Join Downtown Jewish Teens for a fun evening of board games and hanging out at Snakes & Lattes on College!
Sun, Nov 30 5-7pm For teens in grades 9-12 Register now!
The registration fee covers admission to Snakes & Lattes and unlimited pop and juice. Snacks are also available for sale at Snakes & Lattes and are mostly not kosher.
*High school teens of all Jewish identities are warmly welcome, including from interfaith/intercultural families and LGBTQ+. No Makom affiliation necessary.
Any Questions? Reach out to Talia Levitt, Youth Programming Coordinator, at youth@makomto.org
Join Hativah – Makom’s youth group for grades 6-8 – for a fun afternoon of board games and hanging out at Snakes & Lattes on College!
Sun, Nov 30 3-5pm For students in Grades 6-8 Register now!
The registration fee covers admission to Snakes & Lattes and unlimited pop and juice. Snacks are also available for sale at Snakes & Lattes and are mostly not kosher.
*Middle school kids of all Jewish identities are warmly welcome, including from interfaith/intercultural families and LGBTQ+. No Makom affiliation necessary.
Any Questions? Reach out to Talia Levitt, Youth Programming Coordinator, at youth@makomto.org
Friday, November 28 6pm @MNJCC (note different location!) Register now!
Everyone is invited to join us for Sephardic-style services to welcome Shabbat, with community members of different Sephardic backgrounds leading services.
After services, we’ll enjoy a delicious kosher and vegan Moroccan Shabbat dinner and each other’s warm company.
Dinner registration required by Wednesday, Nov 26 at 10am.
No need to register if you’re coming just for services and not staying for dinner.
Please try to come on time for services at 6:00pm.
If you’re Sepharadi or Mizrahi and interested in leading a prayer, please email Rabbi Aaron by Nov 23.
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.
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 and HAMSA welcome participants of all abilities. The MNjcc is fully wheelchair accessible. 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.
After lunch, Rabbi Aaron will guide us in interactive learning on “Who’s In, Who’s Out? Textual & Communal Boundaries.”
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.
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.
Posted on by Adina in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Oct 28; Nov 11 & 25; Dec 9: House of Searching: the Downtown Beit Midrash
Learn Torah together in an open and supportive environment.
Every other Tuesday: Oct 28, Nov 11 & 25, Dec 9 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.
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, October 29 at 10am.
No need to register if you’re coming just for services and not staying for dinner.
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.
Posted on by Adina in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Oct 18: Shabbat Morning Services + Lunch
Saturday, October 18 9:30am @MNJCC (note unusual location!) RSVP by Oct 16
Join us for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services, followed by a delicious Shabbat lunch, as we celebrate Itai Schwartz-Geller’s Bar Mitzvah!
We’ll meet at the Miles Nadal JCC, so as to accommodate more people than would fit in Makom’s cozy storefront.
Supervised childcare will be provided in another room during services.
Registration required by Thursday, October 16 at 12 noon.
Thank you to the Schwartz-Geller family for sponsoring lunch in honour of Itai’s Bar Mitzvah!
Posted on by Adina in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Oct 14: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance: Oct 7 Memorial + Simhat Torah Dinner & Dancing with the Torah
Please join Makom and Hillel UofT for an evening of mourning and dancing, crying and laughing, as we commemorate the second 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).
Schedule
6:00pm Doors open
6:15sharp Memorial ceremony of prayers, poems & songs to remember the victims of the attack and all those who have died in the ensuing war, pray for the release of the hostages, and pray for peace
Dinner registration required by Sunday, Oct 12 at 10am.
Dinner is generously sponsored and subsidized by Tamar Goldberg, Benjamin Miller, and Hatzkel in honour of the birth of Simcha Yona!
Please try to come on time for the memorial service at 6pm so as not to disrupt the service.
Why are we commemorating Oct 7 on Oct 14?
As a Jewish spiritual community, we mark time based on the Jewish lunar calendar. Therefore, we’ll be ritually commemorating the two-year 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 two years ago. This year, 22 Tishrei falls on Oct 14.
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. The Wolfond Centre 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.
Connect with other downtown Jewish families over dinner and crafts while celebrating Sukkot.
Bring your kids for a fun and relaxed community dinner in the sukkah (harvest holiday hut)! Families will learn about what makes a sukkah a sukkah, build an edible sukkah, get to shake lulav and etrog, and enjoy a yummy kosher dinner together.
5:30pm Dinner – order pizza or falafel
6:00 Learn what makes a sukkah a sukkah
Make your own edible sukkah
Shake lulav & etrog
6:45 Dessert
7:00 Goodnight
Registration required by October 12 at 12noon.
Donations are greatly appreciated and help us cover sukkah rental, staff time, etc.
Families of all Jewish identities are warmly welcome, including interfaith/intercultural and LGBTQ+. No Makom affiliation necessary.
Note: this program is geared for families with kids from infants up through grade 5.
Accessibility Information
Makom welcomes participants of all abilities. The Kiever’s 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.
Arrive at 6:15pm to light candles, socialize, and find a seat. Services will start at 6:30pm.
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 Kiever’s sukkah is wheelchair accessible. However, the Kiever’s 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.
