Dora-Ann Cohen-Ellison
Temple Anshe Sholom

The autumn months have brought a remarkable wave of energy, curiosity, and growth to our Jewish Learning Program, with 84 students participating in the learning programs at Anshe Sholom. Throughout October and November, students have immersed themselves in dynamic lessons on Jewish values, and hands-on Jewish experiences. A highlight of the fall festivals was our Sukkot morning of learning, where families rotated through stations, building edible sukkot, learning about the lulav and etrog with Rabbi Weiss and participating in a collaborative looming project to create eight winter hats for individuals experiencing housing insecurity. Our high school students will continue to help address food insecurity and the needs in our community with their annual food collection in the Westdale/Churchill Park neighbourhoods at the end of November.

As we look ahead to December, we are thrilled to invite the entire community to two very special upcoming celebrations. Mark your calendars for Dec. 4, when we join together with families of Kehila Heschel JDS for a collaborative Consecration Shabbat and dessert oneg. As part of our grant funding from the Hamilton Jewish Federation, this joyful evening will celebrate all of our new students across both schools, welcoming them into the warm embrace of our school communities, with blessings and opportunities for meaningful connections between our school families.

The celebrations continue on the evening of Dec. 6 at the annual Temple Chanukah dinner. Our incredible students, from both schools, will take centre stage to showcase their hard work with a festive Chanukah performance of songs, followed by a Chanukah sing-along with Cantor Paula, candle lighting with Rabbi Weiss and a delicious Chanukah dinner!

These events highlight the strength and beautiful collaboration within our Hamilton Jewish community. We look forward to celebrating these milestones with our students, families, and community members. Come celebrate with us as we shine our lights and create joyful moments together this winter! Contact Dora-Ann Cohen Ellison for information about our Jewish Learning Program and Family programming at Anshe Sholom at [email protected].