SIMHAT TORAH:

Wednesday, October 15
9:00 AM    Shaharit
9:45 AM    Individual Aliyot
10:40 AM  Hakafot and Light Kiddush
11:30 AM   Special Honourary Aliyot
12:45 PM   Luncheon
6:25 PM   Minha/Ma’ariv
7:16 PM    Havdalah

SANDRA BERNOFSKY: I have been working at Longos for over 16 years. I enjoy working with people. I have made presentations on behalf of Community Living York South for York Region  United Way. I have been secretary for People First for about 2 years. I attend two weekday morning minyans at Beth Tikvah each week. I enjoy participating in services in person or online. I enjoy learning more and more about Torah and rituals.
I am very self motivated in teaching myself to read hebrew and I participate in many online Hebrew classes. I look forward to participating in women’s group activities with so many others. I continue to be involved in feeding the homeless through Beth Tikvah’s sandwich making program twice a month. I enjoy volunteering for Beth Tikvah mitzvah knitters.
I have always enjoyed helping people and being with people. Beth Tikvah has always been welcoming to me and I continue to enjoy being at Beth Tikvah.
I would like to thank Beth Tikvah and the Ritual Committee for this honour.

BARRY GREEN: I have been part of the Beth Tikvah family for 42 years, ever since my wife Lisa and I joined in 1983, when our first daughter was born. My connection to synagogue life began long before that. As a boy in Ottawa, I would walk hand-in-hand with my grandfather to Beth Shalom each Shabbat morning. Those walks and the sense of belonging they gave me have stayed with me for life. We have celebrated many life-cycle simchas at Beth Tikvah: the Bat Mitzvahs of our daughters Jillian (1996) and Tamara (1999), Jillian’s marriage under the chuppah in 2013, and the Bris of our first grandson, Alex, in 2015.
When asked, I’ve done my best to support our synagogue community. This has included becoming involved as Co-Chair of the Out of the Cold program in 1999 and 2000 with Lisa, presently serving on the Endowment Committee, and more recently supporting the morning minyan. 
My passion for photography has given me the opportunity to help preserve Beth Tikvah’s history and spirit through a variety of projects. In the fall of 2016, while saying kaddish for my father, I documented the morning minyan service for a week, creating a photobook that is available for all to view in the synagogue office. More recently, I have worked with interviewer Lisa Newman to record video interviews, preserving the stories of our founding members for the Ontario Jewish Archives.
In January 2024, I joined Rabbi Grover’s Solidarity Mission to Israel and later shared my emotional journey both in person and online with our community. A photobook journal I created of our Solidarity Mission experience is kept in the synagogue office. Last year, I spoke on Yom Kippur morning to inspire support for the Israel Bond drive. 
Through all these experiences, my commitment reflects my deep love for Jewish tradition and the Beth Tikvah community. Thank you for bestowing this special honour on me. Chag Sameach!

STEFANIE GOLDSCHMIED: I have been a member at Beth Tikvah since I was a teenager, when my parents, Marty and Marlene Rochwerg, joined in 1993. Now, my husband, Ozzie, and our children, Noah, Jakob and Emily join me at services. 
We have celebrated many simchas here over the years, including Ozzie's aufruf, Noah's bris, Emily's baby naming and our sons' Bar Mitzvahs. This past year, we were also lucky to be the host family for Noga Avisar, BT's Shinshinit. 
While not busy with my family, I facilitate several book clubs. This has fulfilled my deep passion for reading while allowing me to make new connections. Earlier this year, I started a Jewish Book Club for the BT congregation and it has been my greatest pleasure getting to know so many of you. 
Thank you to the Ritual Committee for selecting me as one of the Simchat Torah honourees. It is a tremendous privilege to be recognized.

MARVIN SPRITZER:

Marvin Spritzer is a daily attendee to services and often leads. We call him 'Ma'ariv Marvin' for a reason! He also comes forward to lead shiva prayers in our members' times of need.