City Shul's Vision and Mission
City Shul's Mission
Mission
We create pathways to explore and live an engaged, connected Jewish life.
Pathways - Pray, Sing, Learn, Teach, Lead, Fix the World
Explore - Shabbat, holidays and festivals, lifelong learning, Israel engagement, music, food and culture.
Live - find community, make meaningful friendships, experience the impact that Judaism can have on your life.
Engaged - take a leadership role in services, host meals, educate your children, visit the sick, support mourners, join a committee.
Connected - to our texts and traditions, to each other, to our world through the lens of Jewish values.
Our spiritual leader is Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, known for 20 years in Toronto as a leading teacher, spiritual mentor, speaker, and community activist.
We invite you to become involved.
Community Statement
Events are usually beyond our control, but our reactions and responses to those events are completely our own. The current social upheaval we see around us in Canada and the United States as a result of systemic racism against Black and Indigenous people and police brutality towards these parts of our population requires such a response. As a community we must actively work harder to fight against the racism and oppression that continues to plague our world.
City Shul, with one voice, stands up to say that racism against Black and Indigenous people must stop.
As a people our history as victims of oppression and violent Anti-semitism helps us sympathize with Black and Indigenous peoples, but this alone does not free us of our obligation to fight against racism and oppression now.
As a community, City Shul is made up of many with a history of standing up and speaking out in the face of oppression. We have members who left their homelands in the face of apartheid and unjust wars, members who led marches against police brutality that victimized LGBTQ citizens, and members who have worked tirelessly for the struggle for human rights in Canada and beyond.
As individuals, we must all do the necessary heshbon nefesh (soul-searching) to recognize our own privilege and the underlying racism in our country, province, city, Jewish community and homes and to learn how to respond appropriately.
At this time, we must do more as a community. City Shul must work every day to make us a place of true inclusion, acceptance and safety for all, ensuring that we all do more than cursory acts, but rather are compelled to action.
There are actions we can all take immediately:
- We can listen and relisten to An Evening of Deep Listening: Facing and Combating Racism With/In the Jewish Community, introduced by our own Rabbi Goldstein, and featuring City Shul member Emery Warner (moderator) and our former Administrator, Rivka Campbell.
- We can support local protests, adding our voices to those of our community, while taking all safety precautions in our COVID-19 reality.
- We can support local Black and Indigenous businesses and causes.
- We can write letters to newspapers and journals, and post anti-racist articles in our social media.
- We can educate ourselves more fully about the history of racism in our own country.
- We can listen carefully to the advice and requests of Black and Indigenous leaders as to what steps are best in becoming true allies.
- We can keep this topic on our agenda for discussion and adult education programming at City Shul.
Barbara Wade Rose, President of the City Shul Leadership Team
Rabbi Elyse Goldstein
Sat, April 27 2024
19 Nisan 5784
City Shul Shabbat Services
Click here for our Shabbat service schedule.
City Shul School
Click here to learn more about our shul's school.
City Shul Family Learning
Click here to see our upcoming family programmes.
City Shul Adult Ed and Adult Programmes
Click here to see our upcoming adult programmes.
Upcoming Events
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Sunday ,
MayMay 5 , 2024Special City Shul Theatre Event - "In Seven Days", Sunday May 5, 2024, 7 PM; Talkback with Rabbi Goldstein for this performance only
Sunday, May 5th 7:00p to 9:00p
Through tears and laughter, In Seven Days explores what it means to live with grace and grapples with how we say goodbye to the people we love most. Rabbi Elyse Goldstein will lead a talkback presentation at the conclusion of the play. -
Friday ,
MayMay 31 , 2024Shabbat Special Event - A Musical Kabbalat Shabbat with Hava N’Ranena
Friday, May 31st 5:30p to 9:00p
Join us for a music-filled Kabbalat Shabbat. The event begins at 5:30 PM, with coffee and a quiet shmooze, as the band sets up. Hava N’ranena - whose music is inspired by Nava Tehila in Jerusalem - will begin performing at 6:30 PM. The event concludes with Kiddish, followed by a light, vegetarian dinner.