President's Message

Welcome to Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am!

It’s an honour to serve as the President of Beth David, an Egalitarian Conservative congregation at Bathurst & Sheppard in the heart of Jewish Toronto.

Beth David has been like an extended family to me, my wife Adele and our three children for over 20 years. We are blessed with an exceptional Clergy team, led by Rabbi Philip Scheim, one of North America’s preeminent Conservative Rabbis, along with Cantor Marshall Loomer, Ritual Director Michael Rubin, and our new Engagement Rabbi Becca Walker. We also have a tremendous group of lay leaders and a superb professional team, led by our dedicated and capable Executive Director Ian Borer. And I can’t heap enough praise on our veritable army of wonderful volunteers, who work hard to bring fun, interesting and enjoyable programs to our community every week of every month of every year.

The addition of Rabbi Walker to our team this year strengthens our efforts to connect with young families, young adults and youth, and we are embarking on an exciting process of consulting with the Beth David community about the recruitment of an outstanding new Senior Rabbi once Rabbi Scheim becomes our Rabbi Emeritus in 2021.

We have worked hard to establish a stable financial base, thanks to the ongoing commitment of all our Members, generous donors, solid financial management, and a recent, difficult decision to update our cemetery plot policy to eliminate a large unfunded liability. Our fully renovated Main Sanctuary, Chapel, Ganz Family Social Hall and Sisterhood Hall are all elevator-accessible to our Members and guests, and we are currently exploring options to pursue better and higher uses of our property.

I’m very pleased to extend a personal invitation to you to Participate, Learn and Grow at Beth David, where you will find an inclusive, accessible spiritual home, with three Minyanim daily, services on Shabbat and all the Haggim, and an array of educational, community service and social programming for all ages. We are inclusive and Egalitarian in virtually all elements of our ritual practices. Our services and programs are open to all and I invite you to volunteer for any committee that interests you.

Beth David is fortunate to have a strong foundation and to be thriving. We will continue to build on this progress so that you can find meaning and purpose in your shul membership. Our Board of Directors, Clergy, volunteers and professionals have embarked on many new initiatives in recent years to continue our legacy, and we are wide open to new ideas.

Please contact me at president@bethdavid.com if you want to discuss how you can become more involved, or if you have any suggestions on how we can make Beth David a more inclusive, caring and welcoming community.

president@bethdavid.com

P.S. If, like me, you’re a fan of stained-glass windows, please come see our beautiful collection, including our iconic "From Holocaust to Redemption", which frames our floating Aron Hakodesh and is featured on the front cover of USCJ’s calendar for 5780!