Shaanan Scherer

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May 14, 2024, 10:39 PM

Naveed the Uber driver who made my Yom Haatzmaut

I am a Zionist though I currently live abroad in Toronto, Canada. I lived in Israel during my young adulthood years and they have shaped the person I am today. I teach Jewish studies; Tanach, Jewish history, Zionism and...

Dec 7, 2023, 11:10 AM

It’s Snowing Israel in Canada!

On November 14, 2023, 290 000 Jews gathered together in Washington DC in support of Israel. It was the largest gathering of Jews in US history. I traveled from Toronto to the rally with the Jewish school I teach...

Apr 18, 2023, 4:47 AM

Rabbi Leo Dee: A Jewish Response to Terror

Leo and Lucy z'l Dee

Mah nishtana hapesach haze mikol hapsachim? How is this Pesach different from all other Pesachs? This year the maror was more bitter. This year V’hi Sheamda was sung louder. This year, Yom Hazikaron came early. It was a very painful...

Feb 9, 2023, 6:07 AM

When they kissed my hand in Turkey…

Playing hacky sack with Turkish children in refugee village

Reading about the tragic earthquake in Turkey this past week takes me back to August of 1999, when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed over 17 000 people and left over 250 000 people homeless. I was a student at...

Aug 29, 2022, 11:14 PM

Feeling close to God, and Adam Sandler

On the set at Beth Tzedec with Adam Sandler.

As a kid, I used to chase after celebrities. I remember as a young teenage boy getting photos, autographs and sometimes even conversations with professional athletes like Eric Lindros, Shaquille O Neal and Charles Barkley to name a few....

Apr 15, 2017, 7:38 AM

My unusual Chol Hamoed day with a Palestinian and a Syrian

Yesterday was the first time that I spent a full day hosting Arabs in my house. I lived in Israel for eleven years and it was only when living in the densely populated Jewish suburb of Thornhill, Canada that...

Dec 1, 2016, 3:35 AM

The United Nations and Hanukah

On October 13, 2016, UNESCO, the Cultural Agency of the United Nations made a resolution that refers to the Temple Mount having an historical connection solely to the Muslim religion. It completely ignores the historicity of the Holy Temple...

Jul 3, 2016, 11:29 AM

A Bumped Flight, A Chinese Buddhist and the Day of Rest

As an Israel tour guide currently living abroad, I find myself frequently travelling back and forth to the homeland. I recently had an inconvenient, yet very special experience on my travels to Israel. I had a ticket to fly...

Oct 25, 2015, 4:15 PM

The Halloween influence in our shuls

Who needs trick-or-treating when kids receive a big pile of candy every Saturday morning -- and for what?

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About Me

Rabbi Shaanan Scherer currently lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife and 5 children. After spending over a decade living and learning in Israel, Shaanan brings his Israel experience to both his classroom and on his child- centered Israel tours that he guides during winter and summer breaks.