News

Beth Israel Synagogue Updates

Shul News:

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Member News Articles:

We have many members both young and old who have accomplished much and who have experienced much: unique Jewish experiences in Portugal, volunteering in Israel, volunteering for AIDS in Africa, Honorary Achievement Awards, coordinating the efforts of United Way, much more!!!

This section will grow as their shyness and humility is worn down and we can convince them to tell the world about their accomplishment and offer them some warm fuzzys.

Make a suggestion: recognize congregants' accomplishments whatever they maybe.

Contact: info@bethisraelsynagogue.ca

Details of Shul News:

Building Usage Report To Beth Israel Committee (September 2011)

Joe Teichman recently presented a report on the status of building usage to the Beth Israel Executive oversight committee. He reported that the building is now being used by a large number of diverse groups, all the while respecting the kosher requirements. The following are examples of some of these uses:

  • Community living Peterborough using meeting rooms workshops
  • Peterborough Youth Symphony rehearsals hall
  • Regular weekly meetings of the Spiritualists Group
  • Autism Ontario board and chapter meetings plus workshops
  • Special Olympics board meetings and workshops

In addition, Joe and his assistants have found ways to significantly reduce synagogue operating expenses through such initiatives as replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, reducing gas usage by more careful monitoring and programming of thermostats and finding lower cost alternatives for cleaning and landscaping contracts in addition to providing employment opportunities to developmentally challenged people.

Revenues continue to grow from all the rental activities and a number of new possibilities are being negotiated. Some of the highlights that will be of interest to Beth Israel members are:

  • Rehearsal space for live theatre group which will yield rental revenues and a block of tickets available to Beth Israel members
  • Q&A night with Swedish author Steve Sem-Sandberg about his book “The Emperor of Lies” dealing with the Lodz ghetto. This is going to be sponsored by Anansi Press, the Canadian publishers of the book, and the program will be hosted by Noah Richler (Mordechai’s son). It will take place Wednesday, Nov 23 at 7 pm. For more information on the book, check out this link: "Emporer of Lies".

A discussion of the rental activities and the significant progress towards self-sustaining financing of this program will be part of the agenda of the General Body Meeting scheduled for October 11.

New Machzor for High Holy Days 5772 (September 2011)

This coming September, the Beth Israel Community welcomes Cantor Leon Litvack to Peterborough to lead our services. As you all probably know my now, Dr. Litvack comes to us from Belfast, N. Ireland where he lectures in Victorian Literature at the university, clearly a man of many skills.

You might be interested in reading some opinion pieces written by Dr. Litvack, or as he will be better known to us, Cantor Litvack. Currently,Dr. Litvack has prepared five broadcasts of ‘Thought for the Day’on BBC radio. This is a daily scripted slot which offers reflections from afaith perspective on issues and events. Two of these broadcasts are attached to this newsletter and I will try to figure out how to make them generally available through a web link. If you are interested in obtaining copies of the broadcasts in this series, please contact an executive of the Shul or send an email to info@bethisraelsynagogue.ca.

Your ritual committee, and in particular Dr. Dan Houpt, have been working with Cantor Litvack to find are placement Machzor that will better meet the needs and abilities of our community. You will recall that this process was started by Rabbi Shalom Schachter and Marcy Gilbert when they presented the community with a number of examples of modern Machzorim and led a discussion to help us think about what we really wanted and what the pros and cons of each option were. So, the decision is touse the Lev Shalem Machzor. It is nicely laid out, easy to understand, egalitarian, with much transliteration of important prayers. And, it has a lotof interesting commentary in English to hold our interest when we reach some ofthe slower patches in the service.

To get an idea of the layout of the Machzor and for more information see the pdf file called Machzor Shalem KolNidrei.pdf. or visiting the http://rabbinicalassembly.org/mahzor/mahzor.html website.

The synagogue executive will be ordering 50 of these Machzorim at a discounted costof $38 each from Israel’s bookstore in Toronto. To help pay for the newbooks, Corinne Mintz Stone has led a very successful fundraising initiative towards buying the books and almost two-thirds of the costs will be covered by the funds that have been raised. Thanks to Corinne for getting this done, and to all those who contributed to this effort.

