Rabbinic Reflection: Rabbi Yael Splansky

It Takes a Village to Create a Village

Moadim l’Simchah!  We are in the midst of the Festival of Sukkot.  Soon thereafter come Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.  I look forward to commemorating and celebrating with you from Monday evening through Tuesday night.  Then our Tishrei holydays will be complete!

Our High Holy Days were multi-faceted, emotionally and spiritually demanding, and very beautiful.  Finding sanctuary in ONE ANOTHER was the best antidote to the troubling news of the day.  And while we wait now with bated breath, it seems our prayers have finally been answered.  With God’s help, our hostages will finally be restored to their families and our soldiers will be able to come home and return to living their lives.  I have no illusions that the coming days, weeks, and months will follow in a straight path, but I can’t help but be hopeful that the last hard and heavy two years are coming to a more peaceful conclusion.

I look back on the High Holyday season with much gratitude.  It takes a village to create a village.  So many circles of volunteers and professionals played significant roles in bringing the many pieces of the High Holydays together.  I’d like to try to capture them here as an expression of my personal gratitude.

I begin with my tremendously talented and devoted Rabbinic and Cantoral colleagues.  Cantor David Rosen and Cantorial Soloist Lindi Rivers, Rabbi Sam Kaye, Rabbi Eliza McCarroll, and Rabbi Taylor Baruchel.  I begin also with my professional partner, Rachel Malach, our Executive Director extraordinaire.  There are so many components of the High Holydays under their good watch.

Yishar Koach to….

Our Torah and Haftarah Chanters

Daniel Abramson, Lev Abramson, Olivia Arbess, Susan Baskin, Alexandra Chris, Jeff Denaburg, Yossi Ehrlich, Chloe Fruitman, Joan Garson, Joel Glickman Rosen, Mark Goodman, Milo Gould, Arden Himmelfarb, Leo Icyk, Eden Keren, Ellen Lupu, Taiga Lipson, Camille Lisser, Lindsay McLean, Mike Morgulis, Brenda Saunders, Abby Snider, Adam Sniderman, Eli Sol, Jesse Sol, Ethan Steen, Rob Steiner, Weiwei Su, Nava Zelcer Noble, and Alberto Quiroz.

Our Gabbaim, led by Jane Herman and Alberto Quiroz, and Yossi Ehrlich

Mark S. Anshan, Susan Baskin, Adam Cohen, Phyllis Denaburg, Richard Feldman, Ira Glasner, Warren Horowitz, Etienne Kaplan, Michael Noble, Avra Rosen, Les Rothschild, Sam Sapera, and Arieh Waldman.

Our Temple Singers

Susan Baskin, Susan Cohen, Ellen Cole, Anne Dublin, Vlad Dunaevsky, Olga Duvaevsky, Helena Fine, Denise Gordon, Barbara Grossman, Wanda Haber-Kucharsky, Ron Hart, Caroline Ingvaldsen, Jill Kamin, Phil Kucharsky, Jack Kugelmass, Dana Lowi-Merri, Catherine Mayers, Sharon Miller, Shelley Miller, Lew Molot, Sylvia Papernick, Dena Perlmutar, Beth Roher, Joanne Roher, Paula Rosen, Shoshana Sage, David Sandler, Sandi Schafer, Saul Ship, Paula Warren, and Sheila Weinstock.

And Teen Soloists by Evan DJ Yung, Sarah Newstadt, and Joel Rosen.

Our Professional Choir

Moji Abella, Melody Bell, Matthew Bautda, James Dyck, Claudia Lemcke, Andrea Ludwig, Dion Mazerolle, Jennifer McCallum, Crystal Sayler, Gwynth Sestito, Mark Wood-Salomon, and David Yung.

Our Professional Musicians, led by our Musician in Residence, Jason Jestadt

Jamie Drake, Laurence Schaufele, and Beth Silver.

