Congregation Shir Libeynu
Song of our HeartsCelebrating 25 years of inclusion. We welcome everyone.
We Welcome Everyone
Our mission is to celebrate and experience joyfully all aspects of Jewish life and spirituality within an environment of inclusivity, innovation and intellectual challenge.
We embrace new rituals and liturgy, while recognizing and affirming the many paths our tradition offers. We are a progressive, egalitarian congregation, unaffiliated with any particular stream of Judaism.
For 25 years we have strived to create services that welcome and represent all diverse communities, and interfaith individuals, couples and families.
Congregation Shir Libeynu is proud to be Toronto’s longest-running, intentionally LGBTQ+-inclusive synagogue
We hold our services in downtown or midtown Toronto.
During the pandemic, we have been offering all of our programming virtually via Zoom.
Our Congregation
“Shir Libeynu” is Hebrew for “song of our hearts,” and sing we do! Our services and events are filled with music. Read more about what makes our congregation unique.
Our Services
We hold monthly Shabbat services, High Holy Day services, and special holiday services. Read more about our beautiful services.
Our Leaders
Read more bout Shir Libeynu’s Spiritual Leader, Cantor Cheryl Wunch, our Rabbi Emerita, Dr. Aviva Goldberg and our Musical Director and Chazzan, Daniela Gesundheit.
What CSL members say:
Shir Libeynu is the first shul where I have truly felt at home. My lack of experience attending services or the fact that my partner isn’t Jewish, none of that matters. Inclusion is Shir Libeynu’s DNA.
When I attended my first Shir Libeynu service, I felt like Judaism was reimagined, remixed, a beautiful harmony of tradition and newness.
Land Acknowledgement
Here at Shir Libeynu, we are ready and prepared to acknowledge that the land we meet on has been the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. As a Jewish and interfaith community, we do not take for granted the freedom to worship on this land.
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We recognize that the Canadian government pursued a policy of cultural genocide to eliminate Indigenous peoples. This policy included seizing their land, banning their languages and cultural practices, persecuting their spiritual leaders and taking their children away. We understand that Indigenous peoples continue to face racism, violence and the denial of basic human rights today.
We commit to learning more about the truth of colonization and seeking ways to contribute toward reconciliation, including calling on all governments to implement and adopt fully the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada: Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We dedicate ourselves to tikkun olam, repairing the world, and quote these beautiful and instructive words from the TRC: “By establishing a new and respectful relationship, we restore what must be restored, repair what must be repaired, and return what must be returned.”
Notes:
We learned about “cultural genocide” from the TRC. The quotation comes from Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, Summary of the final report of the TRC of Canada, 2015, p. 6.
Our Land Acknowledgement will continue to evolve, as we learn more and take more actions. We welcome your input.