In
ternational Northeast Region
Women's League
for Conservative Judaism
Networking to Engage, Enrich, and Empower Conservative Jewish Women
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November 8, 2019 Volume 3, Issue 31
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FROM THE REGION PRESIDENT--JOAN LOWENSTEIN
This week we have an update from Education and Programming Vice President Esther Racoosin. And she provides a plethora of information!
Esther goes into great detail and provides us information on all of the Women's League initiatives including JTS Online Courses, Masorti Days of Study, Women's League Reads, Personal Conversations, Mishnah Berakhot, and so much more. I hope you will enjoy reading Esther's article and find something for yourself personally and something to take back to your Sisterhood.
Wishing you a meaningful and peaceful Shabbat,
Joan
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FROM THE REGION EDUCATION VP--ESTHER RACOOSIN
Hello Sisterhood members of International Northeast Region Chapters!
Here, I present an update on the current Women's League Education and Programming offerings!
In order to take part in all Education and Programming Offerings, you must be a member of Women's League. But, no worries!!
If you belong to a sisterhood affiliated with Women's League for Conservative Judaism, you are already a member and you do not need to pay to become an individual member, as well. If you are not sure if you are registered, you can contact Razel Kessler at 212-870-1263, or email her at rkessler@wlcj.org.
Here I list the numerous offerings from Women's League. There are many to consider, and I hope that you check some of them out!!
First, consider taking part in the series: Listen, Pray, Think: A Journey Through Mishnah Berakhot. The next event is: Mishnah Berakhot, Chapter Four: Livin' on a Prayer with Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields - Thursday, November 21, 2019, 8:00 p.m., EST - Register for this session here!
Next, there are online Courses at Jewish Theological Seminary!
J
oin
JTS faculty for live online mini-courses offered throughout the year. Encounter compelling scholarship that brings Jewish text and wisdom to bear on contemporary life - from home on your computer!
The cost for each course is: $60 per 3-session course, $80 per 4-session course, $100 per 6-session course.
All sessions take place from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET
Recordings will be available for those unable to attend live.
The upcoming courses are:
READING RABBINIC LITERATURE IN THE #METOO ERA
THREE TUESDAYS, STARTING NOVEMBER 19
With Rabbi Julia Andelman
LEARN TO READ MISHNAH (SKILLS COURSE)
SIX MONDAYS, STARTING NOVEMBER 11
With Dr. Marcus Mordecai Schwartz
Check out the new
Divrei Nashim, or Words of Our Women. The new Divrei Nashim
follow the theme of Chesed, or loving kindness. The short commentaries can be read at the start of a meeting or, using the questions provided, as a study session/discussion. You can find the new Divrei Nashim at:
http://wlcj.org/member-services/services-to-sisterhoods/divrei-nashim/
Read the Women's League Shabbat Materials:
Each year, the members of affiliated sisterhoods celebrate the 1918 founding of Women's League by Mathilde Schechter with a special Shabbat service. The next celebration, for 2020/5780 will be held on January 18/21 Tevet, Parashat Shemot.
Learn about "Study with Scholars",
These sessions will be held via Zoom online conference calls. Questions? Contact Program Coordinator
Barbara Ezring
at
bezring@wlcj.org
. The next Study with Scholars will be announced soon.
Consider new strategies for your sisterhood by reading some of the archived
Distance Workshops. There are currently no workshops scheduled for the 2019-2020 season, but
members can read scripts from past Distance Workshops by logging onto the WLCJ website and clicking on Download WLCJ Member Materials.
Read
Women's League Reads Books!
We are pleased to announce thatThe Flight Portfolio, a historical novel set in 1940 in occupied France, will be the next featured selection of
Women's League Reads
. Members are invited to our Live-Interview with the author, Julie Orringer, on Monday, November 18, 2019, at 12 Noon, EST. (Instructions to join the Zoom conference call will be sent in advance. The interview will be recorded.)
WL Reads is a
member-benefit program of Women's League. Those who have joined the group will receive directions for the Live Interview several weeks ahead. To join, write to Lois Silverman at
lsilverman@wlcj.org with your Sisterhood name or individual WLCJ member ID.
