We are pleased to again present some AWEsome programs during the Days of Awe, Yamim Noraim ימים נוראים in-person at the MNjcc on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
CHANTING IN SACRED COMMUNITY
Chanting is a way of tuning the soul in preparation for the High Holidays. We will sit in song and silence as a spiritual ablution, to open ourselves to the divine, and to compose ourselves spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Participants are asked to arrive on time, as we can build more energy when we share the entire experience in sacred community.
Alon Nashman is an actor and creator of theatre. His work has toured across Canada and internationally and includes Kafka and Son, Scorched, Alphonse, Hirsch, and Charlotte: A Tri-Coloured Play with Music. Alon is a student of Rabbi Shefa Gold and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l, who have guided him in the ways of Jewish chant.
HIGH HOLIDAY ADULT LEARNING
Rosh Hashanah Day I – Rabbi Miriam Margles: Attuning to the Sound of the Shofar
While the liturgy of the Yamim Nora’im/High Holydays is comprised of many, many pages of words – prayers, blessing, Torah passages, intentions – Rosh Hashana’s most distinct ritual is the sounding of the shofar – a series of raw, penetrating, wordless sounds.
In this session of learning, discussion and practice, we will explore two seemingly opposing and key orientations to the sound of the shofar: as the voice of the Divine Beloved, calling us to open our hearts in love; and as cries of weeping, a call to hear suffering in the world. Both rooted in Jewish sources and investigating our own direct experience, we will explore what role the shofar can play in transforming our hearts and minds in this season of reflection, repair, renewal and realignment. Experimenting with the practice of listening to and attuning to the sound of the shofar, we’ll explore how this practice can support us to meet the painful and loving realities of our world at this time.
Rosh Hashanah Day II – Dr. Greg Beiles: Conversations in Creation
Join Greg, Head of School at the Toronto Heschel School, for a Rosh Hashanah discussion on the theme of “Humans in Dialogue with Animals, Trees, and Each Other”
Yom Kippur Day – Dr. Aurora Mendelsohn: "Unlocking the Gates: Exploring Yom Kippur Prayers through Modern Poetry"
Join us as we explore the themes of Yom Kippur prayers through modern poetry. We’ll pair curated selections of the traditional liturgy with the works of contemporary poets, delving into similarities and divergences. Using our personal reactions and interpretations, we’ll draw out meaning we can carry with us into our spiritual journeys both in and out of synagogue this season. Aurora has written and taught about the intersections of Jewish ritual, liturgy, and feminism for more than twenty years (Toronto Star, the Forward, Lilith, and Limmud). Her liturgical work has appeared in Open Siddur Project, Recustom, Ritual Well, and When We Turned Within.
Understanding Intergenerational Jewish Trauma - Turning Reactivity Into Trauma-Informed, Mindful Responses to Antisemitism
3:45 - 4:45 pm at the MNjcc on the afternoon of Yom Kippur with Rabbi Miriam Margles
Seeking to address growing antisemitic rhetoric, behaviour and bias since October 7, 2023, we have witnessed a proliferation of organizations and trainings devoted to “combating antisemitism,” courses in Jewish and Zionist history, talking points and social media strategies, Op Eds and analyses. However, there is a deep and largely unmet need to understand, heal and transform the corrosive impact of present-day expressions of anti-Judaism and the legacy of ancestral Jewish trauma on Jewish minds, hearts and souls, and on the Jewish people as a whole.
Over the past year, Rabbi Miriam Margles has piloted a North American project through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, entitled: Cultivating Mindful Leadership in the Face of Antisemitism: Trauma-Informed Practice for Healing and Wise Response. Rabbi Ed was a participant in the Toronto pilot of this program. This program recognizes that many patterns we exhibit as Jews—such as hypervigilance, urgency, distrust, defensiveness, attacking or shaming other Jews, the willingness to forfeit our values for the promise of (conditional) safety or belonging, etc.—are unconscious expressions of unaddressed pain, habitual survival strategies and internalized distortions we have inherited and internalized individually and collectively.
In this conversation, we will explore what is meant by “ancestral Jewish trauma” and examine how it informs the various ways that Jews are reacting at this extremely difficult and painful time. We will reflect on alternate ways that we can support each other, stay rooted in our values, navigate our fears, grief, and anger with greater capacity and compassion, and respond to antisemitism with greater agility and wisdom.
