December 25, 2009
Tevet 8, 5770

Dear WRJ friends,

Twelve years ago, I celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah by reading from this Shabbat’s Torah portion, Vayigash.  As with many women my age, I did not have the opportunity to have such a ceremony as a young woman; but one of the continuing joys of my life for almost forty years has been serving as a volunteer tutor for bar and bat mitzvah students to help them develop pulpit presence, skills in leading the service, and effective delivery of their D’vrai Torah.  It was this experience with my students that inspired me to take the step myself; and although it was not easy, it was immensely gratifying and meaningful. 

As I said in my D’var Torah on that occasion, Vayigash talks about a pivotal event in the history of our people and the role of faith in that event.  Jacob has just learned that his son Joseph is alive.  He is invited to move his household to Egypt, where the family will be reunited.  While the aging Jacob yearns to see his son again before he dies, he is afraid of leaving Canaan for Egypt, which held such negative connotations for his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac.

But God appears to Jacob in a dream with words of assurance: “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great people there. I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will most surely bring you back up as well;”   

So, with God influencing the decision, Jacob sets out for Egypt with all of his family and his belongings. his move puts the people of Israel on a course which will take them first to prosperity, then into slavery and ultimately, to freedom.

I initially viewed these passages from the perspective of our collective destiny and potential for greatness as the Jewish people. And, as a leader of Women of Reform Judaism, I thought of all that we contribute to that greatness by building and sustaining strong Jewish communities locally and around the world; by bringing the values and teachings of our faith to the societies in which we live; and by recognizing and affirming God’s presence in our midst.

In recent years, I have come to see a more personal interpretation of Jacob’s situation. Each of us, at some point, faces challenges that threaten to alter the direction or quality of our life’s journey. It may be illness, the loss of a loved one, a financial setback, a new career, family tensions, or physical relocation. Such changes may be of our own choosing or through circumstances over which we have no control. In any case, they can give rise to feelings of indecision, apprehension and fear for the future. 

This is where faith comes in – the belief that we are not alone; that we have strengths and resources within ourselves; that we have family and friends and our sisterhood community to help us; and, most importantly, that God will be there to “go down” with us and “bring us back up as well.”  

May the blessing of faith be with all of you on this Shabbat and always. 

And may the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives. 

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

As ever,
Dolores Wilkenfeld
WRJ Past President

December 18, 2009
1 Tevet, 5770
 
Dear WRJ Friends,
 
Our parashah this week, Mikeitz, marks the end of Joseph's time in prison, traces his rise to power in Pharaoh's court, and concludes when his brothers stand before him fearful of their fate. This parashah tells of Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams as well as his brothers coming before him in supplication looking for food to bring home. Some of the commentary puts the brothers’ guilt as the main reason they come back to Egypt. While Joseph recognizes his brothers, they do not recognize him. As the parashah ends, Joseph is longing for the company of his brothers, for the voice of his father, and for the comfort of his homeland but the time is not yet right.  His hunger for reconnection to his family is expressed but not addressed, and hearts longing for a reconnection reflect the famine of a nation and its afflicted.
 
Today, we still have hunger throughout the world.  We see the homeless lining up at food kitchens, the man or woman at the street corner begging for food and sustenance, the pictures of starving children in Darfur and Bangladesh. The pictures we see on television, by e-mail, and on the web bring home to all of us the pockets of indescribable poverty and lack of food in various countries around the world. While no one believes that famine conditions are global, we are certainly in the midst of climate change which is enlarging our desserts, making previous farmable lands arid, and ensuring a large migration of people, who previously were able to raise their own food, but now are moving into cities where they swell the population and have no means of earning a living and sustaining themselves.
 
Here in the Northeast corner of the United States, winter has roared in after a relatively mild autumn and our food pantries, whose clients have tripled over the past year or so, are running out of food.  They are seeing families who have never used the services of a food pantry or a free lunch program before.  The Salvation Army in Hyannis fed double the number of people this past Thanksgiving then they did one year ago, and the synagogue, which provides Christmas Dinner for the Salvation Army, is now planning to feed over 200 people in contrast to less than 100 in 2008.
 
By now it is evident that hunger is not only in some far off place we have never visited, but is in our own backyard. To make matters worse, hunger is the burden of many people who are feeling its effects through no fault of their own.
 
We often delude ourselves and have become walled off from the dominant reality of the lurking, harsh, heavy pangs of emptiness and despair that so many of the human race suffer each moment of every day. WRJ has many resolutions, passed over a great number of years, dealing with hunger, poverty, and the effects of climate change. I urge everyone who is reading this e-mail to go back to their sisterhood boards and ask them and the congregation of women they represent, to do something concrete about the hopelessness of people not only in their communities but around the world. Collect food for your local food pantry, volunteer at a soup kitchen, support a green environment, give up your gas guzzler for a hybrid automobile, donate to charities who supply food and other necessities to populations around the world, have at least one program for your sisterhood each year on global "hunger" problems. We must listen to the message that Pharaoh sent us in his dreams: to do personal and internal tikkun olam that reaches out to all. Joseph reached out to his family in need, now it is our turn.
 
May the light of the Shabbat Candles brighten all our lives especially at this time.
 
Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.
 
Warm regards,
Judy Silverman
WRJ Past President
Cape Cod Synagogue Sisterhood
Hyannis, Massachusetts

December 11, 2009
24 Kislev 5770

Dear WRJ sisters,

Tonight we welcome Shabbat and we also welcome Chanukah!  For each we have been commanded to light candles. Therefore, lighting Shabbat candles and Chanukah candles are both mitzvot.  Tonight, we light the Chanukah candles first and then the Shabbat candles.  And may the glow from both remind us of our sacred connection to the matriarchs of our people and of our sacred connection to our WRJ sisters near and far…a bond which was made all the clearer and all the stronger at our 47th WRJ assembly.

Lynn Magid Lazar, WRJ’s new president, challenged those in attendance to write down what we learned at the 47th WRJ assembly.  So rather than focusing on Chanukah or this week’s Torah Portion (Vayeishev, Genesis 37:1–40:23, p 209–231 of WRJ’s The Torah: A Women’s Commentary), I am going to verbalize what I have been struggling with ever since Toronto.  The struggle was not what I was going to say; it was how I would say it to make others want the same experience for themselves. So, let me do it this way, giving you a special gift on Shabbat, this the first night of Chanukah:

Going to the 47th WRJ assembly was a gift…one of those gifts that keeps on giving…as the participants had much to gain personally and much to gain for their local sisterhoods; and let’s remember how many times we saw our sisters glowing when recognized for the accomplishments of their sisterhoods whether for local membership growth or local programming greatness…and for WRJ growth with the addition of our sisters from WRJ Israel…and the gift of two Torahs – one to an Israeli congregation and one to Women of the Wall; and being so proud that WRJ made it possible through grants for some of our WRJ sisters to attend as first timers where they gained a greater appreciation about what WRJ does internationally!   

Inspirational stories about social justice across the districts and international acts of loving kindness that will continue to motivate us to live in such a way that we… one person at a time… might make the world a better place…entering into relationships where we begin to better understand one another because  we discover that we have more in common than not; for when we work for the greater good, we are inviting God into our lives and into the lives of others, serving always in sacred partnership; and investigating new ways that we might continue that partnership through WRJ and in support of our WRJ resolutions; by investigating and implementing new ways that we might bring spirituality into our lives!

Fine-tuned details accomplished by a small but highly efficient WRJ staff and WRJ volunteers from across the WRJ family…details which after much time developed into what hundreds of us experienced first hand…with seeds now planted in hope that far more of our collective membership across North America and Israel will feast on something equally fabulous when we gather again two years from now in Washington, D.C.; and, the future of WRJ continues to be in good hands with the torch passed from Rosanne to Lynn; and to have such caring and visionary leaders and for them to be effective and affective, we have their families to thank for temporarily sharing them with us!

