Happy spring, Niv readers! With Passover coming up next weekend and warmer weather approaching, hopefully it’s the beginning of a season of positivity for all of you. Let’s get into the upcoming events in Toronto over the next few months.
FILM
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
The forthcoming festival will take place from Thursday, June 5 to Sunday, June 15, 2025, so stay tuned for announcements about this year’s programming, which should come in early May. Snag your Flex Pass before May 11 to get a discount.
In the meantime, you can attend National Canadian Film Day on Wednesday, April 16. Film festivals and organizations participate in this event annually, screening films for free across the country. The Toronto Jewish Film Festival is screening the newly restored classic Sunshine at 6:30 p.m. at Cineplex Cinemas Varsity and VIP. Please note that while tickets are free, registration is required. Oscar-winning director István Szabó’s Sunshine takes place in the mid-19th century onwards, telling the story of three generations of the Jewish-Hungarian Sonnenschein family. Ralph Fiennes plays the protagonist, supported by a large ensemble cast with Rachel Weisz, John Neville, and Jennifer Ehle. Beware: this is a three-hour epic.
Hollywood Exiles
If you’re anything like me and have a love for film soundtracks, then this event will likely be of interest. Miklós Rózsa was a Jewish Hungarian-American composer who moved from Hungary to Paris to London and finally to Hollywood amidst the Second World War, eventually finding a path for himself scoring movies. Koffler Arts is presenting Hollywood Exiles with the ARC ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory), who will perform his music at Mazzoleni Hall, at TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning (The Royal Conservatory). Purchase tickets for $40 here.
The Miles Nadal JCC is also hosting a screening of Alain Resnais’s 1977 film Providence, which Rózsa scored. Toronto Metropolitan University professor Dr. Owen Lyons (School of Image Arts) will introduce Rózsa and the film. Register for tickets here.
JEWISH HISTORY & LEARNING
Threads of Spadina: Our Interwoven Stories
Toronto has a rich Jewish past and Spadina is perhaps the best street to explore this history. On Sunday April 27, you can explore the neighbourhood’s rich tapestry of characters and locations. This morning walk will reveal a whole new world to you, guiding you around a neighbourhood where seamstresses, tailors, bagel shops and pushcarts used to dominate; allowing a peek back in time to when Spadina was the heart of Toronto’s Jewish community.
Judaism 101
Feel like you need a refresher on your Judaism? This class runs on Thursdays from May 1 until June 19, and is welcome to Jews and non-Jews. The eight-week course takes place on Zoom and will cover everything from Shabbat to synagogue to spirituality. If you have any questions, please contact LaurenS@mnjcc.org.
Lishma
Lishma is a community of learners mostly in their 20s and 30s who enjoy delving into Jewish wisdom and scholarship. Regardless of your knowledge level or background, you are welcome to join. Each semester has three classes running side by side, and this spring, one of the lecture series is titled Riding the Chariot: Psychedelic Jewish Mysticism and the Fringes of Consciousness, which will run on Wednesdays from April 23 to May 28, 7–9 p.m. The name alone is enough to intrigue me!
Holocaust Remembrance
On now at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is AUSCHWITZ. Not long ago. Not far away. The exhibit costs $13 in addition to the ROM entry fee (though it is free for ROM members). Use the code MNJCC at checkout for 15 percent off your ticket fee.
This exhibit arrived just prior to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (January 27, 2025) and it will leave Toronto in September 2025. Incredibly comprehensive, featuring survivor testimonials, historical documentation, first-hand accounts by emancipating forces, and more than 500 original objects, this exhibit contains distressing content and is not recommended for children under the age of 12. However, care has been taken to ensure that there are no gratuitous depictions of violence.
Alternatively, you can gain a deeper understanding with a private guided tour in partnership with the Toronto Holocaust Museum (THM).
THM is also hosting a community commemoration on April 23 with a number of local Jewish organizations. This will mark Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. As part of the commemoration, THM will look back on the 80 years that have passed since the Holocaust, contemplating how survivors and their descendants honour the memories of the families who were taken.
