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Board of Beth Israel Congregation — click here for recent posts !
Messages from the BIC President:
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Erev Yom Kippur Address
– From the President to Community
Shalom lekulam,
My name is Gabriele Abramsky, and for those who don’t know me, I am honored to serve as your new president of the board.
If you receive our newsletter, you already know about the many exciting things happening in our synagogue. So I won’t waste any time telling you about all the great events that happened in the past year. Our membership continues to grow — part of a broader trend in Canada where larger centers like Toronto and Montreal see people moving toward smaller communities like ours. This growth is a blessing, but it also presents challenges: we have only one building, and it must be a home that accommodates everyone in our community.
Standing here tonight, on the eve of Yom Kippur, is profoundly humbling. This is the holiest day of the year — a day when we turn inward with honesty and outward with hope. For me, as your president, and as a woman in this role, the privilege carries a special weight. I do not stand here only as your president, but as someone who has prayed in these pews, celebrated milestones in this building, and found meaning in this sacred space for many years.
Yom Kippur is a time for reflection — a time to examine what we have done well, where we have fallen short, and how we can grow. We do this as individuals, as a community, and as a people. Leadership is part of that reflection. Who leads us matters — not because of titles, but because true leadership is about responsibility, listening, and service.
This year, I had the privilege of spending Rosh Hashanah in Germany, where the theme was women in leadership. We studied the foremothers of our tradition — women who shaped Jewish history with courage, wisdom, and strength.
Sarah, who was not a silent companion but a determined partner. Rebecca, who saw beyond appearances and recognized that justice and compassion are what sustain a covenant. Jocheved, who risked everything to bring Moses into the world. Batiah, Pharaoh’s daughter, who defied her father and saved a child from the Nile out of compassion. And Esther, who overcame fear and risked her life to save her people.
These women remind us that leadership is not always about status or hierarchy. It is about courage, foresight, justice, compassion, and integrity. Their example continues to guide us today — showing us that true influence often begins quietly, and that wisdom and courage can shape history in ways that endure for generations.
But Yom Kippur is not only about leadership — it is about community. Our synagogue is like the sukkah we will soon build: a big tent. A home wide enough to welcome everyone — men and women, elders and children, Jews from every background, seekers and doubters alike. A big tent does not erase our differences; it honors them, and makes us stronger because of them.
When I stand here as a woman leading this congregation, I see that tent in action. I see a Judaism that grows more vibrant when every voice is welcomed, when our daughters as well as our sons are given the chance to bring their gifts of leadership, compassion, and vision.
So I ask: how do we keep that tent open? How do we ensure that no one feels invisible or unheard? How do we build a community where leadership is not about gender or status, but about heart, service, and commitment?
Over the years, I have seen this building — and this community — go through many changes. Generations have passed through, yet one thing has never changed: the spirit that fills this place when we gather. A spirit of welcome, resilience, tradition, and deep care for one another.
That is what makes tonight so powerful. Yom Kippur is the time when we pause to ask the hardest questions:
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Who am I now?
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Where have I fallen short?
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Who do I need to forgive?
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Who am I called to become?
This is the work of cheshbon hanefesh — an accounting of the soul. But it is also communal work. We must ask: What kind of community do we want to be? How can we support one another more fully? How can we build a synagogue that is ever more welcoming, just, and spiritually nourishing?
As we prepare for Kol Nidre, we come with open hearts — and broken ones, too. We bring grief and gratitude, regret and hope. We bring memories of those no longer beside us, and dreams for the year ahead. And we bring all of this together — as one people.
This year, with a new board, we step into a new chapter. I am proud to stand with dedicated, thoughtful people who care deeply not only about the programs and budget of this synagogue, but about its very soul. We are committed to preserving the values that have guided us for generations, while growing in ways that will keep this community meaningful and alive for the future.
To Mark, our past president, and to every board member and volunteer who came before us: thank you. We stand on your shoulders.
To Leon: thank you for carrying the spiritual weight of this season with such grace.
To all our volunteers: thank you for the countless things you do, often unseen, to make this holy time flow so smoothly.
To Miriam: thank you for holding this community together day after day.
To Ben Langer and his family foundation: thank you for your generosity, which allows us to keep expanding our programs and dialogue.
And to all of you — whether you’re here for the first time or the fiftieth, whether you’re in the front row or the back — thank you for showing up. Your presence matters. You are what makes this community holy.
May this Yom Kippur be a time of reflection, forgiveness, and renewal.
May we be sealed for a year of health, healing, meaning, and peace.
And may our synagogue continue to be a place where every heart finds a home.
As your new president, I hope I haven’t offended too many people yet. I’m sure I will at some point — and for that, I apologize in advance.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah.
Gabriele Zeh-Abramsky
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A Word From the President:
Reflections on the Middle East Crisis
Respectfully yours,
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Cantor Leon’s Message —
A Perspective From Belfast
Dearest friends,
This is a very trying time for our community. We have experienced a great shock and tragedy, which reverberates around the world. Antisemitism is on the rise; Jewish people are frightened, particularly given the public gatherings that have been held, the vitriol and menace of which are reminiscent of the darkest days of the last century. I grew up with the memory of the Holocaust deeply ingrained in me and my family, many of whom, including my parents, were survivors of that terrible tragedy. I never thought that I’d experience anything like the anxiety and dread that my mother and father felt, simply for being Jewish; unfortunately those feelings are beginning to surface.
