Beth Israel

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Cantor’s Message
High Holy Days 5786/2025-6

Dearest friends,

Very shortly, the High Holy Days will be upon us. I am very very much looking forward to returning to Beth Israel in person, and spending this special time with you.

The theme that I have chosen to guide us in our worship is Jewish ideas of leadership. There are many aspects to this principle and role. We think, of course, of leaders of our government, communities, and places of work; but those represent only one type of leader. When we drill down into our closest relationships, we find that leadership is equally important: it informs how we relate to our families and friends on a daily basis, and how we interact with the wider world. We are all leaders – and followers – in some respect, and being Jewish should inform how we view this essential role.

In my short presentations on the High Holy Days, I will focus on a select number of biblical figures – both men and women – to bring out particular aspects of their leadership. I’m hoping that this will encourage you to reflect on what leadership means to you personally.

Leadership will also be the focus the spiritual exercise that I have set for this year. There are two questions that I would like you to answer: (1) Which Jewish leader (ancient or modern) do you admire most, and why? (2) How does being Jewish inform your own sense of leadership? We will discuss your responses at Mincha time on Yom Kippur (Thursday 2 October); I think the views you share will be of great interest! The worksheet that I have drawn up will present you with some resources to guide your thinking.

The materials for the exercise are attached to this newsletter or available by contacting gabbai@jccpeterborough.com.

We will, of course, have lots of music and congregational participation. I will be accompanied for certain portions of the services by the incomparable Dan Houpt, for whom I have written a number of new arrangements, including (another) special version of Adon Olam. At the pot luck this year at the Houpt farm, Dan and I will perform a series of ten pieces, mostly from the High Holy Day liturgy, for which I will offer some commentary, to help you understand the meanings behind these wonderful musical numbers. You might even sing along more when these occur in the services!

We begin on the evening of 22 September, at 7 pm. I hope to see you in the course of this joyous period in our liturgical year.

I wish you all a Shanah Tovah, and G’mar Chatimah Tovah.

With love from Cantor Leon

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What Services & Programming Would You Love?

As we grow and evolve we want to better understand who you are and how we can shape our synagogue life to reflect and support us all. So we are asking: what kind of services and programming would you like to see this year? If you haven’t already, please let us know in this short-if-you-want-it-to-be survey. Click to have your say now!

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Beth Israel Membership 2025-26 –

Renew or Join Now!

We invite all current members to renew your membership, and everyone interested in becoming a member of Beth Israel Congregation to apply now for the 2025-26 year. Our little-congregation-that-could and all that we offer (programming, beautiful space, religious leadership, holocaust and anti-semitism education, this information, etc.) is made possible by the work, and financial support, of members. For more information or to renew or apply, click here. Please note: to align with the Beth Israel Ptbo bylaws, this and subsequent membership years will run until the Annual General Meeting – anticipated for June 14, 2026. Please pay your dues by September 30th to remain a member in good standing. 

Thank you for your generosity – this wouldn’t be possible without you.

Thank you for being part of Beth Israel Congregation!

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Abraham Festival / Oneg Shabbat

Join Dr. Dan Houpt and friends for an Oneg Shabbat Friday, September 12th at 6 p.m. as part of the 22nd Annual Abraham Festival. Please come enjoy the beautiful community service and help us welcome guests from Christian and Muslim faiths to our shul!

Also you are invited to attend Jummah prayers at the Oasis (at St. James Church, 221 Romaine St., Peterborough) on Friday, September 12th at 1pm, and Christian Worship at the same location, Sunday September 14th at 10:30am, followed by a vegetarian potluck lunch at noon, and then sit back, laugh and dance “Jerusalema” together with comedian Azfar Ali! For more information, click here. All events are free, with donations gratefully accepted.

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Develop Comfort & Confidence to Participate in Services

Would you like to connect more with Jewish practice and prepare for greater participation in High Holy Day and other future services? Join Beth Israel’s own Dr. Dan Houpt Wednesday, September 10th at 7 p.m. to learn the prayers before and after recitation from the Torah and make your participation in services more meaningful! RSVP here and add it to your calendar.

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Welcome Gabriel: New Summer Community Worker!

Hi! My name is Gabriel Barr, and from now until August 11th I’ll be helping out the Beth Israel Congregation as a part of the Canada Summer Jobs program! I am a Peterborough local and grew up as a member of the Unitarian Fellowship. For the past 3 years I’ve been living in Montreal studying communications/media production and biology at Concordia University. I’m looking forward to meeting you at the upcoming service & picnic, and at the AGM! 

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Please Join Us For An End of Season/School Service &/or Picnic

We invite you to join us to celebrate a most excellent year of Beth Israel religious and community  programming and events, and to honour all those who have worked hard this year (gotten up and to school/your studies most of the time counts) Friday June 20th with a special Oneg Shabbat Service beginning at 5pm (note earlier time) followed by a picnic and songs at 6:30 at a another special venue.  All are welcome.  For more details please contact:  Beth Israel .  Please RSVP here for the event.

