Beth Israel

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Beth Israel Membership for 5785: Renew! Apply!

Enquiring minds want to know: Where is my Membership Renewal Letter? How much are my Dues? Membership renewal notices will go out via email presently. To APPLY for or RENEW your membership for the 2024-25 year, please complete the complete this form. If renewing and none of your information has changed and you just want to send in your dues, please see the membership dues form and remit payment by Thursday, October 31st to remain a member in good standing. Information on how to pay is conveniently included via all of the links above. 

Thank you for being part of Beth Israel Congregation!

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**Board of Directors; Are You Our Next Board Member?!**

Are you 18+ and a paid up voting member of Beth Israel Congregation (BIC)? Do you desire to actively shape the future of our amazing congregation? Well, now is your chance! The BIC Board of Directors has an opening. Those with any of the following skill sets are especially invited to apply: legal, accounting, bookkeeping, secretarial interests, prior experience on boards. For the pertinent BIC bylaws, click here. To submit your request to become a Director, please email Mark Siegel. 

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Mark’s Rosh HaShana Message+

BIC Board President Mark Seigel shared his outgoing Rosh HaShanah address to the community, focused on inclusion and the ‘Big Tent’ approach he has championed during his tenure. Click here for the full content. Mark also highly recommends Meet Robert; Meet Jessica: The Challenge of Jewish Diversity During Difficult Times, a Rosh Hashanah sermon by Rabbi Mark Glickman of Calgary’s temple b’nei tikvah.

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Torah Study

Participants take turns reading the Parasha in English and study group leaders will support discussion as questions arise from the text or commentary. Books will be provided, or bring your own to add to the perspectives. This is intended as open and fluid gathering with the goal of bringing more meaning/relevance/joy to the study of Torah. No advance study or preparation needed. If you would like to participate, RSVP here and we will look forward to seeing you.
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Max Eisen Lecture on Holocaust Studies

You and yours are warmly invited to attend Trent University’s inaugural Max Eisen Lecture in Holocaust Studies, on Monday, September 23 at 7 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough). The Shattering of the Assumptive World: A Family Story will be presented by Dr. Peter Suedfeld, Dean and Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia. This event is free and open to the public, but you are asked to pre-register here to attend. More information on Dr. Suedfeld and a lecture abstract can be found here. 

Lecture Abstract:

Two families, joined in marriage, lived as ordinary Hungarian citizens for several centuries. Their accustomed way of life changed drastically when in the 1940s the Holocaust focused on the Jews of Hungary. Over the next few years, they lost all rights, possessions, and protection from the state. Eventually, all younger men became slave labourers for the army; other family members were deported to concentration camps, mostly to Auschwitz, where many were murdered; and most of the rest were crammed into the ghetto. Peter, the sole child in both families, was hidden in an orphanage. The talk describes the diverse nature of their experiences and of how the survivors rebuilt their lives, with new homes, new work, and in some cases new families.

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Annual Meeting & Dessert Party

In accordance with Beth Israel’s By Laws, notice is hereby given for the 2024 Annual General Meeting to be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 7 pm at Beth Israel, 775 Weller Street, Peterborough, Ontario. Voting members and guests will have the opportunity to receive updates on activities at the synagogue, receive the 2023-2024 Financial Statements and elect the Board of Directors for the coming year. The program will also include a presentation and discussion on the synagogue’s new Mission, Vision and Values Statement.
 
To add to the celebrations the Board is throwing a dessert party for attendees. All individuals who have paid their 2024 dues by June 25 shall be entitled to vote at the AGM. Nominations for Director positions close on June 11, 2024. Nominees/nominators must be voting members of Beth Israel. For details on the positions open and the nomination process, click here.
 
Come out and join in the celebration for another successful synagogue year!
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Nominations Now Open for Beth Israel Board of Directors

 
The Beth Israel Board of Directors Nominating Committee is now accepting Nominations from interested Voting Members (current members in good standing) to join the Beth Israel Board of Directors for the 2024-2026 term. There are 4 positions available for election – 3 directors (Mike Fox, Heather Pollock and Sandra Grainger) are seeking renewal for an additional 2 year term and there is 1 vacant director’s position. This is an excellent opportunity to help shape and guide the future direction of Beth Israel. The Board meets once a month and all Board members are expected to serve on at least one committee.
 

