By Anne Dublin
From the time I was twelve years old and taught myself to knit from a book, I’ve been an avid knitter. Over the years, I’ve knitted sweaters, toques, scarves, and mittens for family and friends. Nothing fancy, mind you—I use mostly basic stitches like knit and purl. Knitting is one of my favourite pastimes as I watch TV in the evening after a busy day. Even if I’m watching a less-than-wonderful show, I can at least feel that I’m doing something productive. I also love the meditative feeling I sometimes get by knitting row after row of knit and purl.
So, how did I begin knitting baby sweaters for Temple? A number of years ago, during a break in choir practice, I was chatting with the late/great Matilda Bigio. Z”L She told me how she was knitting sweaters for our new babies and how Sisterhood needed more knitters. She assured me that the pattern she used was “easy”. I decided to give it a go and haven’t looked back since!
One of my greatest joys is to attend a Shabbat service that includes a baby naming. When that shiny gift bag containing a baby sweater is opened by the new parents, I “kvell” inside to know that the sweater I knit will give warmth and comfort to our newest Little Blossom.
If you’d like to join me on this “knitting journey”, or even if you have balls of wool you’d like to donate, please contact Women of Holy Blossom. More knitters are always welcome!
by Gillian Rosenberg
Communications Coordinator for Women of Holy Blossom (WHB)
WHB representative to the Northeast District of Women of Reform Judaism
In an effort to live up to our branding around diversity and inclusivity, WHB is deepening its understanding of the nature of spaces in which we interact. We have been using the term safe spaces to describe what is desirable. This term was traditionally used by 2SLGBTQ+ communities and characterized in the negative as being without bias, conflict, criticism, or threat. The term is now challenged on the premise that safety is a personal perspective or perception related to one’s own situation, both unique to a space and in regard to what participants carry with them into that space. The latter might include, for example, past trauma, pain, insecurities, differing comfort levels, burdens, and physical or cognitive challenges. Despite best efforts to anticipate the needs of others, we cannot control how they will actually feel in a space, and if they will, in fact, feel safe.
Brave spaces is suggested as an alternative term. But I think it suffers the same problem. We cannot ensure that someone will feel brave any more than we can ensure they will feel safe.
Words matter, but sometimes they risk obfuscating or distracting from the intention behind them. I think this is the case now. Therefore, instead of investing time and energy trying to articulate the right word to describe our desired spaces, only to find it is inadequate, let’s go back to basics.
What is our actual goal? Twofold: 1) that everyone in our spaces feels welcomed, comfortable, seen, celebrated, safe, and brave; 2) that everyone in our spaces works to ensure this is the case for everyone else. It is two sides of the same coin, aimed at avoiding harm and preserving dignity for all.
Based on this goal, we can reframe how we think about spaces as a shared responsibility, co-created on a foundation of pro-social and moral values, such as listening, kindness, patience, respect, fairness, honesty, generosity, and compassion. This must be negotiated and managed, in concrete terms, both in anticipation and in the moment, with every new composition of participants. What does kindness look like in our sessions, events, programs? What would be an example of someone being kind? How do we recognize when someone is in need of kindness? Ditto for the other values. Answers to these questions are less straightforward and more nuanced than one might think. Consider the inverse. Many micro-aggressions are deeply hurtful but go unnoticed by aggressors and bystanders, who may think of themselves as kind.
At the recent North American Conference for Women of Reform Judaism, the women’s affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the opening ceremony included a concrete ethics statement outlining how we were to treat each other and what we could expect from others in how we are treated. An open invitation was offered to anyone wanting to discuss this further. I wish I had taken notes.
Here is a statement from the conference registration package, to give you an idea:
Women of Reform Judaism strives to create an environment of kavod (honor and respect), demonstrating regard for one another in the spirit of b’tzelim Elohim (being created in God’s image). To this end, WRJ seeks to create communities of mutual respect, physical and emotional safety, and fundamental decency, valuing equally all individuals in its sphere. We value the importance of dibbur (honest and thoughtful speech,) sh’tikah (listening silently to understand), and savlanut (patience).
It is difficult, maybe impossible, to capture the comprehensiveness of this deeply Jewish and humane statement in a single word. And WHB does not wish to engage in such an academic exercise. Rather, we are interested in what this looks like in practice and how it is realized in action. So, stay tuned as we follow the exemplary lead of WRJ and continue to work on living up to our branding.
If you would like to help, please email us at [email protected].
Our Jewish wisdom is full of different reasons for why we might perform mitzvot, or sacred commandments. They might be to do with our notions of, or relationship with God, meaning we might do them because God has instructed us as Jews to do so, or has promised some kind of reward or punishment if we don’t. They might be to do with our own ethical imperatives, as stated by Torah – not bribing, or stealing, or placing a stumbling block in front of the blind, for example, since it “confounds the words of the righteous” (Exodus 23:8). There may even be utilitarian reasons, as per Maimonides, who stated that we might not know all the purposes behind each mitzvah, but that they led to the best possible outcome, for the greatest number of fellow people. Sometimes, we even do them lishma, for their own sake.
