? Event Description: Beyond Borders: Uniting Canadian-Israeli Communities Through Art
Type of Exhibition: Art
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Join us for "Beyond Borders," an inspiring art exhibition celebrating the exceptional talents of local Canadian-Israeli artists. This unique showcase reflects the rich diversity of the Israeli community in Toronto, featuring a variety of mediums, materials, and subjects chosen by the artists. The vibrant and dynamic pieces invite viewers to explore the similarities and differences in each work, highlighting the profound influence of heritage. Above all, this exhibition is an opportunity to appreciate and enjoy artwork that transcends boundaries.
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Presented by:Gallery at the JA Kultura Collective Member
#BeyondBorders #ArtExhibition #CanadianIsraeliArtists #TorontoEvents #JewishAgencyForIsrael #GalleryAtTheJ #KulturaCollective #ArtBeyondBorders
Explore resilience and courage with "A Conversation with Witnesses of October 7: Across Canada Tour."
Join us for an extraordinary event featuring two survivors who emerged from the harrowing events in Israel on October 7th.
Through their own words, Eilat Tibi, a survivor from the Nova festival, and Ido Kriaf, a survivor from a kibbutz in the Gaza Envelope, will share their stories of survival and heroism. Gain profound insights into their experiences from personal, community, and national perspectives.
This event offers a unique opportunity to connect with the speakers through a Q&A session, allowing you to engage directly with these remarkable individuals.
Event Schedule:
Don't miss the chance to witness the strength of the human spirit and be inspired by these powerful testimonies. Join us as we come together to honor resilience and celebrate the triumph of hope over adversity.
RSVP now to secure your spot at this unforgettable event.
The 15th of Av, known as Tu B'Av in the Jewish calendar, is indeed a unique and joyous day with a rich history. While it may not have specific mitzvot or rituals outlined in the Shulchan Aruch, its significance is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.
The historical background you mentioned comes from the Talmud, Ta'anit 26b, which describes various events that elevated the 15th of Av to a day of celebration. One of the events was the lifting of the ban on intermarriage between the tribes of Israel. This allowed members of different tribes to marry each other, promoting unity among the Jewish people.
The Talmud also mentions the custom of maidens going out to dance in the vineyards, providing an opportunity for single individuals to find their future spouses. This is seen as a celebration of love and union within the community.
The association with the full moon of the month of Av and the future redemption adds a deeper layer of significance to Tu B'Av. It symbolizes a turning point from the tragedies that occurred earlier in the month, particularly the mourning associated with the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and looks forward to a brighter future.
The cessation of saying Tachanun on Tu B'Av, as well as the emphasis on increasing Torah study, reflects the festive nature of the day. The recognition of Tu B'Av as a day of joy and celebration, even surpassing Yom Kippur in certain aspects, underscores its importance in the Jewish calendar.
Additionally, the mention of beginning to wish each other a "ketivah vachatimah tovah" on Tu B'Av, 45 days before Rosh Hashanah, indicates a transition towards the High Holy Days and the start of the process of reflection, repentance, and prayer for a good and sealed judgment in the upcoming year.
In contemporary times, Tu B'Av is often celebrated with communal events, parties, and expressions of love and unity within the Jewish community. It serves as a reminder of the importance of harmony, love, and hope for a bright future.
LabourDay (French:Fête du Travail) is a statutory public holiday in Canada thatoccurs on the first Monday in September. It is one of several Labour Daycelebrations that occur in countries around the world. The Canadian celebrationof Labour Day occurs on the same day each year as Labor Dayin the United States.
Labour Day has beenmarked as a statutory public holiday in Canada on the first Monday in Septembersince 1894. However, the origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back tonumerous local demonstrations and celebrations in earlier decades. Such eventsassumed political significance in 1872, when an April labourdemonstration in Toronto, in support of striking printers, led directly to theenactment of the Trade Unions Act, alaw that confirmed the legality of unions.
Ten years later, onJuly 22, 1882, a huge labour celebration in Toronto attracted the attention ofthe American labour leader Peter J.McGuire, who organized a similar parade in New York Cityon September 5 that year. Unions associated with the Knights ofLabor and the American Federation of Labor in bothCanada and the United States subsequently promoted parades and festivals on thefirst Monday in September. In Canada during these years, local celebrationstook place in Hamilton, Oshawa,St.Catharines, Ottawa, and Londonin Ontario, as well as Montreal, Quebec; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Vancouver, BC.Montreal declared a civic holiday in 1889. In Nova Scotia,coal miners had been holding picnics and parades since 1880 to celebrate theanniversary of their union, the ProvincialWorkmen's Association, first organized in 1879.[3]
In 1889, the RoyalCommission on the Relations of Labor and Capital in Canadarecommended recognition of an official "labour day" by the federalgovernment. In March and April 1894, unions lobbied Parliament to recognize Labour Day as apublic holiday. Legislation was introduced in May by Prime Minister John Sparrow David Thompson and receivedroyal assent in July 1894.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is a fall holiday,taking place at the beginning of the month of Tishrei, which is actually theseventh month of the Jewish year (counting from Nisan in the spring). It isboth a time of rejoicing and of serious introspection, a time to celebrate thecompletion of another year while also taking stock of one’s life.
