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Minyan/Brotherhood Dinner with guest speaker Bernie Schwartz - Your Taxes - what's new and exciting! Tuesday Feb 23 @ 6:15.. $25.00 pp. spouse welcome, space is limited, reservations A MUST to Beverley in the office by Fri Feb 19 @ noon...NO tickets at the door.... Sunnybrook Shabbat Shabbat Services With A Smile As hosts of Sunnybrook Jewish Chapel's semi-monthly Shabbat services, the Men's Club members of Toronto's participating synagogues show their support for the many Jewish War veterans who now reside at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. With assistance from many caring individuals and organizations, including the Royal Canadian Legion General Wingate Branch, and Steeles-College Memorial Chapel in memory of Harvey Lister z'I, the dream became reality. Today, more than ten years later, with the involvement of more than one dozen GTA synagogues, the reality is a credit to our entire community. There is a group of dedicated volunteers at Sunnybrook who participate in activities under the auspices of the Sunnybrook Jewish Chapel. The Brotherhoods of different area synagogues then take turns running the Shabbat service in a manner that reflects their own comfort level and affiliation to Jewish practices. Hilda Harris, volunteer shammes (the beadle or sexton of a synagogue) of the Chapel, is proud of the service it provides to Sunnybrook's veterans. "We regularly use our Torah from the old Timmins shul, and visitors can see the original plaque commemorating Timmins' Jewish veterans right here in our Chapel," she said. "We're honouring our Jewish heritage with a fully equipped synagogue connected to a major medical centre. It's the only freestanding synagogue on the grounds of a public hospital in North America. Isn't that amazing?" "We start just before 10 am," explained Harris, "when the volunteers go to get the veterans from their rooms. Once everyone has arrived in the Chapel, the lay people begin to lead the service. We have a Torah reading, aliyahs (the honours accorded to worshipers of being called up to read an assigned passage from the Torah at Sabbath morning services), a D'var Torah (a talk on the topic of the weekly Torah portion) and a kiddish (ceremonial meal following services)." "The veterans are so pleased when they get an aliyah," explained Michael Kuchinsky, Chapel volunteer and former Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Brotherhood President. "You can see it as they smile over the bimah (elevated platform) and as they shake hands with the other veterans, volunteers and guests." "We know how much this programming means to the veterans and that inspires us to carry on. Plus, we all get a kick out of the kiddish because it's designed just for veterans," said Kuchinsky. " Bite-sized foods, unsalted herring, sugar-free pop ... , just what the doctor ordered! Then, at 11:45 am, once the kiddish is completed, the veterans are escorted back to their rooms for lunch. It's a mitzvah and it's a pleasure." "The services are for the hospital residents and their families," said Stephen Creed, Booking Coordinator for the Shabbat Services schedule, "although patients and hospital staff are also welcome. We always try to accommodate the residents' wishes: if they want a mishaberach (traditional Jewish prayer for the sick) or a particular prayer, we respect their requests." Organizations participating in the Sunnybrook Shabbat program include:
If you would like to get involved or have any suggestions for programmes that you would like Brotherhood to consider, please contact me at bebybrotherhood@hotmail.com Michael Zeldin All men who are Synagogue members in good standing are Brotherhood members.
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