CHAI LINES
The Newsletter of the International Northeast Region
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
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SISTERS JOURNEYING TOGETHER
Serving Conservative Jewish Women
in New York State, Ontario, and Quebec
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LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK
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Dear Sisters,
Although we are not going to “Journey” to Schaumburg, Illinois, our 2020 Virtual Convention is journeying to you!
WHEN: SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020
TIME: 10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: In front of your computer, iPad, phone or laptop. Online registration will begin in early June. The day will be free of charge, but your generous support of the Virtual Ad Journal will be greatly appreciated.
WHY: The business of Women’s League must go on and you do NOT want to miss a day of fabulous programming. Be a part of our first-ever virtual installation ceremony—gowns optional, tissues mandatory! Witness the transition to our new administration—Mazal Tov to Margie Miller and Debbi Kaner Goldich, their officers and boards.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Still Journeying with our Convention Clergy: Rabbi Cheryl Peretz and Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro.
- Inspirational Shacharit Service with Choir—don’t forget your Tallit and Tefilin.
- Social Action Panel and Workshop—keep working on those projects!
- Focus on Sisterhoods-Leadership Training and Jewels in the Crown.
- Discharge of our outgoing Executive Committee and Board.
- Installation of our incoming Executive Committee and Board.
- Celebratory concert featuring surprise guests.
Please join us as we journey together to create the future of Women's League!
Margie Miller, WLCJ International President
Debbi Kaner Goldich, WLCJ Convention Chair
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From Our Region Region President
Joan Lowenstein
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Dear Friends,
This week’s article is from guest contributor Marilyn Cohen, International Northeast Region’s Torah Fund Vice President. Marilyn tells us why during this difficult time of the Pandemic we still should not forget about our obligations to donate to Torah Fund and why we should still support the institutions it subsidizes. Read on for details about how you can help and deadlines we need to meet due to limitations imposed by the coronavirus.
Also in this week’s Chai Lines contains a plethora of virtual programming offered by WLCJ and other organizations. No one can possibly be bored. And don’t forget, if you have lost a loved one and need to say Mourner’s Kaddish or have a Yahrzeit, you can join Womens League daily, Sunday through Friday at 1:00 pm for Psalm Study and Kaddish Recitation. See the link below.
And finally, mark your calendars for our Virtual Convention to be held on July 12, 2020! The WLCJ Convention Committee is hard at work transforming our convention into a full day of learning, Jewels in the Crown awards, installation of the incoming international board, and more! Be on the lookout for more information coming soon.
I wish, above all else, good health for you and your loved ones, and, of course, a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat.
Joan
INRPresident@wlcj.org
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These are truly challenging times especially for sisterhoods trying to reach their Torah Fund Goals. Some sisterhoods have tried to have their Spring Torah Fund events via Zoom but we understand that others simply cannot do it that way.
The Torah Fund Campaign is in the final push to reach sisterhood goals and for sending donations into the Torah Fund offices—in Canada to the Jewish Theological Society in Toronto and in the USA to the Torah Fund office in NYC. Only US donors can use the ONLINE option on the Torah Fund website to donate that way. Canadians must pay by cheque or cash. The majority of donations are made through your own sisterhood’s Torah Fund Chair.
Many challenges are being faced during the pandemic, and it seems insignificant to be writing about fundraising, but think about the role that our rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators, and community professionals have played over the last weeks in creating and adapting online Shabbat services, adult classes,
b'nai mitzvah
tutoring, religious school classes, and other programs.
In addition, the five seminaries, the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam, Germany, have adapted to this crisis by teaching classes remotely, and by offering distance learning opportunities to the broader Jewish community.
Several weeks ago, most people never heard of Zoom, and now it has become a household word. If your sisterhood would like to hold a Torah Fund Zoom program please contact me to learn more. Also useful is the article
10 Tips: Virtual Fundraising Today to Prepare for Tomorrow
,
found on the ejewish Philanthropy website.
Also for all sisterhood presidents, Women’s League has offered a practice workshop (May 21) on how to use Zoom, set up a meeting and be the host. Call me for more info at 416-518-1860.