Togetherness is reaffirming and proof positive that Toronto was the place to be as Women of Reform Judaism where we learned about WRJ and about each other and how we were together for Shabbat (praying together, singing together, and dancing together) and where together we were so proud of our WRJ sister for representing us as she chanted Torah…and were so proud of our NFTY president for also chanting Torah and prior to that at our YES Fund luncheon for telling us how we have made a difference because NFTY is a WRJ legacy… and being reminded at both the WRJ assembly and the URJ biennial of another of our legacies, WRJ’s The Torah: A Women’s Commentary!

All of the above formed WRJ’s gift to all of us who attended the 47th WRJ assembly…and will be the inspiration for all that we will make happen within our local sisterhoods as we work together to share the gifts of our hands and the gifts of our hearts!

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood; and for information about Chanukah, please visit the following WRJ online resource:

http://www.womenofreformjudaism.org/resources/holiday-guides/chanukah/

Happy Chanukah and Shabbat Shalom!

In Sistership!
Cynthia Roosth Wolf
WRJ Board Holiday Greeting Chair
Department of Membership and Communication
Women of Reform Judaism
WRJ Southwest VP Programming and Advocacy
Temple Emanuel Sisterhood
Beaumont, TX

4 December 2009
17 Kislev 5770

Dear Friends,

As I read this week’s Torah portion, Vayislach, that tells the story of Dinah who was not able to voice her choices in life, but instead was forced to accept the consequences of her brothers’ decisions, I realized how grateful I am to live in a time and place where women’s opinions are accepted.  I also feel very proud to be actively involved in Women of Reform Judaism whose very existence is based on the importance of the collective voice and influence of women.

If you recall, Dinah is raped by a Hittite prince who then wishes to marry with her and all the Hittites are willing to accept the life of the Israelites and be circumcised. Her brothers, however, take terrible revenge, not only on the prince, but on the entire tribe by killing the men and plundering the entire community. Dinah is removed from the prince’s home and her fate is never discussed. As Rabbi Geller states in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, “No one in the Torah or the midrashic accounts asks her [Dinah] what she wants, what she needs, or how she can be comforted.  Her silence is loud enough to reverberate throughout the generations.” Only in the last hundred years or so have women organized to be heard, to vote and to participate fully in societal life.

At our first biennial assembly in 1915, our foremothers initiated the use of resolutions as our official voice to state our opinions on the issues of the times.  Based on the tenets and teachings of Judaism, the written resolutions are presented to the delegates. Upon their approval, these resolutions are used to define sisterhood programs, projects, and activities as well as to permit WRJ to act and advocate on our behalf in appropriate national and international arenas. 

To date hundreds of resolutions have been passed and used for programming and advocacy.  All of them can be found on our website: www.Womenof ReformJudaism.org/resolutions.

WRJ continues to advocate for peace, justice, fair practices and equal rights for all. Just last month at our assembly in Toronto, the delegates passed resolutions on:

• Immigration—calling for comprehensive immigration reform and humane treatment of detained immigrants, ending workplace raids and unwarranted home invasions, and streamlining immigration processes;

• Elder Abuse—educating our congregation and the medical community on the signs of abuse and  appropriate care, and calling for legislation to protect our elders; and

• Food Production and Distribution—urging legislation for food safety standards, promoting healthy eating habits, creating our own gardens and encouraging the use of fair trade items.

No longer will the Dinahs of the world feel alone and unheard. No longer will we allow others to decide our fate. Women of Reform Judaism will continue the legacy of our foremothers to advocate for issues of importance to us all and to act on our belief, “to become a light unto the nations.”

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives.
Please share this e-mail with members of your sisterhood.

Shalom,

Helene Waranch
WRJ Past President
hhwaranch@comcast.net
410-602-1210

November 28, 2009
10 Kislev 5770

Dear WRJ Friends,

Have the news reports of the last few weeks have sparked the full gambit of your emotions…indignation, horror, annoyance, disbelief, fury and on and on?  Just reading or hearing news about women’s health issues (the task force I choose not to name), Twilight movies (I have yet to read this series but will eventually), Stupak-Pitts Amendment to healthcare reform bill (I am embarrassed to tell you that Pitts is the elected representative of my congressional district – HE HAS NEVER GOTTEN MY VOTE!) and Sarah Palin (to be politically correct, I’ll refrain from comments)? 

I find myself questioning what control we women really have in our lives and over our bodies and the state of our hearts and souls. For the past thirty plus years, we have been schooled in the importance of breast self-examination and mammography.  Whoosh…some federal task force erases our confidence in the importance of knowing our bodies, taking care of ourselves and securing our personal health destinies as much as one can. As if the issues of breast care denial weren’t sufficient, the same week witnessed reports that women no longer need annual pap tests. When did the world turn upside down?  Where have I gone missing?

The Twilight saga books and movies are a phenomenon I’ve side-stepped.  I had categorized them as the stuff of teenaged endearments. Okay, I admit I read the Harry Potters books and many other pop culture reads. But I’ve avoided the newest craze because I thought it for sex-dazzled teens.  Is this about a new Romeo/Juliet love story or something else that we, especially women of all ages it seems, need to take us beyond the worries and cares of everyday life?

And then there was Sarah Palin and her book tour churning out millions.  On the one hand, good for her; her book probably represents American entrepreneurship at its best. I don’t think her particularly bright nor insightful. I do not enjoy listening to her though I watched the Oprah and Barbara interviews. Then came the Newsweek cover.  I don’t have much sympathy for Ms. Palin; I don’t visualize her future, her abilities or virtues for our government.  But Newsweek’s cover made me cringe.  When did we last see a politician of international recognition, who was a male, in workout shorts on the cover of a major news magazine? Was that an appropriate representation of this woman who was running for vice president of the United States of America? Probably, never!

So, I bring this full circle for consideration on this Shabbat.  Can women control their lives?  Or, do we let life happen?  Thankfully, I have a trusted resource filled with centuries of wisdom that tells me we can, definitely, control our destiny.  I just have to look to Torah.  How amazing (everything is bashert) that this week’s portion Vayeitzei tells the story of women who did control their future, brought forth the twelve tribes of Israel, and created a world where women can support each other and influence their surroundings.

It is particularly sisters Rachel and Leah to whom we need to look for guidance about controlling the world in which we find ourselves. Rachel steals the household gods, defies her father, and carefully tells only what is necessary to her husband. She wants and takes control; she doesn’t let life happen to her.  According to Dr. Wendy Zierler in The Torah:  A Women’s Commentary, “ Rachel thus emerges from this story as an archetypal feminist writer, who dares to steal across the border of masculine culture, seize control of her cultural inheritance and make it her own”. 

When the world hands us information, reports, or pop culture that knocks our fiber, we need to stand together, to do some of our own investigating and initiating and change the world…we cannot allow the world to change us without reason.  I challenge each of us, thinking women, to reach to our source, Torah to help to unlock life’s mysteries.  Never accept what doesn’t feel right or just.  Band together to find a way to make sense of all that comes before us.  Talk with other women; initiate conversations with younger women; raise your consciousness.  Take control of your own destiny.

Our matriarchs set the bar high.  We can continue to chain of tradition in our own time.  May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten your lives.

Warm regards,
Rosanne

Rosanne M. Selfon
WRJ Immediate Past President
RSelfon@aol.com

20 November 2009
3 Kislev 5770

Dear WRJ Friends,

Do you ever close your eyes at night thinking you are going to sleep, only to have lists of the things you still need to do “scrolling” through your brain? Do you ever wake up thinking “oh, no” because you forgot to do something and have now missed a deadline? Do your to-do lists have lists of their own? Do you feel guilty if you take a few minutes to watch the Dancing with the Stars results show, the news, or Grey’s Anatomy?

Unfortunately, I think this is reality for many of us. We are very busy – raising children, managing careers, caring for our parents, spending time with our spouses or partners, cleaning, grocery shopping, studying…and yes, participating in WRJ activities. I don’t know about you, but I am often asked how I find the time for Women of Reform Judaism. Here’s the answer…

The time I spend with my sisters is the time that I recharge my batteries. I am continually amazed and inspired by our talented, committed, articulate, creative, supportive, funny women who bring their gifts to all of our endeavors. Whether passionately discussing a resolution or soulfully joining in prayer, whether explaining a lesson learned through personal experience or listening as others share their knowledge, whether intelligently discussing the future of Reform and Progressive Judaism or reaching out to understand and to help those in need in our local and global communities, whether laughing or crying together…our women bring their hearts and wisdom to all that we do.

