Am Shalom Congregation
767 Huronia Road L4N 9H2 Barrie, ON, Canada

Today we're updating our hate speech policy to ban Holocaust denial. We've long taken down posts that praise hate crimes or mass murder, including the Holocaust.... But with rising anti-Semitism, we're expanding our policy to prohibit any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust as well. If people search for the Holocaust on Facebook, we’ll start directing you to authoritative sources to get accurate information. I've struggled with the tension between standing for free expression and the harm caused by minimizing or denying the horror of the Holocaust. My own thinking has evolved as I've seen data showing an increase in anti-Semitic violence, as have our wider policies on hate speech. Drawing the right lines between what is and isn't acceptable speech isn't straightforward, but with the current state of the world, I believe this is the right balance.

From URJ - ARZA weekly: Rejoice With (and Read) the Torah! WEEKLY WORDS OF TORAH Tonight begins one of the more peculiar holidays on our calendar, Simchat Torah. A relatively new holiday on the scene, it was developed mainly in the Middle Ages when our people were less tied to the agricultural cycle on which the biblical holidays (Sukkot and Sh'mini Atzeret) were based. The practice of reading the book of Genesis immediately upon the completion of the book of Deuteronomy wasn’t added until the 14th century, and Simchat Torah was initially referred to as "Yom HaB’rachah," adapting this name from the final portion of the Torah, "V’Zot HaB’rachah." ... http://view.email.rj.org/

https://www.israel21c.org/join-us-on-a-virtual-hop-around-/

Shalom Chaverim, Jews around the world are preparing to participate in the 38th World Zionist Congress. For the first time, the Congress and related programming will take place virtually. Our Reform Zionist partners around the world, through the umbrella organization ARZENU, have prepared a series of programs leading up to the Congress, and you're invited to attend! ... Dates: Oct 11 through Oct 19, 2020 Topics include: The Role of Diaspora Zionists in Israel, Religious Pluralism in Israel, Black Lives Matter, anti-Racism and Zionism, Discussion with Women of the Wall, Kabbalat Shabbat, and more. ARZENU Program Overview at: https://lea8393.wixsite.com/arzenu To accommodate participants from various time zones, the program includes both live and pre-recorded content. Unless otherwise indicated, sessions are open to all. Please feel free to invite fellow congregants and friends who might be interested in our program. These sessions will be broadcast via ARZA Canada's Facebook page, and also on the ARZENU Facebook page and YouTube channel. I hope to 'see' you there! Chag sameach, Miriam Pearlman President, ARZA Canada