Our Mitzvah-Honour Coordinators

Karen Abells and Judy Adler Lotin

Our Ushers, led by Gerry Prendergast and Bob Cooper

Jamie Arfin, Susan Baskin, Debra Bennet, Audrey Birenbaum, Jared Cook, Jeff Denaburg, Phyllis Denaburg, Arnold Englander, David Gelles, Gael Gilbert, Tania Haas, Rob Herman, David Hertzman, Carol Hughes, Jason Jenkins, James Karrel, Andrea Katz, Bambi Katz, Paul Kay, Karen Kollins, Susan Kulczycki, Fern Lebo, Graham Markham, Naomi Melvin, Wendy Melvin, Susan Mogil, Kathryn Moore Collins, John Morrissey, Kathy Morrissey, Linda Neufeld, Harrison Notkin, Sue Rebick, Erica Richler, Avra Rosen, Michael Ryval, Nicky Schlossberg, Sandi Smith, Sheila Smolkin, Carole Sterling, David Tartick, Mitchell Toker, Emma Wakelin, Judy Winberg, and Terry Yanowski.

Our Greeters, led by Sheila Weinstock

Phyllis Denaburg, Vlad Dunaevsky, David Fine, Helena Fine, Barbara Hodes, Caroline Ingvaldsen, Tammy Keren, Robin Mammot, Wendy Melvin, Karen Mock, Sharon Neiss, Richard Toker, Sheila Weinstock, and Daniel Wilson.

Our Shofar Blowers throughout the month of Elul and the High Holydays

Jay Brodbar, Michael Cole, Peter Dan, Steven Dan, Howard Goodman, Joel Lehaman, Tal Maissner, Rachel Malach, Robin Malach, Sam Mogil, Sam Sapera, Eli Sol, Stephen Solyom, Stephen Tile, and Dr. Mark Weinstock.

Temple Board Greetings and Kol Nidre Appeal presented by

Kelly Baron, Ellen Cole, Jess Cooper, Joan Garson, Caroline Ingvaldsen, Eric Klein, Eric Roher, Sandi Smith, Richard Toker, and Daniel Wilson

Our Teachers for our Many Yom Kippur Afternoon Study Sessions

Daniel Abramson, Stephen Kalman, Professor David Koffman, Caroline Ingvaldsen, Wendy Melvin, Rabbi Shalom Schacter, Beth Silver, MP Evan Solomon, and Rabbi Ed Treister.

And those who created a teaching moment for our Goat Whisperers

Lisa Isen Baumal, Elana Paice Lidsky, Geri Durbin, Olga and Vlad Dunaevsky.

Our Service Leaders, in partnership with our Rabbis and Cantors

Lisa Isen Baumal, Stephen Kalman, Mike Morgulis, Josh Nezon, Albert Oppenheimer, Ayla Smolash, and Dr. Mark Weinstock.

Our Service Leaders for Neilah for Local Israelis

Yahav Barnea, Tal Katz, Amit Rozenblum and Lior Sagi

Our Professional Team, led by Rachel Malach

Dalia Alalouf, Lisa Isen Baumal, JoAnne Bieman, Joe Freedberg, Rebekah Lobosco Gilli, Wendy Himmel, Jaivahn Johnson, Stephen Kalman, Tali Katz, Alexandra Leka, Shira Lester, Deanna Levy, Lindsay Mockler, Abigail Nemzer, Neomi Offman, Ela Paz, Adrian Ramcaran, Bridgedat Ramcaran, Sarina Shrestha, Prakash Singh, Iris Spitz, Dante Thorne, Marni Turner, Ella Vatagsky, and Cindy Zimmer.

Our AV Technicians, led by Justin Taub and Deanna Levy

Andres Alzate, Will Hunter, Paul Leroux, Allan Pynn, Cecil Stehelin, Gurjit Thind, and Lou Vasquez

Our Professional Security Team, led by Andrew Kirsch and in coordination with the Toronto Police

 Our Volunteer Doctors on Call and First Responders

Dr. Yoel Abells, Dr. Gord Arbess, Dr. Matthew Baron, Dr. Ira Bloom, Dr. David Greenberg, Gerry Prendergast, Dr. Rhonda Wilansky, and Dr. Jacqui Willinsky.

Thanks also to Peter Dan, Vice President of our Worship Department, for supporting all of the work of those mentioned above.

As we are praying for a Sukkat Shalom, God’s Canopy of Peace, to be spread over Israel and her neighbours, over us and Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora, I wish you a Shabbat Shalom and a Chag Sameach!

Rabbi Yael Splansky

P.S.  If we have inadvertently misspelled or omitted a name, please forgive us. (The next Yom Kippur is a long way off!)  Please notify JoAnne Bieman at [email protected], so we can correct our mistake.  Thank you!