CGLR wishes you,
your Family and Friends
a very joyous and healthy Thanksgiving & Hanukkah!
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Shalom!
Taking a Moment to Reflect …
This is a special Shabbat. I find that the peace of the Shabbat following Thanksgiving extends the glow of gratitude, happiness and hope that defines Thanksgiving.
The sacred time of Shabbat is the perfect chance to breathe, to take a moment to reflect – to be grateful. Our prayers are our guide in giving thanks. Judaism is, after all, a religion of gratitude. Rabbi Sachs explained that giving thanks is embedded in our collective name. The word, Modeh, “I give thanks,” comes from the same root as Yehudi, meaning, “Jew.”
We recently read how we received this name from Jacob’s fourth son. Leah named him Judah at birth saying, “This time I will thank G-d” (Gen 29:35). Jewishness is thankfulness.
It’s part of the logic of our prayers. At the beginning of each day, we say the Birchot ha Shachar, “The Dawn Blessings.” It connects us to the new day by helping us to appreciate and offer thanksgiving for life itself, our body, the physical world, the land upon which we stand and our eyes with which to see it. So, as the day begins, we’re present to the joys of everything – in a sort of radical amazement that takes nothing for granted.
Gratitude is also a part of the Amidah. When the prayer leader repeats the Amidah aloud, we are silent except for the responses of Kedushah and saying, “Amen,” after each blessing. The one exception is Modim, ”We give thanks.” Together we thank and then we offer a parallel response. Rabbi Elijah Spira explains that when it comes to giving thanks, we can’t delegate this to someone else to say on our behalf.
Thankfulness – gratitude - is a personal response that must come directly from us.
Maybe that’s because it’s not always easy, especially with the unique challenges of dealing with COVID. It’s easy to lapse into a negativity mindset. It takes focused attention to be aware of how much we have to be grateful for and how much beauty there is in every day. That’s the logic of prayer, of making blessings, of Shabbat.
In this spirit of reflection and thankfulness, I want to share how deeply grateful I am for:
- The miracle of each new day that’s blessed with the opportunity to work with all of
you - the amazing Affiliates/Sisterhoods of CGLR;
- Your willingness to take part in our region activities and add your voices and spirit
to all we do and create;
- Our leaders past and present from whom we learn so much;
- The friendships formed in service to our Jewish Community, and the joy each of
you brings into our region;
- The opportunities to learn together, focus our energies and use what we learn to
make a difference.
Gratefully wishing you, Shabbat Shalom,
Pam
Pamela Schlosberg
Central Great Lakes Region President
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
847.433.7546 (h); 847.691.8991 (c)
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Inspire a Shared Vision
Leadership is not about titles. Leadership is the art of motivating a group to act toward achieving a common goal. It’s about the willingness to step up and through shared goals, take responsibility for finding the potential in others, and helping them develop it.
It’s an outward vision.
Leadership is a skill that’s learned, and in that sense, we’re all a work in progress. It’s a good thing! The possibilities are exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Through our shared goals, each of us, whether on a Board, a team, a committee or as a member-at- large has opportunities to lead and to grow.
For example, activating members to take responsibility for or to volunteer on a project your Affiliate/Sisterhood wants to do start by looking forward. Envision the future – to when a project or an event would be completed. Imagine the exciting possibilities: The service it provides for others, the lives it touches, or the money it raises which in turn benefits your community. Then share this aspiration.
Why? Commitment isn’t something that’s a bullet point in your ByLaws. Commitment is inspiration to do. It’s all about shared aspirations:
· What do you want to accomplish and Why do you want to do this.
· Why is a project important – and why should members care? The Why will be a
powerful motivator for all involved. No matter how noble intentions are, all
members need to understand how the project works for the common good.
· How does it align with your Affiliate/Sisterhood’s values?
· How do you plan to share the dream and the implement the project? Members are
offering their most important gift – their time
· Enable members to feel a valued part of the vision.
Then provide a space where everyone feels respected, safe, seen, and heard and
provide opportunities for each member to wear her Can-Do Cape and shine in the process!
