Adult Events

Sat, Dec 15, 7 PM An Evening with Rabbi Gilad Kariv

How does the future look for a liberal Israel?

Gilad Kariv is our most prolific and successful agent for change in Israel.

Director of the IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism), he works tirelessly for the acceptance of pluralism, and the establishment of Reform/ Progressive congregations - now numbering more than 50!

Join us to learn from and dialogue with Gilad - lawyer, rabbi, and inspiring activist.

Members only. Space is limited. Please register here. Location will be sent to those enrolled.

Sun, Dec 16, 2 to 5 PM: Compassionate Listening Workshop with Tracey Erin Smith

Compassionate Listening helps us to awaken to what the mystics from all of the great faiths have known for centuries: that cultivating the wisdom of the heart is the key to real peace from the inside out. The intention of Compassionate Listening is to access our deepest wisdom to transform separation and conflict into an opportunity for connection, healing and peace. In this workshop you will learn and practice the art and skill of Compassionate Listening as well as som fun and interactive Soulo Theatre exercises.

Come with an open heart and willingness to be transformed and to learn from a recent Compassionate Listening workshop in Israel. Tracey Erin Smith is an International award-winning theatre maker, teacher and an Artist in Residence at City Shul. Free and all welcome. RSVP here.

Sun, Dec 16, 7:30 PM: Sign, Symbol and Script: The Secrets of the Hebrew Letters with Baruch Sienna. Join us on a fascinating historical tour of the origins and evolution of the Hebrew alsph-beit to appreciate the miracle of writing. Learn how pictures turned into words and how the alphabet was invented and changed human history. Participants will draw their own letters in different historical Hebrew scripts in this interactive, hands-on workshop. No artistic talent required. Register here.

Sat, Jan 19, 7 PM: Israel Film Night and Discussion: Ben Gurion An Epilogue - members only. A rare, intimate look at what went on inside the heart and mind of Israel's founding father. At 82, Ben-Gurion's introspective soul-searching provides a surprising vision for crucial decisions Israel needs to make today. Moderator: Rabbi Larry Englander. Register  here. 

Sat, Jan 26, 7 PM: Israel Film Night and Discussion: In Between - members only. Arab-Israeli director Maysaloun Hamoud draws us deep into an often hidden world. She tells the tragicomic story of three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in the heart of Tel Aviv who find themselves doing the same balancing act between tradition and modernity, citizenship and culture, realty and freedom. Moderator: Rabbi Larry Englander. Register  here.

Sun, Feb 3, 7:30 PM: Jews by Choice - Personal Journeys to Judaism Panel - We may be the Chosen People, but many have chosen to become Jewish, and have also chosen City Shul. Moderated by Sandy  Wynia Katz, this will be a unique opportunity to hear personal stories from members about their journeys to Judaism, what was missing before, and their realities for gaining acceptance in the broader Jewish community. Register here.

Sun, Mar 3, 1:30 PM: CITY SHUL THEATRE DATE: OSLO at the CAA Theatre -after theater discussion with Rabbi Goldstein. Inspired by the true story of the back-channel talks, unlikely friendships, and quiet heroics that led to the Oslo Peace Accords, Oslo is a deeply personal story set against a complex historical canvas, a story about the individuals behind world history and their all too human ambitions. This is the Canadian premier of the 2017 highly acclaimed, Tony Award-Winning play.

SOLD OUT. 

Sun, Mar 24, 7:30 PM: Yallah Deutschland! Israelis in Berlin with Rachel Seelig. Is Berlin a Jewish city? Remembered in Jewish collective memory as the place where Hitler's "final solution" was conceived, Berlin has recently become a magnet for young Israelis, who are not only drawn to the city's cosmopolitan culture but also contributing to it. What does the growing presence of Israelis in Berlin mean for both Israel and the diaspora? Are Israeli artists, writers, intellectuals and entrepreneurs revitalizing the Jewish life that thrived in major European centers a century ago, or are they, as some critics have suggested, renouncing the Zionist dream? This talk will explore Berlin's Israeli expat culture through the lens of the city's Jewish past while reflecting on its significance for the future. Register here.

Sun, Apr 7, 8 PM: Israel in the New World Order. Eminent professor Emanuel Adler, Chair of Israeli Studies and Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, returns to City Shul to help us understand Israel in our new world order. Since Professor Adler's outstanding 2016 analysis of the options for Israel, how has the situation evolved? Are there new issues which impact on Israel's future? Register  here.

Sun, Apr 14, 7:30 PM: Kiddish or Kaddish? Prayer Terminology with Rabbi Goldstein. What are all those terms the Rabbi throws around at services? Everyone around me seems to know what tzitzit, the dvar, and a silent Amidah are, and sometimes I'm lost...help! This workshop is free and open to everyone. Register here.

Sun, Apr 7, 4:30 PM: Toronto Jewish Film Society presents: Between Worlds. A co-presentation with City Shul, UJA Emerging Communities, MNJCC Israeli Connection, Prosserman JCC, Schwartz/ Reisman Centre, Consulate General of Israel in Toronto and New Israel Fund of Canada.

Israel, 2016, Maya Hatav, director, 90 minutes. Two women from different worlds meet in a hospital, moments after a terror attack in Jerusalem. While waiting for a miracle, they get to know each other. A quiet and understated drama that challenges our notions of faith, truth, understanding and, possibly, acceptance.

Guest speaker: Rabbi Elyse Goldstein

Al Green Theatre in the Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue.

BOX OFFICE INFO:

$15 General Admission
$12 for City Shul members with box office code "City Shul"
$10 Young Adults (age 18-35)

More info: tjfs@mnjcc.org  416 924-6211 x 606

Sun, May 12, 2 PM: CITY SHUL THEATRE DATE: Becoming Dr. Ruth at the Harold Green  Theatre - She's America's favourite sex therapist! But before she became Dr. Ruth, Karola Siegel had to flee Germany in the Kindertransport, become a sniper in Jerusalem and survive as a single mother in America. Filled with humour and honesty, this play is a triumphant and life-affirming story of a woman who found her own unique place in the world. Talk-back by Rabbi Goldstein. Tickets $60/ person. Register here.

Sun, May 26, 2 PM: Holocaust Education Week talk  An evening of films and discussion with filmmaker and City Shul member Naomi Wise, Director of the March of the Living Digital Archive. She has been making films and documenting Holocaust survivor's stories since 1996, and will screen some of her work and talk about the March of the Living program and the archive project. Register here.