Chai Lines
International Northeast Region
Women's League
for Conservative Judaism
Networking to Engage, Enrich and Empower
Conservative Jewish Women
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June 14, 2019 Volume 3, Issue 25
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FROM THE PRESIDENT--JOAN LOWENSTEIN
"Jerusalem of Gold," the 2019 Spring Conference of the International Northeast Region of Women's League for Conservative Judaism, is in the books and it was a great success! We traveled from near and far to gather in Toronto with 42 delegates in attendance at our host Sisterhood Temple Beth David B'Nai Israel Beth Am for a packed 2 days of programming, entertainment and sisterhood. I would once again like to thank Conference Chair Ruth Shapiro and the entire Conference Committee for all of their hard work in making the conference the great success that it was.
One of the highlights of Conference was our Consultant, Renee Ravich. Renee has held most positions within her own Sisterhood (now called Women's Connection) including President, is currently their Judaica Shop Chair, is a WLCJ International Board and Torah Fund Cabinet Member, PrezNet moderator and WLCJ Consultant. And that is just a few of Renee's duties and accomplishments! Below you will find excerpts from Renee's Keynote address at Conference. Enjoy!
Wishing you all a meaningful and peaceful, Shabbat!
L'Shalom
Joan
[Editor's note: To see photos and other highlights of Conference 19, click here.]
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FROM RENEE RAVICH'S KEYNOTE AT THE INR REGION CONFERENCE
The people who helped mold the state of Israel from the very early years were great leaders, from Zionists like Henrietta Szold who brought modern medical facilities to Jerusalem to the group now known as Hadassah, to Golda Meir, who immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, becoming a kibbutznik and later Prime Minister of Israel. Let's not forget the nameless female members of the Haganah and the Palmach who fought for the establishment of Israel. These were leaders who had a vision, listened to others, took into consideration all people and opinions, no matter their personal stance. Each one had key leadership traits. We, as Sisterhood and Women's League leaders should aspire to the same qualities.
In 1994, I finally got my chance to travel to Israel with our extended family. How many of you, on your first trip to Jerusalem, stood above the city watching the sun dance on the stones of the buildings? It is breathtaking and golden. Walking around the city, taking in the sights of the new and old buildings and smelling the
falafel, (OK, and eating the falafel!) shopping on Ben Yehuda or in the Cartel is not the same as home- but it feels like home.
There are challenges for Conservative, Reform, and secular Jews in Israel. When Suleyman spoke of Jews having a place to pray it was for all Jews. For centuries, Jews from throughout the world made their way to the Kotel for the pilgrimage holidays. Jews of all sects and schools of thought continued to live in the area. Today, though, the Orthodox leaders control most things religious in Israel such as weddings and funerals, and have even proclaimed there be a
mehitzah at the Western Wall.
Yet there are many Conservative Jewish Institutions in Israel. There's the Schechter Institutes, the Conservative Yeshiva, Masorti congregations, and Tali schools. These institutions get very little if any funds and support from the state.
This is where our voices and leadership are needed. As part of the Conservative movement, we need to continue to support Schechter Institutes through Torah Fund. Our sisterhoods must continue to make a yearly donation to support
Masorti Days of Study. If the opportunity arises, try to join your synagogue mission to Israel. We need to do what we can to ensure Israel is for all people.
In case you missed it, I referred to all of us as the leadership. What traits did the trailblazers who facilitated the creation of Israel have that we can emulate and aspire to as Women's League and Community leaders?
- ATTITUDE: Good leaders stay positive and do not waiver
- TENACITY: Nothing is ever accomplished with just one letter, one telephone call or one request.
- ORIGINALITY: People like to sense that with you they are breaking new ground
- WILLINGNESS TO ADMIT MISTAKES: If you are error-free, you are probably effort-free
- FLEXIBILITY: Things change, and we have to change appropriately
- COMMUNICATION SKILLS: clearly communicate the vision, goals, and path
- MOTIVIATION SKILLS: keep their teams going through both good and bad times and protect their teams
- INTEGRITY: Maintain absolute uprightness and honesty (in a positive way)
- KNOWLEDGE: Keep on top of relevant activities and topics
- COMMITMENT: When a group decision is made, follow through 100%
- SENSE OF OBLIGATION: Put duty before self
- TEAM PLAYER: Think "we" not "I"
Does one person have all these attributes? Of course not. That is why we cannot do this alone. We need our teams, which is where our volunteers come in.