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Shalom,
My name is Paula Ferguson,
I'm proud to be on the CGLR Board Communications Team in charge of Social Media.
Originally from Canton, Ohio, I became a Jew-by-choice in 1993. Then I met and married my (Orthodox!) late husband in 1996. I married again in 2007.Then I joined Temple El Emeth, Youngstown, Ohio, for which I serve as Sisterhood Co-President, gabbai, ba’al tekiah, and broadcast/sound technician—so whether at home or in person, our membership can enjoy the same level of inspiration and tradition channeled through our services.
I'm a graduate of Youngstown State with a degree in theatre and a music/public relations double minor, I’ve worked in over a dozen production venues for more than thirty years. As well, I’ve been a proud union stagehand with IATSE Local 101 since the late 1980s, setting concert tours and Broadway bus-and-trucks.
While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being onstage playing leads and supporting roles in both musicals and straight plays, my real passion is in directing. I’m consistently wowed by the talent and insights of folks doing non-profit community theatre, gleaning their inspiration from everyday jobs; home health nurse, placing children in foster care, printing newspapers, and one of my smartest actresses spends three days a week on dialysis. They choose to spend evenings with me, allowing the show to be a conduit for their creativity, for an audience of strangers and some applause. I am indeed blessed.
If I’m not working or with a show, I’m at home with Mo and our dog, Dog. My sister-in-law lives next door with her three cats, so I’m an aunt, and we are crazy Disneyphiles, spending weeks in Orlando at least twice a year.
I’m proud to say my extended family is all of you, whether I knew you before COVID or after through Machom B’yachad. You’re all a constant source of advice, compassion, information, and guidance through our Jewish journey. I love and admire all of you and hope every day I can perform my Board tasks to the high standards our organization sets before us.
Shabbat Shalom! and Happy Hanukkah to you all,
Paula R. Ferguson
Communications Committee, Social Media Chair
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Torah Fund supports programs and scholarships at the five Conservatives/Masorti global institutes of higher education. |
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We know our Torah Fund supporters care deeply about Jewish education and the future of Conservative/Masorti Judaism. Let's make this a banner year for our Creating New Spaces campaign, and help build a strong future for our Jewish people. For Giving Tuesday, please contribute to this campaign and help advance our two important projects.
Donate here (opt for Torah Fund Creating New Spaces Campaign).
Creating New Spaces provides nurturing physical and spiritual spaces for our students and next-generation Jewish leaders through two significant initiatives:
The Women’s League Study Space in the new JTS Undergraduate Residence Hall, part of the state-of-the-art campus renovation designed by world-renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. This environment-friendly area hosts new technology, an essential element in higher education, and it provides access for people with disabilities, well-equipped kitchen facilities, and sections for students to study and socialize.
The Women’s League Institute on Gender Bias and Harassment, a ground-breaking special course of training at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. A safe space for discussion of these topics, this forum helps students identify instances of bias and harassment and enables them to build skills to deal with these challenges -- whether in the workplace, synagogue, school, summer camp, or wherever their rabbinic career takes them.
Our goal is to raise $200,000 to be equally split between the two schools; thanks to the generosity of our wonderful donors, we've already raised $111,000. Please help Torah Fund further these two important projects by giving today. We’re grateful for your donation, thank you!
For our Canadian supporters: Please make your check payable to Jewish Theological Society and send to 100 Elder Street • North York, Ontario, M3H 5G7.
"The JTS and Ziegler students are amazing. They are so dedicated to their studies and perpetuating Conservative/Masorti Judaism. I am proud to provide my support to these two important projects."
—Janet Kirschner, Torah Fund Vice Chair, Finance
“The Creating New Spaces Campaign is a Torah Fund special project with designated results. I love knowing where my donation is going, in addition to my Torah Fund general campaign contribution.”
