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As this email is being sent we just finished our annual Women’s Retreat with special guest Rabbi Dalia Marx. It was such a wonderful experience exploring rituals of Rosh Chodesh with everyone. Over the weekend this group of women built connections while studying Torah, exploring rituals through generations, and enjoying each other’s company. Scroll down for photos and more details of this fabulous weekend.
We also have some wonderful programs coming up in the next few months. On February 22nd, please join us for the Women of NSCI Shabbat Celebration and Luncheon. After the service Rabbi Lisa Greene will lead us in Torah study as well as a discussion on reproductive health and rights. We’ll gather on March 12th to learn and play canasta, and on May 20th we’ll be making challah covers for the Ark. Please read below for all the specific details of these fun and interesting programs.
Our next board meeting is March 2nd, 9:30–11:00 am at NSCI and on Zoom. (Note: this is a change from what was published previously.) Our meetings are open to any interested NSCI and WNSCI members. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to wnsci@nsci.org so we can save a seat for you!
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In Sisterhood,
Karen Dillon and Blythe Trilling
Co-Presidents
(picture L. to R.: Karen and Blythe)
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WNSCI Non-Event Fundraiser | |
Support the 2025 WNSCI Operatic Non-Event Fundraiser
February 2025
Donate
Please "let your voice be heard" by participating in the WNSCI Operatic Non-Event Fundraiser! There is no dinner or program to attend. Just send in your contribution during the month of February.
Your generous donation helps:
- Support a variety of educational, cultural, and social programs at NSCI.
- Operate the finest Judaica shop on the North Shore.
- Give congratulatory gifts to B'nei Mitzvah students.
- Provide Oneg refreshments.
- Award scholarships for religious school students.
- Aid OSRUI, the URJ camp in Oconomowoc, WI.
- Offer loving support to our NSCI synagogue community.
Print out the Reply Card and mail it in with your check, or make a donation on the NSCI website.
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Don't Miss These Upcoming Events
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Women of NSCI Repro Shabbat
Celebration and Luncheon
Saturday, February 22nd
9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Register
Reproductive freedom is a topic of current concern in the United States. Abortion is a topic Judaism has something to say about. Join us (women and men) for Women of NSCI Shabbat for study, lunch, and advocacy. Our weekly Torah portion is Mishpatim, which contains the verses regarded as the foundation of Judaism's understanding of life and the conversation about abortion.
We hope you'll join us first for our congregational Shabbat morning Minyan service & Torah study (9:30–11:00 am), during which WNSCI members will have a special aliyah for the Torah reading. After the service, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch, during which Rabbi Lisa Greene will lead us in Torah study, and we'll explore what Judaism has to say about abortion and how we as Jews can advocate for reproductive freedom.
Everyone is welcome! And for those of you who attended the recent Women’s Retreat, this is a great opportunity to reconnect! If you are interested in reading Torah at Saturday morning Minyan, please indicate that when you register.
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Cast Your "Lot" and Learn Canasta
Wednesday, March 12th, 7:00 pm at NSCI
Register
Canasta — a popular card game similar to rummy — is all the rage on the North Shore! Come to learn and play - beginners and experienced players welcome. "Casting lots" is a central part of the Purim festival, which commemorates the time when the Jewish people were saved from destruction. The word "Purim" literally means "lot." Purim is the next day, so of course there will be delicious hamantaschen and other treats!
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Create Challah Covers for The Ark
Tuesday, May 20th, 7:00 pm at NSCI
Get your creative juices flowing with the Women of NSCI. This month's Tikkun Olam project will provide much needed Challah covers for The Ark, which provides free, life-changing human services to Chicagoland’s underserved Jewish community.
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WNSCI Installation Brunch
Sunday, June 8th
Enjoy a delicious brunch and shmooze with friends as we install the 2025-2026 WNSCI Executive Board. More details to come.
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WNSCI’s Judaica Gift Shop is here to help you bring the light and warmth of Shabbat into your homes. Come see our exquisite selection of challah boards and covers, candles and candleholders, and Kiddush cups for gifting or adding a meaningful touch to your celebration.
Is a B’nei Mitzvah in your future? Our collection of tallitot, most made in Israel, is unmatched in the Chicago area.
Planning a wedding (registries available) or looking for a special gift? We carry all Michael Aram’s Judaica and can order anything from the full line catalog, with profits going to NSCI.
The gift shop is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am –1:00 pm, and Sunday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm (when religious school is in session), or by appointment. Reach out to Karen Kohn or Nancy Mantynband at giftshopnsci@gmail.com.
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Highlights of Recent Events | |
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WNSCI Weekend Retreat
Our 19th Annual Women’s Retreat, which just came to a close, was a meaningful, spiritual, and very fun weekend. Rabbi Dalia Marx and Rabbi Lisa Greene (pictured right) led us in an exploration of time, transitions, and rituals. Rabbi Marx is a professor of Liturgy and Midrash at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem and the author of From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar.
We discussed the difference between ritualized action and rituals that give us meaning — expanding our awareness of our life experience and grounding us during times of turmoil. We created our own rituals for Rosh Chodesh and crafted beautiful jewelry as a remembrance of the weekend. Following Havdalah we went outside to view the crescent moon while Rabbi Marx talked about the meaning of Rosh Chodesh.
Our Shabbat worship was enhanced by the spiritual music of our song leader, Lizzy Scheinkopf. Yasher Koach to our Torah readers, Debby Kotz, Michelle Scheinkopf, Helen Solomon, and Mika Weyland, and to our Haftarah reader Judy Wexler. Sunday morning we were led by Ella Weyland in yoga and stretching, followed by her elegant performance of a piece from The Nutcracker.
