Join us on Saturday, December 14 for the Beth Israel Children’s Circle! Children ages 5-12 learn the prayers over the candles, bake donuts and make beeswax candles! Younger children are welcome with a parent. RSVP here to help us ensure enough supplies. Note: this program is designed for children ages 5-12, younger children can attend with a parent.
Listen to Cantor Leon on BBC radio, talking about Jewish attitudes towards the environment: the theme of our recent High Holy Day services; click here!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Jewish Community Choir aka Yachadeem resume rehearsals Thursday, March 27th and plans to continue through to mid June. For inspiration re: the importance of music in our tradition, and how “singing in a group literally allows us to harmonize with those around us,” see: Higher Than Speech Is Song (thank you Ruby and Ralph). To express your interest in joining the group, complete this brief application.
At our December meeting, the BIC Board grappled with resolutions that could express our shock and horror at recent events. We focused on two central ideals. First, it was important for us to express our deep sadness at and condemnation of a day that saw the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. And we also realized that there is a wide range of belief and opinion on the larger situation in the Middle East. As the only Synagogue in an area where many Jews feel isolated, we have a special responsibility to respect the diversity of our membership. We must remain a place that all Jews in our area can call a spiritual home. With these two ideals in mind, we crafted and approved the following resolutions:
We recognize that no statement can adequately address depth of emotion and perspectives around this complex situation. Our efforts to understand one another must be ongoing.