In 1918, 100 women volunteers, many the wives of prominent Rabbis and scholars affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary, set forth a mission to "perpetuate traditional Judaism in their homes, synagogues and communities, a task for American Jewish women." When asked at the 1918 United Synagogue convention to summarize the essence of her organization, Mathilde Schechter, founder, replied, "We stand for everything Jewish and American." Calling themselves the Women's Religious Union of the United Synagogue, now Women's League for Conservative Judaism, the early leaders began to disseminate their message through the publication of educational materials written in English, whose purpose was to guide young women through the painful process of acculturation and Americanization. The group provided Student House, the first dorm at JTS.
For over 100 years, our sisterhood volunteers have cooked, baked, educated, sponsored, purchased, and supported their synagogues in thousands of ways. Where do we find those elusive people who are willing to volunteer?
First, we need to understand why people volunteer. Mostly it's because they believe in the mission of the organization and share our passion for what we are doing. We need to clearly communicate that information. If part of your sisterhood's mission is to program educational opportunities for the women in your synagogue, promote your events in that way. If it's to provide Camp scholarships for the children, every piece of publicity about your fundraisers should mention that.
What's the best way to acquire a new volunteer? ASK! Face-to-face or by phone. A request in a bulletin or a blanket announcement at a meeting allows people to dismiss immediately or think "she's not talking to me". Think about your experiences. How did you get involved in your sisterhood? I was a paper member of my sisterhood who received a solicitation letter in the mail for the Torah Fund campaign. I made a benefactor donation to Torah Fund in honor of my mother-in-law, Elaine, a former International Torah Fund chair. A week later I received a phone call from the sisterhood president to thank me. At the end of our conversation she asked me to be the next Torah Fund chair. OK, a little fast, but obviously Torah Fund is important to me so I took the position. I am now here as a Women's League Conference Consultant. In another example, I recently heard a story where a woman new to sisterhood was asked to take on a task which didn't appeal to her. The person asking was smart enough not to let her go and mentioned another position which was in her skill set and of interest. That woman became an International President of Women's League. For each of us, it all began with the ask.
When talking to a prospective volunteer always be friendly and positive. Talk about the fun you have and the good work Sisterhood does. If you know what the interests of your prospect are, try to address those. Does she enjoy attending and participating in services? Maybe you can ask her to participate in Sisterhood Shabbat. Is she an avid reader? Invite her to join your Sisterhood book club. Does she enjoy knitting or crocheting? Does she have friends who do as well? Help her form a craft group to make scarves or hats for people in need. Or just offer her a ride to an event. Maybe she'll accompany you to help set up for that event if she doesn't have to walk in alone.
When asking, be specific about expectations. You will be more successful in motivating women to volunteer if you ask them to do one identified task. Help them picture the job in detail rather than expecting them to vaguely understand. Every job is important, from stuffing envelopes to chairing the Gala committee. List those tasks to be fulfilled and ask someone to do one of them. This is especially helpful when asking a new person to join in the fun of sisterhood.
In this International Northeast Region there are over 2000 members in the 16 sisterhoods. There are even more women who are members of the synagogues but not sisterhood. That's a lot of women who can be asked. What if someone asks you why they should help? Here's an example. Instead of a formal
d'var torah at a board meeting, a sisterhood president asked everyone to state in one sentence why they are involved. Most only needed one word- friendship, community, support, fun, service. This is what we need to impart when inviting women to participate. What other answers can you give to the prospective volunteer? Express the vision, mission and goals of sisterhood. Talk about the good that sisterhood does for the synagogue and community, such as the educationally and socially focused women's Seder that you hold every year, the
hamentaschen you bake for
mishloah manot baskets, the New Year's message fundraiser that goes towards the youth groups activities, the shelter where your members go once a month to serve dinner. You get the idea.
