Zelda Dean: Focus on Victoria article

Artist Elfrida Schragen has painted portraits of Victoria women as a fundraiser for Our Place.  Zelda’s portrait and description is the last one.  To read the article “Artist Elfrida Schragen’s art show—originally planned for May—is online now, with all proceeds helping those in deep need during the Covid-19 crisis” by Molly Kaye, please click on the link: https://www.focusonvictoria.ca/cover-19-pandemic-response/22/

Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Revelations amidst a pandemic

Thursday, May 28, 2020 8 pm to a little after midnight—A program of Torah learning for Shavuot which marks the time Torah was revealed to all of us through our ancestors at Mount Sinai.

Who: Any one interested in expansive and meaningful Torah study with a remarkable line up of fascinating teachers—see the lineup below.

What: An expanded program of Torah learning for Shavuot which marks the time Torah was revealed to all of us through our ancestors at Mount Sinai.

When: The program of learning will begin at 8:00 pm Thursday evening and last until after midnight. There is a midrash that our ancestors in their enthusiasm to be fully rested for the receipt of the Torah overslept on that momentous morning. So now, with the aid of caffeine, we observe  a tradition of staying up all night in preparation for receiving Torah. This year we will only be staying up a little past midnight.

Where:

• Join online: CLICK HERE
• Regular Dial-in: Call: 1 778 907 2071
• Meeting ID: 876 7562 7749
• Password: 505791

Why: Part and parcel of doing Jewish is to learn and to teach.  We will be engaging in very broad understanding of Torah wisdom together to honour Torah learning for Shavuot.

How: Just pop into the zoom meeting and participate. This is a long time to be on any social platform so please do not feel that you need to be present for the entire program. Feel free to choose what interests you and to join in where it will be most meaningful for you.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot Lineup

• 8:00 pm Welcome
• 8:15 pm Virus as a Teacher – Rick Kool
• 8:45 pm Revelation from a Pandemic – Dialogue facilitated by Rabbi Harry
• 9:15 pm COVID-19: one bottle of water – Frances Rosenberg
• 9:00 pm An artist meditates on completion – Dev Stone
• 9:30 pm   Festival Ma’ariv
• 10:00 pm  A look at two Jewish pioneers of pedagogy, Emmie Pickler and Janusz Korczak  – Enid Elliot
• 10:30 pm Cheesecake: Show and Tell
• 10:45 pm G. as a frustrated teacher – Rabbi Matt
• 11:15 pm An exploration of Heroes – Aaron Severs
• 11:30 pm Reflections from the Book of Job – Francis Landy and his amazing class
• 12:00 pm Kabbalah, Sefirot and COVID-19 – Rabbi Louis

Yizkor

Saturday, May 30, 2020 around 11 am—This Shabbat, the second day of the Shavuot Festival, we have the opportunity at our yizkor service to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us on this planet. Our tradition offers us powerful moments of public memorial during the times of year when our loved ones may be acutely missed. We honour our dead through invoking their names and memories, introspecting on how we can live out their values in our lives and pray for the safekeeping of their souls.

In Deuteronomy, the Torah teaches that when making a pilgrimage journey to the Temple in Jerusalem for one of the Festivals an Israelite should not arrive empty handed, that this is a time for righteous giving. From this it became a tradition at holy days to give tzedakah in memory of loved ones. There is also a tradition of lighting a 24 hour yahrzeit candle. In the book of Proverbs there is the teaching that God’s candle is the human soul. This is the basis of lighting a soul candle, a ner neshama. People often ask me if they should participate in yizkor if their first year of mourning is not over. Although within the first year of mourning fading memory is not a paramount issue, yizkor is a great opportunity to be held in the embrace of community and publicly mourn.  Yizkor will take place toward the end of the Zoom service after Rabbi Harry’s drash at approximately 11:00 am.

• Join online: CLICK HERE…
• Regular Dial-in: Call: 1 778 907 2071
• Meeting ID: 824 1330 9293
• Password:  929054

 

 

And the entire community zoomed along with Tillie

“We want to thank the entire Emanu-El community for helping make Tillie’s zoom Bat Mitzvah such a wonderful celebration. At one point, 93 households were on the zoom feed! It was really meaningful to us to “see” you all there, listening and praying and singing along with us. We didn’t know what to expect when we planned a zoom Bat Mitzvah, we just knew there wasn’t another good alternative. The experience so exceeded our expectations; we really felt the love come through the feed, and are so grateful to be part of such a warm and supportive community.” The Stanger-Ross family!

Tillie Stanger-Ross is Bat Mitzvah

Saturday, May 23, 2020, 10 am – 12 pm — While perhaps a bit different than the ceremony they had originally envisioned, the Stanger-Ross family are delighted to invite you to share in their joy when their daughter, Tillie becomes Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, May 23, 2020, 10 am – 12 pm. This will be our synagogue’s first Zoom Bnei Mitzvah. We may not be able to hug, throw candy, or shmooze over bagels and coffee—but a simḥah is a simḥah, even on a screen. All are welcome.

• Join online: CLICK HERE
• Regular Dial-in: Call: 1 778 907 2071
• Meeting ID: 824 1330 9293
• Password:  929054

Good News from CEE President Sam Godfrey

Dear Congregants,
I’m writing to share three pieces of good news.

Available from Simcha Gift Shop

• Running out of Shabbat Candles?
• Need Yahrzeit Candles?
• Simcha Gift Shop has them!

Want to more fully participate in the on-line Shabbat services or the Thursday Minyan? Copies of the Siddurim are being lent out, or you can purchase your own copy of Lev Shalom or Etz Hayim from Simcha Gift Shop. Other Siddurim are also available.

Please contact Amber at SimchaGiftShop@gmail.com for more information.