It was not your ordinary bar  mitzvah celebration.

Seen at Durham Region’s B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah’s recent bar/bat mitzvah celebration are, from left, shul president Ron King, past president Michael Chasler and Harley Saltzman, a founder and first president of the congregation.
 

Perhaps it was the entertainment – traditional Hindu dancers from the Devi Mandir Temple and a choral ensemble from Dunbarton Fairport United Church in Pickering. Maybe it was the hundreds of guests from many different faith groups and the multicultural buffet dinner afterward. Or it could have been the honoured guests who did the candlelighting – members of the community and congregants from St. Paul’s United Church in Ajax, where the simchah was held.

This was the coming-of-age celebration for B’nai Shalom V’Tikvah – the little synagogue that could – in Durham region.

The shul’s recent bar/bat mitzvah celebrated the fact that the congregation has brought Judaism to the forefront in Durham Region, and served to thank those involved in helping them get to this milestone.

It was about outreach, too. “We’ve moved from infancy through adolescence,” says B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah president Ron King. “Our identity as a Jewish group is like a young person entering adulthood. We are finally more established and more aware of our strengths. Now we need to spread our wings and have a stronger voice in Ajax/Pickering.”

The shul’s Rabbi Jerry Steinberg led the Sunday afternoon service, sharing the pulpit with Rabbi Danny Gottleib of Thornhill’s Temple Kol Ami, and Rabbi Sharon Sobel, executive director of the Canadian Council of Reform Judaism (CCRJ), both of whom were instrumental in helping the congregation find its way for 13 years.

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By Shayla Gunter-Goldstein

Special to The CJN

It was not your ordinary bar  mitzvah celebration.

Perhaps it was the entertainment – traditional Hindu dancers from the Devi Mandir Temple and a choral ensemble from Dunbarton Fairport United Church in Pickering. Maybe it was the hundreds of guests from many different faith groups and the multicultural buffet dinner afterward. Or it could have been the honoured guests who did the candlelighting – members of the community and congregants from St. Paul’s United Church in Ajax, where the simchah was held.

This was the coming-of-age celebration for B’nai Shalom V’Tikvah – the little synagogue that could – in Durham region.

The shul’s recent bar/bat mitzvah celebrated the fact that the congregation has brought Judaism to the forefront in Durham Region, and served to thank those involved in helping them get to this milestone.

It was about outreach, too. “We’ve moved from infancy through adolescence,” says B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah president Ron King. “Our identity as a Jewish group is like a young person entering adulthood. We are finally more established and more aware of our strengths. Now we need to spread our wings and have a stronger voice in Ajax/Pickering.”

The shul’s Rabbi Jerry Steinberg led the Sunday afternoon service, sharing the pulpit with Rabbi Danny Gottleib of Thornhill’s Temple Kol Ami, and Rabbi Sharon Sobel, executive director of the Canadian Council of Reform Judaism (CCRJ), both of whom were instrumental in helping the congregation find its way for 13 years.

The Temple Kol Ami choir accompanied the service, which was followed by a buffet dinner and the multicultural entertainment.

Members of seven faith groups, including Catholic, Muslim, Baha’i and Hindu, came to celebrate with the synagogue. B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah works together with them on a tikkun olam project through the Community of Faiths Against AIDS in Africa, which supports agencies in Africa such as the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Like most teens, B’nai Shalom V’Tikvah has had its growing pains. Beginning in 1994-95 as Jewish Families of Durham, a fledgling group of 15 families, founders and original members Joanie Gertler, Barry Picov, Ely Edelson and Harley Saltzman thought about taking things a step further and began searching for a home.

With the help of Rabbi Gottleib, who was then executive director of CCRJ, the group approached churches and other groups in the Pickering and Ajax area. They finally met with St. Paul’s United Church members, who agreed to rent out space to the congregation and offered flexibility and assistance to help transform the sanctuary from church to synagogue on Shabbat and holidays.

This transformation includes importing a Magen David wall-covering and an Aron Kodesh for the bimah, and removing or covering items such as mantlecloths, hanging banners and a large cross.

“St. Paul’s congregation has been warm and welcoming to us,” King says. “We do our best to respect their house of worship.”

They have an arrangement for the High Holy Days in 2009 when Rosh Hashanah falls on a Sunday, so that both can worship on the same day. The church will have its service earlier in the day, and the shul members will move theirs a little later.

The two congregations also enjoy joint programming – Bible and Torah study throughout the year – and every other year, the shul hosts a second night Passover seder with members of the church.

“It’s really a unique arrangement,” King says. “There are not too many other synagogues doing what we’re doing in Ontario, let alone in Canada.”

B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah prides itself on its progressive programming for its members, for example yoga classes with the rabbi (who was once a consultant to the federal government in yoga, meditation and altered states of consciousness), completely egalitarian services and adult education focused on tikkun olam and modern perspectives.

The congregation has two services a month – one on Erev Shabbat, and one on Saturday with Torah study and a Shabbat service. Services are interactive and often led by members.

Hebrew school for children in kindergarten to Grade 7 is offered at the same time and place as adult education classes, making it convenient for parents to attend without worrying about babysitting.

In addition, there are synagogue activities for festivals and holidays. A Purim carnival was held, and a fun-filled family Chanukah event saw the congregation work together to create and spin what they claim is the world’s largest dreidel. As part of the broader Jewish community, the congregation participates in such Toronto events as the Walk with Israel, the Ashkenaz Festival and Israel Day.

There are now 55 families involved in B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah. Congregants come from a number of different backgrounds: Conservative, Reform, Jews by choice, Israelis, mixed marriages, families with non-Canadian adopted children and gay/lesbian couples and singles. Some members are people considering conversion to Judaism. There is also a small group of single adults who have moved east of the GTA to find affordable real estate.

The shul tries to make everyone feel welcome, even offering “buddy arrangements” for newcomers who might not feel comfortable attending a service on their own.

The synagogue has grown via word of mouth and hopes to reach out to some 1,700 Jewish people who now call Durham Region home, including Clarington, Markham and eastern Scarborough.

“We’ve not yet reached everyone in Durham who is Jewish,” says Harley Saltzman, one of the founding members. “We want to see continued growth and for the synagogue to make its presence known in Durham.”

The community response to the bar/bat mitzvah celebration suggests that they are on their way. The congregation recently formed a building search committee to lay the groundwork for a new home. Visit B’Nai Shalom V’Tikvah’s website at http://www.rjweb-builder.org/congs/cd/cd006/ .