Traveling with Lulav and Esrog to the United States

Dear Friend,

RE: Traveling with Lulav and Esrog to the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Department of Homeland Security) have made inspectors at border posts between Canada and the United States aware of the upcoming Succos Holiday. They have kindly arranged that there will be agricultural specialists available throughout the Yom Tov traveling period. It is recommended that travelers use the Champlain Border (Lacolle), as this border post will have more inspectors available.

People who are traveling with Lulav and Esrog will be requested to hand these items for examination at all border posts. Once these items have been inspected and are free of pests and/or diseases, they will be released. Members of border inspection are sensitive to the handling of these items and will ensure at all times that the passenger opens, unwraps and rewraps the Lulav and Esrog.

We take this opportunity of wishing you and your families a good Yom Tov.

Yours Sincerely,
Rabbi S. Emanuel
Executive Director

Rosh Hashana Greetings As we Herald in 5769

Rosh Hashana Greetings as We Herald in 5769!

As communities all over the world usher in the New Year, we take the time to reflect on the past and focus on the future. As we look around us turmoil affects the world in all areas be it with violence, or with financial markets, everything around us seems to be collapsing and we get confused and sometimes are shaken in our beliefs as to what is truly happening in the world out there. In all aspects of our lives we wish we had clarity as to what will happen in the future. We all daven for our individual needs and collectively hope that we will merit another year of health and success in all areas. But whilst this confusion reigns around us, we must take stock of ourselves as individuals and focus on that which is important; focus on family; on self; and focus on our obligations towards the One Above. In order to achieve this we need look no further than our Torah which was accepted in unity. We committed ourselves then and this commitment stands now just as a commitment of a bride to a groom, that we would live by its edicts and follow all its content as our basic constitution of daily life.

Now more than ever, we should be looking to the Torah because it is only the torah that can and will give us the answers. "Hafach Bah VihaFach Ba Dikula Ba", as it is written in Ethics of our Fathers, "Turn it over, Turn it over, Because everything is in it." There is nothing that is not answered and nothing that is not explained in our Torah and all of its commentaries. It is up to us to grab onto it and latch onto its ideas.

Finally, let's take this period of time and focus on each holiday, Shabbat, and each day and base our daily lives on Torah and its basic concepts, thereby giving us Emunah, the belief and confidence for a much brighter future.

Shana Tova to you and your dear families.

Community Gives Back to Zsivo's Shul

Honoring the Veteran Dayan, RAbbi Yechial Meir HaKohen Katz, the well known Rav who has dedicated himself to everyone in the communtiy and who forms a pivotal leadership role with Tomchei Shabbos, hundreds of people came out to celebrate the donation of a Sefer Torah to his Shul situated on Wilderton corner Barclay, in Outremont.

As roads were closed off through the kind cooperation of the local police force, torches of fire held by young children led the procession of live music and dancing as everyone participated in

this unique opportunity, of watching a Sefer Torah being inducted into a Shul. Leaving the house of the well known Mr. Joseph Weil, who has been in the forefront of communal work in Montreal, the procession made its way through the streets until many Torahs from the shul itself were brought out to greet the new Sefer Torah which would join them in the shul's Aron Kadosh, on a permanent basis.

Montreal Crowd Escorting Sefer Torah

*URGENT* Bone Marrow Drive in Montreal

Members of the Community are asked to come out in force to a bone marrow drive taking place this Thursday June 19th from 2:00 - 8:00pm, at the YMWHA on Westbury.

This is in order to try to assist two members of our community, Rabbi Eliezer Wenger, a well known educator and community activist, who has always been available to assist anyone in the Community of Montreal, and Mr. Isaac Rossdeutcher, a well known member of the community.

As it is well known, Saving one life is Saving the world, and the community here has an opportunity to save two worlds. Please take the time to show up and be tested.

Posters and flyers have been posted in different institutions and synagogues in Montreal, please see them for more information.

Shas Completed as Dirshu Montreal Celebrates!

Dirshu (meaning seek out or explain), the International Organization run by world renowned Philanthrapist and Asken, Reb Dovid Hofstadter, celebrated their completion of Shas, the entire Talmud, on Tuesday night for the first time in Montreal. Members of the community who spend nights learning various tractates with their partners and taking tests on a weekly or monthly basis gathered at this landmark event celebrated at the Don Berman Teacher Seminary of the Bais Yaakov. Members of the kollel paid tribute to their families for giving them the opportunity to further their studies, and a special tribute to Dovid Hofstadter for making learning of Torah all over the world exciting and rewarding.

Dovid Hofstadter was presented with a plaque for his selfless dedication and a new round of Talmud Learning has already commenced. The Montreal branch of Dirshu is run so efficiently by three well known dedicated individuals, Rabbi Boruch Abramowitz, Rabbi Shimon Moskowitz and Rabbi Yossi Abramchik, who spend nights ensuring those in the Kollel are taken care of.

Fertility Clinic for Jewish community opens at the Royal Victoria

Thursday, the 15^th of May, will be a day to be remembered in the history of the Montreal Jewish Community. The Royal Victoria fertility clinic has commenced operating a clinic which will serve the needs of those in the Jewish community who require their services. Special trained personnel in the community have been spending the last few months, training in the laboratory in the Royal Victoria, and have become familiar with the Halachic requirements required to operate in such a facility.

At a small ceremony with Doctors, and lab technicians in attendance, Dr. Holzer thanked all those involved in this operation. The head of the department, Dr. Tan as well as Dr. Nicky Dean, who is the chief embryologist were present. Dr. Tan gave moving words of thanks to Dr. Holzer and his entire team and thanked him for the harmonious way in which they work together in order to achieve their goals with the patients.

Thanks to a donation from the Donald Berman Foundation and the kind courtesy extended by Mr. David Muller, who attended the event, this clinic is able to get off the ground.

The Halachic procedures of this project will be controlled and governed by the Chief Rabbi of Montreal, Rabbi Yonason Binyamin Weiss, an expert in all areas of medicine, including fertility, and who all the doctors praised for his input and Halachic guidance throughout the entire process.

As put by Dr. Holzer at the beginning of the event, the motto of the clinic in the Royal Victoria is, ‘Let’s be fruitful and multiply.’

Rabbi Saul Emanuel mentioned in his words of thanks to all those involved, that it is our hope that through the fruits of all of the efforts of this clinic, they will be successful in assisting those in need.

Skverer Rebbe to visit Montreal

The Skverer Rebbe with an entourage of Chassidim, will be visiting and gracing the Montreal Community with his presence for a week commencing Thursday May 7th. The Skverer community has long existed in Montreqal and is headed up by the world renown Dayan Rabbi Yochanan Wosner. During this visit the Skverer Rebbe will appear at at a communal event in Hebrew Academy on Thursday the 8th of May. Over Shabbos, hundreds of Chassidim are expected to travel in from NY to share the celebrations with the Skverer Rebbe.