Yom Kippur Study Sessions 5784
“White Lies, Right Lies?: ‘The Bride is Always Beautiful’ and Other Lies We Tell”
with Rabbi Taylor Baruchel
Discover the intricate interplay between our aspiration for pure honesty and the complex reality of human interactions. Together, we’ll reflect on the fine line between maintaining integrity and embracing compassion. On this day of Teshuvah, come gain insights in how to navigate a world where honesty, empathy, and understanding converge.
Rabbi Taylor Baruchel Bio
Rabbi Taylor Baruchel is Holy Blossom Temple’s Director of Outreach and Next Gen Engagement. She received her Masters in History and Philosophy of Religion from Concordia University, as well as her Masters in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion last spring. Rabbi Baruchel comes to us with the unique experience of a Hillel Outreach professional.
“Teen Study: You are SO invited to the Teen Yom Kippur study session! ”
with Lisa Isen Baumal and Sophie Rivers
Take a deep dive into what Teshuvah really means and looks like, using ‘You are SO not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ as a study guide. Teens and tweens in grades 7 and up are all invited!
“Triumphs and Divisions: Israel’s 50-Year Evolution Examined on Yom Kippur”
with Yaron Deckel
During this year of the 50th anniversary of the brutal Yom Kippur War, we reflect on the remarkable evolution Israel has undergone over the last five decades. The journey has been extraordinary; some say, miraculous. Yet, even now, Israel finds itself in a state of division and polarization, not seen in many years. Throughout the history of the Jewish People and the Jewish State, optimism and challenges have intertwined. What does the current chapter mean for Diaspora Jewry and for Israel’s future?
Yaron Deckel Bio
Yaron Deckel currently serves as Senior Emissary of the Jewish Agency, and Director for Canada. An accomplished Israeli journalist, he was previously Host of Prime Time TV and Radio News in Israel, CEO and editor-in-chief of Israel Army Radio, and Washington bureau chief for Israeli TV and radio outlets, where he interviewed three U.S. Presidents and created a five-part documentary on the lives of Israelis living in the US and Canada.
“The Forgiveness Book Tour”
With Natalie Kertes and Sharoni Sibony
Journey through scenes from contemporary Jewish fiction, using a literary lens to unpack the big questions of intergenerational trauma, forgiveness, remorse, and reconciliation. With excerpts from Judy Batalion’s White Walls, Rachel Kadish’s The Weight of Ink, and Hannah Lillith Asadi’s The Stars are Not Yet Bells as our guides, we’ll explore what it means to forgive behaviours we recognize as the products of social circumstances, in ourselves and in others.
Natalie Kertes Bio
For over a decade, Natalie Kertes created literary series and events for Diaspora Dialogues, The Koffler Centre of the Arts, and Toronto Public Library’s Appel Salon. She currently works as the Director of Client Engagement for Substrakt, an international Digital Agency specializing in the arts and culture sector.
Sharoni Sibony Bio
Sharoni Sibony is Holy Blossom Temple’s Adult Education Coordinator and a Jewish Studio Project Facilitator. Once upon a time, she pursued a PhD in English Literature at Indiana University and still loves to read and facilitate book conversations.
“Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Study”
Holy Grounds Café is closed, of course, but the bookshelves of our Max Enkin Library are well-stocked. Temple Librarian and Temple Board Member, Caroline Ingvaldsen, will be on-hand to help you find materials of interest. A collection of High Holyday-themed readings will also be provided for private study.
“Contemplative Walk”
With Wendy Melvin
Weather permitting, meet on the green grass just outside the Ava Road entrance
Holy Blossom Walking Club will host a special Contemplative Walk through Cedarvale Park. The pace of our walk will be slow and mindful as we engage in rich conversation and inspirations taken from the Rabbis’ sermons, personal gratitudes and commitments for a blessed year ahead. Please join us for fresh air, light exercise, and uplifting conversations with fellow congregants. This is an all-ages event.
Wendy Melvin Bio
Wendy Melvin is a member of the Holy Blossom Temple Board and a Masters 100 Metre competitive sprinter. She has led HBTogether’s walking group twice weekly after weekday Shacharit since September 14, 2021. The experience has been uplifting and has given participating congregants a chance to meet new friends and partake in safe exercise and contemplation.
