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 May 9/ 2026, at 10:00 A.M. Join us on the ark for a Shabbat adventure! Member Registration Guest Registration
Join us for a special Shabbat as we mark one year of our partnership with Rafiken Social Enterprises. This milestone reflects our shared commitment to inclusion, dignity, and community connection, and we look forward to acknowledging it together. We are pleased to welcome Naomi Azrieli as our special guest, who will offer the D’var Torah. Naomi Azrieli, O.C., DPhil, is Chair of the Azrieli Foundation, one of Canada’s largest foundations, where she has led transformative work in education, scientific research, Holocaust education, caregiving, and community resilience for over two decades. A respected philanthropic leader and social entrepreneur, she is also the founder of Rafiken Social Enterprises, including The Infinite Bean catering and café, which creates meaningful employment opportunities for neurodiverse individuals. As part of this celebration, we will also recognize and express our gratitude to the dedicated Rafiken staff whose work each week makes our Kiddush possible. Their commitment and care are an essential part of our communal life. We hope you will join us for this meaningful Shabbat as we celebrate partnership, purpose, and community.
Reconstructionist Reading Group: The Religion of Ethical Nationhood Curious about Reconstructionist Judaism, nationhood, and big ethical questions in an age that sometimes feels apocalyptic? Join us as we continue studying The Religion of Ethical Nationhood by Mordecai Kaplan, in which Kaplan argues that ethical nationhood is essential for human survival and global stability. We’ll meet monthly on Shabbat in the library after kiddush, 1:00–2:00 PM. The next session is May 9. Registration is required. Digital excerpts will be provided in advance of each session.
Join us for Coffee and Docs, a series of three Israeli documentary screenings, each accompanied by a pre-recorded Q&A with the filmmaker. Screenings will take place on May 13, May 27, and June 10 at 1:00 pm. Enjoy coffee and cookies in a relaxed and engaging setting. Pre-registration is required. There is no fee to attend; donations are welcome. Register Here
Tot Shabbat! On Saturday, May 16th, Join us as we learn together, sing, and enjoy a delicious Kiddush lunch! 🎵 11:30 AM: Tot Shabbat with fun activities and songs 🍽 12:15 PM: Blessings and Kiddush lunch for all Let's celebrate a beautiful year of singing, playing, and dancing together. Member Registration Guest Registration
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, May 5, in the shul library from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and on Zoom on the third Tuesday of the month (May 19). 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.
DON’T MISS OUT! BE PART OF THE TRIBUTE: A Special Weekend Honouring Rabbi Tina on May 23rd and 24th! Space is limited - register NOW! Shabbat Service Chai Tea
DON’T MISS OUT! BE PART OF THE TRIBUTE: A Special Weekend Honouring Rabbi Tina on May 23rd and 24th! Space is limited - register NOW! Shabbat Service Chai Tea
Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler is a rabbi, scholar, author, whose work bridges Jewish literature, gender studies, and contemporary culture. Originally from Sarnia and raised in Toronto, she is now the Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at Hebrew Union College in New York. Ordained by Yeshiva Maharat in 2021, Rabbi Zierler is the author of several acclaimed books, including Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry (2025), as well as award-nominated works on film, midrash, and Hebrew women’s writing. She has also co-edited multiple scholarly volumes and serves as Co-Editor of Prooftexts, a leading journal of Jewish literary history. In addition to her academic work, she is a fiction writer and film consultant. She is married to Daniel Feit and has three adult children. Thursday June 4th 7:00 PM Social Hall Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry How can Hebrew poetry and Israeli culture serve as a bulwark and resource in times of personal and communal loss? An outgrowth of Rabbi Dr. Zierler's recently published Kaddish / COVID memoir, this book talk will show how a study of modern Hebrew poetry and song can address issues of grief, prayer, God-wrestling, feminist transformation of tradition, and creative response to loss. Shabbat, June 6th 1:00 PM Sanctuary Re-reading Miriam: Changing Interpretive Seas In this Post-Kiddush Torah Study session, Rabbi Dr. Zierler will explore how feminist literary reading strategies and modern poetic midrash can help us discover surprising new insights about the biblical Miriam Register Here
Join us for a Shabbat morning unlike any other, as we welcome Rabbi Shefa Gold into the heart of our community's weekly gathering. Services begin at 10:00 AM. We encourage you to arrive a little early, so we can gently settle in and co-create the spiritual container together. Please register in advance, and if you’re able, consider contributing toward the cost of the event. Suggested donation: $18. Congregation Darchei Noam is Toronto's only Reconstructionist synagogue, and our Shabbat morning services are built on the same foundations that animate Shefa's work: sacred sound, embodied prayer, and the conviction that spiritual practice is meant to crack us open rather than close us down. We pray from Kol Haneshamah, the Reconstructionist siddur, with joyful singing accompanied by instruments, moments of genuine contemplative stillness, and a d'var Torah rooted in honest engagement with our tradition. Shefa's presence will weave through our morning, bringing the transformative power of Hebrew chant into a living, breathing community at worship. Whether you are a longtime chanter or brand new to this practice, whether you have davened every Shabbat of your life or this is your first time in a synagogue in years, you will find a place here. Stay after the service for our communal Kiddush lunch, where the conversation, the connection, and the singing tend to continue well past noon. The service will also be available via Zoom for those joining from a distance. Register Here By registering, I consent to my email address being shared with program organizers in order to gain access to complimentary chanting resources from Rabbi Shefa Gold, a post-event survey, as well as notice about future chanting opportunities in Toronto. This program is part of a chant-based “urban retreat” led by Rabbi Shefa Gold across the city from June 4-7. For more details on the entire retreat itinerary, visit https://www.eventcreate.com/e/shefagoldtoronto The Elka Klein Memorial Lecture Series was established in 2008 as a living memorial to Elka Klein z”l, daughter of Darchei Noam members Suzanne Silk Klein and Martin Klein. At the time of her death, Elka was an assistant professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Cincinnati. The family’s intent is that the lectures support the passions of Elka, including Jewish social history, ethics, evolving halachic practice, women’s rights and education. Her vocation in the educational system centred on the history of Jewish communities in “host” countries where Jews were usually seen as temporary or outsiders. She was interested in how they integrated while retaining their Jewish identity.
