Shabbat Morning Sermon: Saturday, March 26, 2022
Kabbalat Shabbat Drash: Friday, March 25, 2022
This is a final reminder to Holy Blossom Temple Members that the Annual General Meeting will take place via Zoom on Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2:00pm. Please see the Zoom details below in the email from November 12, 2021.
All reports are posted to the webpage as outlined in the original communication below.
NATURE OF THE BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED:
1) Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Members, held on November 29, 2020, January 20, 2021, February 11, 2021, February 28, 2021, and March 14, 2021;
2) Confirmation of amendments to Temple By-Law No. 1, as passed by the Temple Board on October 28, 2021;
3) Elect the Board of Directors and Officers;
4) Receive an update on the financial position of the Temple for the year ended June 30, 2021*;
5) Receive various reports from Temple leadership.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Ellen T. Cole, Secretary
Toronto, Canada, November 24, 2021
Sent Wednesday, November 24, 2021
This is a reminder to Holy Blossom Temple Members that the Annual General Meeting will take place via Zoom on Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2:00pm. Please see the Zoom details below.
At this time, all reports have been posted to the webpage as outlined in the original communication below.
Please note the updated agenda for the AGM, with one additional item pertaining to amendments to Temple By-Law No. 1. The version of the bylaw showing the amendments was posted on the webpage with all AGM reports as of November 20, 2021.
NATURE OF THE BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED:
1) Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Members, held on November 29, 2020, January 20, 2021, February 11, 2021, February 28, 2021, and March 14, 2021;
2) Confirmation of amendments to Temple By-Law No. 1, as passed by the Temple Board on October 28, 2021;
3) Elect the Board of Directors and Officers;
4) Receive an update on the financial position of the Temple for the year ended June 30, 2021*;
5) Receive various reports from Temple leadership.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Ellen T. Cole, Secretary
Toronto, Canada, November 24, 2021
Zoom link below included on the email sent on Friday, November 12, 2021
Holy Blossom Temple members are invited to join the Annual General Meeting via Zoom on Sunday, December 5, 2021. The meeting will commence at 2:00 p.m.
Please click the link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83188952411 Passcode: AGM2021 (case sensitive)
Or One tap mobile: +14388097799,,83188952411#,,,,*1829047# or +15873281099,,83188952411#,,,,*1829047# Or Telephone: +1 647 558 0588, Webinar ID: 831 8895 2411, Passcode: 1829047
Please do not share the Zoom link or call-in numbers with non-members.
For accessing the Department Reports after November 20, 2021 please go to: https://holyblossom.org/hbt-agm-2021-reports/ and enter the password “AGM2021”.
NATURE OF THE BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED:
1) Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Members, held on November 29, 2020, January 20, 2021, February 11, 2021, February 28, 2021, and March 14, 2021;
2) Elect the Board of Directors and Officers;
3) Receive an update on the financial position of the Temple for the year ended June 30, 2021*;
4) Receive various reports from Temple leadership.
*PLEASE NOTE: The audited financial statements will not be ready for presentation on December 5th. Accordingly, following the presentation of the above-noted items, the meeting will be adjourned until a subsequent meeting date in the new year, to be confirmed. Notice of this meeting date will be given as per the bylaws, at least 21 days before the meeting takes place. At this continuation of the AGM, the nature of the business to be transacted will be to present audited financial statements following their approval by the Board, and to appoint auditors for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and authorize the Board of Directors to fix their remuneration.
ELECTION OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS and OFFICERS: The following Officers and Directors have been nominated by the Nominating Committee for election at the meeting. In addition, a general call for nominations was circulated to the Congregation and no further nominees were put forward.