This is a way of saying that I am in awe each day of the mitzvot performed here at Holy Blossom, and all the many ways that they happen. Today, I want to take the chance to uplift just a few that occur, sometimes quietly, sometimes more explicitly, under my department of Kehila Kedosha.
The first is our Kugel Kindness initiative. Did you know that we have a dedicated cadre of volunteers who bake and deliver the comforting meal of a kugel to those in our congregation who are at times of significant life transition (bereavement, major illness,o r a new baby)? You may have been on the receiving end of one, you may have helped with the baking or delivering, but it is always heartwarming to know when they are appreciated as an aspect of bringing our community closer. We are grateful to our sister congregation at Bet Shalom in Minnesota for allowing us to learn from them and get this idea off the ground!
The second is related, which is our Bikkur Cholim program. Whether it’s a phone/Zoom match for someone who is isolated, a card when you’re ill, or handwritten notes and Jewish programming at retirement facilities around Shabbat and holidays, they are the ones who help our members feel seen and cared for at their most vulnerable.
Bereishit Rabbah teaches us that the mitzvot were given “solely to refine humanity”. It is these amazing people who carry them out, that give me great hope for the capacity of humanity to do good, to make a difference in the lives of others, and who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, of our Reform Jewish values and congregational ethos – all with humility, warmth, and compassion.
If you would like to get involved in this important work, or to find out more, drop me (Rabbi McCarroll – [email protected]) a line, and I’d love to hear from you!
by Teresa Quiroz, on behalf of Women of Holy Blossom
Tammuz (Tamuz) is the fourth of the 12 months of the Jewish calendar, counting from Nisan. It means “heat” like a glowing furnace, very appropriate (for this season) as the sun is more radiant and at its height. It also signifies “Transformation”.
The Mishna Taanit 4:3 (Oral Law) lists five tragic events of Jewish history that happened: #1. Moses smashed the first tablets on the 17 of Tammuz, on seeing the golden calf. #2. During the period of the first Temple, the besieged population of Jerusalem could not obtain an animal for the daily sacrifice. #3. The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans during the second Temple period. #4. Apustamus, a Roman officer, burnt a Torah scroll. #5 an idol was placed in the holy Temple.
The limb of the month: The Right Hand, which has a practical application used to, celebrate Shabbat and to help us love G/d by following the 248 positive commandments.
The tribe associated with Tammuz is Reuven, the oldest son of Jacob, whose name means ‘see a son’, Genesis 29-32 and is derived from the sense of sight. Which leads to the attribute of the month: Vision. A sense of vision to bring peace into the world which can be transformed from mourning and sadness into joy and redemption.
וַתַּ֤הַר לֵאָה֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ רְאוּבֵ֑ן כִּ֣י אָֽמְרָ֗ה כִּֽי־רָאָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ בְּעׇנְיִ֔י כִּ֥י עַתָּ֖ה יֶאֱהָבַ֥נִי אִישִֽׁי׃
Leah conceived and bore a son, and named him Reuben;*Reuben Understood as “See a son.” for she declared, “It means: ‘יהוהhas seen*has seen Heb. ra’ah, connected with the first part of “Reuben.” my affliction’; it also means: ‘Now my husband will love me.’”*
The permutation of the month: HVHY (hey-vav-hey-yud), from the final letters of the passage in Esther (5:13)
וְכׇל־זֶ֕ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ שֹׁוֶ֖ה לִ֑י בְּכׇל־עֵ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲנִ֤י רֹאֶה֙ אֶת־מׇרְדֳּכַ֣י הַיְּהוּדִ֔י יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּשַׁ֥עַר הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
zeHenenUshaveHleY, spoken by Haman. The order is the direct reverse of the Name’s regular form, YHVH.
Tammuz, means Transformation and Redemption. Why? Understanding that the previous month Sivan, which was considered the ‘Giver’ of the Torah when G/d gives the commandments to the Jewish people and Tammuz is the month considered the ‘Receiver’. It is when we truly apply the Torah. Moses went up the mountain on the 4th month representing the “Receiver”.
Back to the Zodiac sign, Cancer (Crab) has a shell that hosts a body that grows and when the shell breaks metaphorically speaking ‘breaks the mold’. Meaning we too can change and transform. We too have ‘growth spurs’ not only of the body but spiritually. As we grow older we become smarter and (hopefully) wiser. Our bodies too during this month are experiencing the freedom of shedding “the outer shell” i.e. leaving our coats behind from the winter, freedom of our sins, from our animal soul, narcissism, heartbreak, hardship etc.
I wish you all a radiant and warm summer months.
Ken Yehi Ratzon!
Shacharit Service: Sunday, July 7, 2024, 9 am ET, in-person or via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/93902401402?pwd=dGlOR2dEcGs1RVc0OVFwdkFtOVo5UT09
password: 667580
For upcoming dates and why Rosh Chodesh is special for women, see https://holyblossom.org/rosh-chodesh/
By Susan Mogil
Of course, nowadays the Archives Committee typically receives requests by email and by voicemail to the Temple office.
