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CITY SHUL IN THE CLOUDS

Dear City Shul members and friends,

Pikuach Nefesh–saving a life—is a central Jewish value. Our sacred texts teach that we should forego almost any commandment or prohibition in order to do that. In light of COVID-19 the Leadership Team, together with the City Shul staff, have made the difficult decision to cancel all live events, services, and City Shul School under further notice, upon assessing the continued spread of COVID-19 and health advisories from the government and the World Health Organization.

We are taking seriously the daily changes in health information and the indicators which point to the wisdom of this proactive approach. We all care deeply about each other’s well-being, and about keeping our wider community, the health-care system, and those especially vulnerable, safe.

City Shul is a bold, creative synagogue, so we’re moving our community into the clouds. ICloud, that is. Even in difficult times, it is important that we celebrate Jewish life together, though it may be different from the ways we are used to. Our ties to each other and to Judaism are strong and will remain strong as we find new ways to engage. CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE OFFERINGS BELOW!

We also recognize that the constant news of COVID-19 may make us anxious, depressed, or nervous. Please know City Shul and Rabbi Goldstein are here for you as a source of spiritual strength.

FEEL FREE TO JOIN RABBI GOLDSTEIN ANY TUESDAY 10AM-11AM FOR "HOLY CLOUD!" VIRTUAL OPEN OFFICE HOURS, WHERE YOU CAN TALK AND REFLECT WITH OTHERS. CLICK HERE (zoom meeting ID 915-065-639).

We all join in a collective “Mi Shebeirach” for healing for those throughout the world who are ill, and in support of everyone facing this together or alone. We ask you to reach out to anyone isolated by this challenge to see if you can help.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Danielle Adler, Leadership Team Chair

Paul Robinson, City Shul President

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein

** Scroll down for zoom instructions if you are new to zoom **

ONLINE PROGRAMMING AND SHABBAT SERVICES

Recorded past events can be viewed here

ONLINE SERVICES

Saturday April 4th, 10:00am. Shabbat morning service with Cantor Wunch, Rabbi Goldstein and to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Hannah Prokaziuk. Wearing kipa and tallit welcome, let us make it feel as much as possible like Shabbat, with a L'Chaim shot ready at the end! Join here. (zoom id 139-436-748)

Saturday April 11th, 10am. What’s Four For?: A  virtual Passover-Shabbat study of the foremost 4’s in the Haggadah. Four lessons brought to you by the number 4 with Baruch Sienna. Join here. (zoom id 139-436-748)

Thursday April 16th, 10:00am. Online Yizkor with Rabbi Goldstein and Cantor Wunch. A beautiful, meaningful and creative short service with remembrances of your loved ones. Please send a photo of your departed, along with exactly how you would like it to appear onscreen (e.g. Yankel Cohen remembers his father Shlomo) to Nick Gunz for a memorial slideshow we will show at  that service. Join here. (zoom id 447-402-871)

Saturday April 18th, 10:00am. Shabbat morning service with Cantor Wunch, Rabbi Goldstein, and celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Charlie Rosenthalconnect. Wearing kipa and tallit welcome, let us make it feel as much as possible like Shabbat, with a L'Chaim shot ready at the end! Join here. (zoom id 139-436-748)

ONLINE LEARNING

Thursday April 2nd, 7:00pm, 4 cups, 4 questions, 4 recipes.. and 4 handwashings!  Join cookbook author and food journalist Bonnie Stern, together with Rabbi Goldstein, for a virtual cooking workshop to help make this years 'different' nights meaningful and delicious. On the menu: savoury almond crackers, Chirshi (Sephardic pumpkin and sweet potato spread), lemon and herb fish (or chicken or cauliflower) and caramelized nut cookies. We will discuss lots of ways to adapt to this years stay-at-home reality! Join here. (zoom id 825-932-446)

Sunday April 5th. Zoom Hosting for Beginners Learn how to run a video conference so that you can host your own virtual Seder.  No experience necessary. Join at 11am here (zoom id 243-553-342)or at 4pm here. (zoom id 219-806-123)

Tuesday April 14th, 7:30 PM. Interfaith Study with Rabbi Goldstein and The Rev Gary Van der Meer. Jews and Christians walk parallel paths in the observances of Passover and Easter. Our sacred texts draw us into the events recounted, in Christianity over the course of a Holy Week of services, and in Judaism over the course of a single ritual meal. Join us as we explore, compare and discover our ancient narratives in ritual form. This is a shared initiative of friendship between City Shul and St. Anne's Anglican Church. Join here. Join here. Mtg Id: 943-620-446

 

 A Message from Rabbi Goldstein

Modim from our Leadership Team

 

Zoom Instructions

Zoom is an amazing, easy platform that lets us see eacother and feel connected. It works best on a computer, with Chrome. It does work on a smartphone or tablet, though sometimes without the 'chat' function. You may join any zoom activity without downloading the app at all. If you do download it, it makes getting into the platform quick and easy.

 

For those who do not wish to install zoom

  • Click 'join here' in the newsletter or on the link that is provided on the website.
  • In the window that appears in your browser, look for 'join from your browser' and click it. In the window that appears, click in the box that says 'your name' and type in your name. Click 'join'.
  • If you see a box that says 'join audio by computer', click it.
  • If you see on the bottom left hand corner and icon that says 'start video' with a red line through it, click it so you can be seen in the meeting. If you don't want to be seen, simply don't click it.

For those who wish to install zoom

  • We recommend doing it this week before Shabbat so you are 'ready.'
  • Zoom works best with Chrome and works best on a computer.
  • Go to zoom.us and follow download instructions.
  • Once you have zoom installed, click 'join here' in the newsletter, or on the link that is provided on the website.
  • In the new window that opens in your browser, look in the small white box at the top for 'open zoom.us' and click on it.
  • In thew new window that appears choose either 'join without video' or 'join with video' and click.
  • In the new window that appears, click 'join with computer audio'so you can hear the event.

City Shul's Vision and Mission

Please go here to see our Vision and Mission!

Meet City Shul: 

Downtown’s Reform Synagogue

Downtown. Spiritual. Community. Creative.
Welcoming. Warm. Intellectual. Musical. Inclusive. Finally!

These are the words we use to describe ourselves,
and the words others use to describe us.

OUR SERVICES ARE POSTPONED UNTIL END OF APRIL, SEE ABOVE

Our Saturday morning services meet at 10 am. Our Friday night services are once a month at 6:30 pm. We meet at 300 Bloor Street West. However we do not meet weekly and have some exceptions. Please check our Service schedule.

See Service Schedule. 

Thu, 2 April 2020 8 Nisan 5780