For further information on any of these events, email to: contact@jccpeterborough.com
Please NOTE: The events below are listed by date descending…that means you will need to scroll down to see the events according to their date in the year. For example, July events are further down in the list than August events.
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Coronavirus-19 Update
- Proof of vaccination.
- Wearing of masks.
- No drink or food consumption.
- Social distancing.
Blessings to recite on receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
For everyone who has undergone and survived the trials and tribulations of the last year, receiving the vaccine will be a relief; but it may also be considered a blessing, in the Jewish sense. We recite blessings every day of our lives: when we get up or go to bed, eat, sleep, pray, and on many other occasions; indeed all of our human functions emanate from the showering of God’s grace upon us. For this reason, it is appropriate to recite these two blessings when receiving the vaccine.
1. A blessing to thank God for the miracle of our bodies:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעֹולָם, רֹופֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשֹות בִּידֵי כָּל יֹושְׁבֵי תֵבֵל
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, rofeh chol basar u-maflee la-asot bi-dei kol yoshvei tevel.
Baruch atah Adonai, our God, sovereign of time and space, who heals all flesh, and works wondrously through human hands.
2. The Shehecheyanu: a blessing to celebrate special occasions. We recite it to give thanks to God for new and unusual experiences.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעֹולָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזַּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu, ve-kiyemanu, ve-higiyanu lazman hazeh.
Baruch atah Adonai, our God, sovereign of time and space, who has given us life, sustained us, and has enabled us to reach this moment.
Cantor Leon Litvack (1 Nisan 5781, 14 March 2021)
Kabbalat Shabbat Service— ONLINE
When: Friday, April 22nd: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Zoom connection
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- wish to attend and require the Zoom connection details;
- would like to do an English reading; and/or,
- wish to receive a copy of the service in pdf.
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Kabbalat Shabbat Service— ONLINE this week
When: Friday, May 13th: 6:50 p.m.
Where: Beth Israel Synagogue
- Proof of vaccination.
- Wearing of masks.
- No drink or food consumption.
- Social distancing.
-
- wish to attend and require the Zoom connection details;
- would like to do an English reading; and/or,
- wish to receive a copy of the service in pdf.
Community Passover Seder
Where: ONLINE (ZOOM)
- Subject: Community Passover Seder registration
- Content: Your name and other persons who might be attending
to receive the registration link and further information such as access to a Haggadah.
It won’t be the same as seeing each other in person, but we are nonetheless quite excited to embark on our third ever online Seder.
We ask that you register BY WEDNESDAY, April 13th, (see registration link below) so we can ensure we have the capacity for all. We will also be ‘seating’ guests at ‘tables’ (virtual subgroups) so you will have times during the Seder when you can talk and interact with those at your table. The link to the Zoom call will be forwarded to you once we receive your registration. You may join by phone or internet.
Please click the following link to register. https://forms.gle/FAobpg5WLvuVP6hv6
You are welcome to invite your friends and family.
Hag Sameach!
Where: ONLINE (ZOOM)
Dear friends,
The Shabbat before Pesach is known as “Shabbat Hagadol” (“the Great Shabbat”). It holds special significance in Jewish tradition, because it was the day, in the year of the Exodus (some four thousand years ago), that the Israelites were first commanded to prepare a lamb for the Passover sacrifice. Such an act would have upset their oppressors, the Egyptians, because the lamb was sacred in their pagan culture. The fact that the Egyptians did not rise up in anger against the Israelites, just before they were due to leave Egypt, is considered a miracle in Jewish tradition.
On Shabbat Hagadol there is a custom to read a portion of the Haggadah, in preparation for the festival. We read from the “Magid” section of the Seder, beginning with the words “Avadim hayinu” (“We were slaves”) up to the words, “le-chaper al kol avonoteinu” (“to atone for all of our sins”). This section includes such famous rituals as the recitation of the Ten Plagues while we spill drops of wine, and the songs “Ve-hi She-amdah” and “Dayenu”. It also includes the biblical commandments to remember the Exodus and tell its story throughout our lives (Devarim 16:3). This custom of reading the Haggadah reinforces the point that the miracle of redemption began on Shabbat Hagadol.
In addition to our musical service, we will engage in a discussion by congregants, about their experience of miracles. There are times in our lives when we have experienced extraordinary things. Sometimes we end up attributing these to coincidence; at other times they fall within the sphere of the marvellous; still on other (unique) occasions, they may be attributed to divine intervention or the miraculous.
To celebrate the miracle of redemption from slavery, and the formation of the Jewish nation at Pesach, we will invite congregants to share with us their experiences of the miraculous (whatever that may mean to them). I will also share with you a story of my own experience of the miraculous, which confirmed for me beyond doubt that there is a God, who listens to humankind.
I look forward to seeing you on 9 April at 10 am!
With love from Cantor Leon
Purim Celebrations
Where: ONLINE (ZOOM)
- Subject: Purim Play registration
- Content: Your name and other persons who might be attending
Is there still time to participate in the Purim Play, you ask? Glad you asked that question. If you’re interested in taking part in the Purim Play featuring kids and adults, please fill out this form: (Click on this link: https://forms.gle/ZFn5ho2mKxSyyoGg6.) All ages and abilities welcome!
What about all those wonderful Hamantaschen snacks, you ask? You wanted them delivered, maybe? BIC Outreach Committee hears your call. Please contact us with your registration email stating you wish Hamantaschen, and whether you want them delivered or not. Email link is: getinvolved@jccpeterborough.com
You say you want to help with Hamantaschen deliveries, and/or would be willing to help with the Purim Play technical operation? Again, with your registration email mention you wish to help, and how!
Finally, don’t miss the fun and bring your “greggers and clackers“!