Please note:
- Due to the coronavirus, all donations must be mailed into the Torah Fund office by June 1st. A staff member only picks up the mail once or twice a week.
- US DONORS ONLY - Torah Fund donations may be made online by credit card. Just be sure to include your sisterhood, synagogue and town. See below for the links.
I wish for you all happy and healthy times ahead. May we find the strength and faith to continue to connect safely with our families, synagogues, sisterhoods and wider communities through the miracle of technology. Let’s all stay safe at home but with the hope that in time, “Gam Zeh Ya’avor” (This Too Shall Pass).
Marilyn Cohen – INR Torah Fund VP
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The Torah Fund Campaign is Women’s League’s dedicated philanthropy which supports scholarships and programming at five Conservative/Masorti institutes of higher Jewish learning around the world.
Click here
for US only donations to the annual Torah Fund Campaign
Click here
for US only donations to the Torah Fund Special Project “Spaces”
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From Women's League for Conservative Judaism
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Lois Silverman Offers Virtual Course
Jewish Women in Film Session #3:
The War Years
Monday, May 18, 2020 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT, followed by Q & A
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During these very difficult times why not learn more about Jewish women in the movies. Lois Silverman will be offering a course on Monday, May 4, 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT, followed by Q &A. All are welcome.
Please see zoom instructions below.
"When we view a film, we enter a new, often unfamiliar world," said Silverman. "If the film is well constructed, we become engrossed in how the inhabitants of that world react with each other. But when we study a film, we learn more about that world; we see how the inhabitants of that world interacted and why they acted as they did. To study film is a means of viewing history and studying it," explained Silverman as she described her upcoming course. Silverman teaches a film course at SUNY/POLY in Utica/Rome, NY.
Since the beginning of the US film industry in the early 1900s, Jewish women have been involved in front of the camera. They have also been part of the film industry, to a lesser degree, behind the scenes. While putting the times and societal norms into context, this course, through film clips, will explore the history and role of Jewish women in film from the beginning of the industry until today.
Don't forget the popcorn! All are welcome ! Tell all your family and friends !
Lois Silverman earned a B.A. cum laude and an M.A. in English Literature from Montclair State University, NJ. She has taught American and English literature, writing, and media studies as well as many adult education courses. Presently she is teaching film studies at SUNY/POLY (Utica/Rome). Having been sisterhood president of Temple Beth El, Utica, and NY State Branch President,
she has also served as WL’s Program/Music Chair, Youth/School Chair, and is now Internet Services Chair. Lois has written many programs and publications for WLCJ .
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 890 8155 6104
Password: 514845
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Meeting ID: 890 8155 6104
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Love WLCJ!
Follow WLCJ on her Social Media Sites
If you aren't already following Women's League for Conservative Judaism on all her social media sites, now is the time to do so. It's a great way to keep in touch with the latest news and events. Here are WLCJ's links, including LinkedIn, which has recently been added to the website homepage.
Stay tuned over the next months for quick tips on how to help maximize WLCJ's impact
on all her social media sites.
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Shabbat Message:
May 16, 2020
Perspectives
By Jennifer Wood,
Southern Region President
If you change the way you look at things, the way you look at things will change. --Wayne Dyer
I’ve spent the past week at my parents’ lake house with them. It’s been a while since it wasn’t rented out and now that I’ve been working from home for almost two months, I was excited to have a view of the lake. Imagine my surprise when I set up my laptops, monitor and mouse and looked out to see bushes blocking my view of the lake. If I concentrated, I could see through the leaves to the water moving beyond the bush, but I had to know it was there, that there was something past those leaves, which were just beyond the window.
Our view of life is shaped by what we see and experience. When we’re children, everything is new and fresh. We learn and grow as we experience life, and our perspective constantly changes throughout the stages towards adulthood at what seems like a fast pace. Yet, as we grow older, many become so busy with their lives that we sometimes lose our perspective and only see what is in front of us.
One of my mentors told me that a wise woman takes time to stop and look around. To think about the way she views the world and her time. Once she does this, she should imagine herself 5, 10 and then 20 years in the future. What will her future self think of the way she spent her time when the perspective has changed? Will the late nights working and meals missed with family and friends be worth the choices she made?