The Officers will be:
• Avra Rosen (1 year extension) President
• Phyllis Denaburg (1 year term) Vice President, At Large **
• Ellen Cole (2 year renewal) Vice President, Administration
• Marla Spiegel (2 year term) Vice President, Development
• Diana Solomon (2 year term) Vice President Education
• Eric Klein (1 year term) Vice President, Finance
• Les Rothschild (1 year remaining) Vice President, Kehillah Kedoshah
• Sarah McNally (2 year term) Vice President, Membership
• Nancy Lerner (2 year term) Vice President, Tikkun Olam and Israel
• Gerry Prendergast (1 year remaining) Vice President, Worship
The Directors at Large will be:
• Corinne Black (1 year remaining) Women of Holy Blossom representative
• Rick Howard (3 year term)
• Brian Lidsky (3 year term)
• Mike Morgulis (1 year remaining) Brotherhood representative
• Avram Musafija (1 year remaining)
• Eric Roher (3 year term)
• Darren Sukonick (1 year term)
• Richard Toker (3 year term)
• Daniel Wilson (2 years remaining)
** As a member of the Nominating Committee, Phyllis Denaburg was excused from discussions about her nomination to the position Vice President At Large.
In accordance with the By-law, the Board will also include, as Ex-Officio members: Immediate Past President: Judy Winberg (voting member)
Senior Rabbi; Executive Director; and two President’s Council Nominees (all non-voting members)
Holy Blossom Temple expresses its appreciation to those directors who have served the Temple well and will be retiring from the Board: Maddie Axelrod, Aubrey Freedman, Tom Friedland, Alison Schwartz, Adam Sniderman, Adam Stiavnicky, and Jill Witkin.
Members in good standing who are unable to attend the meeting are invited to complete a proxy, enabling their vote to be cast (if required), in their absence. The proxy may be found by following this link: https://holyblossom.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Proxy-for-2021-AGM-Holy-Blossom-Temple-2.docx
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Ellen T. Cole, Secretary
Toronto, Canada, November 12, 2021
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
March 19, 2022
March 18, 2022
By Cantor David Rosen
We are all aware of the power that Music can have within our lives. Whether it’s the harmonious and glorious sounds of voices singing together in harmony or the cry of a violin telling a story from random notes on a page, each one of us has been touched by music at some point in our lives.
And perhaps we take for granted that music surrounds us at every turn. From a television commercial to being able to access thousands of tunes at the push of a button, music continuously feeds our souls and helps to nourish our well-being. In many ways, music is a tool for healing as good as any prescription drug.
But, have you ever thought for a moment about the effect that music can have on those who do not have regular access to music? How can music help those who are troubled by their past or present behaviours?
On March 28th please join us for a very special “Monday in the Mishkan program”, entitled “Reclamation.” This event will include a wonderful panel of Guests as they reflect on the Documentary “Reclamation.” “Reclamation “ highlights the work of the organization Looking at the Stars, whose mission is to restore dignity and create hope in the hearts and minds of the incarcerated through live performances of classical music.
The panel will include parolees, James Rushton and John Breen, founder and CEO of Looking at the Stars, Dmitri Kanovich, violinist, Barry Schiffman, and Cinematographer Henry Less.
The panel will be moderated by Film professor, Dr. Gillian Helfield and Senior Cantor and Music Director of Holy Blossom Temple, David Rosen.
Please join us for this heart-touching evening of how the power of music has the ability to restore, rehabilitate and provide optimism for a bright and prosperous future.
by Sharoni Sibony
Now that Purim is over, I can tell you a secret: Pesach is my favourite holiday. When I was small, Pesach felt like a staycation. We lined the car with bedsheets and shopped the Midnight Madness sales at Honest Ed’s. We turned an old door into a table and hosted the creative chaos of 35 loving relatives around that extended table. We took the first and last days off school and my grandmother moved in with us for the week. It seemed like everyone we’d ever known came by for post-shul gefilte fish and visits, while my uncle rifled through our Pesach drawers for Bazooka gum and chocolate-covered almonds. And the house was sparkly fresh.