AND we take care of each other. Advice on how to handle life’s detours is given freely and lovingly by those who have walked the path ahead of us. Supportive Uniongrams and phone calls appear when they are most needed. When an emergency occurs, it’s our sisters who are there to help handle the crisis…and we don’t even have to ask.

Many women have tried to describe the magic that happens when we get together. I won’t try to do that. I will simply acknowledge that it is so and recognize that this is why when I choose how to spend my time, WRJ is a top priority...and thankfully it is also a priority for so many others.

So as we all make our lists, let’s each remember why we are blessed to be able to include WRJ and our sisters as part of those commitments.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

Warm regards,

Blair
Blair Marks
WRJ 1st Vice President
marksbc@bellsouth.net

November 13, 2009
26 Cheshvan 5770

Shabbat Shalom!

This week’s parashah, Chayei Sarah, the “life of Sarah” represents so much for Women of Reform Judaism. Years ago, it was the first parashah WRJ released to debut the look and feel of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary. This publication has done so much for women – not only Reform Jewish women – in many populations throughout the world.

While I could write more about this week’s parashah, I thought I’d write something more personal for my weekly email assignment.

Today is the anniversary of my becoming bat mitzvah. Sixteen years ago today I became a daughter of the commandments. It was an amazingly special day: my mother – the cantor of my synagogue – the rabbi, and I led services; and I chanted from the Torah and Haftarah for the first of what would be many times throughout my life. My family, my friends, and I celebrated.

I grew up looking forward to the day when I would take my place on the bimah – kepah on my head, my torso wrapped in a soft tallit – and read from the Torah. I had a vague idea at the time that women in Conservative and Orthodox Judaism weren’t allowed to read from the Torah (my mother became bat mitzvah by reading Haftarah only).  I took for granted that I would one day read from the Torah; that’s just the way it was. There was no reason that I – a girl – wouldn’t have the right to read from the Torah.

And yet there are many women and girls in Israel who are denied the opportunity to fulfill this mitzvah. I had no idea – at age 13 – that a woman reading Torah was actually looked at with disgust by some throughout the world.

WRJ consistently supports organizations which encourage women’s right to read from the Torah and pray alongside men as equals. At the 47th WRJ assembly in Toronto, a Torah was donated to Women of the Wall, a group of Israeli women who organize a series of women's prayer groups at the Western Wall each month on Rosh Hodesh. Also, one of the WRJ YES Fund grants is given to the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism to encourage secular Jewish Israeli girls to experience becoming a bat mitzvah.

Please do not take for granted our ability as American and Canadian Reform Jewish women to simply stand on a bimah and read or chant from the Torah.

Women of Reform Judaism together with each and every sisterhood throughout North America, Israel, and the rest of the world make such a difference advancing rights for Jewish (and non-Jewish) girls and women in all walks of life. There is still much work to be done in Israel and the rest of the world. Financially supporting WRJ through the YES Fund will help tremendously in this task. Together we can continue to make a difference.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.

Please share this email with your sisterhood.

Lindsay Bellows
Manager, Dept of Development and Special Projects
LBellows@urj.org
212-650-4056

November 6, 2009
19 Cheshvan 5770

Dear WRJ Friends,

A Journey. Throughout our Jewish history we learn of Journeys. Our patriarchs and matriarchs all took journeys, not always of their own choosing. They received strangers and kinsmen on their journeys.

As this week’s message is being sent, Women of Reform Judaism representatives are in the middle of a Journey to WRJ’s 47th  biennial assembly in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These women have made their own Journeys from the United States, Canada, and Israel to learn from one another, to study together and to celebrate our collective accomplishments. Nothing will be more important than inspiring each local sisterhood representative to even greater service to her congregation, to the women in her congregation, and to the Jewish community far beyond their synagogue.

While reflections and celebrations are always important, this year’s assembly has an even greater message: The coming of the centennial of Women of Reform Judaism in 2013. This will be observed in every sisterhood in addition to the assembly in San Diego, CA. Four years may seem like a long time away to make this announcement, but considering the expanse of this organization and the variety of our sisterhoods, it is not too soon to begin planning the next level of our Journey.

What is the date that your sisterhood began? Do you have documentation of this date? Of your affiliation with Women of Reform Judaism (formerly The National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods)? Have you pictures through the years? Such anniversaries are an important time to reflect on how much the women of mean to your congregation, your community, to the strength of the Jewish people!

Yes, your sisterhood is a vital link to the Jewish people. Each stranger welcomed into your sisterhood and your congregation is like giving water to the stranger coming in from the desert. Each youth encouraged to attend a NFTY program is helping a teen on a Jewish Journey. Each student aided in the Journey to become a rabbi, cantor, or Jewish educator is a major connection between your sisterhood and the Jewish community throughout the world.

Begin now to think how you can bring reflections of your history together not just to celebrate, but to plan for future accomplishments. The Journey of sisterhood does not stop with the celebration, it is only the beginning . From our celebratory past to our future, L’Dor V’Dor. Let the Journey continue.

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

Shabbat Shalom.

Judith O. Rosenkranz
Past President
Women of Reform Judaism

October 30, 2009
12 Cheshvan 5770

Dear WRJ Friends,

This week’s Torah portion Lech L’cha, begins with stories about Abraham. Almost without any introduction, this chapter of our history begins when God tells Abram to take his entire family and to go to a foreign, unspecified land.  In return, God will make Abram into a great nation, will bless Abram, and will make him legendary. God tells Abram, “And you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-3)  What we don’t really know is why Abram was “chosen.”

In our tradition, we view Abraham as a hero. We learn and teach our children that he was the first Jew, the founder of our faith.  We are left to speculate because Torah doesn’t explain why Abraham was chosen for this monumental role.

Abram gave up everything - a life of comfort, position, and status - to wander off on a wild goose chase. But this in fact, is why he merits his special connection to God.  He is willing to give up his good life for something greater.  Abram somehow realizes that there must be something more meaningful than material possessions and he is able to rise above the things he has amassed to seek a loftier goal.

Rashi comments, “Abram was very rich (kaved), in cattle, silver, and gold.”  Rashi explains that Abram’s wealth usually means “heavy” or “honored”. Abram was weighted down with many possessions because of his wealth. 

A few verses later we gain a further sense of Abram’s unique quality. We read in verse 10 that Lot “raises up his eyes” and sees how lush the plain of Jordan is. But, when Abram looks up, he sees stars. What finally distinguishes Abram from so many others that came before him is that while others (like Lot) sees only material things, Abram has visions of spiritual matters, namely stars.

How coincidental that this parasha should come about as we approach our time together in Toronto for our 47th assembly. Abram relinquished his everyday status and looked for other ways to reach an even better future.  While in Toronto, we will be looking ahead, planning to safeguard WRJ and to ensure it for future generations.  We will remember our past but now integrate new ideas to continue the progress of WRJ.  Like Abraham, we will delve into the unknown – working to create new ideas for our sisterhoods, our districts, and for every member of WRJ.  And like Abram, we will become “wealthier” from our efforts.

Abraham looks beyond the world of possessions to a force greater than himself. This is why he is able to enter into the covenant with God. Abraham wants to be involved in something greater than this world; he wants to commit himself to a connection that points to something beyond. This is why Abraham becomes a “blessing” because he looks beyond himself.  The story of Abraham, like Judaism, like WRJ, constantly challenges us to do the same - to look beyond ourselves toward others and ultimately, toward God.  Let each of us look to the stars on this Shabbat.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all of our lives.

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

B’Shalom,
Sharon K. Benoff
WRJ Vice President

October 23, 2009
6 Cheshvan 5770

Dear WRJ friends,

The Toronto assembly is less than two weeks away.  WRJ's staff is frantically completing our tasks: packing up boxes of materials to be shipped via truck, finalizing registrations, printing badges and on and on and on.