The key to shifting perspectives is to remember your ultimate goal. Twenty years
in the future, what advice would our future self offer? Changing our view can change our lives for the better, and sometimes, what we need to do is cut out the detritus. Other times, we need a time of Sabbatical.
I knew there was water past those bushes because I had seen it, but someone else without the experience may not have known. Over the weekend, the bushes were cut down so this week, as I work, my view of the lake is unobstructed. All it took for the perspective to change was the removal of a few bushes, and an entire view of the lake and the shore across was revealed. Sometimes, a small change can indeed be a revelation.
I hope your Shabbat is peaceful and meaningful.
Shabbat shalom,
Jennifer Wood
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Weekly Words of Torah goes PC (Parashah and Chesed)
Parashat Behar-Bechukotai
(Shabbat 5/16/2020)
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This week we have a double Torah portion of
Parashat Behar-Bechukotai
.
Parashat Beha
r includes more rules, such as rules about the Sabbatical years, the Jubilee years, owning property in the land of Israel, and not lending money at interest. In the second Torah portion,
Parashat Bechukotai
, we read, that God promises five blessings to the Families of Israel if they follow the laws prescribed in the Torah. God warns of thirty-two curses that will happen if the laws are not followed. The Book of Leviticus concludes with laws about vows, tithes, things promised to God and things that need to be redeemed.
Each week I suggest an idea related to
Chesed
, that we can do. In our daily Psalm and Kaddish, I have pointed out when the Psalmist uses the word
Chesed
, or a derivative of the word. Often the word Chesed refers to acts of loving kindness which God performs for human kind. This week, I want to suggest that we be mindful and aware of the acts of
chesed
, loving kindness which God performs for us daily. Therefore, this week, look out your window, and see the acts of
Chesed
God performs for human kind every day - the sun rising and setting; birds chirping; rain falling; flowers blooming - just a few examples.
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“A Prayer of Hope During This Pandemic”
By Rabbi Naomi Levy
Rabbi Naomi Levy is the founder and spiritual leader of
Nashuva
, a groundbreaking Jewish community based in Los Angeles.
We are frightened, God,
Worried for our loved ones,
Worried for our world.
Helpless and confused,
We turn to You
Seeking comfort, faith and hope.
Teach us, God, to turn our panic into patience,
And our fear into acts of kindness and support.
Our strong must watch out for our weak,
Our young must take care of our old.
Help each one of us to do our part to halt the spread of this virus.
Send strength and courage to the doctors and nurses
In the frontlines of this battle,
Fortify them with the full force of their healing powers.
Send wisdom and insight to the scientists
Working day and night across the world to discover healing treatments.
Bless their efforts, God.
Fill our leaders with the wisdom and the courage
To choose wisely and act quickly.
Help us, God, to see that we are one world,
One people
Who will rise above this pandemic together.
Send us health, God,
Watch over us,
Grace us with Your love,
Bless us with Your healing light.
Hear us, God,
Heal us, God,
Amen.
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Daily Virtual Minyan via Zoom for Psalm Study
and Kaddish Recitation
As it has become the new reality that people are not physically allowed to gather in large groups, and many cannot attend Services to say Kaddish. We do not want you to be feel alone, and want our sisters throughout the world to know that although we may not physically be together, we can come together virtually.
WLCJ has created an avenue for our WLCJ Sisters, to read and study a Psalm every day, and say Kaddish.
Starting on Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 1 pm EDT, we will have a Zoom Meeting for us to come together, to read and study a Psalm and say Kaddish. We will do this every day, but on Shabbat, and holidays. (If this need continues into Passover.)
This is a situation of Sha'at HaDichak, a pressing time, where things are different, and so as Mara D'atra of WLCJ, I am saying that since we cannot all be part of a physical minyan of ten, ten coming together via zoom will be a minyan. Since we are in different time zones, we will not have a full Service, but rather read and study a chapter from the Book of Psalms, and then say Kaddish. The chapter will be on your screen, as well as Kaddish - we just need ten together on the zoom.
