TORONTO — The second annual Jewish Mosaic Festival is set to run at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre on June 1.
The all-day event highlights multiculturalism within the Jewish community by showcasing cultural practices and artifacts of Judaica from around the world.
Highlights include children’s programs, Judaica, fashion, food and music, as well as a display area representing different countries. Basketball players can also sign up in advance for a three-on-three tournament representing their country of origin.
One exhibition, Route to Your Roots, includes an “antique roadshow,” in which Dorion Liebgott, curator of the Reuben and Helene Dennis Museum at Beth Tzedec Congregation, and Sharon Berlin, of Cartouche Art and Antique Consulting, will look at visitors’ family treasures and photos.
In a photography exhibit titled Out of the Frame, teens document their experiences immigrating to Canada, and visitors have the chance to share their family history by adding photos, stories, recipes and responses to the exhibit.
Another exhibit, Makom: Seeking Sacred Space, looks at how sacred space is created, experienced, preserved and transformed over time. It features photos of former synagogues in Montreal by David Kaufman and a series by David Cowles on former synagogues in North Africa.
One room will be set aside for people who have adopted children from around the world to meet each other.
The day will culminate in a one-hour coffee house with entertainment, followed by a talk by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, director of Kolel, the Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning, and Susan Jackson, executive director of the Centre for Jewish Knowledge and Heritage.
Among the countries being represented are Argentina, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic/Slovakia, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Israel, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Yemen, Algeria and Iran.
Joanna Sasson Morrison, co-ordinator of community development services at Jewish Immigrant Aid Services, and a festival committee member, said that a major part of the festival will be the sharing of stories. “The entire festival is from a personal point of view. We’re bringing together segments of the community that often feel isolated.”
Janet Klein Slavens, supervisor of adult services and special needs at the BJCC and also a festival committee member, said that the representatives of each country planned their own exhibit.
All daytime events are free, and the evening program is $10. To sign up for the basketball tournament and buy nighttime event tickets, call 416-636-1880 ext. 0