As I sat down to work on my remarks today, leafing through WRJ’s Covenant of the Soul book of prayers, poems, and meditations, I came across a lovely poem by Sarah Newmark, who at the time of publication was from Bellevue, Washington.  It completely fit the way the staff and I are feeling as we prepare for convention – lots of work to do, but completed with love and always with some humor. Reading the poem again, I realized it completely captured how so many of us feel on an everyday basis. I hope you will read it, smile, laugh a bit at the way we live our lives, and then promise yourself a restful Shabbat.

Prayer of a Professional Volunteer

I walk into the synagogue
Struggling with the door.
(My arms always seem to be laden with things
–Papers to be photocopied
Folded stuffed stamped
Distributed filed.)
I notice that the carpets need cleaning again
And that the heater seems to be working overtime
In the hallway but not at all in the Sanctuary.
The size of my “In” box has expanded with my
            responsibilities.
Mine is the biggest one now.
And it’s always full.
There are a lot of phone messages
And the books for the bar and bat mitzvah children still
            have not arrived.
I hope that I will be able to finish the speech I’m working on
            before it’s time to pick up my daughter from ballet.
My son called from school to say that he had lost
            a contact lens.
I have a meeting tonight.
 
Harried and hurried are many of my days.
As I finish one task, more appear,
All of them important.
But then I walk into the synagogue
And it’s Shabbat
(Am I on the bima tonight?
Do I know which announcements must be made?)
 
May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

Warm regards,
Shelley

Shelley Lindauer
Executive Director
slindauer@urj.org

October 16, 2009
28 Tisheri 5770

Dear WRJ friends,

Parashat B’reishit begins:  “When God began to create heaven and earth — the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water — God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.”

What an incredible image, the creation of the first day!  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could start every day out with the awe that this parashat creates!  And why shouldn’t we; isn’t everyday a new beginning?  Don’t we always have the choice to make today the day that we will change the world!

As Jews we recreate the world every time we perform a mitzvah – as we repair the world, we literally are making a new day for ourselves, for those we touch, and even for many whose names and faces we may never know.

Through WRJ hundreds of thousands of hours are channeled into projects and advocacy focused on women and children around the world.  Whether it is feeding the hungry homeless children in South Africa, or teaching children in underserved areas of North America how to eat healthy and build their bodies strong, or educating women about the importance of regular mammograms, or supporting a women’s shelter, we, the Women of Reform Judaism in the United States and Canada, and now also in Israel, are joined together through the common threads of tikkum olam.

November 4th – 8th, at WRJ’s 47th assembly in Toronto, we will learn about WRJ’s new eight-step program called Social Action Rings, we will discuss and vote on three important resolutions about elder abuse, food production, and immigration, and we will honor sisterhoods for their outstanding programs with the Or Ami “Light of my People” Awards. I hope you will be with us as we weave together these beautiful common threads and create a fabric that offers warmth and protection to those most in need. I hope you are with us as we welcome the miracle of each new day, knowing we are stronger together.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.
Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
Katie Roeper
WRJ Vice President, Programming and Advocacy

October 9, 2009
21 Tishrei, 5770

Dear WRJ friends:

What happened to the expected Parasha for this Shabbat?  Why is V'zot Hab'rachah (Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12) missing from this year's schedule of readings? Moses' last words, "A Blessing for Israel," and the story of his unparalleled prophetic stature will not be heard this year in traditional settings. The story of the women singing laments and playing a central role in the mourning of Israel's leader will not be replayed this year. Dreaming of the future, affirming the future, securing the future with strong leadership, and recognizing that Moses' blessing, as with all traditional blessings, requires action – missing.

Shmini Atzeret (the 8th Day of Solemn Assembly) falls on Shabbat this year. In Israel, as well as in most North American Reform congregations, Simchat Torah will also be part of our Shabbat celebration, while some Reform congregations and most Conservative and Orthodox congregations will observe Simchat Torah on Sunday.

The traditionally assigned Torah reading for Shmini Atzeret supersedes the expected reading of the very last Sedra of the Torah, and in its place requires the reading of Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 and Numbers 29:35-30:1. In those texts, we encounter tithing laws and the laws relating to the three pilgrimage festivals (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot).  We also read about animal sacrifice as part of the festival celebrations in great detail. The bottom line is that most of the last several chapters of Deuteronomy will simply be skipped this year.

During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year, my husband and I were once again worshipping with the Jewish Religious Union, a small Congregation of Bene Israel Jews in Mumbai, India, a congregation which is affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism.  The music of the JRU's chant is not at all our customary sound, but the words and the intentions and the sometimes joyous, sometimes solemn celebration of the services are the same. The beauty and solemnity of Yom Kippur with this congregation is enhanced by the sight of everyone wearing only white – the women in long white saris and the men in white shirts and light colored pants, all wearing white kippot and wrapped in white tallitot.

Woven in between the experiences of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Stan and I traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal and were, unwittingly, witness to 21st century animal sacrifice. 60,000 bulls, goats and sheep were herded into Kathmandu from Tibet in preparation for the sacrifice to 34,000,000 (yes, 34 million!) manifestations of the Hindu gods. Each year, the New Year celebrations for Judaism and Hinduism coincide since both are based on the cycles of the moon.  Reading the Torah portion in preparation for writing this note to you took on shockingly new meaning for me. I have never harbored a desire for the rebuilding of The Temple and its associated sacrifices here in Jerusalem.  I do not view the Western Wall as a relic awaiting messianic reconstruction. Now that I have witnessed the reality of animal sacrifice, I can assure you that I am more grateful than ever for our ability as liberal Jews to read, re-read, and constantly be open to new interpretations of the intentions of our Holy texts! The next time that I sing "Renew our days as of old," I fully intend to include a fervent addendum, "But please do not rebuild the Temple, reconsecrate the priests, and resume animal sacrifice!!!"

Agreeing to set aside the traditional reading choices for this Shabbat-Simchat Torah, most Reform congregations will choose to emphasize the link between the ending and beginning of the Torah reading cycle. We will listen to the chanting of the final words of the Torah and immediately begin again with the chanting of the first words. We will celebrate the continuity.  Some will open the entire scroll and be certain that each one of us – from the youngest to the oldest – will thrill to the sight of the letters and words and sections of Torah. We will read the last word:  Israel.  We will call out “chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek”!  "Be strong, be strong, let us strengthen one another!" We will recite the first phrase: “In the beginning”. And thus we, the Women of Reform Judaism, will dream Naamah Kelman's dream as stated in our Women's Commentary, and work to transform what is to what can be.

Shana Tova!  Chag Sameach!  Shabbat Shalom!
 
Resa Davids
Chair, Israel/ARZA committee

October 2, 2009
14 Tishri, 5770

Dear WRJ sisters,

Sukkot begins at sundown today.  In this week’s Parashah (Leviticus 23:33 –44 p736 of WRJ’s The Torah: A Women’s Commentary), we read that we are commanded to observe Sukkot; and, that as part of that observance, God tells us to bring celebratory offerings.

The first question of my message: What are the offerings that WE are to bring to God on Sukkot?

In addition, during Sukkot, we traditionally read from The Book of Ecclesiastes, which, besides being autobiographical, also provides quotes of wisdom gained during the Sacredly Aging process.  For example: 

• “For everything there is a season…”  (3)
• “All that has been is what shall be; and all that is done is what shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.”  (1:9)
• “Fear God, and keep His commandments, for they are the whole duty of everyone.”  (12:13)

The second question of my message:  Why fear God?

