Archives for Passover

April 27: Shabbat-Pesah Morning Services & Snack Kiddush

Join us for extra-joyous Shabbat-Passover morning services, followed by a light kiddush (snacks and socializing)!

In addition to usual services and Torah and haftarah reading, we’ll sing Hallel (Psalms of praise sung on holidays) and chant Shir ha-Shirim (Song of Songs, a Biblical book of love poetry).

Please bring a packaged, certified-kosher-for-Passover snack to share.

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

Free, but please register by Thursday, April 25 so we know how many folks to expect.

Register by clicking here.

Donations greatly appreciated!

Please try to 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).

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.

April 2: Matzah Bake in the Park

Join us for a fun afternoon making and baking Matzah in an outdoor, wood-burning oven!


Sunday, April 2
3:00pm – 5:00pm
@Dufferin Grove Park – 875 Dufferin St (map)
Find us at the north-west corner of Dufferin Grove Park, near the ice rink.


Presented by Makom in partnership with Miles Nadal JCC, PJ Library and Camp Shomria.

Join us for a fun afternoon making and baking Matzah in an outdoor, wood-burning oven! See if you can mix, knead, roll and bake in 18 minutes or less!  Note: Matzah won’t be kosher for Passover but it’s still a wonderful way to prepare for Pesah.

All ages and abilities welcome! Kiddos will enjoy Passover stories read by our friends from PJ Library. If you have an accessibility need or require any accommodations, please reach out to us.

Public washrooms should be open.

Sell your Hametz

Loaf of bread (hametz) crossed out by a red no-smoking style sign

Deadline: noon on Thurs, April 14
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Authorization forms: doc or pdf

Traditional Jewish law (Torah – Shemot/Exodus 12:19) forbids not only eating any hametz (leavened grain products) during Passover, but even owning any hametz.

While it’s ideal to consume or donate (e.g., to a soup kitchen) all hametz prior to the morning before Passover starts, rabbinic tradition allows you to sell your hametz to a non-Jew, even while it remains on your premises.

If you’d like to sell your hametz through Makom, please complete and sign the linked form (in either doc or pdf format), scan it, and email it to aaron@makomTO.org by 12noon Thurs, April 14.

Or mail the completed and signed form to: Rabbi Aaron Levy, 141 Markham St., Toronto, ON M6J 2G4. Mailed forms must reach Rabbi Aaron by Thurs, April 14.

FYI, the latest time to finish eating hametz on Friday, April 15 is 11:03am.

There is no fee for this service.  Donations to Makom are greatly appreciated and tax deductible.  Minimum suggested donation: $18. 
You may donate by e-transfer to admin@makomTO.org (please include your email address in the message), by credit card, by PayPal, or mail a cheque along with your form.

April 23: Shabbat Morning Passover Services + Yizkor

Partially open Torah scroll, as read from in Shabbat morning services

Sat, April 23
9:30am-12:30pm
Free

Near Harbord & Spadina
(Exact location provided upon registration)
Registration Required by Thursday 12noon – register below!

Please join us on the final day of Passover for soulful and song-filled Shabbat morning services with Torah reading, chanting of the Song of Songs, a devar Torah (Torah teaching), and Yizkor (memorial service).

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* (including boosters), 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 Covid within 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.

Registration

April 10: Burn It Up! Family Hametz Hunt + Campfire

photo of children & teens around bonfire
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

Register Now!

April 6: Interfaith Couples’ Conversation: Rock the Seder

Album cover from the Clash's single "Rock the Casbah," depicting a stereotyped Saudi man and a stereotyped Hasidic man dancing together

Wed, April 6
8-9:30pm

Online (Automatic Closed Captioning)
Free – donations greatly appreciated!

Register Now!


Zoom link provided upon registration

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.

Presented in partnership with Jewish&

Register Now!

April 5: Understanding the Seder: Questioning + Freedom

Gain a deeper understanding of the seder and its linked themes of freedom and questioning.

Seder plate
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.

Outdoor Matzah Bake at Dufferin Grove Park!


Register now!