The two days of Rosh Hashanah usher in the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah), also known as the Days of Awe (YamimNoraim), which culminate in the major fast day of Yom Kippur, the Day ofAtonement. The Days of Awe represent the climax of a longer process. Startingat the beginning of the previous month, called Elul, the shofar istraditionally sounded at the conclusion of the morning service. A ram’s hornthat makes a trumpet-like sound, the shofar is intended as a wake-up call toprepare for the Tishrei holidays. One week before Rosh Hashanah, specialpetitionary prayers called Selichot are added to the ritual. Rosh Hashanahitself is also known as Yom Hadin or the Day of Judgment, on which God opensthe Books of Life and Death, which are then sealed on Yom Kippur.
The origins of Rosh Hashanah may be sought in a royalenthronement ritual from biblical times, though the Bible itself never mentionsthe "New Year” or "Day of Judgment” aspects of the holiday. Eventhough Rosh Hashanah falls in the seventh month, later rabbinic traditiondecided to designate it the beginning of the year. Although the origin of thistradition may have been adopted from the Babylonians, the rabbis imbued it withJewish significance as the anniversary of the day on which the world wascreated, or of the day on which humanity was created. Another explanation canbe found in the significance of Tishrei as the seventh month, hence the Sabbathof the year.
The challah (traditional bread) that is eaten for the RoshHashanah season is round, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life. The challah istraditionally dipped in honey, symbolizing the hopes for a sweet New Year. Thesame is done with apples, which are made even sweeter with the addition ofhoney. Some people avoid eating nuts at this time, since according to asomewhat convoluted gematria (mystical numerical interpretation) the Hebrewwords for nut (egoz) and sin (het) have the same numerical value.
Yom Kippur,is the Day of Atonement, communal prayer and self-deprivation, the observanceof the holiday is centered within the community.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year—theday on which we are closest to G‑d and to the quintessence of our own souls. Itis the Day of Atonement—"For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you,that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d”.
For nearly twenty-six hours—from severalminutes before sunset on 9 Tishrei to after nightfall on 10 Tishrei—we "afflictour souls”: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies,do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations.
Symbolizing the spiritual purity toward whichwe strive, it is traditional to wear white clothes on Yom Kippur. In addition, Yom Kippur is the only day of theyear when one wears one’s tallit (prayershawl) all day, rather than just in the morning.
History of Yom Kippur: Just months after thepeople of Israel left Egypt in the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), theysinned by worshipping a golden calf. Moses ascended Mount Sinai and prayed toG‑d to forgive them. After two 40-day stints on the mountain, full Divine favorwas obtained. The day Moses came down the mountain (the 10th of Tishrei) was tobe known forevermore as the Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur. That year, the peoplebuilt the Tabernacle, a portable home for G‑d. The Tabernacle was a center forprayers and sacrificial offerings. The service in the Tabernacle climaxed onYom Kippur, when the High Priest would perform a specially prescribed service.Highlights of this service included offering incense in the Holy of Holies(where the ark was housed) and the lottery with two goats—one of which wasbrought as a sacrifice, the other being sent out to the wilderness (Azazel). Whilethe High Priest generally wore ornate golden clothing, on Yom Kippur, he wouldimmerse in a mikvah and don plain white garments to perform this service. Thispractice continued for hundreds of years, throughout the time of the firstTemple in Jerusalem, which was built by Solomon, and the second Temple, whichwas built by Ezra. Jews from all over would gather in the Temple to experiencethe sacred sight of the High Priest performing his service, obtainingforgiveness for all of Israel. When the second Temple was destroyed in the year3830 from creation (70 CE), the Yom Kippur service continued. Instead of a HighPriest bringing the sacrifices in Jerusalem, every single Jew performs the YomKippur service in the temple of his or her heart.
On November 11, 1918, World War I (1914-1918) formally came to a close when a truce, or armistice, was declared between the fighting nations, including Canada. On every November 11 since, Canadians have celebrated peace and remembered the horrors of war by observing Remembrance Day, the most sombre holiday of the year.
At 11 o’clock on November 11, all Canadians are expected to stop what they’re doing and observe a moment of silence in memory of the soldiers who have given their lives in the various wars in which Canada has fought. Most cities will organize a special public ceremony at the town hall or local war memorial as well, at which representatives of various groups, such as the veterans’ legion, the Boy Scouts, and the municipal, provincial and federal governments will quietly lay wreaths of commemoration.
Remembrance Day’s most visible tradition of all, however, is the distribution of small, plastic poppy pins, which many Canadians will wear on their jackets for the first 11 days of the month. Distributed as a fundraising effort by the Royal Canadian Legion Society, the pins are meant to evoke the imagery of In Flanders’ Fields, a famous Canadian poem about the suffering of war, written by Lt. Colonel John McCrae (1872-1918). Canadian children will usually memorize the entirety of it during some part of their elementary school.
Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime "festivalof lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods.
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah orChanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of theSecond Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up againsttheir Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means"dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrewcalendar and usually falls in November or December. Hanukkah 2022 begins on theevening of Sunday, December 18 and ends on the evening of Monday, December 26.Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games andgifts.
"I have called Zionism once as an endless ideal, and I truly believe that even after we gain our land, Eretz Yisrael, it will not cease to be an ideal; for Zionism as I see it incorporates not only the aspiration to a plot of a promised land for our miserable people, but also an aspiration for a moral and spiritual wholeness."