In addition to our planned activities, there was plenty of time to connect, relax, and make new friends. We were excited to welcome four first-timers to the retreat!
Many thanks to our retreat chairs, Peggy Rubinstein, Jill Ruffman, and Mika Weyland, and to the rest of the retreat committee who all helped to make this an unforgettable weekend: Eileen Baitcher, Debra Cohen, Karen Dillon, Denise Heimlich, Debbie Kotz, Cecile Levy, Alison Miller, Fran Morof, Helen Solomon, and Blythe Trilling.
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Participating in the Torah service (L to R): (back row) Helen Solomon, Michelle Scheinkopf, Debby Kotz, Mika Weyland, and Judy Wexler; (front row) Alison Miller, Lizzy Scheinkopf, Rabbi Dalia Marx, and Rabbi Lisa Greene | |
The retreat committee did the blessings before a delicious Shabbat dinner. The cloth on the table has been signed by participants over the years and is used at each retreat. | |
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Mingle and Mah Jongg
Our first WNSCI/YFCC co-hosted Maj and Mingle event was a hit! A huge thanks to our WNSCI mah jongg mavens Karen Kohn, Eileen Baitcher, Mimi Horowitz, Barb Chandler, and Julie Hirschfeld. They graciously took the time to give 16 parents of middle school, high school, and college-aged children a much-needed night out and an opportunity to learn a new game.
If this sounds like you, and you are interested in learning how to play mah jongg, please contact wnsci@nsci.org. We are looking to start another group!
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WNSCI Book Club
Each month, one book club member leads the discussion. Are you interested in joining us? No prior book club experience is required. The full list of books to be discussed in 2025 can be found here. Please email Barbara Mazur with questions. bhmazur@sbcglobal.net.
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The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad
Tuesday, February 11th, 1:00–3:00 pm at NSCI
Led by Barbara Mazur
Three Israeli women, their lives altered by immigration to the United States, seek to overcome crises. In three stirring novellas—comedies of manners with an ambitious blend of irony and sensitivity—celebrated Israeli author Maya Arad probes the demise of idealism and the generation gap that her heroines must confront.
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The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Tuesday, March 11th, 1:00–3:00 pm at NSCI
Led by Karen Dillon
Hailed as "breathtakingly suspenseful" and "insanely readable," Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is a propulsive read about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it. The book ensnares you in a rich tangle of literary vanities, treachery and fraud.
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WNSCI Mah Jongg at NSCI
Thursdays, 1:00–3:00 pm
Join us for fun and friendly games of Mah Jongg. There’s no betting allowed, just a voluntary contribution to our Tzedakah Box!
If you’re a beginner or interested in learning how to play, reach out to Karen Kohn to schedule a semi-private lesson (she needs a minimum of 2 players). Email her directly at kjmkohn@gmail.com.
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Canasta with Congregation
Makom Solel Lakeside
Wednesdays, 1:00–3:00 pm
Makom Solel Lakeside
1301 Clavey Rd., Highland Park
RSVP: jfbuckstein@gmail.com
Picture yourself having fun playing canasta with these members of NSCI! They join players from Makom Solel Lakeside for weekly canasta games. It is free and open to any interested players. We only ask that you bring canasta supplies (cards, trays, and shuffler) if you have them.
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Update on Zviahel, Ukraine | |
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our sister community in Ukraine. We were so happy to hear recently from our contact person, Lev. They received the three boxes of donated items we sent and were so grateful. They especially loved the blue jeans, beautiful towels, and the multi vitamins. They were all very touched by the letters and pictures that our pre-school children and parents wrote during Family Fall Fest last October. Lev said the Jewish community is doing ok. They heard sirens but there has not been any damage. Their electricity and water supply has been normal and there is food in the stores and farmers market. | |
Women of Reform Judaism News
and Upcoming Events
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From Fedoras to Fascinators
February 6, 2025, 7:00 pm CT on Zoom
Register
Join WRJ Heartland District for a delightful parade through the history of ladies hats with well-known Chicago performer Ellie of Ellie Presents. Space is limited; sign up today!
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WRJ Social Justice Conference
Advocacy in the Reform Movement
Through a Jewish Feminist Lens
April 4-7, 2025, Washington, D.C.
Are you ready to make a difference? Join WRJ at the Rabbi Marla J. Feldman Social Justice Conference (SJC) to lend a new spark to the biggest issues of our time. This unique gathering is an incredible opportunity to come together in sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice, the three pillars of WRJ, to continue the critical work of advocating for social justice issues. Learn more and register here. Early bird registration is available through February 10th.
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WRJ Mighty Networks
Creating Positive Change Together
Join Here
Mighty Networks hosts an online space for the Women of Reform Judaism, where like-minded women dedicated to empowerment, sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice can gather. Please join us and share your ideas, connect with others, and create positive change together.
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We'd love to learn more about you!
We've created a short survey so you can tell us something about yourself and what interests you. Please fill out the survey — it's just a few questions. We'd greatly appreciate your input, which will help us plan for the coming year.
For more information or to learn how you can help us plan any of our upcoming programs, please email us at wnsci@nsci.org.
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Connect with us on Social Media | |
WNSCI is a committed group of women working together to enrich our community, our congregation, and ourselves. We are part of a network of Reform Jewish women who identify as female, non-binary or gender fluid, working together to empower women and communities through the bonds of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice. | | | | |
