Yom Kippur

by

High Holy Days

Beth Israel is preparing for the High Holy season.  

Here are some dates and times that you can attend.

All Events at Beth Israel Synagogue

 (unless noted)

Cantor’s High Holy Day Message 5787

Dearest friends,
I trust you’ve all had a pleasant summer.
We will shortly come together for the High Holy Days, the highlight of our religious
year. It’s a time for return and reflection, examining the past year and assessing
what’s gone well, as well as what’s not gone well. It’s also a time for looking forward,
planning what we will do in the coming year to improve those areas of our lives that
require some additional effort.
This idea of looking backward and forward accords well with the theme that I have
chosen for this year’s services: childhood. We can all remember the time of our
youth, when we were more carefree, and depended upon adults for guidance, as we
grew and matured. Many of us have children and grandchildren of our own, and we
seek to instill in them the Jewish values we hold dear, and which will help them to
grow into responsible young people and adults. The Torah readings and Haftarot for
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur feature stories and images that speak directly to
the theme of childhood; we will explore these in more detail in our services, as well
as at Tashlich and in the spiritual exercise that I have prepared for you.
We will, of course, have time to meet, greet, and renew relationships with family and
friends. We will also have lots of music, both familiar melodies, and some new ones.
This year we will have several innovations – particularly on Yom Kippur, when we will
premiere new musical pieces, including an instrumental melody, as well as two sung
duets and a solo that I have written especially for our congregation. We will also
celebrate a special Bat Mitzvah on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. I won’t spoil
the surprises!
We begin on Erev Rosh Hashanah, which falls on Friday 11 September, and we run
through to Yom Kippur on Monday 21 September. I hope that you will join us,
whether in person or online, and share in the friendship, joy and celebration for
which Beth Israel is famous.
I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

With much love and Shanah Tovah from Cantor Leon

Erev Yom Kippur, Kol Nidrei   Sunday, September 20th

Candle lighting – 6:56 pm

Zoom opens – 6:00 pm

    Service – 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Yom Kippur  Monday, September 21st

Zoom opens – 9:00 am

Morning service – 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

         Torah Service – 10:30 am

Yizkor – around 11:30 am

 Musaf – follows Torah service, ends ~ 1:30 pm

Cantor’s Minchah Discussion – 4:30 pm

Nei’ilah – 5:30 – 7:00 pm

Fast ends – 7:55 pm

 Havdalah – immediately following Ne’ilah

Community Potluck Breaking of Fast

following Ne’ilah

 

Services can be followed on Zoom.  

Pre-registration: emailing gabbai@jccpeterborough.com is required for admission.  

Pre-registrants will receive the Zoom link in the days before the service.

Zoom will be active 30 minutes before the scheduled start of each service.  Please do not join at the last minute. 

Please edit your name so that we know who you are, Surname, First Name.  

Cryptic names and nicknames may be denied admission.

 
 
by

Beth Israel Men’s Circle

Self Defence Techniques 

Tuesday November 17, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – In the Beth Israel Community Room.
 
For our November meeting Frank Maulson has offered to lead us in a Self Defence Techniques class.
This isn’t a workout – Some of the things he will cover:

How to move, how to stand, de-escalation, various simple techniques usable in a wide range of scenarios is a start.  

Open discussion about our situations, some fun and co-operation. 
 
This is open to all abilities and fitness levels – even if you just want to sit and observe.
 
PLEASE EMAIL PHIL TO RSVP 
 
Phil Pellat started this group back in November 2025  with the goal of creating a space where men from BIC can connect,
have fun, deepen relationships and enjoy each other’s company. 
 
We have had 8 meetings to-date which have included activities such as:
-Riley’s Pub evening Shmooze
-Kimchi Making / Hike at Houpt farm
-Bowling
-Spring Shul Grounds Cleanup
-Houpt Farm Tree planting
-Biking to 100 Acre Brewery for Lunch
-Evening Shore Fishing
 
We now have 16 men on our roster. The more men we have that are interested the more successful each event will be.
 
We have all had a great time and built closer relationships with each other
 
Hope to hear from more of the men in the BIC community.
 
Please reach out and let me know if you are interested, what type of events you’d like to participate in and I’ll add you to our list! 
 