Once we are fortunate enough to get people to participate, how do we train our new volunteers to become future leaders? Women's League has several programs that can help. Leadership Institute is two days of personal learning and growth that gives participants the confidence they might be seeking. Encourage your members to attend and put aside some money in the budget to help them go. The next one is July 28-29 in New York City. Distance workshops are one-hour conference or ZOOM calls that cover topics as varied as Finances, Membership, Torah Fund, Leadership and even Volunteerism. The next one is "Sisterhood 101" on Tuesday, June 18, at 8:30 p.m., Eastern time. Sign up at
wlcj.org. web site. All the scripts are available after the workshop through the Women's League web site under download member materials. Remember that Consulting Services can provide a trainer that can lead workshops tailored to your Sisterhood leadership or other needs. Keep in mind International Convention in Schaumberg, IL, July 12-15, 2020.
Our Jewish leaders of the past each had a vision for their community. Think about your vision for your Sisterhood and Synagogue. With your fellow leaders and future leaders, create a mission and goals and begin working on them. Neil Diamond has a great line in a song- "we're headed for the future and the future is now." Don't wait.
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MORE GOOD NEWS WANTED
Toot your own horn.
Tell us what is going on in your Sisterhood.
Tell us what is successful in your Sisterhood.
Email Lois Silverman, Chai Line editor, at
and she'll share your news.
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FROM WOMEN'S LEAGUE FOR
CONSERVATIVE
JUDAISM
Networking to engage,
enrich and empower
Conservative Jewish Women
Shabbat Message
By Lucy Becker
WLCJ International Vice President
Public Policy/World Affairs Committee Chair
No one in my family is a Holocaust survivor and no one in my family died during the Holocaust. They were all safely in the United States, having emigrated from Europe a generation or two earlier. However, my maternal grandmother was greatly impacted by what was, until the Holocaust, the greatest massacre of Jews in history, the violent Pogroms that swept through Russia in the early 20th century. In fact, historians say that the Pogroms were a template for the Holocaust and contained, on a smaller scale, everything that transpired later.
My grandmother, then, of course, a young child, lived with her parents and sister in Odessa, a thriving commercial city on the Black Sea. Their father was a prosperous salt merchant and the family lived a life of luxury with household help, music lessons, ponies to ride, and French tutors to enhance the girls' education. The family spoke Russian and French rather than the Yiddish that was commonly spoken by Russian Jews at that time.
In Odessa, Jews were more welcome than in other cities because they enhanced the commercial success of the city. However, their wonderful life ended abruptly when economic decline and a resurgence of anti-Semitism brought about a series of pogroms, beginning with the Kishinev Massacre in 1903, followed by pogroms in Odessa between 1905 and 1908. Their father died during one of the Pogroms, and their mother died shortly thereafter of an illness contracted during a period of intense fighting. The young orphans, then 14 and 16 years old, were sent to New York to live with an aunt who offered to take them in. They arrived, frightened and alone, in 1909, to live with people they barely knew.
Previously children of privilege, they lived in crowded, squalid conditions and were informed by their aunt that they were expected to work in a factory to help support the household. They were devastated not to be able to attend school so as a concession they were told that as long as they held down a job they could attend night school. This would ultimately save their lives.
Happily enrolled in school, they obtained employment at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a place infamous for horrible working conditions. They were paid $15 a week and worked 12 hours a day. After several months of juggling school and work they found that, in order to keep up with their studies, they had to study during working hours. They were determined to succeed, because the importance of obtaining an education had been ingrained in them since they were young children. When the foreman saw them hiding books on their laps, as they worked on the sewing machines, they were immediately fired - less than a month before the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of March 25, 1911, which killed about 150 young women and critically injured 79 more, including several of their close friends.
I'm not sure of all the details after the fire, but the persistence, courage, and dedication of my grandmother and great-aunt led them to successful lives. They completed their educations and remained dedicated to the labor movement, working to ensure that tragedies such as this did not occur again. Also, they were extremely Zionistic, working tirelessly to support the idea of Israel, and later the fledgling country, realizing that a national home was essential for the safety of the Jewish people. This idea had first gained widespread prominence during the pogroms in Russia.
My grandmother became a nurse, married, and raised my mother, who served as President of the Sisterhood of Park Avenue Synagogue for many years and was proud to be a member of Women's League. She is my legacy. My great-aunt became a social worker and worked her entire life for the Jewish Board of Guardians, a precursor to the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. She was always dedicated to helping those in need, especially women and children.