—Madeleine Gimbel, Torah Fund Vice Chair, Communications
"The Creating New Spaces Campaign gives me an opportunity to designate my donation. I love thinking about the students living in the new undergraduate residence hall at JTS, studying in the Women’s League Study Space where they have state-of-the-art access to the modern technology they need. Students at Ziegler have learned concepts important in their future work in the Jewish community through the Women’s League Institute on Gender Bias and Harassment. I am impressed that this program has already expanded, providing valuable lessons for congregations’ leadership searching for new clergy. I choose to give to Creating New Spaces to ensure a positive future for the Conservative/Masorti community."
—Barbara Ezring, International Torah Fund Chair
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Shabbat Shalom,
Rebecca Goldwasser
CGLR Vice President of Torah Fund
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Happenings Around the Region |
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Shabbat Message~November 27, 2021 | 5782 |
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In 2010, Women’s League began the tradition of bestowing Jewels in the Crown awards to some of our Sisterhoods / Affiliates at our Conventions. These awards recognize those Sisterhoods/Affiliates which meet certain standards of education, engagement, and participation. A crown signifies sovereignty. Those Sisterhoods / Affiliates who achieve this award are the best at educating, inspiring, and helping others. This is accomplished through their own programs and events or through the use of programs and events designed and presented by Women’s League.
At the next WLCJ International Convention in 2023, we will again bestow these awards on those Sisterhoods/Affiliates who meet certain requirements. As we plan for 2023, we are taking into account the pandemic and how it has affected planning and programming and how it may continue to do so. Covid has put a damper on meetings, programs, and events. Nevertheless, we are encouraging all Sisterhood/Affiliates to keep Jewels in the Crown in mind as you work on your events for the remainder of this year and for next year in order to be eligible to receive an award. Our goal is to motivate as many of our Sisterhoods/Affiliates as we can to take this opportunity to receive a Jewels in the Crown award.
One new addition will be some information on diversity and inclusion initiatives which you might be surprised to realize your Sisterhood/affiliate has already done- have you adapted a program to allow for the participation of our differently abled members, or done a program which reaches out to our membership from marginalized communities?
More information on all things Jewels in the Crown will be forthcoming to help our member affiliates plan for their award applications. It is wonderful to be able to say to the members of your Sisterhood/Affiliate, to the members of your synagogue, and to prospective members that yours is an award-winning organization. We look forward to welcoming our newest award-winning affiliates who will be designated a Jewel in the Crown of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism at our Convention in 2023!
Shabbat Shalom,
Anne and Mindy
Anne Schimberg
Jewels in the Crown 2023 Co-Chair
Mindy Steinholz
Jewels in the Crown 2023 Co-Chair
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Parashat Vayeshev - Haftarah - Amos 2:6 - 3:8 – November 27,
2021
In the Torah reading, Parashat Vayeshev, Joseph tells his dreams, which some see as prophecies, to his brothers who do not want to hear them. Clothing is an important symbol in both the Torah and haftarah. In the Torah reading, Joseph, the favorite child of his father Jacob, is given the coat of many colors. This gift makes Joseph’s brothers very jealous. Both the Torah and the haftarah provide shocking examples of hard-hearted behavior. In the Torah Reading, Genesis 37:24-25, Joseph's brothers ate after they threw Joseph in a pit. According to a midrash, a rabbinic legend, the brothers moved away from the pit, so as not to hear Joseph's calls for help.A central theme in both the Torah and haftarah, is the issue of personal responsibility. Reuben understands in Genesis 37:30 that as the oldest in the family, he should have protected his younger brother JosephI. He realizes that he will be held responsible for Joseph's fate by their father Jacob. In verses 38:1-11, Judah neglects his responsibilities towards Tamar, his daughter-in-law. On the other hand, Tamar does all that she can to fulfill her responsibility to continue the family line, even possibly risking her own life (Genesis 38:12-30). The Torah reading is filled with examples of people being punished measure for measure for the sins of their past. For example, Jacob's parents played favorites with their sons, ultimately hurting them both. Jacob plays favorites among his sons, ultimately hurting them all. Jacob lied to his father Isaac and Jacon’s sons lied to him. . The blood of a goat is used to trick Jacob into thinking that Joseph was dead. Jacob had used a goatskin to fool his own father Isaac into thinking that he was his brother Esau. The coat of many colors is used to trick Jacob into thinking that Joseph was dead. Joseph's brother, Judah, is later tricked by the clothes that Tamar wears. Joseph's brothers show his bloody coat of many colors to Jacob, and ask me if he can “recognize this.” Tamar later sends Judah’s staff back to him, and asks “recognize this”. Both the Torah reading and the haftarah provide examples of how you cannot stop a good person from doing good. In the Torah reading, Joseph was a tzaddik, a righteous person, who was turned into a slave by his brothers. Furthermore, there is an example in the Torah reading, of a tzadikah, a righteous woman, Tamar, who lowered herself in order to fulfill her mission.
