) seating sections.

In the event of rain, services and dinner will be held inside the Kiever Synagogue and services will have only men’s and women’s seating sections, in keeping with the Kiever’s practice.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. The sukkah is wheelchair accessible. However, the sanctuary is up a flight of stairs and their washroom is down a flight of stairs. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.

Registration

The post Sept 25: Friday Night/Sukkot Services & Dinner in the Sukkah appeared first on Makom.

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.

The post July 22: Tishah be-Av appeared first on Makom.

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.

Pride together in a warm, welcoming space.

The post June 19: Pride Shabbat appeared first on Makom.

Every other Tuesday: June 16 & 30
7:00pm: Soup & Socializing
7:30-9:00pm: Learning
@Makom (map)
Register Now!

This is not a class, but a space for you to:

• Enjoy soup and socializing 7:00-7:30pm
• Choose a Jewish text that interests you – we have a wide variety, from weekly Torah portion to ethics, mysticism to law, and much more; or bring your own book
• Find a havruta (study partner) – come with a friend or we’ll help pair you with someone with a similar interest as you
• Sit and learn together – read aloud, ask each other questions, discuss, debate, and reflect

Rabbi Aaron will be your Torah concierge to help you pick a text that works for you, find a havruta, get started, and navigate any difficulties you encounter.

Everyone is welcome, no matter your Jewish learning background!

And of course, LGBTQ+ folks, interfaith couples, and people from interfaith backgrounds are always absolutely welcome.

This program is free. Please help us cover costs by donating when you register. 

Our recommended donation amounts are lower for current Makom members. Be part of the Makom community: become a Makom member now.

What’s a Beit Midrash?

Beit Midrash is usually translated as House of Study, a place in which people come together to learn, discuss, and debate Jewish texts of all sorts. But the root of the word “midrash” means searching. When we study Torah, we’re not just trying to comprehend it intellectually, but seeking meaning from it to apply in our lives. Hence, House of Searching.

Why is this important?

As Rabbi Aaron spoke about on Rosh Hashanah, it’s the Torah that gives meaning and substance to being Jewish.

The word Torah literally means “teaching.” It refers not only to the Torah itself (the 5 Books of Moses), but to any Jewish teaching. There are so many ways to learn Torah, whether by reading the parashah (weekly Torah portion), studying the rabbinic debates of the Mishnah and Talmud, examining halakhah (Jewish law), delving into kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), and on and on.

Torah can enlighten us.  It can teach us our people’s stories, about Jewish ritual and ethics, the world, each other, God, even ourselves.

Torah – in its fullest sense – is so vast and varied, there’s definitely something that’s just right for you to learn.

Who is this for?

Torah is for all of us! It’s not some secret knowledge just for certain people. As the Torah says about itself: כִּי־קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ – “This thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart” (see Devarim 30:11-14). House of Searching is intended for all adults; high school teens are also welcome.

Donations & Sponsorships

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. You may sponsor in honour or memory of someone or to mark a special occasion.  Please connect with Rabbi Aaron if you’re interested in supporting this program in general or for a particular week.

Donations are tremendously helpful and greatly appreciated; if you’re able, please contribute.

Registration

The post June 16 & 30: House of Searching: the Downtown Beit Midrash appeared first on Makom.

Let’s Sit: LGBTQ+ Pride Mindfulness Event

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

The post June 14: Let’s Sit appeared first on Makom.

Jewish Stories from The Ward: A Walking Tour

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.

The post June 14: Jewish Stories from The Ward – A Walking Tour appeared first on Makom.

Thinking about your child’s Jewish Education? 

Come visit the Makom Afterschool in-person open house on Wednesday May 6 at 4:30 pm at our Seaton Village Location.

Makom Afterschool is a pluralistic Jewish and Hebrew education program for kids in JK through Grade 5. (Looking for Jewish and Hebrew education for grades 6-8? Check out Makom ATID.)

At our in-person open house, you’ll get to:

• Experience our classes in action;
• Meet Sarah English, Director of Education, and Rabbi Aaron Levy;
• Learn more about our approach, curriculum, community, and logistics; and
• Have all your questions answered!

Kids are welcome!

Makom Afterschool operates at TDSB schools in four different neighbourhoods: Kensington Market, Roncesvalles, Seaton Village, and Wychwood. 

The open house will be held at our Seaton Village location near Bathurst & Bloor; exact address given upon registration.

About Makom Afterschool

Makom Afterschool is a fun, inclusive, pluralistic Jewish and Hebrew learning program for kids in JK through Grade 5. Children from the diversity of downtown Jewish families find their place in our warm and welcoming community. 

Registration is now open for the 2026-2027 school year.

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