Synaplex Shabbat 📅 Saturday, October 25 | 🕙 10:00 AM | 📍 Multiple locations at Darchei Noam We will begin together at 10:00 AM with introductory prayers, setting the stage for a meaningful and transformative morning. Then, as we arrive at the Torah service, you get to choose from three meaningful opportunities to experience Torah—each offering a unique lens into Jewish tradition, spirituality, and learning. Option 1: Traditional Torah Service Engage in a full, exploratory Torah reading led by Rob Silver. Option 2: Reflective & Meditative Musical Experience David Lefkowich will lead an immersive exploration of the Book of Psalms, where ancient words meet modern melodies. Option 3: Periphery with Sara Yacobi‑Harris Join us for a special Synaplex Shabbat featuring Periphery, a short documentary exploring ethnic diversity and Jewish identity through the stories of Jews from Black/African, Korean, Iraqi, Indian, and South American backgrounds. Together we’ll reflect on representation, intersectionality, and belonging within the global Jewish community, guided by filmmaker and educator Sara Yacobi‑Harris, co‑founder of No Silence on Race Periphery is an evocative short documentary that explores ethnic diversity in the Jewish community in Canada through dance, poetry and personal narratives.  Following 10 Jews of Black/African, Korean, Iraqi, Indian and South American ancestry, the film challenges perceptions of who is a Jew, exploring ideas of representation, intersectionality, race, and sexuality. A window into the Jewish community, Periphery invites us to appreciate the richness of Jewish identity and cultural expression while also illustrating what it feels like to grapple with a sense of belonging and to seek recognition within one’s own ethnic community.  In these shabbat sessions we will explore Jewish identity, culture and ethnic diversity within the global Jewish diaspora, intersectionality and Jews and Whiteness. Sara Yacobi-Harris is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, learning designer and social entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of No Silence on Race, a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing and celebrating multi-ethnic Jewish experiences through content creation, community programming and cross-cultural dialogue.  She currently works at EPIC leadership and is studying Psychotherapy at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto.  Please register here for Synaplex Shabbat.

Israeli Dancing  📅 Saturday, October 25 | 🕙 1:00 PM |📍Social Hall Please join us toward the end of kiddush in the Social Hall for an hour of Israeli dancing. All are welcome to join us in this fun, community-building activity. Join us to enjoy Israeli music and movement.

The Social Justice Advocacy Committee (SJAC) is delighted to announce that our 2025–26 Social Justice Scholar-in-Residence is Bryan Keshen. Since 2014 Bryan has been CEO of Reena, which provides services to over 1,000 individuals with diverse disabilities throughout the GTA. Before that he spent 24 years working for the Toronto and Vancouver Jewish Federations. Bryan will give the d’var Torah at Darchei Noam on Saturday, November 1, Shabbat Lech L’cha: “Hineni”—The Call and the Response of Being Present for the Other. Details to follow.

Ark Adventures is designed for young children (ages birth to 5) and their families to experience Shabbat in community together. The program is offered on select Saturdays throughout the year. Ark Adventures will “set sail” on November 1/ 2025, at 10:00 A.M. Join us on the ark for a Shabbat adventure!

Pins and Needles is reaching out to let you know that we are always very happy to welcome new members to our group. This month, we will meet on Tuesday, November 4th, in the shul library from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and on Zoom on the third Tuesday of the month (November 18th). We knit, crochet, and socialize. We would love to have other crafters join us to showcase their work and share tips and stories. We would also like to inform you that we are currently in need of yarn donations. Especially helpful are donations of blanket-weight yarn and multiple balls of the same weight or colour. If you’re doing some spring cleaning and have yarn you’re no longer using, we’d be grateful if you’d consider donating it to us. Please contact nancy@kosiner.com if you have any questions.

🗓️ Sunday, November 9 ⏰ 10:00 am – 3:00 PM📍Darchei Noam Join us in saving lives by donating blood! Your donation can provide life-saving blood products to patients in need within our community. Donations take only a few minutes but make an immeasurable impact—each donation can save up to three lives. We hope you’ll consider participating and helping us support this vital cause. Every donation counts and your generosity gives hope and healing to those in need.   Register Here

On Tuesday, November 11 (at Darchei Noam) and Wednesday, November 12 (on Zoom) starting at 7:00pm we will be holding Town Hall meetings to provide an overview of the work and discussions we have had to date on the topic of Rabbinic succession planning, and ask you to share your thoughts and provide us with your feedback. A synopsis will be provided in advance to allow you time to consider and reflect on the process and possibilities. We encourage and welcome your participation. Please register online here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/town-hall-2  

On Tuesday, November 11 (at Darchei Noam) and Wednesday, November 12 (on Zoom) starting at 7:00pm we will be holding Town Hall meetings to provide an overview of the work and discussions we have had to date on the topic of Rabbinic succession planning, and ask you to share your thoughts and provide us with your feedback. A synopsis will be provided in advance to allow you time to consider and reflect on the process and possibilities. We encourage and welcome your participation. Please register online here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/town-hall-2  

Tot Shabbat! On Saturday, November 15th, Join us as we learn together, sing, and enjoy a delicious Kiddush lunch!  🎵 11:30 AM: Tot Shabbat with fun activities and songs 🍽 12:00 PM: Blessings and Kiddush lunch for all Let's celebrate a beautiful year of singing, playing, and dancing together.  Please RSVP here

What does it mean to say that health is a human right? Why should this right matter to Canadians or to Jewish communities anywhere? And how might communities like Darchei Noam think about human rights, international law, and the right to health in these deeply challenging times? Dr. Lisa Forman is a professor of Public Health and Law at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.  She is an international human rights law scholar whose research explores how the right to health may contribute to reducing global health inequities.  She will explain the connections between global human rights, international law and the right to health.   She will explore how health came to be considered a fundamental human right, how the modern system of human rights emerged after the Holocaust, what it means to talk about a right to health, and the impact of this right, for better or worse, when it comes to the health of people everywhere.  Moderated by Robin Levinson King, Senior editor, BBC. No charge. Reception to follow.  The Merkur Lectures are a series of Darchei Noam programs on equity, civil liberty and social justice, presented with generous support from the Merkur Family. Register Here