“Tikun Olam and Our Climate Chaos”
With City Councillor, Dr. Dianne Saxe
On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate the creation of the world. On Yom Kippur we recount and repent for our sins of commission, our sins of omission, and our sins of emission against the planet. After a summer of raging fires from coast to coast, the climate crisis is hitting closer to home. One of Canada’s leading Canadian environmental lawyers will bring Jewish questions of accountability to our study table.
Councillor Dianne Saxe Bio
Today Councillor Dianne Saxe sits at City Council as an independent, proudly serving Ward 11 – University-Rosedale, where she has deep roots.
Dr. Saxe is one of Canada’s most respected environmental and energy lawyers, with decades of experience as a non-partisan expert and advocate for municipalities, businesses, non-profits and individuals. Councillor Saxe was the last Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, the independent guardian of the Environmental Bill of Rights. In 2019, she delivered 17 acclaimed reports to the Legislature on energy, environment, and climate.
Councillor Saxe holds multiple accreditations and awards, including a Ph.D. in Law and in Environmental Studies (Hon.), a Law Society Medal for exemplary leadership in environmental law, a Clean 50 award, an Osgoode Hall Law Alumni Gold Key for Lifetime Achievement. At the University of Toronto, she is a Senior Fellow of Massey College and adjunct faculty of the School of the Environment.
“Instrumental Music and Private Prayer”
Against the backdrop of the single voice of the cello, choose your favourite seat in the mostly-empty Main Sanctuary for private meditation. One after another, congregants are welcome to ascend to the open Ark to offer private prayers for the new year. A collection of High Holy Day-themed readings will be provided for those who wish. The Plaut Torah Commentaries and the compilation of Jewish wisdom at the front of the Machzor (High Holyday Prayerbook) are also available for your personal study.
Beth Silver Bio
Beth Silver, M.Mus, is admired for expressive playing and her ability to paint in many colours with her cello. Performances with various chamber projects have brought her to festivals across Canada and around the world. She is a recipient of grants from the Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council and her awards include the 2014 Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award recognizing musical achievement in the Canadian Jewish community. The instrument Beth plays today is a survivor of the Shoah.
“The Big, the Small, and the Genesis of our Universe: What Science and Torah have to Say to One Another”
With Professor Pekka Sinervo
What do we really know about our universe? What might our ancestors have understood about subatomic matter and evolution? We’ll bring a scientific lens to study the first verses of Torah and celebrate the wonder of how our world came to be.
Professor Pekka Sinervo Bio
Pekka is a Past President of Temple Emanu-El of Toronto and a Past Chair of the Reform Jewish Community of Canada.
Professor Sinervo teaches Physics at the University of Toronto. He has served as Chair of the Physics Department and as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He was a visiting professor at the Weizmann Institute and the Senior Vice President of Research for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. His contributions have been recognized by many awards, fellowships, and with the Order of Canada. His research interests include the basic building blocks of our universe and the forces that cause them to interact and create the complex structures that we see as atoms and molecules. He is searching for dark matter, which appears to comprise about 85% of our universe. As a member of the ATLAS Toronto group, Dr. Sinervo is particularly interested in the top quark, the heaviest known particle. He was involved in its discovery and has participated in many of the measurements of its properties.
Restoration of Trust”
With Robert Steiner
Recent years have rocked the public’s trust in elected leadership, the police, the health care system, the social safety net, and the media. The global refugee crisis drove millions out of their homes and the global pandemic drove millions into their homes, leading to widespread anxiety and loneliness.
We’ll take a hard look at the dynamics currently undermining trust in the public square and mine our sacred texts for hints on how to build a high-trust community in the midst of today’s low-trust environment.
Robert Steiner Bio
Robert Steiner grew up at Holy Blossom and currently serves as the Chair of the Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut Humanitarian Award Committee. He is currently the Director of the Dalla Lana Fellowship in Journalism and Health Impact at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto and a member of its faculty.
Rob began his career as a global finance correspondent for The Wall Street Journal with postings in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, where he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He earned his MBA from the Wharton School of Business, served as health policy advisor and principal speechwriter for Hon. Paul Martin, and managed the Liberal Party of Canada’s media campaign for Prime Minister Jean Chretien. From Dec 2020 to April 2022, Rob Steiner served as communications director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