In accordance with Beth Israel’s By Law 6.2, 6.3 and 6.5, the Nominating Committee is now accepting Nominations from interested Voting Members (current paid members) to join the Beth Israel Board of Directors for the year 2024-2026. Nominations close on June 11. Nominations are not permitted from the floor of the AGM.

Criteria for Nominees

Nominees must be a Voting Member in good standing, not be an employee of the Congregation, not have an undischarged bankruptcy and be legally competent under the laws of Canada and its Provinces to conduct business and enter into contract.

About the Beth Israel Board

The Beth Israel Board of Directors is composed of 8 directors. They are responsible for holding regular meetings to deal with the business of Beth Israel Congregation, and appointing its executive officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary). Board meetings may include governance and financial issues, oversight of committees and programming, and much more! The Board helps shape the future of our synagogue.

To Nominate Someone

Any two members may submit the name of a Voting Member for nomination to the Board. The nomination may be made via email to the Chair of the Nominating Committee, Mark Siegel president@jccpeterborough.com or by mail to: 775 Weller St., P.O. Box 144 Peterborough ON K9J 6Y7.

For information on the Annual General Meeting and Dessert Party, click here.

 
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Yom HaShoah Events

Learning about the Holocaust and Its Meaning Today

Below are a set of links to Yom HaShoah events of note for our local community. 

Online participation is possible. 

Click on the links below to reach the event or learning materials.Yom HaShoah Candles

Yizkor:  Our Commitment to Remember

6 million worlds extinguished.

6 million pairs of hands that could no longer be held

6 million lifetimes of stories that could no longer be told

We cannot undo these horrors

What we can do is honour

We honour 6 million worlds in our candle lighting

We honour 6 million worlds in our remembering

We honour 6 million worlds by saying Never Again

We honour by bearing witness, by teaching this difficult history to our children. We honour by asking:

Where is the seed of this hate?

How was it made to blossom?

How was this hate elected?

Who is feeding it today?

To every soul that perished in the Nazi Holocaust, Jewish, Roma, disabled, gay, trans, to the millions of universes we can no longer explore,

To each of you, we pledge: We will keep learning, we will keep teaching, we will keep speaking, we will keep thinking, we will keep loving, we will keep building relationships across difference

We refuse to believe that we are powerless against hate, we refuse to abandon faith in humanity, we refuse to take anything for granted. In your memory, in the shadow of 6 million worlds, We will do everything we can to make never again mean never again.

 

Beth Israel News Prize

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How do I get a Beth Israel News Prize?

To be eligible for a Prize, all you need to do is submit something to the Beth Israel News. For Editorial Guidelines on what we do (and don’t) publish, click here. Your item can be big or small, one time or every week; it can be notice of a typo, words of thanks, or beyond. Every time someone sends in a contribution, their name is entered to win. Once a month (or so), we will draw a name at random, and pick a – perhaps equally random prize.  

Mazel tov, Eitan! You are the winner of the Beth Israel News for this month. Your prize is a bag of Munchos (chips, donated to Beth Israel by a kind member, excited about the Ladino nature of their name). To be eligible for a Prize, all you need to do is submit something to the Beth Israel News. For Editorial Guidelines on what we do (and don’t) publish, click here. Your item can be big or small, it can be notice of a typo, words of thanks, or beyond. Once a month (or so), we will draw a name and award a prize. 

Seeking Assistant Gabbai (Volunteer)

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The search is on for someone to assist Ron Molnar and Cantor Leon Litvack in ensuring the smooth running of the High Holy Days and other religious services, with a view (eventually) to succeeding Ron as Gabbai (. Basic facility in Hebrew and some familiarity with the prayer book

(siddur/mahzor) are absolute requirements. Please send a statement at your earliest convenience, outlining your interest and experience – or any questions – please email Ron gabbai@jccpeterborough.com.