It’s okay — Anne Frank had “first world problems” too
04/21/2020 03:56:25 PM
Originally published on forward.com/scribe;
April 21, 2020
It was a post I read on Facebook, meant to comfort those of us struggling with being stuck at home for so many weeks: “Anne Frank was forced to stay in a space that measured about 450...Read more...
Torah of the Holocaust
08/21/2019 03:39:30 PM
It was 1977. We were recently married and decided to take a trip and visit Gerry’s Aunt Rozsi from her father’s side, living under Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, in the city of Kosice. A town with rich Jewish history and population before the war.
Aunt Rozsi lost her husband and two sons during the Holocaust. Remarried to another survivor who passed away after 15 years of...Read more...
Tisha b'Av
08/08/2019 03:36:40 PM
Tisha B’Av is a national day of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and other tragedies. We refrain from physical pleasures - eating, drinking, bathing, intimate relations, and the use of lotions - to mark the day as a day of mourning.
This year, Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbat,...Read more...
A New Kensington Entrance
07/25/2019 03:46:09 PM
Almost 100 years ago, our beautiful and majestic synagogue was built, and it has continued to be a testament to the strength and devotion of our congregation ever since. Thanks to its unique architecture and rich history of religious practice in Montreal, it has been recognized as a Heritage...Read more...
Wedding Season at the Shaar
07/04/2019 03:44:45 PM
As the season of sunshine and vacations unfolds, the entire city has begun to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet. However, even in these warm weather months, the Shaar is abuzz with activity. Within just eight days, we will be hosting five weddings, and behind the scenes is a whirlwind of...Read more...
Honouring Rabbi Dr. Wilfred Shuchat zt"l at the Rabbinical Assembly
05/09/2019 02:33:49 PM
I am grateful to the Rabbinical Assembly and the conference organizers for the opportunity to speak about our beloved Rabbi Shuchat zt”l.
An important piece of...Read more...
The Brothers Ben Jacob
01/08/2019 03:43:06 PM
The sages and the commentators have struggled through the millennia to explain the conduct of the sons of Jacob as being ultimately righteous, pious and ethical, notwithstanding the literal text of the parshiyot disclosing the narrative of their behaviour. A literal reading of these parshiyot show, to the modern reader, a dysfunctional family of fratricidal siblings, whose animosity cannot be mediated and only reconciled through circumstance....Read more...
172nd AGM - President's message
11/27/2018 08:30:03 AM
ברוכים הבאים, bienvenue, Welcome
Dear Rabbi, Clergy, honoured guests and friends,
As we gather this evening for the 172nd...Read more...
Youth Shabbat Sermon 2
11/13/2018 03:02:19 PM
When you walk into the Shaar, one of the first things you notice is the separate seating between men and women in our synagogue. Many of you might have a hard time with separate seating, while others might be totally fine with it. However you feel about this issue, I hope to enlighten you with my own point of view.
To start, a bit of context. Seating separated by a Mechitzah started in the temple of Jerusalem. It all...Read more...
Youth Shabbat Sermon 1
11/10/2018 08:45:38 AM
Growing up in Montreal, I was exposed to a very limited image of what being Jewish means. As a kid, Judaism was exclusively associated with traditional orthodox Judaism. Surely I had met other types of Jews, but in my schools that I attended and of course here at my synagogue, it was this traditional form of Judaism that was shown to me.
In the summer of grade 10, I went to Israel as part of the Diller Teen Fellowship,...Read more...
'I'm going to Pittsburgh'
11/04/2018 12:12:37 PM
Acts of kindness and solidarity are the best way to honor the Tree of Life victims
“I’m going to Pittsburgh.”
I had a tight connection — 45 minutes in Dulles. Around five minutes after boarding the plane in Montreal, while still at the gate, the pilot announced a delay: The auxiliary engine that powers the plane at the gate had malfunctioned. It would take 30 minutes for the mechanic to...Read more...
Opinion: Even amid sadness, the opportunity for blessing emerges
11/02/2018 11:23:47 AM
I recently learned about the “Pittsburgh Left.” This refers not to a progressive political movement but to a genteel — albeit benignly illegal — traffic norm: as the light turns green, one allows the first oncoming car to make a left. It’s a small courtesy, for sure,...Read more...
The Curse of Eve is the Curse of Adam
10/06/2018 12:37:29 PM
This week, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three individuals, including Canadian Donna Strickland. The media focused not only her incredible accomplishments in the area of laser technology, but also noted that Strickland is the first woman in 55 years to win the Nobel in Physics, and only the third woman ever to win the prize. The announcement also came...Read more...
The View from the Balcony
10/03/2018 09:46:05 AM
As new members of a modern Orthodox congregation, the experience my husband and I had on the High Holidays this year was a striking departure from the previous 46 in a Reconstructionist synagogue. We’re rather old for such a dramatic change...Read more...