Cooking Class at Beth Israel (Summer 2011)

A four-week cooking program is being run at the synagogue as part of the Beth Israel community’s “Giving Back to the Community” initiative. All the students are persons who have special needs. The instructor is our in-house caterer, Bridgett whose delicious food many of ushave tasted at community functions in the past year. Currently, there are five students, four supported by Community Living Peterborough and the fifth from Alternatives. See the photos of the first class with the students whipping up a tasty vegetarian chili.

Listen to the report by Jack Roe of CBC Peterborough on the success of the cooking program for developmentally challenged individuals that ran at the Beth Israel synagogue as we reported in the August Newsletter. You can listen to the podcast by going at Ontario Morning. Scroll down to the Media Files link for September 9 and click it to play the radio interview on your computer. You can fast forward to about the 7 minute mark to hear the piece on Jack Roe’s interview with Joe Teichman about the program..

Community Living Award to Beth Israel's GM (Summer 2011)

Beth Israel Synagogue has been presented with an “Employer Award of Excellence” by Community Living Peterborough. The citation reads:

“In recognition of your outstanding contributions in employing people with intellectual disabilities and in furthering the goals of Community Living Peterborough.”

As you can see in the photo above, the award was presented to Joe Teichman,our facility manager who has spear headed this effort to make the Beth Israel Synagogue accessible to people with disabilities and to make it a centre of their activities. Congratulations to Joe for his hard work and success in this endeavour!!!

Spiritual Leadership for the High Holy Days 5772 (April 2011)

The Beth Israel Synagogue Executive is pleased to announce that they have secured the services of Cantor Leon Litvack to lead the High Holy Day Services in September 2011. You may recall that Dr. Litvack visited Beth Israel in January 2011 to lead a Kaballat Shabbat service which was thoroughly enjoyed and valued by all who attended. We look forward to having Dr. Litvack lead our coming Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur observances and to welcoming him back to Peterborough in the fall.

Some Biographical Information: Cantor Leon Litvack grew up at Beth Sholom synagogue in Toronto, and was educated at Associated Hebrew Schools and Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto. He then studied at the Universities ofToronto, London, and Edinburgh, and is currently Professor of Victorian Studies and Associate Director of Theology at Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has recently served as Cantor for the High Holy Days at the Beach Hebrew Institute and Lodzer Congregation in Toronto, and at Kehillat Aviv inValencia, Spain. He has sung at Masorti (Conservative) and Orthodox congregations in Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Israel,Sweden, Austria, Italy, Japan, and South Africa. He currently studies singing with professional tenor David Revels, and Chazzanut with London Cantors StephenRobins and Jacqueline Chernett.

Cantor Litvack has produced a number of "Thoughts" for spiritual reflection. Here are five of them:

Download and enjoy at your leisure.

Community Seder is a SUCCESS! (April 2011)

The community Seder held April 17 was a great success!!! In a warm and gracious venue with great food and much participation by all during the event. The experience deserves to be repeated next year. Many kudos for the efforts of Joe Teichman to organize the seder, and Jenn Reid, Bridget, Larry Gillman and all those who helped with the cooking and cleanup. It would not have been possible without all those helping hands. And a very special thanks to the kids from Kenner who helped with preparation, serving cleanup. Their participation was really appreciated. See photos to the left.

Abraham Festival Encourages Spiritual Understanding and Friendship (April 2011)

The Peterborough Jewish community received a gracious thank-you for BIS' gift of a Quran to symbolically replace the one burned by extremists in the U.S. Dan Houpt represented BIS during this event. Read the article by Habeeb Alli about the value and meaning of this gesture: "Jews extend Quran to Muslims".

This was the eighth year of this unique multi-faith event promoting interfaith tolerance and understanding, important and worthy goals in today’s world. This year’s theme was“Forgiveness”, so very apt in the current political climate in many places around the world. A number of members of the Beth Israel Community have played important roles in the organization and operation of this year’s festival and we want to recognize them and thank them here:

Thanks to Heather Pollock for once again working on the organization of this year’s AbrahamFestival and representing the Beth Israel community on the organizing committee.

Thanks to Dan Houpt for leading the Kaballat Shabbat service that was part of the Festival observances. The event was very well attended and Dan ably led the service andfielded many questions from the interested participants.

Finally, a very big thank you to Rebecca Houpt for brilliantly representing the Jewish community in education sessions at PCVS and Holy Cross High Schools on the themes of forgiveness for the student portion of the Abraham Festival. Becca graciously volunteered months ago and did an amazing job of sharing Jewish perspectives with students.Thank you Becca.