Participate in
Personal Conversations. These discussions provide a forum for members to address everyday issues through discussions about obstacles and opportunities. Members can join via conference call.
Programming- Did your Sisterhood recently present an amazing program? Share your recent exciting programs by sending a description and photos to Lois Silverman,
lsilverman@wlcj.org
.
Finally, don't forget that
the next Women's League International Convention will be held July 12-15, 2020 in Schaumburg, Illinois. Registration info will be available soon at the Women's league website,
www.wlcj.org
.
Wishing you a wonderful fall season,
Esther L. Racoosin
INR Vice President of Education and Programming
Member of Sisterhood of Temple Beth-El, Ithaca
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FROM THE REGION BOOK CHAIR--RUTH BORSKY
Julie Orringer has yet again penned an excellent novel in
The Flight Portfolio about Europe's World War II.
This time her setting is Vichy France prior to the U.S. entry into the war. The main character is Varian Frye, the American representative of the New York based Emergency Rescue Committee whose mission is to extract European artists and writers from the continent to safety. He is a bold and steadfast agent intent on his mission although in many instances he is thwarted by circumstances beyond his control by his clients as well as the Nazi influenced French officials he so adamantly deals with.
He is surrounded by loyal sympathizers who aid his mission with false passports, illegal "papers," and circuitous land routes through Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and sea routes to safety when they are not cut off.
There is a serious subplot in this story dealing with Varian's life and conscience that blends into the main plot. The book deals with this slowly at first, but do not be discouraged. As you read on, the twists and turns make for an exciting read.
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IN THE REGION FAMILY
Toby Maser, Herkimer, on the marriage of her son
Cheryl Patt, Syracuse, on the marriage of her daughter
REFUAH SH'LEMA:
Lois Silverman, DeWitt
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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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Do you know that INR has its own website and Facebook page?
Go to our Facebook page and like us. Click here to see our page.
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FROM WOMEN'S LEAGUE FOR
CONSERVATIVE
JUDAISM
Shabbat Message
By Debra Green
WLCJ Vice President
"There is something good in everything bad." These wise words were always spoken by my very sage mother when something unfortunate happened. Who could question her wisdom after all she has lived through? After all, she survived Nazi Germany, Kristallnacht November 8-9, 1938, the voyage of the St. Louis in 1939, and internment at Westerbork in Holland and Terezin in (then) Czechoslovakia. While in Terezin she got married, only to lose her husband, his brothers and father, and her father three short months later when the men were sent to Auschwitz. My mother and her mother survived and eventually made it to the United States. At 96-1/2 years old, my wonderful mother is still physically healthy but has dementia and cannot hear.
You may be wondering, "What could possibly be good about that?" As sad as her situation seems, there is good in it. She is unaware that this Shabbat is the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht and all that followed. She is also unaware of the ominous increase in antisemitism occurring around the world - including here in her beloved United States. How alarmed she would be! How would she react? Would she urge my brother and me and our families to take action to fight that frightening evil? Or would she want us to begin to look into fleeing to some other country that might be safer than the United States? Would she want us to go to Israel? Would she urge us to buy gold in case we end up somewhere where our dollars won't save us?
As we ponder these concerns, we are grateful that she remains unaware of current events. I visit several times a week, never missing the opportunity to kiss her, hold her hand, and tell her she is the best mother and grandmother ever. When any of her five great-grandchildren visit, she enjoys them, whoever they are! And we try to explain to those great-grandchildren how special she has always been to their parents and why it is important for them to visit her. (Of course, the children generalize her condition to all "old people." Recently, when I had some temporary difficulty with a crossword puzzle, my six year-old grandson said it was "because you're old and you don't know things!")
As our week leads to Shabbat, please take a moment to recall Kristallnacht and all the horror that ensued for European Jewry. If those thoughts are unsettling, especially in light of the present political climate around the world, please remember my wise mother's "There's something good in everything bad." You may have to create that good by becoming active in the fight against antisemitism, but, if you look hard enough, you will find it.
Shabbat shalom!