Having lost so much early in life, they were always grateful to the United States for providing a place where they could reclaim their lives and live as Jewish women. These two brave and hardworking women served as role models for my mother, for me and my daughter, and, hopefully, for my granddaughters and my grandsons also.
They would be greatly upset by the resurgence of anti-Semitism now occurring near their homes in Brooklyn and across the United States and Europe. It is my prayer that the threat will be quelled and we, our children, and our grandchildren can live in peace and security without fear.
Shabbat Shalom,
Lucy Becker
Women's League Reads Announces
Women's League Reads is excited to announce our next featured book and author interview,
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo, by Michael David Lukas. An exclusive, WL members-only author interview will be held on Wed., July 17, at 8:30 p.m., Eastern time.
Sign Up Now for Distance Workshops!
The next Distance Workshop, "Sisterhood 101" is
this Tuesday, June 18, at 8:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
There is no charge but pre-registration is necessary. We recommend that you register
before the day of the workshop. Call-in information is sent upon registration.
Participation is limited to members of Women's League ONLY. Distance Workshops are held on weekday evenings at 8:30 p.m., Eastern time.
For more information, e-mail co-chairs Harriet Merkowitz at hmerkowitz@wlcj.org or Toby Maser at Tobala704@aol.com, or call 212.870.1260. Members can read scripts from this year's Distance Workshops here, and they can find earlier scripts by logging onto the Members Only section of the WLCJ website and clicking on Download WLCJ Member Materials.
Miss Study with Scholars?
Introduction to Mishnah Berakhot
Chapter Two: Shema - Listen, Part Two, with Rabbi Cheryl Peretz
Looking for ways to immerse yourself in Jewish study and text? Women's League for Conservative Judaism has just started a new program to enhance, enrich, and engage our Conservative Jewish Women in the 21st Century:
The next session will be Chapter Two: Shema - Listen, Part Two with Rabbi Cheryl Peretz on Thursday, July 11, at 8:00 p.m., Eastern time.
Call-in information will be sent upon registering - Please refrain from joining the call until FIFTEEN MINUTES before the session. This program is open to REGISTERED individual Women's League and sisterhood members ONLY.
Not a member yet? Become an Individual Member here!
Make sure to register for all individual sessions in order to take the full course.
This year's Torah Fund Campaign ends on June 30, 2019
To get donation credit this campaign year, please ensure that your sisterhood's checks arrive with a completed transmittal form in the NY Torah Fund office by this Thursday,
June 13, 2019
. (PSW and Canadian dates and instructions differ.) Checks should be made out to
Torah Fund
, and sent to:
Torah Fund
JTS
3080 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Questions? Please call (212) 678-8027, or ext. 8977, or 8876.
Thank you for your support of this important cause!
The 20th Annual National Masorti Women's Study Day: "Women Wow the World: From Antiquity to Modernity"
Friday, June 21st, 2019
8:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
at The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies
4 Avraham Granot St. Jerusalem
Each June, 300-400 women unite for a day of study, prayer and social interaction and education programs. Sponsored by Midrashat Schechter and Women's League, with the help of the Masorti Movement, rabbis and educators provide engaging learning opportunities for all who wish increase their understanding of Jewish history, thought and observance. Sessions will be offered in four languages: Hebrew, English, Spanish and Russian. The education programs enhance and enrich understanding of Jewish history, values and traditions. Participants will range in age from 12-91 and attend from as far north as Adamit on the Lebanese border to Kibbutz Ketura in the South. Earlier in the year three separate regional study days took place throughout the country- each with over 100 attendees. This is an incredible opportunity to join with women from around the country united in prayer, learning and friendship.
Classes will be offered in English, Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew with Professor Alice Shalvi, Professor Renée Levine Melammed, Rabbi Irina Gritsevsky, Dr. Shulamit Laderman and more!
Donate here
t
o Masorti Days of Study, or send checks to Women's League made out to "Women's League for Conservative Judaism."
Please indicate the name of the program you are donating to in the memo line of the check (i.e. "Masorti").
Next Leadership Institute
Our next Leadership Institute will be held
July 28-29, 2019 in New York City.
