The past two months have been most trying for our community. The moment that emergency measures were announced, we closed our cemetery for visitation, opening only to perform burials. Our priority has and continues to be to perform the sacred duties of burial with the utmost dignity and respect. We recognize how difficult the closure has been for those who have lost loved ones. Our...

"It is hard to find a bad word to say about Omer, or a good word that you can’t say about him. He was such a good person, one of those rare good people which is hard to find, full of good intentions, who would not harm a fly. Omer was very shy, and you could even have seen it in his loving brown eyes. You couldn’t ever ignore his charming smile. He was so ambitious and intelligent...

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MEMBERS OF BETH TZEDEC CONGREGATIONTake Notice that the Annual Meeting (the "Annual Meeting") of the Members of Beth Tzedec Congregation (“the Congregation”) for 2020 will be held on the 26th day of May, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. for the following purposes:   To approve the Minutes of the annual meeting of the members of the Congregation held on  May...

Dear Friends, As always, we hope that you are healthy, safe and managing the multitude of emotions that crises such as these inevitably produce. We are here for each other and are continuing to reach out to our community to check in, connect and care. Please contact us if there is something we can do to make this moment a little bit easier for you. BT All Access continues to be a...

Effective as of Tuesday April 26, 2020.Beth Tzedec Memorial Park (BTMP) is concerned about the health and safety of all individuals visiting our cemetery, the families whom we serve, funeral directors and our staff. We have been declared an essential service by government, and we must therefore take a very aggressive approach to COVID-19 so that we can hopefully continue to operate in these...

This Holocaust Remembrance Day was different. It didn’t feel the same without the ceremonies, without seeing everyone in the street wearing white, without the feeling you get walking in the street, feeling like time is frozen. For me, it was different for another reason, it was the first Holocaust Remembrance Day in 10 years that I didn’t get to visit my grandfather, Avraham. My...

In the 10 years since I joined the Beth Tzedec board, the person I have turned to for advice most often has been my father, Paul Rothstein. With his 60 years of history at Beth Tzedec and having been a past president, my dad has been a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. The best advice he ever gave me was to trust my gut – if a decision didn’t feel right, then it probably wasn’t....

Dear friends,   I hope you had a meaningful Passover. It certainly was memorable! How many Zoom jokes did you share? What dayanu, it would have been enough, of thankfulness did you add to the traditional list? When Elijah came to your door, did you let him in? Did you make sure he was masked and gloved? Did he look like Bette Midler? (Did you watch the Saturday Night...

Dear friends, The current pandemic has brought up real issues and challenges for many of us. Collectively we are dealing with the reality of staying home for a long stretch of time, without a definitive end date. Individually, we bring to this moment of time a slew of individual circumstances. For a plethora of reasons, COVID-19 is not enriching our well-being. Some of us are trying...

Sit Down to a Stress-Free Shabbat DinnerOur friends at Apex Kosher Catering are offering weekly Friday night dinners at an affordable price for pick up or delivery. The menu changes weekly, so be sure to check back often for your favourite meals.To view the latest menu, click here >>

On Tuesday, April 7, Beth Tzedec's rabbis were featured on provincial and national news networks to discuss the life during the international Covid-19 pandemic.Rabbi Steven Wernick was interviewed on CBC News Network and CBC's The National, discussing how religious institutions are practicing social distancing and spiritual nearness in these challenging times. To view his interview, click...

To say that we are living in unprecedented times would be an understatement. I am writing to you from my home office, a room that I have barely left in the last three weeks. I cannot imagine that there is a family in our kehillah left untouched by COVID-19, health-wise or financially. As we look for a light in the darkness, it is easy to spiral into anxiety and despair. I know that it...

Yom Hashoah V'HagvurahCross-Canada Virtual Holocaust Remembrance Day CommemorationMonday, April 20 at 7:00 pm – The unfortunate cancellation of in-person Yom Hashoah gatherings across Canada has presented an unprecedented opportunity. This year, from coast to coast, we will join together for an online Holocaust Remembrance presentation unlike any other. The program will include greetings...

We hope all the members of our Congregation and the community are coping well in these difficult times.The leadership and staff at Beth Tzedec are working hard to keep you up-to-date with information and protocols related to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the importance of strict physical distancing over Passover. This year, it means staying home and conducting seders only with members of your...

I’m going insane at home right now. Can you relate? At some level I guess you can. The result of the COVID-19 situation is that you have to stay at home most of the day, if not the whole day. You can’t see any of your friends and colleagues, and you can only see your family. If that’s not enough, you have to see those same people, that have this special way to get on your nerves in a way...