The following is the call in information for each day, starting Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 1 pm EDT, and will continue every day, but Shabbat, and the holy days of holidays - if we need to continue through Passover.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 630 830 287
Password: 875936
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,630830287# US (New York)
+16699006833,,630830287# US (San Jose)
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 Israel
One does not have to pre-register, just call in.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Margie Miller WLCJ President
Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
WLCJ Executive Director
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Two new opportunities for Sisterhood Presidents
You asked, we delivered!
A practice workshop on how to use Zoom, set up a meeting and be
the host. A “How To” sheet will be sent before the session.
We look forward to being with you!
Carol Simon
Past International President
Toby Maser
Women's League Consultant
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Women's League Reads Author Interview
Jun 2, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time
Convention presenter Goldie Goldbloom will discuss her novel
ON DIVISION
Goldie Goldbloom’s first novel, The Paperbark Shoe, was given the AWP Novel Award, the Independent Publishers’ Novel of the Year, and was recently placed on the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read list. Her work has been shortlisted for the Australian Literary Society’s Gold Medal and the Aurealis Prize for Fantasy Fiction, and her writing has appeared in venues such as NPR, Ploughshares, The Kenyon Review and Le Monde. She is the grateful recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Brown Foundation, the City of Chicago, the Elizabeth George Foundation, Ragdale, Yaddo, Northwestern University and many other organizations. Her most recent novel, On Division, was chosen to be the One Bay, One Book selection for San Francisco for 2020. She is chassidic, the mother of eight children, and grew up in Australia. She teaches in the creative writing program at Northwestern University.
Topic: Author Goldie Goldbloom
Time: Jun 2, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/475511878?pwd=dEJGWFZOTEVvUG05c2hOK1U0S2dJZz09
Meeting ID: 475 511 878
Password: 453669
One tap mobile
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+13126266799,,475511878# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
+1 647 374 4685 Canada
+1 647 558 0588 Canada
+1 778 907 2071 Canada
+1 438 809 7799 Canada
+1 587 328 1099 Canada
+972 3 978 6688 Israel
+972 55 330 1762 Israel
Meeting ID: 475 511 878
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abkdqsxzJq
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Earth Day Sisterhood Program Showcase for May, 2020
Earth Day was a Social Action project undertaken by not only our synagogue but the entire local community. Sisterhood prepared food and served breakfast and lunch to all volunteers.
We had our event in the local Lowe’s parking lot, represented were: a local electronic recycler, a local paper shredder, the Salvation Army, a church organization that helps kids aging out of the foster care system, a shoe recycler, and other similar businesses. We also had volunteers from a local Boy Scout troop and a local high school (kids need the service hours).
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Women's League Calendar Diary 2020-2021 Order Now
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Now available in paperback
America’s Jewish Women:
A History from Colonial Times to Today
(W.W. Norton, 2019)
Winner of the 2019 National Jewish Book Award—
Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year
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Pamela S. Nadell, A past presenter in our Study With Scholars series
American University Professor and
Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women's & Gender History
Director, Jewish Studies Program
Past President, Association for Jewish Studies
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
202-885-2425
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Cross Movement Events
All Times EDT Unless Specified
Fake News and the Resurgence of Antisemitism
Monday, May 18 1:00-2:15 PM ET
Dr. Shuli Rubin Schwartz JTS Provost, Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, and Sala and Walter Schlesinger Dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School, JTS.
How can we make sense of the resurgence of antisemitism from both right and left a mere 70 years after the Holocaust?
Kolot Ramah - A Weekly Gathering of Song and Solidarity (Rick Recht and Rabbi Josh Warshawsky)
Cantors Assembly
Every Friday 12:30PM EST
Getting Ready for Shabbat with Hazzan Mike Stein
: Children’s Music Grammy Award winner Mike Stein helps to bring in Shabbat with music, puppetry and story-telling at 12:30 pm Pacific Time for children and adults.
Register
May 19th 12PM
SongSwap: Songs of Hope and Healing III
Register
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Still Accepting Jewels In The Crown Application
There's still time to send in your forms!!
