by Ron Bing

Heart of Our Temple Building

Temple Board of Directors have agreed to replace our 1955 cast iron boiler this summer. I consider the boiler to be the “heart of our building” as it keeps us warm in the winter by delivering hot water to the radiators throughout the building. The 68-year-old boiler will be replaced by two Cleaver Brooks energy efficient condensing boilers. Nine pumps that operate continuously will be replaced by two operating pumps with two spares. This design is expected to reduce our operating costs using less electricity and less natural gas.

The boiler room is in the basement on the north side of the building. We will be shutting down the system at the beginning of July in order to begin construction. The old equipment will be removed making room for the new boilers and pumps that will be installed this August. There will be no heat in the building this summer. The plan is to have the new system operational by September 1, 2023, in time for High Holidays which begin on September 15, 2023.

Our building is 68 years old, so it is important that we maintain it. The building is heated by one boiler. The existing system has no redundancy. That means if the old boiler breaks down, there will be no heat in the building. The new system will have redundancy.  As of September, if one pump fails, we will have a backup.  If one boiler has a problem the other boiler will maintain heat.

If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact me by phone or email. I will be pleased to answer. I am excited to see the old system replaced with modern energy efficient equipment.

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 by Ron Bing

Donate to the Alex Osten Building Fund in Honour of Ron Bing’s 80th birthday!

On Saturday morning, December 24, I will be chanting my 1955 Bar Mitzvah portion – Miketz, in honour of my 80th birthday. Please join me in person or on StreamSpot.

Temple is out for bid to replace our 1955 cast iron boiler with 2 energy efficient boilers. I hope these will be installed in July 2023. This will give us some redundancy and reduce our operating cost.

We need to raise approximately $450,000 for this project. If you can donate $50, $100, $1000, or $10,000, you will receive a tax receipt for your 2022 income tax. We have made a substantial donation by donating shares that have appreciated over the years. We avoid paying capital gains by donating these shares to Temple. Both Temple and we benefit by reducing our 2022 taxes. Consider a year end donation in honour of my 80th birthday.

Temple dues only cover most of our operating costs, but they do not cover capital costs. Replacing the boiler is a capital cost. Temple does not have a mandatory building fund so we rely on the generosity of our members to donate money for these items. A friend of mine said to me that “We all should give the way we live!”

Call the Temple office to make your donation.

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 by Ron Bing

Why Celebrate a Bar Mitzvah?

We all know that Jewish boys and girls may celebrate a Bar or a Bat Mitzvah at the age of 13 years.  But did you know that you become Bar or Bat Mitzvah whether you chant from the Torah or do nothing at all. Every Jew becomes Bar or Bat Mitzvah when they reach the age of 13 years, with or without a celebration. The more traditional community celebrates Bat Mitzvah at the age of 12 years for girls.

So why am I writing about this?  For me these celebrations have deep meaning.

When I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah in December 1955 in Montreal at Temple Emanuel, I read my Parsha, Miketz, the story of Joseph interpreting Pharoah’s dreams. The Reform custom at the time was to read, not chant, and not to wear a kippah! At that time the Reform movement rejected most traditions that we take for granted today.

Fifteen years ago, when I turned 65, I thought I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah a second time.  Rabbi Glickman tells me that was a Torah reading and not a Bar Mitzvah. Apparently, you may have a second Bar Mitzvah when you reach the ripe old age of 83. In 2007, I read my Parshah at Temple, the same as in 1955.

I have decided to chant my Torah reading at age 80, for the first time on December 24, 2022, at 10:30 AM in Temple.  I prefer not to wait until I am 83 years old, since I do not know how the future will unfold.

I wish to publicly thank the following people: Katie Baker who chanted all my 7 Alyahs and sent them by email. Norm Yanofsky who has been tutoring me every Monday morning for the past several months. Rabbi Glickman who is guiding my journey.  Just last month I chanted from the Torah on a Thursday morning from the Bima.

Hope you will join me on December 24, 2022, to celebrate my 80th birthday as I chant Torah for the first time!

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