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Dear Congregants and friends of Beth Israel, Peterborough

We are heartbroken to learn of the murder of Sarah Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, in Washington DC on May 21, 2025, outside of a diner for young diplomats, in what appears to be an act of political violence. At a time of tremendous turmoil, in which many are anxious about the safety of Jews in North America, this event has the potential to exacerbate these fears. While the Beth Israel Congregation contains diverse perspectives on the political situation in the Middle East, we all stand behind the principle of pikuach nefesh, the sanctity of human life, and deplore violence against civilians for political ends. We will continue to work within our congregation, within our community, and through our relationship with the land of Israel to promote a more peaceful world.

— The Beth Israel Board of Directors

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING,

Amendment to Current Bylaws and Special Resolution Required

Dear Beth Israel Congregation Members,

Your presence is requested for the Annual General Meeting for Beth Israel Congregation on June 24 from 6:30-8 pm at the synagogue. Please RSVP now (click the link) and plan to attend – 30% of all voting members are required for quorum. If you cannot attend, please complete the proxy form attached and send it with your proxy to the AGM.

Agenda to follow.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please see below for the Notice of Special Resolution and Proposed Amendment of the Beth Israel Congregation By-laws (2016) for Approval by Beth Israel Congregation Membership.

1) Special Resolution

Ontario Non for profit Corporations Act (ONCA) “statement of waiver” requirement to be approved:

In keeping with the rules and regulations regarding Audits and Engagement Reviews for not for profit organization and charities for the Province of Ontario, be it therefore resolved that Beth Israel Congregation members agree to waive the requirement and costs associated with both an Engagement Review and Audit for the fiscal year. 

2) 2016 Beth Israel Congregation Bylaws amendment to composition of the Board of Directors

Current:

Board of Directors: The affairs of the Congregation/Corporation shall be governed by a Board of Directors (referred to in the Letters Patent of the Corporation dated May 28, 1953 as “the Committee of Management”), which Board shall be composed of eight (8) Voting Members. In addition, the immediate Past-President, if not re-elected as a Director, may act as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board for a term of one (1) year.

Proposed:

Board of Directors: The affairs of the Congregation/Corporation shall be governed by a Board of Directors (referred to in the Letters Patent of the Corporation dated May 28, 1953 as “the Committee of Management”), which Board shall be composed of nine to fifteen (9-15) Voting Members. The Board shall have the discretion to select the number of Directors within the range annually. In addition, the immediate Past-President, if not re-elected as a Director, may act as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board for a term of one (1) year.

For the complete Beth Israel bylaws, see, click here.

Mark Siegel, President

Beth Israel Congregation Board of Directors

 
Come out and join in the celebration for another successful synagogue year!
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More about Aviva Rubin’s Visit on June 5th and her book entitled: WHITE

The Beth Israel Book Club

Organizers request that everyone RSVP here so we have numbers for food and drink. The event is at the synagogue at 6:30pm. 
 
Please join us for a visit from Toronto author, Aviva Rubin, who will discuss her book, WHITE, (no, you don’t have to have read it) and it’s relevance in our world today. Aviva is an engaging and entertaining speaker and all are welcome to attend. Come and show your support for a local Jewish author. You can read about her: avivarubin.ca and look for her on social media.
 
As written up on Aviva’s website, here are more details about WHITE:

Sarah Cartell grew up in the 1980’s and 90’s in a White supremacist family, controlled by her grandfather whose beliefs and violence mark them all. When an unexpected friendship with a Black boy, and the Jewish town librarian, open her mind and expose those beliefs as vile lies, Sarah begins digging up everything she can about the haters her family celebrates . . . and her grandmother and aunt who fled long ago.

Determined to dismantle the White supremacist network in Canada, Sarah infiltrates a Neo-Nazi gang. As she races to stop the tide of hate crimes, new friends are put in danger and a horrifying family secret begins to emerge. This unravelling lands her in a psychiatric ward, where her therapist forces the resistant Sarah to dig into pain she has ignored, and acknowledge being trapped in the belief that she is unworthy of the world she is fighting for. Can she ever escape the bonds of a hateful family?

Why WHITE is relevant today:

The book peels back the layers of hate and exposes the intimate and complex destruction it unleashes on believers, as much as those who are targeted. Any direction Sarah Cartell turns, something is lost. To choose empathy is to forfeit family and a sense of belonging. Merging two genres – domestic and political fiction – WHITE explores anti-Semitism, racism and the trauma of growing up with hate. What has changed dramatically since the 80’s and 90’s is the legitimacy of white nationalist beliefs and permission to wave that flag. What has not changed is clinging almost desperately to intolerance out of a misguided notion that it guarantees safety for those who fear losing their supposed birthright. In an increasingly polarized world, understanding hate and the divisions it perpetuates as not simply evil, is key to choosing trust over building walls. For Sarah, strong convictions battle her reticence to trust either others or herself. In times that drive us protectively inward, reaching across difference still remains the best way forward. But how do we do that when we feel under threat?

Link to the event post:  https://jccpeterborough.com/bookclub-2/

Kindly RSVP here so we have numbers for food and drink.