Bathurst Bus Ride

On Saturday, I took the long long ride on the #7 bus up Bathurst Street to go to Myra's party. Bathurst street is the main artery of Jewish life in Toronto. From the downtown core to the northern end of the city, it passes through a variety of neighborhoods and communities.

Because it is Saturday - the sabbath, Orthodox Jews cannot drive or ride, and so there are many people on the streets walking from Synagogue to home and visiting.

I don't know very much about this traditional style of dress. This kind of hat is called a shtreimel, and it is worn by Hasidic Jews - well, some of them, anyway. There are many sects within Judaism. I grew up in the reform movement, which emphasized the spirit of the law over the letter of the law - Judaism meets liberal humanism.

Girls and women must dress modestly, which means mostly covered. It also means that females must not appear in clothing that is considered appropriate for males, such as pants.

Jews represent about 1% of the Canadian population. Toronto is the city with the largest Jewish population, approximately 179,095 people, or 48% of the Jews in Canada. So this is main street for pretty big town.

Ain't love grand?

I had an interesting conversation with this bus driver (it's a long ride) about multiculturalism as it relates to cooking. Her background is Indian, and she loves to experience different cultures. She expresses her interest through her passion, cooking. She has mastered the foods and spices of many countries.

around the corner from my house, the markham street shul. Often I tell myself that I will attend a service some time soon, but I have never been inside. The first Toronto Jewish communities were around the downtown area where I live - Kensington market, Spadina, Bathurst. There are many old synagogues like this one downtown. Some have been converted into houses. On Shaw street by Trinity Belwoods park, there is an old synagogue converted into a Catholic church.