Spiritual Leadership Change at BIS (April 2011)

For the past 7 years Rabbi Shalom Schachter and his wife Marcia have provided outstanding spiritual leadership for the Peterborough Jewish community. Under their guidance we have continued to grow and develop.

During this time their role as spiritual leaders has expanded and their time commitment to our community has grown. With this additional commitment, the monetary cost to the community has risen to a level that is not sustainable for the long term. In fact last year our community expenses were approximately $7,000 more than our revenues.

In an effort to keep our finances balanced, the board is considering many options including the cost of spiritual leadership. For this reason we sadly will not renew the contract with Shalom and Marcia beyond the current year.

Shalom and Marcia will continue to be available to the community through the existing contract. This includes programs in April and May. For those who are working on initiatives with them currently, this should continue for April and May. For longer term needs, please feel free to contact me.

The executive and membership of the Beth Israel Congregation want to sincerely thank Shalom and Marcia for their leadership and contribution to sustaining Jewish life in Peterborough, and we wish them well in the future.

DANI Teens to visit the Shul

A group of 14 campers and 8 staff from DANI are going to visit Peterborough August 18th and 19th. They intend to visit the sites of Peterborough and spend time at Beth Israel to enjoy some movies and treats. DANI's motto is: "Children learn to read by reading. Children learn to write by writing. Children learn to include by including." More information about DANI can be obtained at their website.

If you wish to volunteer to help at the Shul or in any of their other activities (e.g., Lang Pioneer Village, zoo visit, swimming) please contact Joe Teichman.

Notes from the Annual General Meeting

  • BOARD CHANGES

    • Mark Siegel was elected as Vice President. Larry Gillman stays on as President.
    • Ralph Baehre has stepped down from the Executive, but will continue to remain very active managing our web site. Ralph, on behalf of the community, we wish to thank you for many years of wonderful service on the board.
    • Ken Greenberg has kindly volunteered to be the new secretary of the Board.
    • Our current board includes: Mac Allan - Treasurer; Karen Fisher; Mike Fox; Larry Gillman - President; Ken Greenberg as Secretary; Len Siegel; Mark Siegel – Vice-president; Sonya Sokol.

  • FINANCIALS

    Mac Allan recapped the financial position of the community. Of note we are running a very small surplus in our operating budget, however, there is real concern that we will run a deficit soon if we don't take corrective action. Of note, our member contributions have shrunk from $26,965 last year to $22,511 this year. Two notable items were raised including;

    • We should communicate a firm membership policy to the community, including fee structure and what it means to be a member.
    • We should consider hosting an evening to honor the old established families of the shul, especially those whom have left the community. We will further discuss this at our next board meeting.
    • General Manager. We discussed the responsibilities of Joe Teichman, and his accomplishments to date. His 3 key responsibilities include:
      • Building management and maintenance, including cost reductions.
      • Revenue generation, including building rental.
      • Community rejuvenation including special events.
      Joe has made good progress as we have reduced costs of building cleaning and waste disposal, energy efficiency, and building maintenance. We are very pleased with the progress Joe is showing.

  • WORK REQUIRED TO THE BUILDING EXTERIOR

    We discussed the estimated $50,000 of work that will be required to the exterior of the building. We are currently exploring several options to get the work done in a cost effective manner. These include available grants and cheap labor options. We will continue to work to keep and keep the community informed. Of note we will have to reduce expenses and raise more revenue to make this happen.

  • UNITARIAN LEASE RENEWAL

    We discussed that the Unitarians have now completed two, 3 year leases and that we are working on another lease renewal. It was pointed out that they have received a very favorable rent over the past 6 years, and that we need a renewal that is more reflective of the costs of running the building. We have a proposal in front of the Unitarian committee, and expect to hear back shortly.

  • KOSHER EVALUATION

    At our last meeting the board unanimously supported an evaluation of the shul becoming "kosher style" versus strictly kosher. The board agreed to talk with individuals in the community and assess the situation, but would remain kosher if it were a divisive issue. The building will remain strictly kosher. People who can help to keep the kosher standards of the kitchen were urged to step forward.

  • SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR

    The board was pleased to announce that Shalom and Marcy will return for year 7. The program for this year includes high holidays, plus 5 additional weekends and ongoing rabbinical support. This item prompted much discussion on what individuals would like to see this year. The idea of having a spiritual committee to work with Shalom, Marcy and the community was established. Karen Fisher, Dan Houpt and Lori Allan volunteered to meet and spearhead this initiative. They are looking for others to join them, so please contact Karen Fisher to volunteer or with any input. Also, attached please find the responses of the 18 people who responded to the recent community survey on our community needs.

The executive thank all those who took time to attend the meeting. In addition, it was agreed that the results of the March 2010 opinion survey should be distributed to the community and they are attached in this mailing. Thanks to all who took the time to voice their thoughts on these important questions. Please note that all responses were anonymous. Thanks to Heather Pollock for setting this up. The executive will be using the survey results to guide their decisions to the extent possible.

Beth Israel has a General Manager

The new General Manager of Beth Israel Synagogue is Joe Teichman. Welcome Joe!!! The photo below shows Joe (on the right) with Rabbi Rabinovitch from Adath Israel Synagogue. Joe with Rabbi Rabinovitch Joe's responsibilities are to bring forth new and innovative ideas and implement them, if we give him the chance. So far, Joe has:

  • Implemented a weekly cleaning service which Community Living of Peterborough provides now for the past 2 months. The building has never looked cleaner!! BIS Community Cleaners BIS Community Cleaners
  • Contributed to the Abraham Festival days.
  • Participated in the annual board meeting.
  • Ensured the shul's gardens are flourishing.
  • Searched out new users for the shul as place of meeting for the community. Among others these include: yoga classes, seniors groups

Beth Israel's New Parking Lot

The parking lot has been completed and the operation has been handed over to the Beth Israel synagogue. The front lot operates on a card access system. The gate is open after 5 pm on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. During the week, the gate is down from Monday to Friday, from 6 am to 5 pm.

The community has five(5) access cards. These are currently with Mark Siegel, who remains custodian of the cards (or should we call him Ace of Gates) and will keep track of where the cards are. If you need regular access during weekdays, Mark will sign you out a card. You can make arrangements directly with him (contact m.siegel@sympatico.ca or 292-8349).

For irregular weekday access, you can also borrow a card from Mark, or you can park on the street. Arrangements are also under way to have some of the members living closer to the synagogue hold a few cards for daytime short-term access. Please watch this space for updates on this.

Please be especially CAUTIOUS when entering or leaving the parking lot.

Beth Israel Hanukkah Party - Note of Thanks

Just a short note to wish everyone a very Happy Hanukkah, and to thank you once again for a terrific simcha on December 4th. We were overwhelmed by your participation as 130 people gathered at the shul in the largest community celebration in recent memory.

Thanks to those individuals and families who cooked latkes and other delicious food, shopped, set up tables and cleaned dishes, played live music and set up games for the children, those who came and enjoyed each other, and the list goes on and on. There was so much joy and laughter.

It takes a real community spirit to put on an event of this magnitude.

Regards Larry

Abraham Festival

For the past five years, Beth Israel has participated in an educational and religious festival commemorating the common foundation of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Local congregations of the three faiths -- Beth Israel, Masjid AI-Salaam Mosque, and St. Alphonsus Catholic Parish engage in dialogue, and join together at religious services to learn, exchange ideas, and reinforce our common heritage. Click link HERE for more recent details and scheduled events.

The Need for Tolerance and the Struggle for Anti-Hate

February 2, 2007. B’nai Brith urges Yahoo GeoCities to remove convicted hatemonger’s racist website. Click HERE to read the communique from B'nai Brith. Individuals can report incidents of online hate, as well as a 24/7 community Anti-Hate Hotline 1-800-892-2624, allowing victims of hate crimes access to support from experts in the field. The website is www.hateontheinternet.com.

On November 21, 2006, Peterborough was very privileged to meet Nate Leipciger a Holocaust survivor who spoke to a high school group in the afternoon and a gathering at Beth Israel in the evening. Nate miraculously survived the Holocaust. He experienced the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Fuenfteichen, Gross Rosen, Flossenberg, Leonberg , Muelldorf am Inn and Ampfing-Waldlager, the last two were sub-camps of Dachau. Nate and his father were liberated by the 3rd US army on May 2, 1945.

Beth Israel Synagogue

Quotes from the Peterborough Examiner summarize what Nate is trying to convey:

'"What was the underlying reason? Only one word and this is hate--hate of the person that is not like you, " he said. "That is why I am here to talk to you, to try and instill the idea that hate kills. You never know when it's going to come to haunt you."

