Shaar Shalom is a traditional Conservative synagogue which strives to meet all of the religious needs of our members. Shabbat, Yom Tov, daily prayer and study are at the core of our life as a synagogue. Our Shabbat services are warm and include much in the way of congregational singing. The service is traditional with a full rendition of the pesukei d'zimra, repetition of the amidot and full Torah reading. We maintain a daily minyan throughout the year, so that people may gather to pray as a congregation and so that those who are saying Kaddish in honour of a loved one will be given that opportunity.

Torah study is an important element of the synagogue. There are weekly ongoing classes in Talmud, Bible and Midrash. Various short series of courses are offered that have addressed many different topics including the Siddur, ideology of law in the Conservative Movement, the scene in Israel and community issues.

When tragedy strikes we have volunteers to help with a shiva meeting, visitation to the bereaved and the hospitalized and other acts of Gemillut Hesed. It is our hope that whatever your spiritual or Jewish educational needs are, it can be fulfilled in our home at Shaar Shalom.

Sincerely, Rabbi Martin J. Berman

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cantor Ben Silverberg and I am very happy to be the Cantor of Shaar Shalom since August 2002. One of my goals is to make services spiritually uplifting and yes...dare I say it...entertaining. As such, I integrate melodies from The Lion King, Joseph, Les Miserables and Josh Grobin into the Shabbat prayers. I maintain a strong link to the past, incorporate traditional melodies and embrace the rich history of the Cantorial Art. However, I believe that children, teens and young families crave something a little bit more modern.

My goal as your Cantor is to be there for you beyond the walls of our synagogue when you are not well, to offer a prayer of healing or visit you in hospital. If you have suffered a loss, I would like to attend the funeral and shiva to assist you. Conversely, I would love to lend my voice to your simcha to sing under the Chupa at a wedding.

Supporting Learning through Music: Thanks to modern technology, if you would like to learn to sing any part of the services, I can burn the appropriate CD for you from which to practice; perhaps you would like to learn to lead a weekday evening service, Shabbat service, a section of the Torah reading, or to make Kiddush.

Working with youth: I am responsible for much of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah training at Shaar Shalom. This is a job that I take very seriously. It is my mission to make the learning experience for your son or daughter so enjoyable that your child will always have a positive association with the bar/bat experience and in turn, will grow to only have positive feelings towards Synagogue.

Two years ago I started a program entitled "Torah with a Twist". Once a month, after Shabbat services, the teens and I have lunch together; joined by guest speakers who lead discussions on relevant topics such as "Judaism and dating", "Judaism and body piercing and tattoos". Shaar Shalom's teen programs facilitate meeting and open dialogue, where learning can be fun.

I encourage children and teens to sing duets with me as part of the service as I think it adds an angelic moment to our prayers and gets the younger generation involved. If your children would like to sing with me as part of the service, please feel free to contact me.

While I have met many of you over the past five years, I would encourage you to drop by the office, chat on the phone or schmooze after services so we can get to know one another better.

Please join us at services. We know you will feel at home in our "spiritual home".

Sincerely, Cantor Ben