We were contacted by a student who was participating in the 2024 Vimy Pilgrimage, a federally sponsored program for high school students who visit Canadian war memorials and the graves of Canadian war veterans in Europe. The student had chosen to honour a Jewish soldier, Lt. Myer Tutzer Cohen, who died in 1917 at the battle of Passchendaele. We provided information about Lt. Cohen who was a Holy Blossom member and whose grandfather in 1892 was elected President of the synagogue. The student corresponded with us before and after the pilgrimage and sent us a biography and appreciation of Lt. Cohen which they wrote, a link to a blog published by the students while they were in Europe, photographs from the trip and a rubbing from Lt. Cohen’s headstone.
We’ve had questions about the wedding dates of congregants, even ones very long ago. The archives room has the original registry books since 1896. We see the names, ages, addresses and occupations of the bride and groom, the date of the marriage, the name of the officiating rabbi and the signatures of all three.
In 2023 a question came to the archives from a Toronto resident who lives next door to our Pape Avenue cemetery, the first Jewish cemetery in Toronto. This man had found a headstone when excavating in his garden and he called Holy Blossom about it. Readers will recall the interesting article that Judy Winberg wrote in September 2023 describing how this headstone was returned and replaced near its original site. Our research uncovered an enormous schematic plan of the cemetery showing the names of members buried in many of the graves, almost all more than 100 years old.
On occasion, new olim to Israel must prove that they are Jewish. We have had inquiries about the dates of their bar or bat mitzvahs and other ways to prove Jewish bona fides. Similarly, questions are asked about the bar and bat mitzvah dates of former members of the congregation, some many decades ago.
Rev. Nathan Robinson was a member and the first long-term employee of Holy Blossom Temple serving the congregation from 1878 to 1899. He acted as shochet, mohel, chazan, teacher and Torah reader. One of the Robinson descendants now lives in Winnipeg and was doing a family history. We were able to send him images from our files and point to Rev. & Mrs. Robinsons’ burial plots in our Pape Avenue cemetery.
These are just some of the questions we have answered. If you have an inquiry we can help you with, please contact us at [email protected].
From Cantor David Rosen & Rabbi Eliza McCarroll
For those of you who took part in the UJA’s walk with Israel this past Sunday, perhaps you too felt a sense of solidarity that was both empowering and embracing. The sight of 50,000 people walking to show their support not only for Israel but for our local and global Jewish community just felt so right…something that all of us need during a time when we have been feeling quite isolated. It was also so wonderful to see many non-Jewish participants who came to show their solidarity and support.
Despite the dark cloud that hovers over our people and the State of Israel, we also know that music can play an integral part in making us feel whole at times when we feel broken. As the Chassidic teaching, found in our Siddur Pirchei Kodesh, goes: “Say your prayer in the melody that is most pleasant and sweet for you … because the melody will draw your heart after the words spoken from your mouth”. This speaks to the power of music to say and make us feel things that words alone sometimes cannot accomplish. It can also bring faiths and different beliefs together through song and harmony, something that every one of us can feel good about.
Over the next 5 days, Holy Blossom will welcome Cantor Pavel Roytman from Chicago along with his “Kol Zimrah, Community Choir of Chicago.” Cantor Roytman will join us for Friday night and Saturday morning services and his choir will be here next Tuesday, June 18th as we present, “Journey of Sacred Sound,” a concert celebrating the diversity and depth of sacred music from four different faith communities. The concert will feature a 120-voice combined choir (including our own Temple Singers) and will take place at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church at 7:30 pm. No registration or tickets are required and there is a suggested $20 donation that one can make at the door.
We are very grateful to Elaine Choi, Music Director of Timothy Eaton and Reverend Jason Byassee, who along with their community, have continued to open their doors in support of the Jewish community and Israel since October 7th and have graciously offered to host this concert. The concert will feature new compositions as well as familiar works, including excerpts from the incredible Ernest Bloch, “Avodat Hakodesh” – “Sacred Service’.
As another Chassidic saying teaches: “there are castles in the upper spheres which only open to song”. There is no doubt that the glorious voices of these wonderful singers will open the heavens to the incredible sound of these faith communities coming together in song and solidarity.
Please click here for concert details: https://holyblossom.org/journey-of-sacred-sound/
In addition to the evening concert at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, the “Kol Zimrah, Community Choir of Chicago” will be performing at Holy Blossom Temple earlier that day, June 18th, at 11 am, for a special Dorot program and lunch in the Mishkan. It will be a fun “practice run” for our choirs and a meaningful collaboration event for our Wisdom Generation. If you would like to join us for this event, please click the link below to register.
https://holyblossom.org/event/dorot-presents-kol-zimra-jewish-community-choir/
In addition to the evening concert on June 18th at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, the “Kol Zimrah, Community Choir of Chicago, will also be performing at Holy Blossom Temple earlier in the day at 11:00 am for a special Dorot program and Lunch in the Mishkan. If you would like to join us for this event, please click the link below to register.
https://holyblossom.org/event/dorot-presents-kol-zimra-jewish-community-choir/
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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.