Cantor Sheldon Merel z”l Dear Holy Blossom Community, It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Cantor Sheldon Merel Z”l. Cantor Merel served our beloved Holy Blossom Congregation with tremendous dignity and honour for 10 years from 1969-1979. While I did not have the pleasure of knowing Cantor Merel well, I […]
Rabbi Yael Splansky Rabbinic Reflections January 29, 2021 IHRA and Free Speech “An almond tree blooming in Israel.” In June 2019, the Government of Canada announced its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as part of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy. The “working definition” attempts to set parameters for what anti-semitism is and […]
Rabbi Yael Splansky Rabbinic Reflections “The Power of Ritual” January 22, 2021 Senator Jon Ossoff is sworn into office with his hand on a bible which belonged to civil rights activist, Rabbi Rothchild of The Temple in Atlanta. In his jacket pocket held copies of the manifests of the ships which brought his great grandparents […]
Elliott Jacobson and Judy Malkin joined Holy Blossom Temple in 1983, and immediately were asked to join the New Leadership group that fall. Elliott first joined the Board of Directors in 1989 and became President in 1995. Under his leadership, the Out of the Cold program was established and he was also instrumental in the launch of the […]
Click here to watch the recording of the Installation Service! As I reflect upon last Shabbat, I am still overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the wonderful installation service that official welcomed be as the Senior Cantor and Music Director of Holy Blossom Temple. At the senior leadership meeting this week, I reflected that it […]
Eulogy for Temple Warden, David Hart z”l By Rabbi Yael Splansky December 28, 2020 / 13 Tevet, 5781 “Uma’asei yadeinu kon’nah aleinu. Uma’asei yadeinu kon’neihu.” “May the work of our hands endure for us, O God. May the work of our hands endure.” (From Psalm 90) David was a Scout Master. His life […]
sermon begins at 1:15:41:
Praying for the Vaccine It’s a strange in-between time for us. I write to you when congregants and loved ones of congregants are fighting the tough fight against COVID-19. The number of cases is frighteningly high. Lockdown is serious. And… at the very time of such gripping fear, the vaccine is being rolled out. It […]
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Founded in 1856, Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue with a rich history of tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression.