Adult Learning
Lunch and Learn
Join Cantor Wunch on Tuesday, February 20th at noon on Zoom as she hosts this month’s conversation about a parasha from the Torah.
Always engaging. Always interesting. Always something new to learn! No prior Torah experience necessary!
No registration required. Zoom link will be sent to all members prior to the date.
Save the date now for future Lunch & Learn Tuesdays
March 19
April 16
May 21
June 11 (note – 2nd Tuesday of the month)
The Conflict
In recognition that we all come at the Israel/Palestine struggle with different understandings, the Congregation Shir Libeynu Board is pleased to present a four part learning experience, The Conflict.
Taught by Dr. Dan Aviv who has been engaged in Jewish learning as an educator, professor, published scholar and author for thirty years, this four-part series will provide context for the ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine. Dr. Aviv has developed and taught curricula on classical and modern Jewish texts, philosophy, history of the diaspora, and Israel and Zionism as well as Jewish food culture.
Over the course of four 90-minute sessions, we will look at government documents, poetry, song, selections from fiction, manifestos, speeches, UN resolutions, and key historical events in an attempt to provide a frame in which to understand what’s going on right now.
As the founding principal of ADRABA (adraba.ca), an online Jewish high school, Dr. Aviv currently teaches high school credit courses to Jewish teens in six communities across Ontario. The Board is thrilled that he has agreed to provide this program to our congregants and the broader community.
These sessions will be offered over ZOOM on Sunday February 11th, 18th, 25th and March 3rd, at 7:00pm.
Registration Details
Members can attend all four sessions for just $20; non-members $25. If you would like to attend but cannot afford this rate, please contact our administrator, Amanda.
To reserve your space, click this link today. Please pay by e-transfer or cheque, or, if you would prefer to pay by credit card, contact shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com.
Speaker Series
Throughout the year, we offer our members and the broader community opportunities to hear and learn from distinguished community leaders, social justice advocates, writers, artists and many other people who are making a difference in their fields and in the world.
Please see our Events page for details on upcoming speakers and events. If you have ideas for special activities, speakers, presentations, celebrations or other events, please send a message to shirlibeynuadmin@gmail.com.
Here is a recording of our event from April 2023: Ben Murane: Pushback for Democracy in Israel.
These are some past remarkable speakers and performers:
Alan Silverman
Naomi Alboim
Carmel Tanaka
A “Jewpanese” (Japanese and Jewish) activist and community organizer who works in Jewish LGBTQ+ spaces and to eliminate Anti-Asian hate, Founder and Executive Director of JQT Vancouver, Vancouver’s Jewish queer trans non-profit, Carmel spoke with Cantor Wunch and Arya Marvazy about her personal journey towards leadership, and experiences and visions for creating Jewish communities that truly serve the diverse Jewish landscape. July 29, 2021
https://www.jqtvancouver.ca
Arya Marvaz
An Iranian-American Jewish LGBTQ+ activist and community organizer, Arya spoke with Cantor Wunch and Carmel Tanaka about his personal journey towards leadership, and experiences and visions for creating Jewish communities that truly serve the diverse Jewish landscape. July 29, 2021.
Paula Wolfson
Shir Libeynu’s Shabbat & B’Mitzvah Chazzan for over nine years and a Dora-award winning performer, presented “From Broadway to the Bimah,” to share how her love of music led her into chazzanut. July 11, 2021
https://paulawolfson.com
Rabbi Nikki DeBlosi, PhD
A freelance rabbi and educator with years of experience in the Hillel world and expertise in queer theory and community, spoke with Cantor Wunch and Rabbi Andrea Myers about LGBTQ+ Jews and leadership. June 24, 2021
http://www.rabbinikki.com
Rabbi Andrea Myers (they/them)
A spiritual counselor at the All of You Wellness Centre, human resources professional and author of The Choosing: A Rabbi’s Journey from Silent Nights to High Holy Days (Rutgers University Press, 2011), spoke with Cantor Wunch and Rabbi Nikki DeBlosi about LGBTQ+ Jews and leadership. June 24, 2021
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbi-andrea-myers-646323153/?originalSubdomain=ca
Avi Sadiv
From the Canadian chapter of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), spoke about the many great things the Society does. April 18, 2021
https://natureisrael.org/CSPNI
Jenny Isaacs
Director, Heart to Heart, spoke about this leadership program for Jewish and Palestinian youth. March 21, 2021
https://www.heart-to-heart.ca
Tema Smith
Diversity advocate, writer and Jewish community builder, spoke about “Mixed Race and Jewish: The Personal and the Political.” Presented in collaboration with Danforth Jewish Circle. February 21, 2021
https://temasmith.com
Dr. Mira Sucharov
Professor of Political Science and University Chair of Teaching Innovation at Carleton University, spoke about her book, Borders and Belonging: A Memoir (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). January 17, 2021
https://carleton.ca/polisci/people/sucharov-mira/
Akilah Allen-Silverstein and Yoni Belete
From No Silence on Race, which advocates for racial equity and inclusivity in Jewish spaces in Canada, and encourages organizations to commit to the creation of a truly anti-racist Jewish community through the implementation of “9 pillars” for systemic change. November 22, 2020
https://www.nosilenceonrace.ca