We thank all Sisterhoods who already sent in their Jewels In The Crown applications. The cover letter and application may be found under section 05A of the password protected area on the website.
Need help with login? Need quick blank application?
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Convention Social Action Project update
If you would like to purchase a no-sew blanket kit to create a warm blanket or donate a kit to enable THE ARK to assist those in need please
Click HERE
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Calling all Sisterhood Presidents, both new and experienced!
Our Sisterhood Presidents' Zoom calls will help you navigate a path through the world of Women’s League.
Our Zoom calls are designed for you to discover the essence of Convention and why so many of us are so excited to be spending three days with like-minded Jewish women from all over North America. Just think…you have the chance to meet other Sisterhood Presidents from the comfort of your home before Convention, so you will have new friends waiting for you when you get to Chicago. This is also YOUR opportunity to let us know what tools you feel you need so that you can return to your sisterhoods feeling energized and confident. We aim to please!
Registration is now open for the following Sisterhood Presidents' Zoom session:
Convention Starts NOW! You Found It Where? Wed., April 22, 8pm Eastern
Register HERE
Click
here
for recording of the first session held Wednesday, January 8, 2020,
Convention Starts NOW - I Did Not Know That!
Click
here
for recording of the second session held Thursday, March 5, 2020
Convention Starts NOW! We have a website?
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Cross Movement Events All Times EDT Unless Specified
4/19 8:30PM
Jewish Hollywood by Dan Kimmel
4/20 7:30PM
My Journey into Jewish Genealogy or, How I Created a Family Tree of 2,500 People by Mike Mills
4/23 1:00PM
Knowing Your Why? - A TED Talk presentation and discussion by Bob Braitman
Cantors Assembly
4/21 SongSwap: Shavuot, Yizkor with special guest Julia Andelman
No need to be a cantor or musician. Everyone is welcome...all the time.
We always meet for a live, in-person webinar on the first Wednesday of each month at 12 Noon EST. You can also find us on iTunes, Google Play and YouTube. To learn more or to listen and watch previous episodes, visit our archives.
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Act Now: Protect the Most Vulnerable From the Impacts of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, disrupting lives and fueling anxiety. As Congress responds, we must remind our elected leaders of their responsibility to act swiftly, with care and compassion, as they address the pandemic and its economic repercussions.
The President recently signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This was a crucial step, but it did not go far enough. Right now, the Senate is preparing to vote on expanding emergency funding. It is vital that this next bill do more to protect those who need assistance most.
Congress should follow these principles in any legislation that addresses the COVID-19 crisis:
- Ensure accessible and affordable testing and treatment for the Coronavirus, regardless of income, location, disability, or immigration status.
- Ensure that all can take sick leave and care for family members without risking their jobs or their paychecks.
- Ensure low-income workers and individuals who are economically at risk have the assistance they need to put food on the table and provide for their families.
- Give special care and attention to individuals at increased risk of infection, including individuals in prison, immigrants and children in detention, in long-term care facilities, and those who are homeless.
- Economic stimulus measures should focus first on low-income and vulnerable communities. Such policies also have the strongest economic impact. Any bailouts and emergency assistance for major industries and businesses must be paired with comparable assistance for economically at-risk workers and vulnerable individuals.
Time is of the essence. Contact your members and urge them to act quickly in protecting our most vulnerable.
Send a letter to your Representatives and Senators today!
Click here
to take action!
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Your opportunity to enjoy recent Zooms
Cantor Leon Sher and Hazzan Aliza Pomerantz-Boro sing his composition, Heal Us Now (each from their own home) at a special visit to our daily 1pm Psalm Study and Kaddish, Friday, March 27th
Listen
Their earlier performance of this piece with the choir from Congregation Beth El, Voorhees, NJ
Listen
Personal Conversation: Neshama,
with Rabbi Jaymee Alpert
Tefillin with Anne Lapidus Lerner
Mishnah with Rabbi Chaya Rowen Brown
How To Put On Tefillin with Janet Kirschner
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AND MORE
Lois Silverman Jewish Women In Film
Recordings now on our website
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