Community Happenings
When: Wednesday, June 11
Where: Bayview Glen Church
Time: 7 PM to 9 PM
Join us for a thought-provoking evening as we explore one of the most challenging topics in faith and scripture: divine violence. This panel discussion brings together respected voices from Christian and Jewish traditions to unpack the historical, theological, and ethical dimensions of divine violence in the Bible.
Speakers include:
• Dr. Gord Oeste – Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at Tyndale University, specializing in warfare in the Bible and the ancient Near East.
• Dr. Logan Gates – Christian apologist and Adjunct Speaker with Apologetics Canada, with expertise in political theory and the history of political thought.
• Rabbi Jarrod Grover – Senior Rabbi at Beth Tikvah, known for his commitment to Jewish tradition, Israel engagement, egalitarianism, and social justice.
Come with questions and curiosity as we wrestle with how sacred texts portray violence—and how we should understand and respond to these portrayals today.
Diller Teen Fellows is an internationally recognized program that brings together Jewish teens from around the world for a year of transformative learning, empowerment, and connection, through monthly workshops, three weekend retreats (Shabbatons), a Jewish Community Seminar in Toronto in April, and a trip to Israel in the summer, participants engage in immersive, hands-on experiences. They explore their Jewish identity, develop leadership skills, create ripples of good in the community, and form deep bonds with peers in Israel and around the world.
We are looking for curious, motivated, and community-minded teens entering Grades 10 or 11 in Fall 2025. The program runs from September 2025 to August 2026.
Community Happenings
The Nova Exhibition is an in-depth remembrance of the brutal massacre at The Nova Music Festival on October 7th, 2023. The installation sets out to recreate a festival dedicated to peace and love that was savagely cut short by a terrorist attack on that fateful day. The attack at The Nova Music Festival was the largest massacre in music history.
This groundbreaking installation is presented as a way to empower visitors to responsibly explore & bear witness to the tragic events of October 7 and its aftermath.
After a successful 2 month run in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, the Nova Exhibition is coming to Toronto, Canada, April 23 - June 22.
Community Happenings
JSN is pleased to offer Community Watch Synagogue Volunteer Training Program. The introduction of security volunteers brings numerous practical and community advantages. It strengthens resilience, fosters community spirit, and enhances connectivity between the community and the synagogue. By engaging local members in safeguarding their shared spaces, this initiative builds a sense of responsibility and belonging. The program is based on a successful international model, demonstrating its effectiveness, and its launch in the Greater Toronto Area is an exciting step forward in bolstering community security and unity.
Please note: As the program is in the initial stages of being developed, only individuals who are affiliated with a synagogue can register for training. After the High Holidays, additional courses will be offered that will be open to the general community.
Community Happenings
JOIN RUN FOR THEIR LIVES
Several groups in Toronto are supporting the critical cause to return the kidnapped hostages by joining together to run.
The main website is: https://run4lives.org/, and ALL GROUPS RUN WEEKLY AT 10:00 AM.
Join the vital cause in a location near you:
Location 1: Run for Their Lives Thornhill (can be found on facebook at Run for Their Lives, Thornhill)
Location 2: Winston Churchill Park at Bathurst and St. Clair every Sunday 10:00
Location 3: Beaches Toronto, Leuty Pavilion, Bottom of Lee Ave (by the boardwalk).
Mosaic Outdoor Club of Ontario is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization integrating Jewish values and an appreciation of the outdoors and the natural world. We provide a positive social atmosphere for sharing active experiences. We have events on a regular basis in the GTA and Ottawa.
Getting outdoors and spending time with Chaverim brings a welcome sense of community.
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MOCO, or Mosaic Outdoor Club of Ontario (Toronto and Ottawa) is the only Canadian chapter of Mosaic Outdoor Club of America, which has chapters in Chicago, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida and elsewhere.
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The name, Mosaic, comes from Moses—our first outdoorsman.
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Members comprise singles and couples 18+, including several couples who met at club events.
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Many of our day events are on Sundays to allow those who are Shomer Shabbat to join us.
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Events can be day, evening, nights, Saturdays and Sundays, depending on the program.
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You can join us as an event guest or as a yearly member. Most of our events are open to guests. Find details on our About Page at www.mosaicontario.org
Sign up for our free newsletter at go.mosaicontario.org/
newsletter , which will arrive in your inbox weekly.Join Mosaic! go.mosaicontario.org/
membership 
Community Happenings
The Women in Politics Mentorship Program is designed to support and train Jewish women, 21+, who want to engage at high levels in the political process, either by running for office (at any level of government) or by working in a high-level political staff role. Despite making progress in recent years, women still represent only approximately one-third of all legislators in Canada. The Women in Politics Program seeks to help Jewish women from across the political spectrum gain knowledge, build skills, and create a network of support that will help them advance and persevere.
Community Happenings
Your Action, Their Armor.
Israeli families have been slaughtered, villages held hostage, cities across Israel bombed and soldiers massacred.
Thousands of IDF soldiers and reservists have since been called up to duty. Immediately, Israelis began circulating lists of names of soldiers and the missing, wounded to pray for on social media and informal messages.
To consolidate efforts of individual lists and social media posts, we have re-launched the Shmira Project. The Shmira Project is a centralized system to match the names* of IDF soldiers, and Israelis who are missing, wounded or in danger with people around the world.
The ShmiraProject.org pairs a participant with an active duty IDF soldier or reservist.
You, the participant, will commit to doing a mitzvah (good deed) ranging from prayer to Torah learning to charity to simple acts of kindness in the merit of your soldier or person in danger.
The Hebrew word "shmira" (pronounced shmeerah) means "guarding". In modern Hebrew, shmira also means guard duty. We will continue in the ancient practice of pairing physical battle with spiritual battle.
When the Shmira Project was initially launched during the 2014 Gaza war, the program reached over 70,000 people from 35 countries. Today, leveraging technological advancements, our reach is limitless.
Join the Shmira Project. Your mitzvah is their armor. It’s guard duty for the rest of us.
If you do not already have a mezuzah for you front door go to https://www.myzuzah.org/
Apply for a free mezuzah today!
The Kultura Collective and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto are pleased to offer this website as a resource to the community to celebrate Jewish arts, culture and heritage. During this difficult time, we will come together through online learning, streaming performances and exhibitions – both socially distant and virtually. As a community, we will share and explore our culture and traditions through meaningful artistic experiences. We hope these events will keep you connected, engaged and inspired throughout this challenging time.
CLICK HERE FOR KULTURA COLLECTIVE