The Year in Review

Education at Solel has many faces.

For our children – Bet Sefer Solel offers courses that enrich Jewish knowledge with curriculum centered on Biblical history, Jewish world history, holidays, prayer, service literacy and Hebrew skills. We offer retreats (HUC in Cincinnati), day trips to Extendicare, other places of worship, the Mikvah, the Holocaust Museum.

We prepare our students to become Bar/Bat Mitzvah, to lead class services, to assist as aides in the Jr. classrooms. We are teaching our children to become “menschen” – the best possible people they can be!

For our adults – Education is also a lifelong endeavour and, therefore, for our adults we arrange monthly ‘lunch & learns’, quarterly book reviews, special programmes and speakers (Deli night, film nights, panel discussions), Rabbi’s Torah class, Adult Hebrew Classes, Doing Jewish Courses, J.I.C.

Of course, there are holiday celebrations for our families (Chanukah, Purim, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Sukkot). We have programmes for our extended community, helping our neighbours understand us. We are visited and we speak to literally thousands of Catholic high school students as part of their grade 11 World Religious Course; we speak at numerous interfaith forums, are part of the ICP (Interfaith Council of Peel), we represent Solel at the faith leaders meetings at the Peel Board of Education. An annual Invite Your Neighbour Service as well as our Yom Ha Shoah & Kristallnacht services are well attended by the extended Jewish and non-Jewish community.

How does all of this happen? How does Bet Sefer Solel succeed? Teamwork is the answer! We work together because we have the same goal, that Solel be the best it can be, that our community flourishes, grows and continues to be enriched, that we all become knowledgeable, dedicated proud Jews.

And the team is amazing! Our outgoing President, Joel Brown has been exceptional, being far more than a president. He has supported Solel in every way possible. He is a regular service and Tuesday morning minyan attender. He serves as gabbai, shammes, and is our resident tech expert. You name it – he is there to make it happen! We have been blessed to have him as our president for the past 3 years.

To the team leader – Rabbi Pollack…..WOW! We were lead for 41 years by an exceptional Rabbi, Rabbi Englander, and now we have Rabbi Pollack – also exceptional, loving, compassionate, dedicated, a great teacher and of course, for Solel, a guitar player! She has continued strengthening our shul and we are so honoured and fortunate to have her as our Rabbi.

To our incoming President, Robbin Botnick, you have a long history at Solel. You grew up here, you became a Bat Mitzvah and a Kallah graduate here. You have served on our Board for many years, and now you are our President. From generation to generation – Solel regenerates itself. Your dedication is the result of all our efforts.

To our Education Committee and our chairs, Kim Mayne and Richard Beer – you are there at school, helping to set up special programmes, directing school policy. You both are invaluable!

And finally, to our teachers, our volunteer avocational staff that I truly believe are the backbone of Solel. Rabbi Yehuda the Prince sent 3 Rabbis (Rabbi Chiya, Yossi and Ami) to visit to a far off community where they were to meet the Guardians of the City. The police were presented, but the Rabbis said no; the judges were suggested; the Rabbis said no. Then the sages and teachers were presented and yes, the sages and teachers were acknowledged as the Guardians of the city. And yes, our teachers are the Guardians of our Solel city!

This reality cannot continue unless we all, you all continue to be involved. This can continue only if we continue to place a high value on Solel and Bet Sefer Solel. We must see our Jewish life, our shul, not as secondary, not as just one of so many ‘things’ in our life, but as primary, as the lynch pin of our identity.

We have to support Solel, get involved in Solel. We have to attend programmes and services, we have to continue to learn and we have to be financially supportive.

We’ve got something not just good, rather we’ve got something that’s great! Let’s keep it that way.

Keyn Ye’hee Ratson – Let it be God’s will!

Filed under: Educator's Message

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