Chai Lines
International Northeast Region
Women's League
for Conservative Judaism
Networking to Engage, Enrich and Empower
Conservative Jewish Women
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February 15, 2019 Volume 3, Issue 18
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FROM THE REGION PRESIDENT--JOAN LOWENSTEIN
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Recently I wrote about my gratitude toward all of the organizations in the Conservative/Masorti movement that support us as a Jewish people. This week I am especially grateful for two local organizations.
On Thursday February 14, my daughter embarked on a ten-day trip to Israel. I cannot express how excited I am for her. This trip is almost fully subsidized by the Syracuse Jewish Community Foundation. It is for post
b'nai mitzvah teens who commit to attend the Rabbi Jacob H. Epstein School of Jewish Studies through twelfth grade. The Epstein School is a local continuing education school in our area--just one more example of the benefits we all receive from our Jewish organizations. As much as I do not wish for her trip to be over, I cannot wait to hear about her experience!
Speaking of our organizations, Women's League has again outdone itself and this week introduced a new program designed to enhance, enrich and engage our Conservative Jewish women in the 21st century. This program,
Listen, Pray, Think: A Journey through Mishnah Berakhot, an 18-month study of the entire
Tractate Masechet of
Mishnah Berakhot. This course will consist of ten live Zoom videoconferencing sessions, taught by female scholars and rabbis; these session will be recorded and posted on the Women's League website. Materials will also be available on the WLCJ website prior to each session for individual study, for
b'chavruta (study with a partner), or as a group study with your Sisterhood. Instructors will include Rabbi Amy Levin, Rabbi Gail Labovitz, Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, Rabbi Pamela Barmash, and Rabbi Cheryl Peretz. No previous study will be needed to join the Zoom calls, just prior registration. The first session is "Introduction to
Mishnah with Rabbi Amy Levin" on Sunday, March 17, at 1:00 p. m. , EST. A sign up link for the first session can be found here (
click here). For more information or questions, contact Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields at
ewolintz-fields@wlcj. org.
Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful
Shabbat!
L'Shalom,
Joan
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REFUAH SH'LEMA:
Fran Caine, Past Region President. May she return to full health quickly.
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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 @
ltsilverman@google.com
and she'll share your news.
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FROM THE EDITOR--LOIS SILVERMAN
Sometimes we all feel overwhelmed. We see only the problems and not the
possibility of something positive coming out of life's struggles and challenges.
Life is more than living the life we want. It is making something out of the life we have.
Here is a story about making lemonade from lemons and about looking at things in a different way. Its author is unknown.
Shabbat Shalom
LOIS
A CARROT, AN EGG, AND A CUP OF COFFEE
Author Unknown
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, wit hout saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity ... boiling water ... each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a s tiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Count your blessings, not your problems.
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FROM THE WLCJ ISRAEL TEAM
Women's League thanks those individuals who supported Masorti Days of Study on
#GivingTuesday. This is a great beginning to our campaign to support our Israeli sisters and the Kehillot in Israel.
Our goal is for 100% Sisterhood participation. If your Sisterhood has not yet sent in a donation, please do so today. Suggested donation is One Dollar per member, but any amount is appreciated and needed.
All donations will fund the annual Masorti Women's Days of Study, as well as vital projects for the 60+ Masorti Kehillot (congregations).
Sisterhoods are urged to collect all donations in one check. Please send donations to the WLCJ office and note "Annual Masorti Donation." Or donate online
and indicate that you are donating to the "Masorti Women's Fund."
All donations are appreciated
and can be sent to:
Women's League
Now more than ever, Women's League brings together the Jewish history of the past and the rich future of the Conservative women's movement.
Deb Bruce, Chair
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FROM WOMEN'S LEAGUE FOR
CONSERVATIVE
JUDAISM
Networking to engage,
enrich and empower
Conservative Jewish Women
Shabbat Message: "That Was the Week That Was"
Bu Margie Miller, WLCJ President
When writing a Shabbat message, one tries to be relevant. We often look for inspiration from the
Parashat. We look at the news for some timely event that stands out. We look at our calendars for an upcoming holiday or special personal celebration, and perhaps even something or someone to memorialize. We look at all these things in hopes of not only being inspired, but in hopes that we also find that "take away" for the reader. This week is no different.
This week, I could bring up the Parashat but, luckily, Rabbi will do that in her Weekly Words of Torah.
This week the news in the U.S. re-addressed the issue of racial discrimination with the discussion of blackface. What is the history of this outdated practice, what is our tolerance level of poor choices that people made decades ago, what is it to take responsibility; do we hold public figures to a higher standard of behavior, and how do we address the racial and religious sensitivities of our neighbors?
There is barely a week, when the issues of anti-Semitism, racial discrimination, and our own comfort level with the increasing presence of a true melting pot in the United States (and probably Canada) are not brought up.
This week is the first anniversary of the horrific school shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Once again, we offer consolation toward the survivors and victims. I can promise you that thoughts and prayers are not enough. Empathy is not enough. Sympathy is not enough. Our children deserve more. Our society deserves more.
Over the past few weeks, I've visited a dozen sisterhoods. One of my grandchildren had a birthday. A friend's husband passed away. One of my children decided that he and his family were going to move to North Carolina. This week, our family is making plans to move my elderly mother-in-law from Florida to California. This week, I had a mini high school reunion. This week, I'm going to attend a birthday lunch. This weekend, we have a WL Leadership Institute. All this in a week...