November Sisterhood Program Showcase
Event: Project: DIGNITY
From: Temple Israel in Charlotte NC
Concept:
Help women taking the first step to leave their abusive homes and bring about dignity.
Stay tuned for a special feature on Project: Dignity in our upcoming New Outlook Fall Issue.
We also encourage you to share your unique programs with us so that we can Showcase your Sisterhood Program. Please send your program outlines, flyers and photos to Marsha Strongin at marsha@strongin.net. Together we will engage, enrich and empower our Sisterhood members.
UPDATED TIME: Women's League Reads
 We are pleased to announce that The Flight Portfolio, a historical novel set in 1940 in occupied France, will be the next featured selection of Women's League Reads.
Members are invited to our Live-Interview with the author,
Julie Orringer, on Monday, November 18, 2019, at
11 a.m.
Merle Carrus will lead the interview. Merle Carrus founded, leads, and participates in many book clubs, including one she began and expanded at her own Sisterhood of Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, NH.
(Members - please note the time change to an hour earlier than announced. Instructions to join the Zoom conference call will be sent in advance. The interview will be recorded.)
A surprising Holocaust hero, Varian Fry, isn't well known, although he has left a memoir, had a biographer and was the first American to be recognized by Yad Vashem as a "Righteous Gentile." He is credited with saving 2,000 lives. With vivid characters and cloak-and-dagger plot twists, the novel relates Fry's mission, as agent for the U.S-based Emergency Rescue Committee, to find safe passage for important Jewish artists and philosophers who have fled Germany or Poland to occupied France, yet remain under imminent threat of handoff by the Vichy regime to the Nazis.
Fry shelters a group of artists at a run-down villa near Marseille, and plans the flight to safety of Marc and Bella Chagall, Hannah Arendt and hundreds more on his "list", by bribing, counterfeiting and plotting for their escapes to distant ports. The young Fry must contend with some who are reluctant to be saved, making the risky bet that their fame will protect them. The U.S. State Department, except for one rogue official, is at odds with Fry and resists granting needed visas. Resourceful "real" figures such as Peggy Guggenheim help through their wealth and connections, and his motley crew of clever staff and allies for the most part outsmart the French, the Nazis and the U.S. government.
Within the larger drama, the author imagines the internal struggles of Fry as a man with secrets. The novel also frames the moral ambiguity of his rescue mission, which ranks people as worthy of saving correlated to their perceived artistic brilliance and fame.
Published by Knopf in May 2019, the book is 575 pages in hardcover, and in large-print, e-reader and audible formats.
Ms Orringer is an award-winning writer of short stories and of a prior Holocaust-themed novel, The Invisible Bridge, a New York Times best-seller.
WL Reads is a member-benefit program of Women's League. Those who have joined the group will receive directions for the Live Interview several weeks ahead. To join, write to Lois Silverman at
lsilverman@wlcj.org
with your Sisterhood name or individual WLCJ member ID.
Mark your calendars for December 3, because Giving Tuesday is right around the corner!
Every year, Women's League is proud to be an official partner organization in Giving Tuesday. On December 3, 2019, Women's League, our members, and our sisterhoods, will join the movement once again to raise funds for Masorti Women's Study Day, our annual sponsored Israel program with Masorti and the Schechter Institutes in Jerusalem.
Save the donation link here so you can remember to make your contribution on December 3. This is one of our biggest fundraising initiatives of the year - we hope you'll join us in giving back! All 2019 donors (sisterhoods and individual members) will receive special recognition at our 2020 Convention!
Weekly Words of Torah goes PC
(Parashah and
Chesed) -
Parashat Vayera 5780
The following are some highlights found in
Parashat Vayera: While recuperating after Abraham's circumcision,
Brit Milah, in last week's Torah Reading, three angels, disguised as people, visit Abraham and predict that Abraham and Sarah will have a son born to them in a year; Abraham begged God to save Sodoom and Gomorrah; Lot and his daughters were saved, but his wife was turned into a pillar of salt; Interaction between King Avimelech, Sarah and Abraham; The birth of Isaac; Hagar was sent away by Abraham; Hagar meets an angel; Story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac, called
Akedat Yitzchak.
