Archives for Downtown Jewish Toronto

Aug 6: Tishah be-Av Eve


Sat, Aug 6 (Tishah be-Av Eve)
10:00 Doors Open
10:15 Sharp Maariv
(evening service)
10:30 Eikhah (Lamentations)
11:15 Kinnot (singing elegies)
11:30 Conclusion
@ The Kiever Synagogue – 25 Bellevue Ave
FREE
BRING FOOD or $$ to DONATE + FLASHLIGHT

Usher in Tishah be-Av, the ninth day of the lunar month of Av, in community.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.)

Please BRING FOOD or CASH 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 donations.

We’ll pray the brief evening service and listen to the Biblical book of Eikhah/Lamentations, hauntingly chanted by community members. As signs of mourning, it’s customary to sit on the floor of the synagogue with the lights dimmed, so please BRING A FLASHLIGHT. We’ll also sing some songs, kinnot (elegies), and niggunim (wordless melodies).

FYI, Shabbat ends at 9:23pm, but the fast begins earlier Saturday at sunset,8:34pm, and ends Sunday at nightfall, 9:21pm.

There will be a low partition between women’s and men’s seating for the evening service, which will be removed for Eikhah and the rest of the evening’s program.

COVID Precautions

In order to make Makom safer for all community members, including some who may have health concerns, we continue to take a cautious approach to COVID.

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 children 5+ must show an enhanced vaccination certificate with a QR code upon entry. If you have a valid medical exemption you must provide your verified certificate with a QR code.

Adults and teens (12+) must have received three doses.

Children 5-11 must have received two doses.

Please arrive at 10:00 to show your enhanced vaccination certificate with a QR code upon entry.

If you have questions about our policies, please contact us.

**You can download your proof of vaccination from the Ontario website here. If you got your vaccinations 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.

July 22: Outdoor Friday Night Services + Picnic

People standing on a grassy area, praying


Fri, July 22
7-9pm
@Bickford Park
(map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Registration Required

Gather in the great outdoors (of downtown TO) to wind down from the week and welcome Shabbat with soulful and song-filled services, followed by a picnic Shabbat dinner!

Brought to you by Makom & Annex Shul

B.Y.O. Dinner, Plate, Utensils, Napkin, Water bottle, Blanket, etc.

We’ll provide grape juice for kiddush & rolls for ha-motzi.

OPTIONAL items to bring:

  • Siddur/prayer book; we’ll have photocopies of services in Hebrew & phonetic transliteration available
  • Kippah/head covering (if you wear one during services)

We’ll have separate sections for women’s, men’s, and mixed (all genders) seating. Since we’ll be outdoors and not in a regular prayer space, there won’t be curtains between these sections.

Children are welcome and must be registered as well.

Please note that washrooms should be open, based on information from the Parks Department, but cannot be guaranteed.

In the event of rain, services will be held indoors at Makom (402 College) with masking required; picnic will be cancelled.

July 16: Family Shabbat Afternoon in the Park + Picnic

Sat, July 16
4:30-6:30pm
@Vermont Square Park
 (map)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Registration required

Join other downtown Jewish families for a special Shabbat in the Park + Picnic!

Schedule
4:30 Kids play in the park & splash pad
5:15 Story from the parashah (weekly Torah portion) & family activities
6:00 Picnic dinner

B.Y.O. Picnic Dinner & Water Bottle

We’ll provide watermelon!

Activities geared for families with kids 0-10 years old; separate groups for younger and older kids.

In the event of rain, the program is cancelled.

Any Qs? Email Ariel.

Presented in partnership with PJ Library

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!

Makom is hiring – come work for us

Makom is hiring!

We have several job openings available. We’re looking for a Curriculum Designer, Hebrew teachers, Jewish life teachers, teaching assistants, and additional specialties for the 2016-17 school year.


Request for Proposals: Curriculum Design, Makom Afterschool

Makom Afterschool is an innovative, pluralistic, Hebrew-immersion Jewish after-school program for children in junior kindergarten through Grade 4 (and growing) in downtown Toronto. Makom Afterschool enables children to attend their local neighbourhood school while gaining high-quality Jewish and Hebrew education and a warm Jewish peer community. We have three sites, at three different downtown public schools. Students attend between 2 and 5 days a week, with approximately 1.25-1.5 hours of class learning time per day (in addition to recess and snack). We have multi-age classrooms, with each classroom having 2 or 3 grades in it. Learn more about Makom Afterschool »

We are looking for an experienced, creative curriculum designer trained in experiential/informal education methodologies to design a multi-year, spiraling Hebrew and Jewish learning curriculum for our school. This project will take our school to the next level, help hone a “Makom approach” to Jewish education, and delineate a radically different approach to Jewish supplemental education than other programs in Toronto.

The project is to be completed by August 2017, with various deliverables throughout the project timeline.

The final deliverable will include:

  • A multi-year, spiraling curriculum, incorporating Hebrew-language immersion and Jewish learning through experiential education methods.
  • A curricular guide to help teachers execute learning goals through experiential methods.
  • Recommendations on types of professional training for teachers that would complement the curriculum, including potential to direct teacher training as part of curriculum implementation.
  • A chart of annual, monthly, and weekly learning milestones specific to our age groups, around which teachers can design lesson plans, including both Hebrew language and Jewish learning.
  • Background information with which teachers can train themselves on the topics.

Deadline for application: Rolling.

View the full job posting, qualifications and application instructions »


Makom Afterschool

Makom Afterschool is an innovative, pluralistic, Hebrew-immersion Jewish after-school program for children in JK through Grade 4 (and growing!). Founded by parents in 2011, Makom Afterschool enables children to attend their local neighbourhood school while gaining high-quality Jewish and Hebrew education and a warm Jewish peer community. We have three sites, at public schools in Kensington Market (College and Spadina), Seaton Village (Bathurst and Bloor), and Hillcrest Village (St. Clair and Christie). Learn more about Makom Afterschool »

We are looking for experienced, creative, and energetic teachers for Makom Afterschool for the 2016-2017 school year.

Job Openings:

  • Hebrew & Jewish Life Teachers
  • Hebrew Immersion Arts and Music Teachers
  • Hebrew Immersion Movement, Sports, and Israeli Dance Teachers
  • Teaching Assistants

Deadline for application: Rolling.

View the full job posting, qualifications and application instructions »

Shabbat in the Park

Saturday Aug 15

5-7pm at Vermont Square Park – 819 Palmerston Ave.
It’s Shabbat in the Park time again!

watermelon, shabbat, shabbat in the park

photo: Matt Raoul

Come chill with some watermelon and Makom

5:00 Adults hang out & kids play in Vermont Square Park (Palmerston, south of Dupont)

5:30 Get ready for High Holidays: Adult learning with Rabbi Aaron Levy

PJ Library storytime and activities for school-age kids with Jen Turack, Makom’s Director of Education and Family Programming

A taste of Shabbat Family Party for preschoolers & their grown-ups, with Kohenet Annie Matan of MNjcc

6:15 Picnic: Bring your dinner and a blanket – Makom will provide watermelon. Feel free to bring kids’ bathing suits for the wading pool.

All are welcome. Hope you can join us!

In the event of rain, the program is cancelled.