The Leadership Institute will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 28 at:
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway
New York , NY 10027
On Monday, we will meet at the Women's League office, entrance at 61 Claremont Avenue, New York, NY 10027.
The full cost of the course will be $199, which includes meals and snacks. Accommodations on Sunday night will be at the Days Hotel Broadway, 215 West 94th Street, New York, NY 10025 at an additional cost of $111 per person, double occupancy (single room is $222).
WWOT - Weekly Words of Torah
To inspire, guide, engage, enrich, and empower Conservative Jewish Women
By Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, Executive Director, WLCJ
This week's Torah reading, Parashat Naso, is the longest Torah portion in the entire full Torah reading cycle (as opposed to the triennial cycle of reading.) The Priestly Blessing, the Birkat Kohanim, is found in this week's Parashah, in Numbers, chapter 6, verse 24-26: May God bless you and protect you; May God deal kindly with you and be gracious to you; May God grant you favor and peace." We do not have to be a kohen, a priest, to give each other a blessing. A kind word goes a long way, as do words of encouragement and love.
How can this relate to our lives in Women's League? At the end of a meeting or an event, have people pair up, or go into small groups, and ask each person to share what they feel comfortable saying, in terms of what they would like to see in their lives. This exercise is not designed to make someone feel uncomfortable, or forced to share. However, it should be a time of safety, security, and confidentiality. After each person speaks 2-3 minutes (time them), have them bless each other, from the thoughts the person just spoke. It can be a very powerful moment, to bless someone, in one's own spontaneous words, from the heart, spoken to someone who just spoke from the heart. If someone does not want to share, a blessing for health, happiness, joy, and the gift of breath, always works, as well as the Priestly Blessing.
Thank You for Your Contributions!
The following have donated recently to Women's League and its many initiatives.
Donate here
or send checks to Women's League made out to "Women's League for Conservative Judaism."
Please indicate the name of the program you are donating to in the memo line of the check (i.e. "Masorti").
All contributions are welcome.
Masorti WL Days of Study
Sisterhood Congregation B'nai Tikvah, North Brunswick, NJ
Teresa Samtur - Monmouoth Junction, NJ
Temple Emeth Sisterhood, Chestnut Hill, MA
Peninsula Sinai Congregation, Foster City, CA
Save the Date!
WLCJ Convention 2020
Sisters Journeying Together
Sunday, July 12 - Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Hyatt Regency Schaumburg in Schaumburg, Illinois
(Suburban Chicago)
We look forward to seeing you there!
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ANNOUNCING WLCJ'S JEWELS IN THE CROWN AWARDS
The Women's League for Conservative Judaism's
Jewels in the Crown Award
was established ten years ago, in 2009, in order to recognize our sisterhoods who have demonstrated excellence in education, cultural programming, and social action, and who exhibit a strong Women's League identity. There were more than 215 total sisterhood recipients at the 2014 and 2017 Women's League Conventions. These sisterhoods offered hundreds of interesting and successful programs that reflected a wide diversity of subjects, issues, social action projects, celebrations, and personal enrichment activities. Learn more about the program at
http://wlcj.org/2014/07/jewels-in-the-crown-awards/
.
Now is the time to start collecting your programs to be submitted for Jewels in the Crown Awards for the 2020 Women's League Convention. Please appoint a sisterhood member to be responsible for completing and submitting the application to us. We will be looking at your programs from September 2017 until June 30, 2020.
Download the 2020 Jewels in the Crown application here!
Each Sisterhood must be current with their 2019 and 2020 per capita, and must participate in Torah Fund in order to be eligible to participate in Jewels in the Crown.
Become a shining jewel in the Women's League crown! Please share this letter with your current executive committee and feel free to contact us with any questions.
B'shalom,
Meryl Balaban (mbalaban@wlcj.org)
Madeleine Gimbel (maddy_gimbel@yahoo.com)
Convention 2020 Jewels in the Crown Co-Chairs
Margie Miller (mmiller@wlcj.org)
WLCJ President
Sisters Journeying Together
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NEED HELP?
HELP IS AVAILABLE ON THE WLCJ WEBSITE.
Programs, membership ideas, education material, and more available at wlcj.org
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