Articles

Join our Virtual Minyan!
By: Beth Tzedec
Mar 16th 2020
*Updated Wednesday, April 22, 2020As of this afternoon, we will be hosting daily services via Zoom at the scheduled times indicated on the Beth Tzedec calendar, with the exception of Friday Minhah, which will be hosted at 4:00 p.m. Daily Services and Streaming LinksBeth Tzedec's Spiritual Leadership Team hosts daily services via Zoom. Note that we currently do not stream Shabbat...
An Important Message from Your Leadership Team
By: Beth Tzedec
Mar 16th 2020
Dear Friends,Communal crises were not unknown to our ancestors. They discussed the challenges of maintaining Jewish life and observance during times of war, plague, famine and the like. These times are known as sha'at d’khak, times of crisis. And in each of those cases, based on the verse in Leviticus 18:5, that states "You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does...
Farewell (for Now) from Our Shinshinim
By: Beth Tzedec
Mar 15th 2020
Today we are facing a difficult time. We have never experienced anything so shocking on a global level. We can’t shake the feeling that we are living in a historical event that will be remembered forever. People all around the world are scared, schools are shutting down, hospitals are overloaded. In Israel, the situation is not simple as well- 143 people were diagnosed with...
An Amazing Thing Happened in Israel
By: Beth Tzedec
Mar 14th 2020
Hello everyone and Shabbat Shalom. About two weeks ago, an amazing thing happened in Israel. Bagatz, which is a part of the national court that contributes to balancing systems within the Israeli democracy, has announced that Israel has to make it legal for same sex couples to bear a child by means of the process of surrogacy. This happened after an unsuccessful appeal of a gay couple...
Community Update on COVID-19 - Thursday, March 12, 2020
By: Debbie Rothstein
Mar 12th 2020
Beth Tzedec is an important centre for sustaining social and community well-being. During trying times, we look to experts in our community to provide guidance and direction to protect each other while continuing to offer spiritual support and growth opportunities for every member of our community. With recent news about the spread of COVID-19, we know that you may have questions about...
Community Update on COVID-19 - Monday, March 9, 2020
By: Beth Tzedec
Mar 9th 2020
We have been advised by our friends at Beth Sholom that, out of care and concern for the community, Beth Sholom will be closed a thorough sanitizing due to the potential spread of COVID-19.If you attended Beth Sholom on Thursday, March 5 or Friday, March 6 and are feeling unwell, we recommend that you stay home and reach out to Toronto Public Health, via 311. We ask that all Beth Tzedec...
Sharing a Safe and Healthy Community
By: Debbie Rothstein
Mar 2nd 2020
Gathering together as a spiritual community is one of the most important things we do at Beth Tzedec. In light of that, we would like to acknowledge concerns about health and germ-spreading and remind everyone of best practices. As our rabbis mentioned over Shabbat, they are no longer hugging or shaking hands to wish congregants a "Shabbat Shalom". Instead, join them in finding new ways...
A Call for Nominations from the Members by the Chair of the Nominating Committee, Dr. Sheldon Rotman
By: Sheldon Rotman
Feb 28th 2020
As Chair of the Nominating Committee, in accordance with subsection 9.09(b) of the by-laws of Beth Tzedec Congregation, I call for nominations from the Members of Beth Tzedec Congregation to stand as candidates for election as Directors at the next annual general meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, 2020.    A Member wishing to be nominated as a candidate must submit her or his...
Assistant Rabbi Candidate Weekend: Rabbi Deena Cowans
By: Beth Tzedec
Feb 17th 2020
Don't miss this weekend's Family Shabbat activities with Assistant Rabbi candidate Deena Cowans. The primary function of the Assistant Rabbi will be to work closely with young families, teens and college and university students in our kehillah. Please join us to get to know Rabbi Cowans at any of the exciting opportunities listed below. We would love to hear your feedback and...
Smoke-Free; Cannabis-Free; Fragrance-Free
By: Debbie Rothstein
Jan 29th 2020
Beth Tzedec Congregation is officially a smoke-free, cannabis-free and fragrance-free facility.These policies reflect our commitment to provide a safe and healthy environment for everyone in the Beth Tzedec community. To date, our congregation has not issued an official policy regarding cannabis consumption on site, however we are aware of the implications of legalization from a safety and...
Thank you for making your voice heard!
By: Beth Tzedec
Jan 16th 2020
Thank you to every member of the Beth Tzedec community who completed our High Holy Day survey. You have helped give us the tools we need to expand and plan for next year’s High Holy Days. Your comments and feedback make it possible to continue offering service experiences that matter. Here’s what we learned. By the Numbers 79% of all respondents told us that they were...
Mercaz Canada: Our Voice on the World Stage
By: Beth Tzedec
Jan 9th 2020
Update: The deadline to register for Mercaz Membership has been extended to Sunday, March 9- don't miss the chance to make your voice heard!Dear Friends, We write to you today to encourage you to join Mercaz Canada, our Masorti/Conservative Movement’s party to the World Zionist Congress. You know, that Congress started by Theodore Herzl in Basel Switzerland 122 years ago – the Congress...
World Premiere of Allan Soberman's "Searching for My Voice"
By: Beth Tzedec
Dec 16th 2019
On May 12, 2020, Beth Tzedec Congregation will be hosting the world premiere of Searching for My Voice, a one-person show written and performed by Allan Soberman.  Searching for My Voice is Allan's heartfelt story of growing up in the family of Beth Tzedec's beloved Cantor Morris Sobermanz”l, who was the Ba’al Koreh, Hazzan Sheini and Bar/Bat Mitzvah teacher of 2,800 of us for over...
15 Seconds—A D'var Israel from our Shinshinim
By: Beth Tzedec
Nov 14th 2019
Israel is going through a hard time. Two days ago, the IDF killed one of the leaders of the terror organization, The Islamic Jihad. He was responsible for many terror attacks that hurt Israelis and had more plans to hurt Israel. As a result, more than 400 rockets were fired from Gaza to Israel over the last two days. From Otef Gaza (the Israeli area next to the Gaza Strip) to Tel...
Statement on the Ongoing Violence in Israel
By: Rabbi Steve Wernick
Nov 12th 2019
As a congregational community, we at Beth Tzedec condemn the recent rocket attacks by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip targeting innocent Israeli civilians. We support Israel’s right to defend itself at all times against terror and those who would do its people harm. And we note with concern the fragility of the moment and potential for escalation. At this time, therefore,...