Jewish& is also partnering with THM for a special event honouring interfaith, multi-faith, and multi-heritage individuals and families on May 7. Rabbi Denise Handlarski (Toronto Rabbi and author of The A–Z of Intermarriage) will guide a discussion on history that honours different perspectives.This will be a welcoming and open space for individuals in interfaith relationships, assisting Jewish individuals grappling with painful topics on their own, and their partners, who may be unsure of how to broach these issues.
MUSIC
This annual event is coming up quickly! From May 18 until May 25, you will be able to hear Klezmer, Cantorial, Israeli, Sephardic, Yiddish, Holocaust, Middle Eastern, Jewish Broadway, Jewish Opera, Jewish Classical, Jewish Jazz, Jewish Country, and more. I didn’t even know some of those genres, like Jewish Country music, existed; but I’m certainly interested. This year marks 13 years of the festival—their Bar Mitzvah Year! Program guides come out after Passover, so join the mailing list to make sure you don’t miss them. If you want to get a sense of the festival, you can check out last year’s program here.
COMEDY AND LIVE EVENTS
From June 7 until June 15, the Harold Green Jewish Theatre is presenting Estelle Singerman: Summer Night, With Unicorn. If the title sounds mysterious and mystical, that’s because it is; this play is about the relationship between an eccentric older woman (Estelle) and an emotionally absent middle-aged man (Warren). Because she is so reclusive, Estelle is worried that no one will say Kaddish for her when she passes, and has thus decided that Warren will take on the job. Surrealist, with magical realism reminiscent of Hasidic folktales, this play features a journey of life and death, faith and peace. Written by David Rush and directed by David Ferry, you can purchase tickets here.
Have you ever heard a better title for a comedy series than Laugh my Tuchus Off? These shows will spotlight some of the comedy circuit’s rising Jewish stars, as well as a number of veterans in the industry. Curb your Enthusiasm actor Iris Bahr, Canadian legend Colin Mochrie, and Tik Tok viral sensations Eitan Levine and Raanan Hershberg are just a few of the comedians you can see.
SPOTLIGHT ON: NIV COFOUNDER ORLY ZEBAK
Most importantly is a Friday evening featuring one of your favourite Niv cofounders, Orly Zebak! Orly has been taking part in stand-up comedy for the past few months, and on Friday, April 18 at Free Times Café, you can see her perform live. You can expect laughs, good vibes, and delicious food and drinks. The evening features some great comics from across Toronto, including headliner Monica Gross.
Orly did not sponsor this post.
AND LASTLY
I think this next event counts as Passover-adjacent because it has to do with cooking! And for an Arts & Kvetch sorely missing Passover content, that needs to count for something. The Prosserman JCC is presenting Eden Eats: An Exclusive Culinary Experience on May 12, where Eden Grinshpan will discuss Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired meals. Be sure to check out her new cookbook Tahini Baby. It will be too late to put the dishes into practice for Passover, but there’s always next year’s High Holidays!
Koffler Arts’ current exhibition was created by Toronto-born and Brooklyn-based artist Elana Herzog and curated by artist Jessica Stockholder. The installation was made using wallpaper designed by the artist, with paint, textiles, and metal staples. These materials, gathered through years of collecting and thrifting, are reassembled and transformed through Herzog’s work. Herzog’s exhibition surveys her 35 year career, and reflects themes that interest her, including sustainability, history, tradition, individualism, and sensuality.
You can view the solo exhibition until Sunday, May 11.
If you are trying to figure out what day to catch the exhibition on, I recommend Sunday, April 27, as Kurdish-born multi-disciplinary artist Roda Medhat will be giving a gallery talk on the exhibition and Herzog’s career as a whole.
I feel as though I need to mention pickleball at least once in every article I write, so here is the requisite acknowledgement. If you still haven’t managed to pick up the sport, despite its popularity, perhaps you would like to join the MNJCC’s Intro to Pickleball Clinic. This beginners workshop runs every couple of weeks, and will help you with skill building, basic rules, and scoring. You’ll also get to practice in friendly matches, and instructors will show you fundamental techniques and footwork. If you get hooked on the sport (as everyone else has, apparently), you can also take part in the MNJCC’s Intro to Pickleball Course, as the next one starts on May 10.
Happy Passover to all!