He said that hate must end. "It is not enough to tolerate the person that is not like you...In order to fight hate, you have to accept them for who they are."'

Click HERE to learn more about the Toronto Holocaust Centre, a place Nate co-founded to encourage respect for diversity and prevent acts of discrimination.

On November 7, 2006, as an event of the Holocaust Education Week program at Beth Israel Synagogue in Peterborough, an educator from the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre spoke about "Digital Hate on the Internet". Michael Ettedgui showed examples of web sites that promote anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, white supremacy, ethnic intolerance and terrorism. He talked about strategies used by groups that use the internet to further their causes. And he spoke about legislation and strategies being used to curtail them. Canada is considered to be one of the most progressive countries as far as upholding human rights but also removing 'hate' content such as found on the internet and prosecuting the perpetrators. Mr. Ettedgui warned that educators and parents must be careful in allowing students to do research on-line. Often the 'hate' sites present a facade that students may not be able to intepret at first as containing 'hate' content.

What you can do.

If you come across a Web site which you believe promotes terrorism or hate you are invited to send the URL to: digitalhate@wiesenthal.net which is monitored directly by the Centre's researchers. Law enforcement officials can contact the Centre in Toronto, directly.

Copies of the Digital Terrorism and Hate 2006 report are available free of charge to law enforcement officials, educational institutions and the media, and can be purchased by anyone directly from the SWC online store at: http://www.wiesenthal.com/.

On Sept. 2 2006, a Molotov cocktail was used to cause serious and malicious damage at the Skver-Toldos Orthodox Jewish Boys school in Outremont, Montreal during the early hours of Saturday morning. B'nai Brith makes available a 24/7 community Anti-Hate Hotline at 1-800-892-2624 if any anti-hate activities are expected or discovered in our community.

In April 2004, the President of the Beth Israel Congregation in Peterborough responds to recent acts of the racially motivated firebombings, vandalism and desecrations. See article from Peaceful Communities.ca.

AIDS in Africa Benefit Concert at Beth Israel

April 8, 2006. On behalf of the doctors, nurses and patients at Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe , AASK (Africa AIDS Support of the Kawartha's) would like to thank everyone who supported last weekend's event at the synagogue.There were over 125 people in attendance of all ages. A great time was had by all as they danced the night away to 3 great musical acts. A special thanks to The Indian River Band (with our own Dan Houpt) , The Unionist Ministers, and Micheal Morit.Thanks to everyone's support, the evening raised $2,500, which is a significant sum to a Hospital that constantly runs out of basic supplies that we take for granted in our hospitals. Thanks to all and we look forward to talking more about our work in Zimbabwe. See link to details about AASK's efforts: AASK.

Little Lake Cemetery

In September 2005, a new building was proposed at Little Lake Cemetery near to the Jewish section of the cemetery. Concerns have been expressed by members of Beth Israel about the possible infringement on the physical and spiritual disturbance of the Jewish gravesites. See recent article from CJN.

Trillium Foundation

On Aug. 20th 2005, Beth Israel Synagogue received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (http://www.trilliumfoundation.org/) of over $70,000. The money has been used to make the synagogue fully accessible to members of the community with physical disabilities. The restoration will allow the synagogue to open its doors to community groups that require meeting space and supporting facilities.

The Jewish Community Diversifies (Or Pardes)

In 2005, a new Jewish Congregation is established in Peterborough that includes a regular Chavurah (meeting of friends) to celebrate the Sabbath, holidays, and engage in Torah study. For more information on Or Pardes, contact : Christine McIntyre at 652-7584, or email orpardes@cogeco.net .

Peterborough Flood

On July 15 2004, Peterborough experienced 200 mm of rain in less than 24 hours. Due to the flooding, Beth Israel was seriously damaged at an estimated cost of $60,000. Although no major structural damage was incurred at the synagogue, it was nevertheless closed and remained unusable until restoration of the lower level, comprised of the kitchen, meeting and storage areas. Major contributions and assistance to restore Beth Israel came from many diverse sources, Jewish, Christian, and others.

Unitarian Fellowship and Beth Israel Synagogue

In June of 2004, the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough became a co-tenant, sharing the Beth Israel facility. The Beth Israel congregation overwhelmingly agreed to the partnership, coming to agreements on issues of timing of religious observances and maintenance of a kosher kitchen. See link: Unitarians.

 

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