‘Torah relay’ marks Ottawa shul’s move uptown
OTTAWA — A weekend of festivities marked the end of an era as Congregation Beth Shalom concluded its 60-year history as Ottawa’s “downtown shul.”
The culmination of the March 27-29 weekend – which included a sold-out (with large waiting list) Shabbat dinner; a celebratory Shabbat service and kiddush that honoured all past presidents of the congregation; and a Saturday night open mike musical event that lasted into the wee hours – was a unique 10-kilometre Torah relay walk.
OPINION: Closing Ottawa’s main Jewish high school is a mistake
What if the research is right? What if all our efforts to provide our children with a rich Jewish education during their elementary years are simply sowing the seeds for an adolescent rejection of their tradition?
Ottawa’s main Jewish high school to close
A unanimous decision by the Ottawa Jewish Community School’s (OJCS) board of directors will see the city’s only Jewish high school program phased out by 2017.
“An extensive examination by OJCS leadership, which included a study by the school’s sustainability committee, has determined that the high school is not financially viable,” Aaron Smith, the OJCS board president, said in a Feb. 10 letter to parents about the decision to close the high school.