Happy spring, Niv readers! With Passover coming up next weekend and warmer weather approaching, hopefully it’s the beginning of a season of positivity for all of you. Let’s get into the upcoming events in Toronto over the next few months.
FILM
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
The forthcoming festival will take place from Thursday, June 5 to Sunday, June 15, 2025, so stay tuned for announcements about this year’s programming, which should come in early May. Snag your Flex Pass before May 11 to get a discount.
In the meantime, you can attend National Canadian Film Day on Wednesday, April 16. Film festivals and organizations participate in this event annually, screening films for free across the country. The Toronto Jewish Film Festival is screening the newly restored classic Sunshine at 6:30 p.m. at Cineplex Cinemas Varsity and VIP. Please note that while tickets are free, registration is required. Oscar-winning director István Szabó’s Sunshine takes place in the mid-19th century onwards, telling the story of three generations of the Jewish-Hungarian Sonnenschein family. Ralph Fiennes plays the protagonist, supported by a large ensemble cast with Rachel Weisz, John Neville, and Jennifer Ehle. Beware: this is a three-hour epic.
Hollywood Exiles
If you’re anything like me and have a love for film soundtracks, then this event will likely be of interest. Miklós Rózsa was a Jewish Hungarian-American composer who moved from Hungary to Paris to London and finally to Hollywood amidst the Second World War, eventually finding a path for himself scoring movies. Koffler Arts is presenting Hollywood Exiles with the ARC ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory), who will perform his music at Mazzoleni Hall, at TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning (The Royal Conservatory). Purchase tickets for $40 here.
The Miles Nadal JCC is also hosting a screening of Alain Resnais’s 1977 film Providence, which Rózsa scored. Toronto Metropolitan University professor Dr. Owen Lyons (School of Image Arts) will introduce Rózsa and the film. Register for tickets here.
JEWISH HISTORY & LEARNING
Threads of Spadina: Our Interwoven Stories
Toronto has a rich Jewish past and Spadina is perhaps the best street to explore this history. On Sunday April 27, you can explore the neighbourhood’s rich tapestry of characters and locations. This morning walk will reveal a whole new world to you, guiding you around a neighbourhood where seamstresses, tailors, bagel shops and pushcarts used to dominate; allowing a peek back in time to when Spadina was the heart of Toronto’s Jewish community.
Judaism 101
Feel like you need a refresher on your Judaism? This class runs on Thursdays from May 1 until June 19, and is welcome to Jews and non-Jews. The eight-week course takes place on Zoom and will cover everything from Shabbat to synagogue to spirituality. If you have any questions, please contact LaurenS@mnjcc.org.
Lishma
Lishma is a community of learners mostly in their 20s and 30s who enjoy delving into Jewish wisdom and scholarship. Regardless of your knowledge level or background, you are welcome to join. Each semester has three classes running side by side, and this spring, one of the lecture series is titled Riding the Chariot: Psychedelic Jewish Mysticism and the Fringes of Consciousness, which will run on Wednesdays from April 23 to May 28, 7–9 p.m. The name alone is enough to intrigue me!
Holocaust Remembrance
On now at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is AUSCHWITZ. Not long ago. Not far away. The exhibit costs $13 in addition to the ROM entry fee (though it is free for ROM members). Use the code MNJCC at checkout for 15 percent off your ticket fee.
This exhibit arrived just prior to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (January 27, 2025) and it will leave Toronto in September 2025. Incredibly comprehensive, featuring survivor testimonials, historical documentation, first-hand accounts by emancipating forces, and more than 500 original objects, this exhibit contains distressing content and is not recommended for children under the age of 12. However, care has been taken to ensure that there are no gratuitous depictions of violence.
Alternatively, you can gain a deeper understanding with a private guided tour in partnership with the Toronto Holocaust Museum (THM).
THM is also hosting a community commemoration on April 23 with a number of local Jewish organizations. This will mark Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. As part of the commemoration, THM will look back on the 80 years that have passed since the Holocaust, contemplating how survivors and their descendants honour the memories of the families who were taken.
