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Rabbi Joel Wittstein z"l

Since we can't gather in person, we want to take this digital opportunity to acknowledge Rabbi Joel Wittstein's 11th yahrzeit this month. Please join us in remembering our beloved founding rabbi. Memorial donations can be made to the Rabbi Joel and Ailene Wittstein Camp George Fund. Visit our website at https://www.templeisraellondon.ca/ and choose "Donate" at the top of the page, then "Make a Donation". Under "Type", choose "OTHER" and specify the Wittsteins Camp George Fund in "Payment Notes". May his memory continue to bless us in the years to come as his presence did during his lifetime..

Note from Ailene Wittstein re picture of Rabbi Wittstein in early days of TI: "We met in the Harris room at the Centre...had to rearrange the room but it was our Temple Home! Richard Lubell and Gerry Wright made the speaker's stand and Joel was so proud of 'how far we had come!"

In "A History of the Jewish Community of London, Ontario, 2011", by Bill Gladstone, pages 208-209:
“In 1987 the Temple hires its first rabbi, Joel Wittstein, who with his wife Ailene became pillars of the congregation. There were some thirty-five families in the congregation when Rabbi Wittstein joined the shul and about 140 families when he passed away in 2010. Devoted to interfaith initiatives, he was a founding director and former co-chair of the Centre for Catholic and Jewish Learning, based at King’s University College at Western. 'If we don’t know one another, if we can’t learn from one another, we will never understand one another', he once said."

An introduction to Judaism from a Reform perspective 

If you are interested in converting to Judaism, want to explore your Jewish heritage, or are just curious, this class is for you.

Our Jewish Information Class (JIC) is open to anyone who wants to broaden their Jewish knowledge - and it’s a pre-requisite for all conversion candidates.

The next four sessions begin on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. and continue on February 7, 21 and 28.

For more information, click here

Please contact the Temple Israel office to indicate your interest in an upcoming class. office@templeisraellondon.ca

If you are considering a conversion, or have any questions, please contact Rabbi Debra Dressler rabbi.dressler@templeisraellondon.ca

The home of Reform Judaism in London, Ontario.

At Temple Israel, we weave the gifts of our Jewish past into the promise of our future.

An inclusive and diverse congregation, we encourage participation from all who seek a meaningful Jewish life in the 21st century. We welcome Jewish and interfaith couples, traditional and non-traditional families, singles, LGBT, and people of every age, race, and ethnicity.

As a community of around 135 families, our Shabbat services, holiday and  life-cycle observances are warm and lively. We also offer a  Religious School, Pre-School Experience,  Adult Education Classes, as well as Social Action, Outreach, Interfaith, and Social events.

Whether you are new to Judaism or a learned scholar, our tent is open.