Here in Europe tensions are running high: you can feel the animosity towards Jews, and can see it daily in the media, and indeed on the streets of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Belfast. We must all have our wits about us, and call out antisemitism wherever it surfaces.
In addition to regretting the terrible toll in human lives lost, we should remember those who were removed by force into Gaza, including several Canadians. Over two hundred hostages have been taken by Hamas, including 30 children and 20 people over the age of 60. We live in hope that sense will prevail, and that they will be freed in the near future.
On Monday 9 October I sat down to compose a prayer for those hostages who were taken on Simchat Torah. This was recited by our dear friend Dr Dan Houpt in his Kabbalat Shabbat, and I now offer it to the community at large. Please see it in full below. It is adapted from our Shacharit morning service, and originates in a time when our ancestors were forcibly taken and held against their will; unfortunately this has happened all too often in our history. Those hostages taken from southern Israel need our love and support; I hope you will use this prayer, in public and in private, to help to bring them home to their loved ones.
If anyone feels the need to reach out to me for pastoral support at this terrible time, please do get in touch. I’m always available to talk.
With love from Cantor Leon
Prayer for the Hostages Taken by Hamas Terrorists
on Simchat Torah (7 October 2023)
For our brothers and sisters, all the House of Israel, who have fallen into hardship and captivity, who stand between the sea and the dry land, may the Everpresent One have mercy upon them and rescue them from hardship to wellbeing, and from darkness to light, and from bondage to redemption, now, in the world, at the earliest possible moment, we pray.
And let us say: Amen.
Extracted from daily Shacharit (morning prayer)
Cantor Leon Litvack, 24 Tishrei, 5784
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A Word From the President:
Tragedies in Middle East
Dear Fellow Congregants,
As our hearts and minds are overtaken by events in the Middle East, with real time exposure to the horrors that are engulfing that region, my feelings include shock, anger and revulsion at the atrocities committed upon helpless innocents, and the grief that follows. I also feel intense sadness and impotency for being unable to prevent the awakening of the “Dogs of War” which the Israeli military is so capable of. I feel afraid of the awful consequences of revenge and reprisal, not only the death and destruction, but more so, this set-back to the generations of work towards resolution of the underpinnings of this recurring nightmare.
On behalf of BIC I want to extend our prayers for those who have suffered injuries or loss of life, and our sympathies to those whose friends and loved ones are caught up in this maelstrom. I share these feelings in the hope that it will connect us at this difficult time. For those who feel called to be together at this time, please join in Friday night as Dan Houpt leads a service for our community to support each other. Please see details here. For those who feel called to gather with our Muslim and Christian neighbours, your participation in this week’s Abraham Festival events would be greatly appreciated. Click here for further details.
I realize that my words may not satisfy everyone. Recognizing that we hold divergent opinions, we are fortunate for any and all ways that our small community can be supportive of each other during this time.
Take care,
Mark Siegel
Beth Israel Congregation Board President
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A Word From the President for 5784
Mark Siegel
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BIC President’s Community Update
Dear Friends,
We hope that this message finds you and your family in great health, and good spirits. The past two years of the pandemic have been unprecedented in our lifetime. It has certainly affected us all. This includes gathering with our friends and family. Everyday activities we have taken for granted are now a bit more challenging.
These limitations also include community gatherings at our beloved Beth Israel Synagogue. The building still remains closed out of concern for the well-being of our Congregation. Until recently the COVID numbers were trending positively, and we were hoping to reopen the shul this month. The emergence of the Omicron variant has delayed these plans. We look forward to gathering at the Synagogue when it is safe to do so.
On a very positive note our community continues to be vibrant and very active despite the pandemic. Thanks to Dan Houpt for continuing to run regular Kabbalat Shabbat services. Kudos to our Cantor Leon Litvack for leading services and his deep caring for us. We have also held a number of additional events which included Jewish holidays such as Purim, Passover and the High Holy Days, many with a kids and youth participation component. All of these have been well attended.
Our Outreach and Events Committee has continued to be very active in reaching out to individuals in our community, and also developing the framework of many of our events. One of their accomplishments has been developing an education program and curriculum for the Youth who live here. This is extremely important as the number of young people in our community is at the highest numbers we have seen in many years!
Our partnership with our friends at the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough (UFP) continues to grow and evolve. After years of dialogue we have recently developed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This important document details how we will jointly manage and share the Synagogue. It also assures that the UFP will be with us for many years into the future. This is great news as the rental income we receive from the UFP is critical to our long-term fiscal health.
In addition to revenue, the UFP bring many resources and much energy to the management of the building. Through this collaborative effort we have upgraded Beth Israel Synagogue into a fully accessible building in the past year. An elevator was installed between floors, to assist those with mobility issues. A new fully accessible washroom was constructed in the basement, and doors and entrances to the shul were modified to be fully accessible to all with mobility issues. Funds for these improvements to the synagogue came from a Federal Government Accessibility Grant with the balance of the costs shared by the UFP and BIS communities.
The future of our community is very bright. Thanks to your commitment our membership numbers at Beth Israel is at the highest level in the 35 years I have been a member. This is a testament to the hard work of many individuals, and to the will of our community itself.
I speak for everyone when I say that we look forward to having the pandemic behind us, and to gathering again at the Synagogue. We look forward to another strong year of programming. Lastly if there is anything on your mind which may assist our community, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Be well.
Larry Gillman
President Beth Israel Synagogue