The Chesed lessons related to Parashat Vayera are the mitzvot of Hachnasat Orchim, or hospitality, and Bikkur Cholim, visiting the sick. Although, in our Torah Reading, Abraham was healing from his circumcision, he still showed hospitality and invited the three guests into his tent, and requested that Sarah make them a meal. He fed his guests, and washed their feet. We should all learn to show this same value of Chesed, by welcoming all into our communities, and greeting each person warmly, even if we, ourselves, are not feeling well. One way of welcoming in our Sisterhoods, is to never tell someone, this seat is taken; seats are always free, and we should make every effort to be hospitable. Chesed can also be shown through Bikkur Cholim, visiting the sick. This includes the caregiver, who we also need to remember. Perhaps an idea for Chesed this week, is to call someone who you know is a caregiver, and ask how that person is doing. See if they need some respite, or help with cleaning, cooking, or volunteer to run an errand. Or, perhaps, s/he wants to run an errand, and you can be in their house, spending time with the person who is healing.
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Three Jewish Prayers for Veterans Day
We thank all of our veterans
Veterans Day Prayer
God of compassion,
God of dignity and strength,
Watch over the veterans of the United States
In recognition of their loyal service to our nation.
Bless them with wholeness and love.
Shelter them.
Heal their wounds,
Comfort their hearts.
Grant them peace.
God of justice and truth,
Rock of our lives,
Bless our veterans,
These men and women of courage and valor,
With a deep and abiding understanding
Of our profound gratitude.
Protect them and their families from loneliness and want.
Grant them lives of joy and bounty.
May their dedication and honor
Be remembered as a blessing
From generation to generation.
Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
Our Shield and our Stronghold.
To the Soldier, To the Veteran
These things I do not know:
The sound of a bullet.
The power of a blast.
The blood of a comrade.
The depth of your wound.
The terror at midnight.
The dread at dawn.
Your fear or your pain.
These things I know:
The sound of your honor.
The power of your courage.
The blood of your wound.
The depth of your strength.
The terror that binds you.
The dread that remains.
Your dignity and your valor.
For these things we pray:
The sound of your laughter.
The power of your voice.
The blood of your yearning.
The depth of your healing.
The joy that frees you.
The hope that remains.
Your wholeness and your love.
The Last Soldier
When the last soldier passes on,
When armies are disbanded and militias discharged,
When weapons are abandoned and armor discarded,
Your mission will, at last, be over.
For you know the soldier's secret.
Yours was not a mission of war
Nor a mission of ruin.
Yours was not a mission of destruction
Nor a mission of death.
Your mission was safety, security, protection.
Your mission was honor, loyalty, service.
Your mission was to end violence, tyranny, despair.
When the last soldier passes on,
When the uniforms are retired and the final grave filled,
We will remember all who served and sacrificed for our nation.
Until then God of Old,
Watch over our soldiers and our veterans.
Renew their courage.
Rebuild their strength.
Heal their wounds.
Bind their hearts with Your steadfast love.
Remember them,
Bless then,
Sustain them,
And give them peace.
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FROM THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Dear JTS Community,
We are writing on behalf of the search committee charged with finding a candidate who, upon Board of Trustees approval, will become the next chancellor of JTS. We would like to invite your input on the key qualities, skills, vision, and experience you believe the next JTS chancellor should possess. To that end, we have created a
new, confidential survey that we hope you will complete.
Note that this survey goes into greater detail than our first questionnaire, so even if you completed that survey, we invite you to fill out this version, as well.
There are so many people who care about JTS and its ongoing strength-students, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, donors, and friends from a variety of spheres. We are meeting in person with numerous stakeholders, but we hope, through this survey, to hear from as broad a cross-section of our community as possible.
As JTS opens its new campus, it is poised to embrace the rich possibilities of this moment in North American Judaism. We are eager to hear your thoughts on the type of person to best lead us into the future.
Sincerely,
Mimi Alperin and Dan Beller
JTS Trustees
Co-Chairs, the Chancellor Search Committee
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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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