In the haftarah that is paired b’yachad together with Parashat Vayeshev, Amos 2:6 - 3:8,
Amos has a message from God that the people do not want to hear. In the haftarah, Amos states that even the mighty will be stripped naked of the garments that give them strength. the haftarah the children of Israel insensitively exploited the poor and profited from their exploitation. In the haftarah, the children of Israel neglect their responsibility to protect the poor. Amos takes his responsibility to publicize God's
words very seriously, even if the others do not want to hear the message. Amos 3:2 states that God will call Israel to account for all its sins - and there are many examples how this statement holds true in our Torah reading. In the haftarah, prophets and Nazarites are tzadikim, righteous people, who are robbed of their power and in effect enslaved by the Israelites. The prophets emerge victorious, because after all, we continue to read the books of the Prophets and are generally influenced by their ideas even until today. The self-control of the nazarites in the haftarah stands in opposition
to the self-indulgent behavior of Judah, Joseph's brothers.
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Letter to President Herzog and Women of the Wall
Torah Mantle Parade
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To:
Mr. Isaac Herzog, President
MK Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister
MK Yair Lapid, Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister Matan Kahana, Minister of Religious Services
Mr. Shalom Shlomo, Cabinet Secretary
Dear Sirs,
Subject: Call for the Prevention of Bloodshed and Immediate Implementation of the "Kotel Agreement"
We, the leadership and leaders of the Masorti movement in Israel and around the world, call on you - our elected officials - to act immediately to implement the outline of the Western Wall Agreement, in accordance with Government Resolution 1075 of 31.01.2016. This is all the more necessary in light of the real threats to the Women of the Wall, who are scheduled to pray tomorrow (Friday, Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5742) as every Rosh Chodesh, at the Western Wall.
The incidents of violence in recent months at the Kotel must be seen as a red flag before more serious incidents of violence and even bloodshed occur.
The violence directed against the Women of the Wall and egalitarian prayers in the Kotel plaza have reached new heights with every passing month. On Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, Siddurim were torn apart by crowds incited to violence and by calls that can only be described as anti-Semitism; On the 9th of Av, the prayers of the streams in the Ezrat Yisrael / Egalitarian section of the Kotel, were interrupted by shouts and incitement by girls and boys who were brought especially to halt the prayers of Jews on this day of fasting for the destruction of the Temples. All of this is in addition to the incitement and the calls of Knesset members from the ultra-Orthodox factions, rabbis and public figures, who have called for harming our members, who only seek to pray in keeping with our custom at the Western Wall, and harm toward MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv.
Please, it is in your power to prevent bloodshed and blasphemy in this place sacred to the entire Jewish people. Announce today the full and immediate implementation of the approved agreement - also accepted by the ultra-Orthodox Knesset members and the Head of Holy sites. Announce, unequivocally, that the Western Wall is not a place for quarrels and violence, that there is no place for harming the Women of the Wall who wish to pray as they have been doing for so many years each month.
Honored officials, we appeal to you - this is not a political matter but a real Matter of Pikuach Nefesh. We call upon you to immediately announced the implementation of the Western Wall Agreement.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal
CEO, USCJ and the Rabbinical Assembly
Rabbi Mauricio Balter
Executive Director, Masorti & MERCAZ Olami
Rakefet Ginsberg
CEO, Masorti Israel
Rabbi Prof. Bradley Shavit Artson
Dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and Zacharias Frankel College
Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin,
President, The Schechter Institutes, Inc.
Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz
Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary
Rabbi Mikie Goldstein
President, the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel
Rabbi Ariel Stofenmacher
Rector, Latin American Rabbinical Seminary
Rabbi Avi Novis-deutsch
Dean, Schechter Rabbinical Seminary
Rabbi Jennifer Gorman
Executive Director, MERCAZ-Canada
Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields
Executive Director,Women's League for Conservative Judaism
Rabbi Irina Gritsevsky
Director, Midreshet Schechter
Sarrae G. Crane
Executive Director, MERCAZ USA
Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg
Chief Operating Officer, The Rabbinical Assembly Chief Program Officer, USCJ
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Sichot beyn Achayot:
An Open Dialogue Between Diaspora and Israeli SISTERS -Workshop 3- Sunday, Decemberber 12th @ 1 PM ET
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Three pairs of women will each explore some aspect of living Jewishly as a Conservative/ Masorti Jew, comparing life in North America to life in Israel. Following the 3 conversations, all participants will be invited to participate in breakout rooms, where women from both sides of the Atlantic will have the opportunity to engage in conversation.
Workshop 3: Conversations Between Conservative and Masorti Sisters
Three pairs of women will each explore some aspect of living Jewishly as a Conservative/ Masorti Jew, comparing life in North America to life in Israel. Following the 3 conversations, all participants will be invited to participate in breakout rooms, where women from both sides of the Atlantic will have the opportunity to engage in conversation.
Conversation 1: Comparing the Nativ/College Experience to the IDF/College Experience
Speakers:
Aliza Bromberg & Yaarat Dash Yehoshua
Conversation 2: Living Jewishly in a Minority vs. A Majority Population
Speakers:
Ellie Kremer& Sophie Fellman Rafolovich
Conversation 3: Being A Lay Leader in the Conservative/ Masorti Movement
Speakers:
Debbi Kaner Goldich & Alexis Silverman
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Gary Rosenthal's Hiddur Mitzvah Project |
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Gary Rosenthal has offered to set up a link for WLCJ members to purchase his art from his stock. He will then give 25% of the sales back to Women's League.
The password to use is WLCJ2021.
Special Discount Code: WLCJ25%
Questions? Contact Grace Schessler
WLCJ Programming Chair
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Psalms, Pirkei Avot,
and Kaddish
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays
12PM Noon Eastern Time;
11AM Central Time
Meeting ID: 630 830 287
Password: 875936
Dial by your location:
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York);
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose);
+1 647 558 0588 Canada;
+972 55 330 1762 Israel; +972 3 978 6688
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Mazel Tov
to
Susan and James Farber,
on the marriage of their son, Jared
to Kristin Laura recently.
Susan is WL Reads Co- Chair.
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Central Great Lakes Region Board |
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Executive Committee:
President
Pam Schlosberg
Communications
Laurie B. Davis
Education
Fern Schwartz
Membership
Gilda Schwartz
Program
Robin Beth Lash
Secretary
Sandy Carleton
Torah Fund
Rebecca Goldwasser
Treasurer
Wanda Pitzele
Financial Secretary
Marjorie Maxwell
Parliamentarian/ IPP
Fran Hildebrandt
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Board of Directors:
Communication/
Social Media
Paula Ferguson
Communication/Website
Rachel Ferber
Education/ Israel
Open
Membership Service
Cynthia Lerner
Member Support
Marlene Ostrow
Presidents Council
Laurie B. Davis
Program/Books
Renee Kaplan
Creative Judaic Arts
Lynda Abraham-Braff
Spring Conference
TBD
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Nominating
Fran Hildebrandt
WLCJ Board Representing CGLR
Rebecca Goldwasser
Fran Hildebrandt
Robin Beth Lash
Cynthia Lerner
Wanda Pitzele
Pam Schlosberg
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Webmaster
Central Great Lakes Region
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