My mom used to pull out the film projector and we’d spend the middle days of Pesach watching ephemeral scenes of our family elders dance across our living room wall. If Pesach is the holiday that commemorates our collective becoming as a spiritually, politically autonomous Jewish nation, for me as a child, it was also the occasion on which my family reinforced its own narrative of being and becoming through storytelling.
I’m really excited because this is a theme that Rabbi Goodman will be exploring in his Shalom-Hartman course, launching on Tuesday, on “Becoming a Collective.” What’s the interplay between family or common aspirations/ideology as a basis for group solidarity? In this course, we’ll get to unpack the Judaism of Being – the idea that lineage defines Jewish identity – and the Judaism of Becoming – the notion that it’s our common commitments that shape our identity – through the lenses of Biblical narratives and contemporary Jewish thinkers. The curriculum cuts right to the heart of what it means to belong to a group, how to navigate that shifting sense of belonging when conflict over values and goals inevitably arises, and how to juggle our universal and communal ethical responsibilities. It’ll also give us a chance to discuss together the values and activities that we make the bedrock of our collective community at this moment in Holy Blossom’s history.
To enrich your Seder experience, on March 31st, I’m delighted to be co-teaching with my mom, Suellen Sibony, the woman who taught me how to make a fabulous Seder. After decades of adapting our own Haggadot and Seder services to reflect the changing needs of the people around our table, we’re sharing our insights in a How-to-Haggadah workshop. With tips and tricks for engaging kids, teenagers, and adults, we’ll be offering a variety of fresh resources and global customs that we’ve picked up along the way – plus, we’ll give you a chance to share your best strategies with each other.
As the city opens up, we’re also exploring the question of belonging to a collective in the context of COVID, first “Through the Eyes of Your Rabbis” this Sunday with the Toronto Board of Rabbis’ Study Kallah reflecting on two years of the pandemic, and then with the support of the Luke Sklar Mental Health Initiative’s webinar on coping with Passover plans in light of the new rules for COVID. We’ve all seen the possibilities provided by being connected trans-geographically to the broader Jewish community across Zoom. But how do we also manage to reconnect in person, celebrating the value of the local community in a global world? An amazing line-up of rabbis will be sharing their stories from the frontlines and their expertise in processing the pandemic, and discussing what the future of Judaism looks like as the rules relax.
Finally, we’ve been gifted a beautiful opportunity to invite you to hear from the “Indiana Jones” of contemporary collecting, Dr. Yoel Finkelman, on March 27th. Dr. Finkelman is the head curator of the National Library of Israel’s Judaica collection, and he’s got great stories of the hunt for rare manuscripts and commentaries and how they’ve landed up in his care.
CHAG PURIM SAMEACH!
The ECC welcomed Cantor Rosen to our classrooms singing songs about Purim.
Children and teachers came to school for our Purim celebrations in the classroom, which were joyous and exciting; Purim stories, songs, role-playing, crafts, hamentashen, mishloach manot, fulfilling mitzvoth, carnival games and much more. The children created many beautiful items to share with families at home. Thank you to our amazing staff for working so hard to provide this experience for your children.
We did a Mitzvah!
Thank you for your Purim donation. We collected 39 boxes to help feed those in need.
by: Cantorial Soloist Lindi Rivers
“Mamma Mia”, what an evening! We gathered together in more numbers than we have seen in many months, the energy high, excitement in the air. Just over two years ago Purim marked the last congregational celebration before the first Pandemic lockdown. We had little idea what was to come and how long it would be before we would feel it possible to return to a full Temple life.
It seems that the time has come. Not that Covid will disappear, but as a society, we have learned how to manage it in our lives, and manage it we will. Why? Because we need to be together.
And so we were! Our Rabbis, Cantors and Principal of Youth Education and Family Engagement reminded us that “We Are Back” in an updated reprise of our previous mega-hit (this time our re-opening will stick!). We sang some Purim songs, our Megillah readers were awesome, then came a production to remember, “Mamma Mia Megillah”, an ABBA shpiel parody written by Jamie Marx, The Spiel Guy LLC, and liberally edited by the cast and our director. Our rocking musicians were ready. It was lights, camera, music, action and ”Honey, Honey”, the stage was set!
