The world at large has gone through monumental changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We all know that many countries and communities were hit hard, with people passing away or suffering from critical illness. We still have not seen yet the light at the end of the tunnel. …
As the glorious summer comes to an end, we begin to anticipate the High Holidays.
The mystics tell us the High Holiday season is actually a journey beginning in the month of Elul, one month prior to Rosh Hashanah and concluding after Simcha…
Hi, my name is Jill Binder. I grew up in Ottawa from 1976 to 2000. Some of you may remember me from Ottawa Modern Jewish School (where I was co-valedictorian in the late 1980s), Jewish Community Centre Day Camp, Camp B’nai Brith, Camp Gesher, Agudath Israel, …
I did it! I returned to the gym for the first time in four-and-a-half months, and I felt so happy I almost cried. The sense of normalcy was overwhelming. Many Ottawa gyms reopened in mid-July. The big box gym (Movati) where I work out only reopened at the end of July. Hav…
We have just passed a turning point in the Jewish calendar. Last week, July 29/30, marked Tisha B’Av, the sombre holiday that mourns the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. Last year in a piece that I…