And now, the following is this lay person’s creative way of combining the answer to both questions:

Why fear God?  I don’t!  I prefer beFriending God because so much is gained in that Friendship.  It actually becomes more than a friendship; it becomes a partnership.  So, in beFriending God, let us view Ecclesiastes in a different way:

Each of us wears many hats; the seasons for those hats change as do our mitzvah offerings and actions:

Caring family member who understands that change, though challenging, is necessary

Committed Jew who values Torah, study, and acts of loving kindness

Loyal friend whose loving nature affects others to see themselves as valuable and valued

Enlister of God’s guidance through thoughtful prayers of the heart that touch the soul

Seeker of wisdom whose leadership and visionary spirit help her to see today’s hope, tomorrow’s promise

Individual who lives true to herself and to those on her path

Advocate for women and other social justice issues affecting life at home and abroad

Service-above-self standard for living that she might make a difference daily

Trustworthy person who also trusts herself

Enlister of God’s guidance to make a positive impact on her world

Spokesperson of springing forward into life and allowing the reward of spirituality to be hers

And in so living our life as Women of Reform Judaism, in spite of the philosophy found in Ecclesiastes that nothing is new, we can offer something new at Sukkot and beyond: We can offer ourselves…especially as WRJ mentors to our local, district and national connections.  WRJ board members, have you completed your connections calls? WRJ district area directors, have you connected with the local sisterhoods under your wing? WRJ sisters, have you registered for WRJ’s 47^th assembly that you might gain leadership skills and more that will help you to make a difference within your sisterhood!

And, as we live the seasons of our lives in conjunction with the seasons of the Jewish year, may our Friendship with God inspire us toward making WRJ and our world better! May it be God’s will! 

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

Shabbat Shalom!

In Sistership!

Cynthia Roosth Wolf
WRJ Board Holiday Greeting Chair
Department of Membership and Communication
WRJ Southwest VP Programming and Advocacy
Temple Emanuel Sisterhood
Beaumont, TX

September 11, 2009
22 Elul 5769

Dear WRJ friends,

It is impossible for me to look at the date above, 9/11, and even eight years later not feel a pain in my heart, my eyes welling up. So it is with great comfort and resolution that I turn to this week's portion in The Torah: A Women's Commentary. There in Nitzavim Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 Moses tells us to "choose life".

And, it is to each of us that he is speaking. The text calls out "the men of Israel, you children, you women and even the stranger within your camp".
"Women", in this instance, are clearly part of the covenant he is making. Not just the women standing at Sinai, but "those that are not with us this day"- the future generations - us.

How different we are from those who chose death and terror as a way to promote their ideologies. How different we are from those who choose to tear down and destroy with actions or words. How different we are from those who, from fear or greed, spread rumors and lies and a culture of disrespect.

We, as members of WRJ, presidents of sisterhoods, WRJ past and present board members, affirm life. We work in our homes and communities and around the world to better the lives of women, children, and Reform Jews.
Through our membership dues we affirm that we stand together in support of the work begun by our sisters almost 100 years ago. With our contributions to the YES Fund we make sure that programs that improve Jewish life thrive. And, with the resolutions we will pass at assembly in Toronto, we continue to be a force for social justice.

This time is also the period of Elul, a time for reflection on forgiveness and repentance. I hope that someday in my heart I will be able to forgive and make peace with my memories of 9/11. I know there are always things I need to repent. But what my reflections tell me most is that this past year, doing the work of WRJ, has brought so much joy, friendship, learning, and satisfaction into my life. I listened to Moses teaching and chose life; I hope you do the same!


May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.

Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood.

Warm regards,
Denny

Denny Norris

WRJ Board Member

September 4, 2009
15th of Elul, 5769
 
Parashat Ki Tavo focuses on the Israelites' entrance into the Promised Land and the consequences of obeying or disobeying God's laws once they are there. Moses calls upon his people to walk in God's ways and in return to become a holy people.I was pleased that my assigned parashat concerned Moses. Oddly enough, Moses and I have been kindred spirits for most of my life. As a child born immediately after the Holocaust, I grew up with grave doubts about this whole "religion thing." My father, Rabbi Leo Turitz, explained to me that it was a proud Jewish tradition to argue with God. Since Moses was permitted to express his doubts, it was certainly okay for me, Rhoda, to do the same.

My father also added that like Moses, my relationship with God would change throughout my life. He hoped that I, too, would recall the events of the past in order to positively influence people's behavior in the future, which Moses does in Ki Tavo. Moses and Rhoda. Rhoda and Moses. It sounds strange however you put it.
 
Many of the positive ways in which I've influenced behavior have been in my forty-plus years as a classroom teacher, trainer of teachers, and for the last twenty years as a teacher of gifted elementary students. That's my job: getting people to think. In that spirit, I'd like to share an activity that could be used for a program, discussion group, at a retreat, or for clarification of your personal relationship with God. (This is not an original activity. Thanks to whoever created it.)
 
Select the items that describe your relationship to God:
   
Watchmaker
God created the world.
God is not involved in our lives.
God allows bad things to happen to good people.
God is there, but God is silent.
 
Goodness, Love, Dreams, Ideals
God represents potential.
God is a role model for perfection.
God acts through me.
God is the best I can possibly be.
God is our dream for a united humanity.
 
Jiminy Cricket
God is my conscience.
God is inside of everyone.
God talks to me.
God lets me know what is right and wrong.
God helps me to be just.
 
Partner in Creation
God gave human beings free will.
We are made in the image of God.
God recreates the world continually.
I am God's partner; we are both fulfilling an agreement.
I can argue with God.
God helps us to hold ourselves up in times of trouble.
 
The Force
God is everywhere.
The beauty of nature represents God.
The patterns of the world are evidence of God.
God does not deal with me personally.
God is in all scientific truths,
God is order.
 
Ruler of the Universe
God plays an active role in our lives.
God protects and cares.
God rewards good people and punishes bad people.
Good hears my prayers.
God works miracles.
God gives order.
God is just.
God holds us up in times of trouble.
 
Author of Life and Death
God is responsible for all that happens in the world.
Reward and punishment are given out in the afterlife.
God has reasons for doing things that we will never understand.
I cannot argue with God.
 
Would we as Reform Jews answer the same way as more traditional Jews? Would we as women answer differently than men? How would we have felt if we were the women in this parashat listening to Moses and preparing to enter the Promised Land?
 
May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives.
 
Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood members.
 
Rhoda Turitz London
Congregation Ahavath Chesed
Jacksonville, FL
FL DIR- SE Region
WRJ Board Member

August 28, 2009
8 Elul, 5769

This week's Torah Portion, Ki Teitzei, enumerates seventy-four (a full twelve percent!) of the Torah's 613 commandments.  It's a lot to process, though many of the mitzvot are familiar to us including the inheritance rights of the first-born, burial and dignity of the dead, sending away the mother bird before taking her young, the various forms of kilayim (forbidden plant and animal hybrids), the duty to pay a worker on time, and the prohibition against charging interest on a loan.

Of special interest to us as Jewish women are the commandments that regulated the lives of our female ancestors.  These include the judicial procedures and penalties for adultery, for the rape or seduction of an unmarried girl, for a husband who falsely accuses his wife of infidelity, the procedures for "levirate marriage" of the wife of a deceased childless brother, and the laws of divorce.

According to certain extreme interpretations of Jewish law, a woman can get divorced only if her husband grants her a Jewish divorce (get), and of his free will. Without the get, a Jewish woman cannot marry another man--nor can she bear any more children with another man. If she does so, her children are deemed "bastards" according to traditional Jewish law and - per this very same parshah - they and their descendants are forbidden to marry other Jews for ten generations.

Over time, the governance of divorce has become the province of the Rabbinical courts, the "bet din," who rule in instances when a spouse refuses to grant a Jewish divorce. In Israel, the sanctioning of men who refuse to grant their wives a get has been adopted as mainstream.  This tragic situation, stifling the trinity of love, sexuality and motherhood, is powerfully portrayed in the awarding-winning documentary, "Mekudeshet: Sentenced to Marriage"
(http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/press/senmar_presskit.pdf)

The plight of the agunot, women who are chained to their marriages by husbands who refuse to grant them a get, has been championed by the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the legal and advocacy arm of the Reform Movement in Israel, an organization WRJ helps to financially support with YES Fund donations.  

In 2008, the IRAC challenged a law that allowed husbands to extort their wives by granting a get only if she agreed to his terms of property division.  IRAC, in collaboration with ICAR, the International Coalition for Agunah Rights, presented the Knesset with an amendment stating that assets can be divided during a divorce procedure, as opposed to after the husband grants a get.  The amendment was presented before the Knesset and was passed into law.

Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center, will be the featured speaker at the WRJ 47th assembly plenary session dedicated to Israel. A founding member of Women of the Wall, who is best known for never giving up even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Anat continues to be a tireless advocate for freedom of religion and women's rights.
Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood members and encourage them to be part of the remarkable experience we will share in Toronto, November 4th-8th, 2009.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives as we grow stronger together.

Jane Marcus
WRJ Board of Directors
Co-President, Beth Am Women
Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, CA

August 21, 2009
1 Elul, 5769

This week's portion, Shof'tim, continues Moses' speech retelling the laws by which the Israelites were to live. Moses tells the Israelites that they are to appoint judges and officers in all of their communities to insure the administration of justice. They must not set up a sacred pillar like those used in idol worship, even if it is dedicated to God. Idolaters are to be put to death, but only after being convicted by the testimony of at least two witnesses. There is to be a central, higher court to hear cases deemed too difficult for local judges whose decisions are binding. If and when Israel establishes a monarchy, the king must make a copy of the Torah and keep it with him at all times, for the king also is subject to God's laws. The priests and Levites have no territory of their own and so must be supported by the agricultural dues of the members of the other tribes. Sorcery in all its forms is forbidden. True prophets are to be obeyed, but false prophets must be put to death. After the Israelites have conquered the land and settled in it, they are to designate three cities of refuge to which a person who commits accidental murder may seek refuge. Eglah Arufah, a special procedure to be performed when a murder victim is found and the killer is unknown, is described. Deuteronomy 16:20 issues the familiar instruction, "Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that Adonai your God is giving you."   

Rules of war and the treatment of enemies are given. The Israelites are told to first approach nations with an offer of peace. In English, "peace" means "freedom from war".  In Hebrew, the word for "peace" ("shalom") means so much more. It brings to mind wholeness and a sense of completeness. The concept of shalom is central to the Jewish people and our history. The Rabbis transformed Aaron into a symbol of peace. Hillel described Aaron as one who loved peace and pursued peace. The Torah itself is a described in this way " All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peace." All of the major prayers in our liturgy end with a prayer for peace. It is said that before bringing peace to the world, we must find peace within ourselves. Shabbat is often described as an oasis of peace, a way for us to fid that peace within ourselves. It is a time for us to stop our frantic pace and concentrate on renewal- renewing our spirits, our relationships with family and friends, and our relationship with God.

I would guess that you, like me, often think longingly of that kind of oasis of peace. It would be wonderful to spend twenty-four hours nourishing your soul. Maybe you, like me, plan to celebrate Shabbat but things get in the way - errands to run, e-mails to answer, calls to make.  
   
I have a suggestion for you. Join me in Toronto in November. Of course there will be fabulous workshops and speakers, our first ever film festival, the wonderful and inspiring YES Fund luncheon, and an opportunity to hear Tony Blair, not to mention the late night music sessions and the chance to network with like-minded women from all across Canada, the United States, and the world. 
 
I am sure that all of those activities will enrich your life both personally and as a sisterhood member.  But I am particularly inviting you to attend because of the opportunity to truly experience Shabbat as that oasis of peace. Begin with Kabbalat Shabbat, (welcoming Shabbat), in a room filled with Reform Jewish men and women singing and praying together. I promise you that a sense of peace and calmness will come over you. Share dinner with friends new and old, and join in a truly amazing song session. On Saturday, you can have breakfast while studying Torah, hear the Torah chanted by lay people, and be inspired by the words of Rabbi Yoffie. Look through the Shabbat lunch offerings and see what appeals to you. There are topics which range from a discussion about Moses, to Jewish Historical Fiction, to a cantor's concert. End your day with Havdalah, the ritual of separating the ordinary from the sacred, and the installation of the WRJ Board of Directors. No errands, no e-mail, just twenty-four hours of self-nourishment and shalom.
 
In this week's Torah portion, God commands the people to first attempt peace. I believe that we too must attempt to find peace - not just the absence of war, but also the kind of peace that shalom brings - wholeness and completeness. I look forward to seeing you in Toronto November 4-8, when together we can celebrate Shabbat and find that sense of peace we are all seeking.

freddi Bleeker Franks
Congregation Emanu El
Houston, Texas
Member. Executive Committee
Area Director, Southwest  District

August 14, 2009
24th of Av, 5769

Re'ih, like most of Deuteronomy, is a retelling of the laws given by God and handed down to the people by Moses. It teaches how to procure and present items for sacrifice and what animals are clean and how to prepare them so as to keep the laws of Kashrut. But, most importantly it teaches of the repercussions of not following these dictates, often down the last letter and what the consequences will be if all is not done properly. But, no matter how many times I looked at the portion I kept coming back to the opening words, "See this day I set before you the blessing and the curse..."

Last week I was driving and listening to a Rabbi Joe Black CD. He started to sing a song that I had never heard before, "The Blessing & The Curse" which is about how difficult it can be to tell the difference. It was beshert that I had kept on focusing on those words! Once in a Jewish wisdom literature class the professor said that just because it's a fable doesn't mean it isn't true. I therefore share with you the following Chinese fable.

Once there was a farmer and he owned a magnificent horse. The horse won every race he ran, gently carried children on his back and was idolized by his owner. One night the horse jumped the fence of his enclosure and ran away. The farmer was devastated. He missed his horse so much and the villagers said that he loved the horse too much and he was cursed.  Many weeks passed and one day when he was out working in his fields the farmer saw a huge cloud of dust. As the cloud came nearer he saw that it was his beloved horse, followed by a herd of equally beautiful wild horses. The villagers were amazed and told the farmer that he was blessed to have his horse return.

Several weeks passed and one day the farmer's favorite son was out riding and was thrown by one of the newly tamed horses and broke his arm. The villagers tell him that it was "too good to be true" and he must therefore be cursed.

The next day the Emperor's Army rode into the village and took all the able bodied men to fight in his war. The farmer's son was left behind because he was unfit to be a soldier! The villagers knew that truly the farmer had been blessed.

It is often difficult to tell a blessing from a curse. A chairwoman resigns in the middle of a project; you don't know what to do. Someone else volunteers to take over and everything works out wonderfully. Often it takes time and the ability to step back from a situation and view it from a different perspective.

The one thing I am sure we are all aware of is the fact that our members are a blessing. Our members support WRJ by simply paying their dues and we are grateful for their support. We are fortunate to have many members who contribute to the Circle of Service. the funds of which are used on an annual basis. Many of our members are Lifeline donors.  Their contributions help to grow our endowments and ensure the future through support of our YES Fund (Youth, Education, and Special Projects. The generosity of our members is the backbone of our fundraising efforts. Our sisterhoods provide programming and projects that keep our members informed about what is going on in the world of Reform Judaism and beyond. We do it all because we are STRONGER TOGETHER.  And, we, the Women of Reform Judaism, are a blessing to our families, our congregations, our communities and the world of Progressive Judaism.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives.

Please share this email with your sisterhood members.

Registration is open for the WRJ 47th assembly in Toronto, November 4th-8th, 2009. I look forward to seeing you there.

Diane Kaplan
WRJ Board of Directors

WRJ YES Fund Chair

Temple Israel Minneapolis, Minnesota

August, 7, 2009
17 Av, 5769

This week's Torah portion, Eikev, includes the second chapter of the Shema (11:13-21). It is part of Moses' continuing monologue with the entire Jewish nation, reviewing their intimate relationship with God, the blessings which have and will continue to come to them if they follow His word, and the desertion and exile they will suffer when they abandon God's way. In describing the blessing, the verse (15-16) states "And I will provide you with grass in your fields for your cattle and you will eat and be satisfied. But beware for yourselves, lest your heart be seduced and you turn astray and serve other gods."

Moses reminds the Israelites that God has chosen them to be a nation for a specific purpose and to live as holy people according to God's commandments.  He also reminds them of their responsibility towards the weak and helpless among them.  The words "chesed" and "brit" reinforce our obligations to do good deeds, to care for the widow and fatherless child, and to open our homes and take care of the poor and elderly.

