TU B'SHEVAT EVENTS
The Jewish new year for trees, Tu B’Shevat, is a time to celebrate and reflect upon the Divine blessings bestowed upon us through nature, and the spiritual lessons we can learn from the natural world. The JRCC marked the day with several children’s events. The JRCC East Thornhill’s Hebrew School hosted a holiday-themed Kiddie Chefs session, the JRCC Concord held a Tu B’Sehvat Festival, and the JRCC S. Richmond Hill & Maple organized a Tu B’Shevat Creations craft activity. In addition, the JRCC East Thornhill and JRCC Woodbridge co-hosted a StoryTrail happening for families, where parents got to read “Dear Tree,” a sweet book about a little boy and his favorite tree, while enjoying a hike on the beautiful, snowy trails of Chatfield District Park. Of course, all the events included a sampling of fruits.
CELEBRATING THE REBBE
A special evening was held commemorating the anniversary of the Rebbe’s leadership on Yudy Shevat (January 11). Originally, the event was planned to be hosted at the JRCC East Thornhill, but due to quickly changing COVID restrictions, the evening was re-organized as a virtual online event via Zoom. The theme of the evening was “The Rebbe & Moshiach,” which focused on the most astonishing ideas the Rebbe left us with. This topic was elaborated on by our guest speaker, Rabbi Reueven Wolf of the Maayan Yisroel Chassidic Center in Los Angeles, as well as by others in attendance. Those who joined from home had the option of ordering a “farbrengen in a box” package for the event, containing some treats. l’chaim and study material. Despite the letdown of having to hold the event virtually instead of in person, it was a meaningful, welcome respite from the isolation blues and an uplifting evening of connectedness to the Rebbe and his vision.
MONTHLY CHALLAH BAKE
The JRCC West Thornhill hosts a monthly Challah Bake for women with special guest speakers, refreshments and more. It is an opportunity to get to know fellow women in the community, engage in the special mitzvah of making Challah for Shabbat, learn something new from our guest speaker, and get inspired by the uplifting messages and camaraderie. The next Challah Bake is Feb 10 at 8pm at the JRCC West Thornhill. For more information and to register, contact [email protected] or visit jrccwestthornhill.org.