Each week, we are challenged to examine all that is around us and find that take away. This week, just as last, there will be challenges, there will be milestones, and, hopefully, there will be blessings. Take positive action for the challenges. Do not miss the opportunity to celebrate the milestones. And take a moment to be grateful for every single blessing you have in every single day.
Wishing you a good week.
Study Mishnah Berakhot With Us in 2019!
Looking for ways to immerse yourself in Jewish study and text? Women's League for Conservative Judaism is excited to introduce a new program to enhance, enrich, and engage our Conservative Jewish Women in the 21st Century:
Listen, Pray, Think: A Journey through Mishnah Berakhot, an 18-month study of the entire Tractate,
Masechet, of
Mishnah Berakhot. This course will consist of ten live Zoom videoconferencing sessions, taught by female scholars and rabbis, which will be recorded and posted on the Women's League website. Materials will also be available on our WLCJ website prior to each session for individual study, or
b'chavruta, study with a partner, or as a group study with your Sisterhood. Instructors will include
Rabbi Amy Levin, Rabbi Gail Labovitz, Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, Rabbi Pamela Barmash, and Rabbi Cheryl Peretz.
No previous study will be needed to join the Zoom calls, just prior registration. Sign up links are below - Call-in information will be sent upon registering. Read full course descriptions and REGISTER HERE!
NYC Members! Daytime Learning at JTS
 This spring, join other adult learners for stimulating text study and discussion
with the outstanding scholars of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.
Advance registration is required.
Seven Wednesdays
February 27; March 6, 13, 20, 27;
April 3, 10
Sacred Time: Hasidic Mystics on Shabbat and the Holidays
Dr. Eitan Fishbane, Associate Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
In Search of an Ethical Judaism: Rabbinic Sources That Challenge Our Hearts and Minds
Dr. Marjorie Lehman, Associate Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
$185 for one course
$360 for both courses
$335 discount for Women's League members before February 13
Personal Conversations 2019
Personal Conversations provide a forum to address everyday issues through discussions about obstacles and opportunities, using conference calls and/or easy to access webinars.
Family Violence with Barbara Wettstein, PhD
Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 8:00 p.m., Eastern time
Family Violence: What is it? How do we identify it? How prevalent is it? What can we do about it? Family violence refers to violence that occurs within families, usually among individuals who live together. It touches all socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and national groups. Dr. Wettstein will give an introduction to the topic, and then will allow about 30-40 minutes for questions and discussion.
Barbara Wettstein, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist at the Greater Los Angeles VA. She specializes in couple therapy, depression, and trauma. She is a graduate of The City College of New York and received her PhD from The University of Notre Dame. Barbara grew up in a suburb of NYC, attended Jewish day schools, and is now a member of B'nai David Judea Congregation in Los Angeles. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and is the proud grandma of two boys.
Join the Next Leadership Institute
Sunday-Monday, February 17-18, 2019
Tamarac, FL
Register for Masorti Women's Study Day in February!
WWOT - Weekly Words of Torah:
Parashat Tetzaveh
To inspire, guide, engage, enrich, and empower Conservative Jewish Women
By Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, Executive Director, Women's League For Conservative Judaism
In our Torah reading this week, Parashat Tetzaveh, there are many details about how the Tabernacle, Mishkan, was to be built. The Torah provided details on the materials, colors, and types of wood to be used in the construction of the Mishkan. Why were there so many details provided by the Torah? If one were to think about life, often our daily activities are framed by the details. Anyone who has ever planned any sort of lifecycle event knows how many precious details go into the big event. However, one must never lose sight of the bigger meaning of the event, and not get bogged down in the details. So, too, with the many details of the Mishkan tabernacle, one should not lose sight that it was being built for God, so that God could dwell amongst the people.
However, have you ever wondered how the Children of Israel and their haste to leave Egypt, did not have time to let the flour rise, and now we have to endure eating matzah for a week of Passover, but, somehow, in their rush, they were able to have dolphin skins, acacia wood, the numerous different stones for the breastplate, and all the other materials needed to be able to build the Tabernacle Mishkan? Truly, we have no idea if they had all these supplies on hand, if the materials just happened to appear to them while in the desert or, perhaps, it was good descriptive narrative to add to our story. But we can still learn a lesson from these many details of the unusual materials used in the construction of the Mishkan.
When one needs a special material for an extraordinary project, such as a building of the Tabernacle for God to dwell, the Children of Israel did everything in their power to find the supplies they needed, since the materials were to be used for God. This was a holy task filled with challenges, but the goal and who the goal was for was worth it. We must all keep that in mind. Sometimes a task might feel just as daunting. However, if we put the task in perspective and keep the goal in mind, especially if it might be a holy, sacred task, the challenges to achieve the goal will not feel as daunting, and we also will be able to find dolphin skins while wandering in our own deserts.
Thank You for Your Contributions!
The following have donated recently to Women's League and its many initiatives. Women's League accepts donations all year - all contributions are welcome. Donate here.
Masorti WL Days of Study
Sisterhood of The Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, Clinton, TN
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FROM THE TORAH FUND VICE PRESIDENT
MARILYN COHEN
Marilyn Cohen,
International Northeast Region Torah Fund Vice-President
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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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