As Reform Jewish women we are reminded in this Parashat to continue God's work to educate others by learning from the Torah and to perform acts of loving kindness.  Congregational programming is a wonderful vehicle for sisterhoods to bring their message of "Stronger Together' to our fellow
members.

The Women of Reform Judaism website, www.womenofreformjudaism.org, has many programming suggestions for you to download. The Strategies for Success section (in the restricted Leadership Materials area) can supply you with information for Membership, Leadership, Programming, Finances, and Fundraising.

The WRJ/Lilith Salon has become a very popular program and information as to how to begin a Salon is on the website as well.

Two new programs that you can introduce to your sisterhoods are the WRJ-Israel Twinning program and the WRJ Social Action Rings program.  The WRJ-Israel Twinning program will join your sisterhood with a sisterhood in Israel.  Sharing your sisterhood activities is a wonderful way to communicate with our Israeli sisterhoods overseas. The WRJ Social Action Rings program is an eight-step program to Advocacy and Action providing how-to guidance to help your sisterhood set up vibrant social action activities.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives.

Please share this email with your sisterhood members.

I look forward to seeing you at the WRJ 47th assembly in Toronto, November 4th -8th, 2009.

Andrea T. Cannon
Women of Reform Judaism Board of Director
WRJ Southeast District First Vice President
WRJ 47th Assembly Programming Chair
Congregation B'nai Israel
Boca Raton, Florida

July 31, 2009
10 Av, 5769
 
Dear WRJ friends,
 
In this week's Torah portion, Va-et'chanan, Moses continues to give the Israelites instructions for their life in "eretz zavat halav u-devash... a land that flows with milk and honey".
 
The Decalogue, the reiteration of the Ten Commandments, appears in this parashat.  As Moses is not allowed to cross into the new land, he continues to use his leadership role to ensure the future of the Israelites by instructing them as to how they must observe God's laws.  This will not only be a new land for the people but a new life as well.
 
Soon sisterhoods will begin a new year of programming which will include events and projects.  The success of a membership campaign is vital to sisterhood life.  While membership should be encouraged throughout the year, we find ourselves continuing our membership promise in the next few months in earnest.  It is our membership which brings our sisterhoods' new and renewed life each year.
 
•    Please take time to have your membership committee review your past & present membership campaigns.
•    Do each of the women in your synagogue receive an "invitation to join" letter or e-mail welcoming them to join their sisterhood for another year?
•    Consider making the important personal telephone call inviting women of all ages to be a part of sisterhood.
•    Educate the women in your synagogue, early childhood program and religious school as to the benefits of becoming a member of sisterhood. Reach out to your seniors and to the women who have let their membership in sisterhood lapse.
•    We can all share our membership ideas so easily with the WRJ listservs.  Continue to read the publications available at www.womenofreformjudaism.org. for support.  Rachel Jurisz, manager of Service to Sisterhood & Districts, rjurisz@urj.org, can assist each sisterhood with a wealth of ideas.
Finally continue your sisterhood membership relationship with your district and WRJ.  Together we are 65,000 women strong with a positive voice and presence that is heard in Jewish life and throughout our world.
 
May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives.
 
Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood members.
 
I look forward to seeing you at WRJ's 47th assembly in Toronto, November 4-8, 2009.
 
Ellen
 
Ellen A. Pollack
WRJ Executive Committee
Temple Ahavat Shalom Sisterhood Northridge Ca

July 24, 2009
3 Av, 5769

Dear WRJ friends:

As Moses prepares the Israelites to journey into the promised land we begin the book of Deuteronomy, D'varim, (words), often called the Second Law. Moses offers a series of addresses to the people, "Eileh ha'devarim...." or "These are the words.." that are recollections of past experiences, a vision of the future as it could be, and specifics about leadership and the relationship of the people with God.  He wants the people to move forward unafraid, and ready to take on the challenges of a new land knowing that God will be there for them. He prepares the Israelites for new leadership as they transition to their new land.

There are wonderful discussions of Parashat D'varim in The Torah:A Women's Commentary that offer a variety of viewpoints on this Torah portion.  It is clear that the challenges of leadership, expectations, and change were as important then as they are now, and as always, filled with possibilities as stories are told and retold, creating memories.

As Moses wished to convey so much to the Israelites, we are often challenged in our sisterhoods to use words effectively so that we convey information, motivate, praise, and connect.  Words may be written or spoken and delivered personally or by the many written vehicles available to us. 

Therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure that the words we use reflect our Jewish values and create safe spaces for the women who join our sisterhoods and our journeys - stronger together - as we are the presence and voices of women in our congregations and communities. 

At WRJ's 47th assembly in Toronto, November 4 -8, 2009, we will
hear wise and valuable words from guest speakers, workshop presenters, and from each other. We will exchange ideas, create new visions, increase our skills and awareness, and, most of all, enhance our relationships with each other as we share transitions in leadership, plans and strategies for our future, and the joy of being together as Women of Reform Judaism.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten our lives
Please share this e-mail with your sisterhood members

Linda Henderson
WRJ Executive Committee, Secretary

July 17, 2009
25 Tammuz 5769

Dear WRJ friends:

Parashat Matot Mas'ei focuses on the laws surrounding the making of vows, as well as on the definition of land borders.  But it is in the end of this parashah, Mas'ei, that something truly monumental happens.

Mas'ei continues the story that was started in Parashat Pinchas of Zelophehad's five daughters, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah.  The sisters take the unusual step of joining together to stake their claim for their father's land. They realize that, as their father had no sons, the continuation of their family name is dependent on their inheritance of the land. But the given laws made no provisions for families without sons, so the sisters petition Moses with "Let not our father's name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father's kinsmen!" (Numbers 27:4)

Moses consults with God and the sisters' plea is heard and accepted.  This decision is appealed by their own Tribe who point out that, if the daughters were to marry, the land would pass to the tribes of their husbands.  So it is decided that the sisters will inherit the land and will marry within their Father's tribe, that of Joseph, and then will be able to pass along the land through inheritance.

The five sisters have triumphed in a way almost unheard of at the time.  That they are named at all, when many women in the bible are simply mentioned as someone's wife or mother, is a testament to the extent of their success. It is, as much as anything, a wonderful legacy for WRJ; Women working together to ensure the future.

Women today are pulled in many directions.  Family, work, financial, and caretaker concerns can be overwhelming and it's easy for the days to get away from us.  But, like Zelophehad's daughters, it is sometimes when times are the toughest that we must do the most.  WRJ was instrumental in the fight to allow women to vote.  We support rabbinic students and women's and children's projects world-wide. WRJ takes a stand and offers support where it is needed, in times both easy and difficult.

As sisterhood leadership and members, you've already answered the call. But there is more you can do.  Donate with your time and your money when you can, but also with your words. Talk about sisterhood, forward these e-mails to your fellow sisterhood members but also to your clergy, congregation members, and others who might join in the work.  

Educate others about the work of WRJ and ask them to join you.  Ask them to sign up for our eNewsletter (click here for the sign-up). Remind them that by joining together, we can effect far greater change that one person can on their own. Only by raising our voices together will we, like Zelophehad's daughters, change the status quo and ensure that the future is the one we envision.

May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.

Please share this email with your sisterhood.

Helene Dunbar

WRJ Marketing and Communications Manager

July 10, 2009
18 Tamuz, 5769

Dear WRJ Friends,

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a birthday celebration for Rabbi Gary Zola at the American Jewish Archives located on the Cincinnati campus of the Hebrew Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion.  The Archives function to preserve the history of North American Jewry including documents and information from our sisterhoods, the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods now WRJ.  It is a magnificent structure and an incredible institution in scope and vision.

It was a wonderful evening, and while on the HUC campus I saw the sisterhood dormitory, and was reminded of the wonderful work of our foremothers. Inspired by my visit to the Archives, I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you the history of the dorm.

In 1921, Mrs. Hattie Wiesenfeld of Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore, Maryland, President of NFTS, wrote: The students of the Hebrew Union College, most of whom come from distant points...are compelled to shift for themselves in the matter of a home...we the mothers must see that they are properly housed and properly influenced. With this object in view I would suggest that the National Association of Temple Sisterhoods...build as soon as feasible, a Dormitory."