How did this all happen?
The idea was floated to raise the quality, appeal and production of our Purim celebrations this year. As the Purim evening coordinator and shpiel producer, I immediately thought of Vinnie Sestito, the director for Alexander Showcase Theatre, an acclaimed local theatre company. I knew Vinnie would pull out the best and funniest from our actors. I wanted this to be an “off-book”, tight and well-executed production. That meant not only a greater time commitment from our participants, in terms of rehearsals and memorizing scenes, music and staging, but also adopting a more ‘professional’ approach. This was no easy challenge since another wave of the pandemic pushed our in-person rehearsals back a month. With determination, we rehearsed online as well as we could and were very grateful when our Covid Cabinet agreed to allow us to begin rehearsing in person, masks adorned (it was for 1222Purim after all, so…getting in character?) Our actors rose to the occasion and allowed themselves to be guided, taught, stretched and challenged by Vinnie. Their willingness, commitment and growth were inspiring, and in the process, we learned to play on stage and had a lot of fun together. My fellow shpielers were “stepping up like they’ve never seen” (from “Shushan Queen”). Oh yeah!
And the people came! They came to celebrate, with the promise of something more, something that made it worth stepping out of their Covid comfort zone. I was moved by the energy and excitement in our sanctuary. It’s truly been too long.
We were able to mount the kind of production we hoped for with the generous sponsorship of Carole and Jay Sterling. Saul and Viviane Shipp sponsored part of the livestream and HBT Brotherhood sponsored hamantaschen and hot chocolate. It’s heartwarming to see how our members step up to make our community stronger. It makes a difference. You make a difference.
Thank you for coming together, both in-person and online. Did you miss it? No need for an “SOS”! You can still be a “Shushan Queen” Esther or King Achashverosh, and makes some noise “When Haman Takes It All” and watch our shpiel here!
Go ahead, have a laugh on us. We can all use it.
PURIM 2022 CHANTERS AND PLAYERS
“We Are Back” reprise: Rabbi Yael Splansky, Cantor David Rosen, Rabbi Zachary Goodman, Rabbi Bill Tepper, Lisa Isen Baumal, Cantorial Soloist Lindi Rivers
MEGILLAT ESTHER CHANTERS
Rachel Malach, Jeff Denaburg, Gerry Prendergast, Brian Lidsky, Helena Fine, Lisa Isen Baumal, Suzanne Hersh
CAST AND CREW
Esther: Carina Newton
Mordechai: Jordan Silverman
King Achashverosh: Alan Heavenrich
Haman: Seth Mukamal
Vashti: Sharon Smith
Zeresh: Helena Fine
Minister: Beth Roher
Maiden 1: Susie Helfand
Maiden 2: Eva Ormut-Fleishman
Maiden 3: Lindi Rivers
Peasant: Avishai Sol
DIRECTOR: Vinnie Sestito
STAGE MANAGER: Marla Minshall
PRODUCER: Lindi Rivers
SOUND/LIGHTING: In-house: James Kean of Audio Operations
Livestream: SAVI (James Groff and Eric Jones)
SET DESIGN AND PAINTING: Beth Roher (with thanks to Alexander Showcase Theatre)
COSTUMES: Susie Helfand, Eva Ormut-Fleishman (with thanks to Gwyneth Sestito and AST)
Makeup: Laura Moshenberg
BAND: Igor Kurtzman (keyboard); Shelley Miller (bass)
Original shpiel by Jamie Marx, The Spiel Guy, LLC, with liberal additions by Vinnie and the cast.
1950 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M5P 3K9
(416) 789-3291
[email protected]
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Cell: 416-565-7561
Founded in 1856, Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue with a rich history of tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression.