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Dear Friends,

Shavuot will begin on Saturday night and continues on Sunday (and Monday in the diaspora). It is one of the three pilgrimage festival holidays and celebrates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which, according to tradition, took place on the sixth day of Sivan. In our liturgy, Shavuot is repeatedly called Z’man Mattan Torateinu (the time of the giving of our Torah). In addition, Shavuot celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the gathering of the First Fruits and is also called Yom HaBikkurim.  

Through the years Shavuot has evolved – from the time of the Torah, through the Rabbinic period in exile, and then back again to the “promised land” of Israel. In the Torah, God tells the Israelites what will happen when they enter the land of Canaan. In Deut. 26:1-2 the Israelites are told: “When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish His name”. Thus, throughout the biblical period and into the Mishnaic period, while the Temple was in Jerusalem, all the Jews in the land journeyed to Jerusalem to offer their first fruits or Bikkurim to the priests in the Temple. It was their way of giving thanks to God for providing all they needed to survive.

However, when the Temple was destroyed and the Jews were exiled, there was no longer a Temple where they could make a pilgrimage, nor were there farmers to work the land. What could replace this void? Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai found the way. He negotiated with the Romans to let him and his fellow sages stay in the land and live in the small community of Yavneh. From there he re-established the Sanhedrin (highest Jewish Law Court). Referring to a passage in the Book of Hosea (6:6), " For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings”, he helped persuade the Sanhedrin to replace animal sacrifice with prayer, a practice that continues in today's worship services; eventually Rabbinic Judaism emerged from the council's conclusions, and for the next few thousand years, the Torah and Torah study became the foundational cornerstone for the Jewish people in exile. (Read Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai’s remarkable story at: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohanan_ben_Zakkai and thanks to Bracha Feder for her insights and wonderful classes)  

The focus for Shavuot, however, changed again in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the Jews started to go back to the land of their ancestors. The early Israeli pioneers were mostly secular Jews but wanted to bring back the tradition of Bikkurim. They wanted to celebrate their return to the land and an agricultural way of life, but the focus was not a religious one. All over Israel, they celebrated Chag HaBikkurim with ceremonies, parades, pageants, dancing, and singing. I am proud to say that I witnessed this amazing celebration with my family many years ago. We celebrated my daughter Naomi’s Bat Mitzvah with a trip to Israel and a special visit to my aunt and uncle’s Kibbutz, Kfar Menahem. It happened to be Shavuot and we were invited to join in their festivities. We trekked down to a large field and sat on top of huge square bales of hay that were stacked to resemble bleachers. Soon, to the sound of Israeli music on a PA system, the procession of ‘First Fruits’ began. Everything in the Kibbutz that was new that year was paraded before us – new tractors, chickens, livestock, wheat and barley, fruits and vegetables, pottery and art from their artisan shops, and machinery of every kind. But the climax came when the babies were brought out in a special wagon adorned with their stuffed toys. It really was an amazing sight. 

Upon our return to Toronto, we told our rabbi about our experience and decided that from then on, our synagogue would feature all of our new babies born during the past year on Shavuot. Until Covid hit, every Shavuot we displayed pictures of our members’ new babies and asked the parents to bring them to shul, and at the end of services, they were all called up to the Bima to show off their ‘Bikkurim’ to the congregation. I pray for the day when we can again show off our newborns to our congregation.

Just this week I spoke to my cousin who still lives on that same kibbutz. She told me that after two years of no celebrations because of the pandemic, this Shavuot they are planning a huge festival and will again be presenting their Bikkurim with pride.

In rummaging through old photo albums, I found a few pictures from that Bikkurim celebration we attended so many years ago. The photos are of a new tractor, chickens from the coop, and the wagon with the babies inside.

Wishing you all a Chag Shavuot Sameach!

Shabbat Shalom,

Marilyn

Marilyn Cohen

Region President

inrpresident21@wlcj.org

REGION REMINDERS:

SPRING CONFERENCE – SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2022

Our Conference Program Planning Committee, chaired by Carole Burke, is hard at work putting together an outstanding conference for our region. As a sneak preview of the highlights, I can divulge we will have a unique Shacharit service, an amazing keynote address by Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, a virtual tour of Montreal, a hands-on workshop on Sustainability and the Environment, and an encounter with Montreal’s Auberge Shalom women’s shelter and lots more. See more information in the flyer below!

**Please Click on this Link to Register Today!!**

or

Click on the Flyer below to see the Full Program!

    Torah Fund – B’Yachad – Together

Soon we will conclude the B’Yachad – Together Campaign. The theme was chosen before COVID hit us and kept us physically apart. As a result, the campaign covered the period from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022. Over this period of time the pandemic caused us to be separated with closed synagogues and closed international borders; however, we had two wonderful years of being together on Zoom.

Torah Fund donors, large and small, support the students of the five world-wide institutions of higher learning of the Conservative/Masorti movement. Your support is very much needed and appreciated. There is still time to donate to this campaign to help our region meet our goals.

As soon as the B’Yachad Campaign concludes, we will begin anew with the next campaign: Chazak v’Ematz – Be Strong and Courageous. We will be celebrating 80 years of Torah Fund support for the students who become our rabbis, cantors, scholars, and educators. Because it is the 80^th year, it is being suggested that donations of an additional $80 be made to Torah Fund. Those who do so will be honored at the Convention in 2023.

We are approaching the season of graduations and weddings. Consider sending a Torah Fund card to family and friends this year. Here is the new Canadian Torah Fund ecards platform. And here is the U.S. Torah Fund ecards platform.

To continue our traditions, consider joining the Torah Fund Legacy Society. To learn more, click here: Torah Fund Legacy Society - Jewish Theological Seminary (jtsa.edu)

I am looking forward to seeing you at INR’s Spring Conference where I will be sharing some of the history of Torah Fund. You can register by clicking on the link in the Conference flyer above.

Linda Boxer

INR Torah Fund VP

INRTorahFund@gmail.com

At the End of the World, Turn Left

By Zhanna Slor

This novel tells the story of a Jewish family transported to Milwaukee from the Ukraine after the breakup of the USSR. Two sisters, Masha (Maria) and Anastasia (Anna) lead different lives. Masha, the more responsible and older sister, becomes a semi-Orthodox Jew after a Birthright trip to Israel. She is called back home by her father to help find her estranged younger sister who has somehow been "swallowed up" in Riverwest, an enclave of Milwaukee which is eclectic and somewhat dangerous.

Masha, coming back to her roots, encounters old friends and acquaintances as she desperately latches on to any clue she can find. We, as readers, are told both sides of the story. Anna romanticizes about going back to the Ukraine that she hardly knew when her family emigrated to America. Anna, the more adventurous, becomes involved and impacted by the vagabonds of the Soho train hoppers of Riverwest. Unknowingly, she answers an email sent by a stranger from the Ukraine, which ignites her already fertile imagination and sets ablaze a real family problem. This adventure has many twists and turns.

This is an engaging novel. It is difficult to find unless purchased. My local library was able, through inter library loan, to get it from Great Neck, NY (Long Island).

Submitted by



Ruth Borsky

INR Books Chair

Starting June 16th, WLCJ has a new phone number and address:

NEW Phone Number:

405.870.1260

NEW Office Address:

520 8th Ave., 4th Floor,

New York, NY 10018

Women's League Bylaws

Women's League is looking to adopt new bylaws. Please join us at one of these two caucuses to learn about the proposed bylaws.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot -

Saturday, June 4 @ 9:30 PM ET

We are excited to announce our lineup and schedule for our third annual livestreamed Conservative/Masorti 

Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Saturday June 4th starting at 9:30 PM EDT.

Access to the experience is FREE for all, regardless of synagogue affiliation or organizational participation. It will be broadcast.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot 5782 is brought to you by ExploringJudaism, a home for the Torah of Conservative Judaism.

Mivtza Ukraine -

Sunday, June 12 @ 10 AM ET

Sustainability - Shmita 

Thursday, June 16 @ 6:00 PM ET

What do stress release and sustainability have in common?

Come and find out on June 16 at 6pm ET

We will be discussing the seventh year of resting our land,exploring the relationship between Shmita and Shabbat, reflecting on our personal journeys, and releasing that which we participate in physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Masorti Women's Study Day - Sunday, June 26 @ 11:00 AM ET

The 23rd National Masorti Women's Study Day will take place on Sunday, June 26th on Zoom. This year's theme is: Women Shine Even in Dark Times: From the Bible to Today in the Ukraine.

SAVE THE DATE

23rd National Masorti Women’s Study Day

ZOOM Study Day

Sunday

June 26, 2022

11:00 am – 12:30 PM Eastern Time

To download flyer, click HERE.

Project Stock the Shelves

Your contribution will help reduce food insecurity among our neighbors

If you’ve been shopping recently, you can’t help but notice how much the cost of food has gone up. Please consider contributing a Kosher item to your pantry collection this month.

Jewels in the Crown Returns to Convention 2023

Jewels in the Crown is an opportunity for your Sisterhood to be honored for exceptional programming and participation.

See below for information and application.

For more information email: jewel@wlcj.org

2022 News from Masorti Israel

Dear friend,

As a valued supporter of the Masorti -Conservative Movement of Israel, I wanted to share an update from our Israeli partners as Masorti embarks on a new strategic vision of service to the State of Israel. There’s much more than I can share in this note; I hope to reach out to you next week to get your reactions to these innovative plans for growing Masorti’s influence on Israeli society.

Key elements of Masorti’s vision include:

• A responsibility to serve the state of Israel and all Israelis, regardless of ideology or identity, in Masorti communities and everywhere Israeli Jews live;
• A commitment to create spaces throughout Israel for Jewish families to unite; that all Israeli Jews have a right to experience...



WLCJ 5783 Calendar Diaries: Now Available in LARGER SIZE

Calendar Diaries are available in TWO SIZES. 

Pocket Size: 4x6in. available to PRE-ORDER Planner Size: 8.5x11in. available to ORDER NOW.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

12 PM ET; 11 AM CT; 9 AM PT; 10 AM MT

Join Zoom Meeting: 

https://zoom.us/j/630830287

Meeting ID: 630 830 287

Password: 875936

Special Program during Makom B'Yachad:

Friday, June 3rd - Pre-Shavuot

Want to sing, teach, help with technology, and more during Daily Psalm Study, and Kaddish?

“It Could Happen Here”

Webinar Recording

A recording of the webinar, presented by ADL in partnership with USCJ, FJMC, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, and JTS, can be viewed by clicking on the image below:

Update On The

Situation In Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine enters its second month, our Ukrainian Masorti/Conservative communities across the country and beyond its borders are still in need of our support. Together with Masorti Olami’s partners at The Schechter Institutes, we are continuing to assist community members both within Ukraine and in host countries around the world...

Programming Idea of the Week

Angels & Tahina: 18 Lessons From Hiking the Israel Trail, which chronicles the backpacking journey Tzippi Moss took, along with her husband and teenage son, about ten years ago, traveling the entire 1000-kilometer ancient Israel Trail over a two month period. From pine-covered hills to saw-toothed desert, she battled flooded rivers, scorching heat, and soul-sucking mud, unsure if the journey would make or break the family.

The goal was to raise funds to find a cure for the neurological killer ALS, the disease that took the life of her beloved mother-in-law...

Women's League Archives

Women’s League Archives: Join Us in Our Quest!

Exciting things are happening with our Women’s League archives. The Board of Women’s League voted to permanently loan our archives to the Jewish Theological Seminary. This is fabulous since it will insure our historical items will be stored and catalogued properly and will be more accessible to our members as well as the public.

During the next few months, we will be transferring all of our archival material (and there is a lot) to JTS. And you can help!...

Weekly Words of Torah

Parashat Bamidbar: Numbers 1:1-4:20

Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22 - June 4, 2022

Two years after leaving Egypt, God instructed Moses and Aaron to take a census of the men of fighting age (twenty and up) by tribe and family. Each tally is noted; the total is 603,550.

The Levites were not included in this census; God claimed them for service in the mishkan, moveable Tabernacle. Charged with maintaining the physical structure, they were given to the cohenim, Priests, by God to take the place of all the firstborn, who had been consecrated to God when they were spared from death in Egypt. All were given specific duties, and instructions for dismantling, then reassembling, the tabernacle every time the nation moved camp. Moses warned them not to look at the holy things lest they die...

Women of the Wall

WOW Merchandise

All prices include regular shipping (with tracking, 2-4 weeks). Express shipping costs an extra $20 per item.

PSW Region

The Women of Valor Pink

Shabbat

Saturday, June 4

@ 10:00 AM PT

Please wear Pink. For more information about the program, contact Sisterhood.

CGL Region

Mysteries of the Mikvah

Wednesday, June 8, 22 @ 7:30 PM CT and Sunday, June 26

@ 12:00 PM CT

For more information about the program and to RSVP, click:

  Garden State Region

Arts in Action

Thursday, June 9

@ 6:45 PM ET

For more information about the program and to RSVP, contact 

Teresa Samtur.

BQLI Region

Woman of Achievement Gala 

Thursday, June 16

@ 7:15 PM ET

For more information about the program and to RSVP, click:

CGL Region

A Taste of Greece

Tuesday, June 21

@ 6:00 PM CT

Sign up online

PSW Region

Honoring Cantor Judy Sofer

Sunday, June 26

@ 6:00 PM PT

Registration Required.

More Sisterhood and / or

Region programs

(in-person and virtual)

available on:

Gordon Tucker on Uvalde Shooting; New Library Exhibit; JTS in the Berkshires; and More

This Week! Roe v. Wade: Reproductive Freedom as a Jewish Value

Schechter's Spring 2022 Hybrid and Zoom Courses

New Digital Torah Fund eCards Available NOW:

Send a greeting with ecards and support Torah Fund! Make your gift more meaningful by using our ecards for every occasion!

Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund by GlobalGiving



Inspired by Global Citizen and continuing with their work, GFP Restate is supporting humanitarian relief efforts on the ground in Ukraine through Global Giving. We are supporting humanitarian relief efforts on the ground through Global Giving. 520 Eight Avenue will match all donations up to a total of $100,000. Money raised will go to support the millions of civilians in need, with a focus on the most vulnerable...    Read more

2022-2023 Ma'alot Grants

Announcing the 2022-2023 Ma’alot Grants, jointly funded by Nefesh B’ Nefesh and the Jewish National Fund USA for programs related to Israel in North American communities. The maximum award is $1,250. Your kehillah should apply! Before applying, please review  these guidelines, then apply by clicking HERE. Questions? Contact our colleague  Paul Freedman.

Read more

Don’t miss this new website – ExploringJudaism.org – where people like you can share personal and meaningful Jewish wisdom and reflection in addition to insight on practical living through the lens of Conservative/Masorti Judaism.

ExploringJudaism.org is a digital home for the Torah of Conservative/Masorti Judaism. While the name of this stream of Judaism was born well over a century ago, in the contemporary world Conservative Judaism is expressed through connection, community, and the creation of meaning.  This lens on Judaism is rooted in the idea that Judaism grows with us, that we’re guided by process, and that there is beauty in the balance.

50th Anniversary Mission to Israel

The Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center - July 11-17, 2022

This coming July, Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center welcomes you back to an open and thriving post-pandemic Israel for an educational, inspiring, and unforgettable week-long mission where we will put our Jewish identities FRONT AND CENTER. For Itinerary and Registration: 

https://https://fuchsbergcenter.org/IsraelMission/

You’ve seen how informative and inspiring Never Is Now is, Ellen. So, we’d like to invite you to be one of the first to sign up for this year’s edition of the largest annual summit on antisemitism and hate — and save at least 20%! 11,000 people joined us virtually last year and we are excited to welcome thousands more this year as we come together in person on  November 10 for Never Is Now 2022 at the Javits Center in New York City. For more information and registration: 

https://wlcj2.org/u/?P1c6426l

More events, click on the button to visit website:

INR of Women's League for Conservative Judaism