A committee was formed, and raised over $345,000 to build the sisterhood dormitory on the Cincinnati campus of HUC. What an incredible amount of money our foremothers collected!  The dorm was dedicated on January 17, 1925.

Over the years, the dorm has sheltered, at one time or another, virtually every scholar and rabbi in our movement.  Rabbi David Ellenson, President of HUC-JIR, insists on staying at the dorm when he visits the Cincinnati campus.

This year the sisterhood dormitory will celebrate its 85th anniversary, and is still alive with activity and purpose.  While few students actually live in the dorm, the dormitory houses all the offices for the HUC Cincinnati faculty and administration.  More significantly, the dorm is the center for student activity on campus. Throughout the day dozens of students utilize the dorm -  studying, schmoozing, reading, writing papers, relaxing, snacking, and conversing with faculty and friends.  Many student and faculty meetings take place in the dorm.  The dorm is the welcome center for visitors to the campus.  
 
Now that the HUC- JIR Board of Directors has declared its intention to maintain the three stateside locations, you should know that a consortium of donors has come together to refurbish the dorm, to guarantee its vitality and purpose for generations of students yet to come.

This is a meaningful example of how we, as Women of Reform Judaism, begin projects leaving a legacy for others to follow.  The sisterhood dorm is an important example of our vision as leaders in our movement.  The continuous purpose and significance of the dorm illustrates, without question and with great pride, that Stronger Together, we do so much to ensure the future of our faith.
 
May the lights of Shabbat brighten all of our lives. 
 
Please take a moment and forward this message to your sisterhood.

Warmest regards,

Karen Sim
WRJ Vice President of Development and Special Projects
Cincinnati, Ohio

3 July 2009
11 Tamuz 5769

Dear WRJ friends,

"Try to measure:  1. How fast we are going, 2. And where 3. Or how high our fingers, when outstretched, might reach." 

These words are posted on the wall at 826 Valencia, a pirate shop.  Yes, a pirate shop.  This unassuming, but VERY cool store front in the Mission District houses an amazing literacy project for youths in this struggling neighborhood in urban San Francisco.

Monday was the first morning of service for the teenagers from the Bay Area Mitzvah Corps, and they are sitting at cramped tables filled with excited young boys and girls, facing blue essay books, twirling freshly sharpened pencils in their fingers.  "Boom," "explosion," "ninjas", and "punching" are some of the action words these young writers are encouraged to use as they write an action-adventure oriented account of their morning. 

These Mitzvah Corps volunteers have come from across North America -  New England, New Jersey, Georgia, the Midwest and southern California - to spend four weeks of their summer vacation helping others demonstrating their commitment to tikkun olam, the repair of the world.  A few miles away, other teens from this program are sitting in a circle with developmentally disabled adults, handing off a small blue ball, and answering the question, "how is your day?"  Upstairs, others are going around a table introducing themselves with their first name, followed by a fruit or vegetable starting with their first initial, "Hi, I'm Michael Mango.  Hello, I'm Pat Potato."

How exciting to witness firsthand, the recipients of our YES Fund dollars!  For the past several years, WRJ has awarded annual gifts to the Union for Reform Judaism, specifically to support the Mitzvah Corps.  How fast are we going?  Donations given this year are awarded this year - it's that fast.

Where do our outstretched fingers reach?  In addition to the Bay Area, this year there are four other programs across North America:  Mitzvah Corps Costa Rica (Do they have a name?  If so, you might want to include it to be consistent.), Mitzvah Corps of the South in New Orleans, Urban Mitzvah Corps based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Mitzvah Corps at URJ Kutz Camp.  Almost 100 teenagers are living in college dorms, working in communities, serving as "buddies" for autistic campers, learning about advocacy, either at state capitals or at the Religious Action Center in Washington, DC, and joining with local Jewish communities to celebrate Shabbat.  All are living their Judaism.  These are your YES Fund dollars at work.  How do we measure their effect?  Maybe we look at how fast we are going, and where, and how high our outstretched fingers will reach.

May the lights of Shabbat brighten all of our lives.  Please take a moment and forward this message to your sisterhood.

Warmest regards,
Susan
Susan C. Bass, WRJ Vice President
Service to Sisterhoods and Districts
Houston, Texas

January 16, 200920 Tevet 5769

Dear WRJ sisters,

Happy New Year!  And get ready for another new year because it’s almost time for Tu BiSh’vat, The Jewish New Year of Trees! 

• Congregations throughout the URJ employ a kaleidoscope of ways to celebrate Tu BiSh’vat: Some congregations have Tu BiSh’vat Seders, at which time the foods of choice are nuts and fruit; the drink of choice is wine and/or grape juice. In addition a variety of foods which are important to Israel might be included with special prayers offered for the various fruit and nut groups. Within some temples, the Seders are enjoyed by the entire congregation; in others, by only the members of the religious school…some just by sisterhood! The congregants and/or the religious school students of some congregations are encouraged to send tzedakah to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) that trees might be planted in Israel. Others encourage the planting of trees locally and/or make certain that tzedakah money collected goes toward the planting of trees at our URJ camps, providing environmental beauty and shade for our campers during the heat of the summer. They also encourage all the ways that you already know how to “Go Green” and to keep our planet environmentally safe…the air, the land, the sea! During Tu BiSh’vat, some congregations have food drives as part of their social justice platform or they provide tzedakah to the myriad of non-profits within local, state, national or global community. Sisterhoods in some cities and congregations in other cities provide Mishloach Manot packages to our Jewish soldiers. There are so many options for celebrating Tu BiSh’vat within the Reform Movement. Adding Israeli music and blessings to the mix has created memorable spiritual moments in which children of all ages have had the opportunity to enjoy Tu BiSh’vat…as they celebrate trees and the fruit of the trees and the connection that this Jewish festival has to the Biblical roots of the Jewish people.

• What follows are only a few of the Tu BiSh’vat stories sent from WRJ sisters across North America:

January 9, 2009

January 2, 2009

Tevet 6 5769

Dear WRJ friends,

We begin the secular new year, 2009, in a time of great social, economic, and political challenge, yet with hope and promise for the future, as we read Parashat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27). The Torah:A Women’s Commentary provides us with views, interpretations, and poetry to enhance the original words and our study of relationships and responsibility for family and community.

Interestingly, one third of Exodus relates to the story of Joseph that is about family dysfunction, dreams, deceit, dialogue between estranged brothers and between leaders and much more. We read about Joseph’s emotional behavior, publicly and privately, the heroism of Judah in protecting his youngest brother, Benjamin, and showing amazing concern for his father, Jacob.  And, there is forgiveness, learning to trust, reconciliation, and personal growth albeit coming from past unfortunate sibling rivalries, dreadful behavior, ultimately moving from guilt and shame to empathy and considerable personal growth by Joseph and Judah. This is the stuff of relationships.

Jacob and Pharoah meet, talk and agree that the Israelites, who move a family of almost seventy persons and possessions from famine stricken Canaan to Egypt, may settle in Goshen and resume their lives as shepherds. Joseph develops an economic plan to ensure the government prosperity and he watches over his family although he may not have been in close personal contact.

The women are mentioned as a group and are regarded as valued to the community. The names of Asenath, given to Joseph by Pharoah as his wife, and Serah, daughter of Jacob’s son Asher, born to Leah’s maid, Zilpah, give weight to the importance and influence of mothers and daughters and family. Asenath is the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim. Serah is a singer and poet who is close to her grandfather, Jacob, and is chosen to tell Jacob that Joseph is alive.

What do we apply to our lives today as women of WRJ and of our communities? Perhaps we remember that we are responsible for our own behavior and words, that we need to be accountable, that we can grow and change as a result of adversity as well as from forgiveness and reconciliation, that we can build bridges to peace and understanding, and, most importantly, G-d’s hand is always there, somewhere, in our daily lives as it was in his plan for Joseph and the Israelites.

May the lights of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives

Please share this email with your sisterhoods

With thoughts of community – stronger together

Linda Henderson

Congregation B’nai Israel

Sacramento CA

WRJ Executive Committee

Pacific District 1^st VP