It Takes a Congregation

Many Thanks for a Meaningful and Joyful Holy Day Season

Now that the month of Tishrei is complete, it’s time to celebrate our celebrations and honour those who brought honour to our Holy Days

Our Worship Department, chaired by Jeff Denaburg, prepared us well for High Holydays 5777.  In the midst of construction, we held 32 beautiful services to welcome in the new year, to raise our voices together in prayer, to reflect on who we are becoming as individuals and as a community.

We thank Jill Hertzman and her team of 22 Gabbaim.

We thank our Head Usher, Gerry Prendergast, together with Larry Babins, Abe Neufeld and their corps of 48 ushers for making sure everyone had a place, was safe and comfortable.  Corinne Black and 20 greeters made sure everyone received a warm welcome into any one of our 4 entrances.

Nadia Adler led 36 Temple Singers and 2 choirs with exquisite music, both contemplative and joyous.

We thank our 14 Shofar Blowers who rang in the new year.  They are: Ryan Bockner, Michael Cole, Peter Dan, Steven Dan, Howard Goodman, Jill Kamin, Jacqueline Loeb, Tal Maissner, Robin Malach, Joseph Samuel, Sam Sapera, Paula Warren, and Jacob Zemans-Ronthal.

Our Rabbis and Cantors prepared every sermon, every note with care.  Special thanks to Michael Cole, Jeff Denaburg, David Gershon, Suzanne Hersh, Jack Kugelmass, Brenda Saunders, Darren Sukonick, and Mark Weinstock, fellow congregants who joined our Rabbis and Cantors on the bima to lead us all in prayer.

50 teens and adults brought honour to our sacred texts by chanting Torah and Haftarah on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.  They are: Mike Morgulis, Max Mickelson, Ellen Levine, Taiga Lipson, Ellie Davidson, Lisa Isen Baumal, Helena Fine, Arly Abramson, Audrey Shiner, Jonathan Gordon-Chow, Raisa Berkowitz, Lindsay Lyon, Brenda Saunders, Katie Baltman, Susan Baskin, Adam Sol, Michael Leese, Jaryd Diamond, Eden Manly, Sid Troister, Mathew Diamond, Neil Jonatan, Oona Nadler, Caroline Ingvaldsen, Marc Levy, Jane Herman, David Friedland, Pavle Levkovic, Suzanne Hersh, Cynthia Good, Gail Kerbel, Jill Hertzman, Jeff Denaburg, Rebecca Krichker, Brian Lidsky, Benji McLean, Lindsay McLean, Nathan McLean, Maddy Toker, Tema Smith, Jill Kamin, Max Valihora, Avishai Sol, Adrienne Klein, Eric Peterseil, Avalon Nisenbaum, Paula Warren, Ted Shafran, Levi Cassidy, Grace Valihora

We thank Jeff Baker, Josh Cooper, Andrew Cohen, Jascha Jabes, and Mark Schlossburg for sharing their love of Israel by inviting fellow congregants to purchase Israel Bonds.

Special thanks to Brenda Saunders for overseeing our new on-line sign-up for High Holyday Honours.  This initiative allowed 204 congregants to participate on the bima.

Thanks to everyone who brought in winter clothing for Out of the Cold guests.  We collected 100 bundles of donations which have been sorted by Greg Coleman and his team of 17 volunteers.  Now we are ready to begin our Out of the Cold season this Thursday.

We thank Karen Abells, Jeff Baker, Kelly Grant, Lisa Isen Baumal, Elsa Levy, Mary Seldon, and our Religious School students for decorating our Sukkah with donated hats, mittens, and scarves for those in need.

Thanks, also, to Karen Abells, HABSTY, and 20 Teen Leaders for wrapping up the festival season with our Simchat Torah celebration.   Our 44 Consecration Students, their parents, and 77 more Torah Carriers danced our 11 precious Torah Scrolls throughout the sanctuary for a total of 7 Hakafot.  It was an especially warm welcome for our 53 new young congregant-families as we danced up a storm to Judy and David Gershon’s Klezmer band.

Our Maintenance staff led by Jim Westcott and our Administrative Staff led by Judy Amsterdam, together with our Executive Director, Russ Joseph, ensure all went smoothly during our busiest season, only made busier by our Renewal Project underway.

Yes, these numbers are impressive, but we cannot quantify the impact these holydays has on our people.  How many prayers were prayed, how many loved ones remembered, how many memories were made – these are what we are really after and these are beyond measure.

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