Phil Pellat
 
 
by

Torah Study

On Saturdays at 10:30 am, BIS member Lloyd Greenspoon will be resuming Torah Study in the Jerusalem room at Beth Israel Synagogue.  This will be a hybrid event, live in the shul and via Zoom for those who cannot join at the synagogue.   Lloyd is planning to lead a collaborative study group taking into account people’s needs and levels of interest, including stimulating discussion about what the Torah means and the differing perspectives participants may hold. 

Email Lloyd at lloyd.greenspoon@gmail.com to get zoom details. 

Upcoming Study Dates:

November 14,  10:30 am at the shul 

This week we’ll discuss the twins, Jacob and Esau, born to Rebecca and Isaac, the birth problems Rebecca experienced, what we think are the conflicts and similarities, and is there a Talmudic/Torah connection between these twins and the two half-brother children of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.
 
Toledot Esau and Jacob
Genesis XXV, 19 -XXVIII, 9

Each session will run simultaneously via a Zoom telecon and with live participation in the synagogue. 

To register for either the in-person or Zoom session, please use this link:  Register for Torah Study

Contact Lloyd: lloyd.greenspoon@gmail.com

by

Exploring Judaism

Date:  Saturday June 13th

Join Jen L. and friends Saturday, June 13th  10 a.m.- noon for a facilitated peer discussion. Due to the snow storm at our last meeting we’re diving into how Jewish communities have thrived globally for 4,000 years again. We’ll explore personal roots, the power of storytelling, and how history grounds us today. Feel free to bring a book, a story, or an artifact to share. Bring some coffee and Jen will have vegan, GF cookies while we learn together! RSVP to Jen jenlewis312@gmail.com.

by

Shabbaton with visiting Rabbi Elyse Goldstein

Dates: Friday June 5th and Saturday June 6th

RSVP: To sign up, please fill in this form

Beth Israel is proud to announce a Shabbaton with Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, founding Rabbi and current Rabbi emeritus at the City Shul in Toronto, June 5-6, 2026. She will lead us in three events over Shabbat:

Weekend Schedule:

Friday June 5th 

5pm – Shabbat Potluck with Blessings

6pm – “Not By Bread Alone”: A Tasty Exploration of Jewish Identity

Starting from bread in the Bible we will look at—and taste—Jewish uniqueness as it is expressed through Jewish law, Jewish tradition, 

Jewish ethnicity and Jewish peoplehood/nationhood.

7pm – Shabbat songs with Elyse and Dan

Saturday June 6th

10am – Shabbat Shacharit service with Torah Reading, music with Dr Dan, and dvar/sermon: “Pashat Naso: The Big Questions of Building a Community”. Our ancestors built a “mishkan” (tabernacle) as a symbol of Gd’s presence. How does that manifest in our synagogue life today, if at all? What can their mishkan preparation chapters teach us about community for our time

12pm – Shabbat Kiddish lunch, catered

1-3 pm: Torah/text study ““For Heaven’s Sake: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Disagreements.” How does Judaism view civil discourse? Can we disagree over fundamental issues and maintain a “community”? How? We will explore traditional texts which will help us ponder these difficult questions for difficult times.

__________________

Biography of Rabbi Goldstein:

Rabbi Dr. Elyse Goldstein is the founding Rabbi of City Shul, a Reform congregation in downtown Toronto she started in 2011, which has grown to prominence as one of the most creative synagogues in Canada. She retired in 2024 and was named its Rabbi Emerita. 

She broke the “stained glass ceiling” after her ordination upon her arrival to Toronto in 1983, as the only female Rabbi in all of Canada. She was quickly recognized as a fiery speaker, skilled teacher and social justice advocate. After her first position as Assistant Rabbi at Canada’s largest synagogue of 5,000 families (Holy Blossom Temple) she founded Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning, an adult education institute recognized a leader in Jewish adult education, and was awarded the most prestigious prize in Jewish education, the internationally recognized Covenant Award for Exceptional Jewish Educators, as a result of that work, in 2005. 

She was the first woman to be elected as president of the interdenominational Toronto Board of Rabbis and was one of seven women featured in the Canadian National Film Board documentary, “Half the Kingdom.” Her first book, ReVisions: Seeing Torah through a Feminist Lens, won the Canadian National Jewish Book Awards in the field of Bible. Her second and third books,The Women’s Torah Commentary, and The Women’s Haftarah Commentary were the first Bible commentaries in history written by female Rabbis. Her fourth book, New Jewish Feminism: Probing the Past, Forging the Future won finalist in The National Jewish Book Awards. 

In 2013 she was named one of America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis by The Forward and in May 2017 she was awarded Doctor of Laws Honoris Causis from TMU (formerly Ryerson University) in recognition of her path-breaking work in Canada. She also acted in the theatre from 2017-2019 inThe Clergy Project, an award-winning show she wrote together with a priest and a minister, about being clergy in the 21st century which won “Best of The Fringe Theatre Festival” in Toronto.  She’s married to Baruch Sienna and together they have 3 adult children with 3 spouses and 3 grandchildren.

by

Yizkor on Shavuot with Cantor Leon

Date: Saturday May 23rd

Time: 10am

Where: Zoom

RSVP: Email Gabbai Ron Molnar (gabbai@jccpeterborough.com) for the Zoom link .

Message from Cantor Leon: 

The festival of Shavuot will be celebrated later this month. In addition to eating cheesecake and decorating our homes with greenery, it’s a time to remember our loved ones who have passed away. We do this in a special service called Yizkor (“May God remember”), which elevates the souls of the dead through prayers, Torah study, and acts of charity.I am planning a special short Yizkor service, on Zoom, on Saturday 23 May, at 10:00am. You will have the opportunity to recall the names of your loved ones in the course of proceedings. In preparation for this, please seek out the Hebrew names of the deceased, and the names of their parents. These can be entered by you into the chat function of Zoom, as the 23rd Psalm is played and sung. If you don’t know the names in Hebrew, English is perfectly acceptable. Feel free to commemorate anyone (friends or family) you think fit.

Please join me for this meaningful ritual, by emailing our Gabbai, Ron Molnar (follow link above) who will send you the Zoom link the week before Shavuot. You will be able to follow the text of the service on screen. 

With love from Cantor Leon.

by

Join us Friday, May 29 for Oneg Shabbat

All are welcome May 29th for an Oneg Shabbat service with the Beth Israel Congregation. The service will begin at 6 p.m. Please feel free to bring non-members, family, and friends! For more information regarding this event, please contact the bethisrael@jccpeterborough.com 

by

Warren Kinsella and Gila Martow

in Conversation

Date:  Sunday May 17 2026

at Beth Israel Synagogue. Registration and reception with light refreshments is at 3pm. Event begins at 4pm

The Beth Israel Community is being invited to a private event featuring Warren Kinsella in conversation with Gila Martow. Warren Kinsella is a Canadian lawyer, author, musician, and political commentator known for his outspoken views on propaganda and public affairs.

Warren will be speaking about his newly released book The Hidden Hand and will take part in an engaging and lively discussion with Gila Martow, former MPP and current

Vaughan City Councillor. To register please respond to info@gila.ca.  Kindly ensure that each attendee registers individually using their own email address for security reasons.

by

 

Lag B’Omer at the Houpt Farm

Date: Sunday May 3rd

Time: 3pm onwards

RSVP: Click here to RSVP to Karen Fisher so organisers can plan for set up.

You are invited to bring a dairy  potluck dish for  dinner  beginning around 5pm followed by a bonfire. BYO lawn chair, if possible. Musical instruments are also welcome; we hope to have a sing along. The celebration goes ahead rain or shine (and will be moved inside at Dan’s).

Hope to see you there!

by

Dr. Ben Langer hosts

authors Dr. Jeff Wilkinson and Raja Khouri 

Date: Saturday May 9th

Time: 7-9pm

Where: Beth Israel Synagogue

RSVP: Click here

Dr. Ben Langer invites members of the Beth Israel Synagogue and the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough to a private event from 7-9 pm on May 9, hosted at the Beth Israel Synagogue building, lower level. Dr. Jeff Wilkinson and Raja Khouri, authors of the book The Wall Between: What Jews and Palestinians Don’t Want to Know About Each Other, have spent many years facilitating transformational conversations between Jewish and Palestinian diaspora community members, working to reduce tension and aid in understanding. Our goal is not to debate or resolve the differences between us, but to be able to sit with and listen to one another, and try to strengthen relationships by focusing on shared values.
There will be snacks.