Jewish& is also partnering with THM for a special event honouring interfaith, multi-faith, and multi-heritage individuals and families on May 7. Rabbi Denise Handlarski (Toronto Rabbi and author of The A–Z of Intermarriage) will guide a discussion on history that honours different perspectives.This will be a welcoming and open space for individuals in interfaith relationships, assisting Jewish individuals grappling with painful topics on their own, and their partners, who may be unsure of how to broach these issues.
MUSIC
This annual event is coming up quickly! From May 18 until May 25, you will be able to hear Klezmer, Cantorial, Israeli, Sephardic, Yiddish, Holocaust, Middle Eastern, Jewish Broadway, Jewish Opera, Jewish Classical, Jewish Jazz, Jewish Country, and more. I didn’t even know some of those genres, like Jewish Country music, existed; but I’m certainly interested. This year marks 13 years of the festival—their Bar Mitzvah Year! Program guides come out after Passover, so join the mailing list to make sure you don’t miss them. If you want to get a sense of the festival, you can check out last year’s program here.
COMEDY AND LIVE EVENTS
From June 7 until June 15, the Harold Green Jewish Theatre is presenting Estelle Singerman: Summer Night, With Unicorn. If the title sounds mysterious and mystical, that’s because it is; this play is about the relationship between an eccentric older woman (Estelle) and an emotionally absent middle-aged man (Warren). Because she is so reclusive, Estelle is worried that no one will say Kaddish for her when she passes, and has thus decided that Warren will take on the job. Surrealist, with magical realism reminiscent of Hasidic folktales, this play features a journey of life and death, faith and peace. Written by David Rush and directed by David Ferry, you can purchase tickets here.
Have you ever heard a better title for a comedy series than Laugh my Tuchus Off? These shows will spotlight some of the comedy circuit’s rising Jewish stars, as well as a number of veterans in the industry. Curb your Enthusiasm actor Iris Bahr, Canadian legend Colin Mochrie, and Tik Tok viral sensations Eitan Levine and Raanan Hershberg are just a few of the comedians you can see.
SPOTLIGHT ON: NIV COFOUNDER ORLY ZEBAK
Most importantly is a Friday evening featuring one of your favourite Niv cofounders, Orly Zebak! Orly has been taking part in stand-up comedy for the past few months, and on Friday, April 18 at Free Times Café, you can see her perform live. You can expect laughs, good vibes, and delicious food and drinks. The evening features some great comics from across Toronto, including headliner Monica Gross.
Orly did not sponsor this post.
AND LASTLY
I think this next event counts as Passover-adjacent because it has to do with cooking! And for an Arts & Kvetch sorely missing Passover content, that needs to count for something. The Prosserman JCC is presenting Eden Eats: An Exclusive Culinary Experience on May 12, where Eden Grinshpan will discuss Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired meals. Be sure to check out her new cookbook Tahini Baby. It will be too late to put the dishes into practice for Passover, but there’s always next year’s High Holidays!
Koffler Arts’ current exhibition was created by Toronto-born and Brooklyn-based artist Elana Herzog and curated by artist Jessica Stockholder. The installation was made using wallpaper designed by the artist, with paint, textiles, and metal staples. These materials, gathered through years of collecting and thrifting, are reassembled and transformed through Herzog’s work. Herzog’s exhibition surveys her 35 year career, and reflects themes that interest her, including sustainability, history, tradition, individualism, and sensuality.
You can view the solo exhibition until Sunday, May 11.
If you are trying to figure out what day to catch the exhibition on, I recommend Sunday, April 27, as Kurdish-born multi-disciplinary artist Roda Medhat will be giving a gallery talk on the exhibition and Herzog’s career as a whole.
I feel as though I need to mention pickleball at least once in every article I write, so here is the requisite acknowledgement. If you still haven’t managed to pick up the sport, despite its popularity, perhaps you would like to join the MNJCC’s Intro to Pickleball Clinic. This beginners workshop runs every couple of weeks, and will help you with skill building, basic rules, and scoring. You’ll also get to practice in friendly matches, and instructors will show you fundamental techniques and footwork. If you get hooked on the sport (as everyone else has, apparently), you can also take part in the MNJCC’s Intro to Pickleball Course, as the next one starts on May 10.
Happy Passover to all!