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From the Region President |
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Shalom Friends,
My mother’s Hebrew name is Chaya Sarah (bat Pinchas v’Leah). This is uncannily similar to this week’s Torah portion of Chayei Sarah or the years lived of Sarah, our matriarch. In contrast to the opening sentence of the Parsha that says Sarah died at 127 years old, my mom, Sara, is alive and well at only 99 years of age (kinehora, Pu Pu Pu!). My whole family is blessed to have her with us.
The Parsha actually describes Sarah’s years in three separate periods. “The span of Sarah’s life came to one hundred years and twenty years and seven years – These are the years of Sarah’s life”. By separating each period with the word ‘years’ the reader is made to question its significance. Rashi explains that the verse seeks to compare these three periods in Sarah’s life.
In other words, Sarah retained the innocence of a 7-year-old when she was 20, and the beauty of a 20-year-old when she was 100 (Gen.R.58:1). Rashi explains that the extra words “these are the years of Sarah’s life” (sh’nei chayei Sarah) means that they are Kulam Shavim le-tovah or they (the years) were all equal in goodness. According to Rashi, the phrase “sh’nei chayei Sarah” emphasizes that the totality of Sarah’s life was good.
Though the Parsha deals with the death of Sarah, it is more about the legacy she left as it is her son, Isaac, who will pass on her wise teachings to his descendants and to the Jewish people to come.
The Parsha begins with Sarah’s death and ends with Abraham’s death. But the most important theme of the Parsha is the story of the arrangement and meetings leading up to the marriage of Isaac to Rebecca. Over a whopping 67 verses we learn how Abraham sends his servant away from Canaan to find a bride for Isaac. Rebecca shows her kindness by offering to draw water for the servant and his camels at the well. The servant meets Rebecca’s family and then takes Rebecca to Isaac, who marries her.
As I read this story, I couldn’t help reflecting on my own family’s recent experience with another wedding – that of my nephew, Jonathan. It was our first adventure of cross-border travel since the pandemic began. (Note: all attendees were both fully vaccinated and tested for Covid-19.)
The wedding was officiated by my niece, Rabbi Rachel Bluth, who is Jonathan’s sister and who recently received her smicha (rabbinical ordination) in Israel. Jonathan’s bride is a Jew by Choice and the two had gone through an Orthodox online conversion course for over a year, culminating in her Mikvah experience in New York. Her parents graciously welcomed us all and were very supportive of her choice. Not only did they host a Friday night dinner and Saturday night reception for the families and friends who came from all over North America, but they seemed genuinely delighted with their daughter’s decision and her selection of a life partner.
The wedding itself was amazing. While the ceremony was originally scheduled to be held outdoors, a sudden downpour precluded that option and the Chuppah was moved indoors. Accompanied by a wonderful Klezmer trio, the bridal party joyously entered the 200-year-old building’s wine cellar. Rabbi Bluth’s explanations of the time-honored Jewish wedding rituals were eloquent, comprehensible, and yet sensitive to the mixed crowd. She emphasized the reasons and historical significance of many of the prayers and actions performed and even invited the bride’s grandmother to recite an Irish wedding prayer. I was particularly thankful that my mother had the opportunity to participate in the wedding ceremony through the wonders of Zoom.
After the reception, we were seated at our tables in the banquet hall when the bride and groom entered to the music of the traditional Hora. This part blew my mind - eighty people joined the circles, whether this was their first Hora or their 100th. The band played and we all danced for over 25 minutes! The newly married couple and both sets of parents were flying in the air on chairs. The groom was also tossed around by his friends who formed a human trampoline. Everyone had a fabulous experience that will never be forgotten.
The rest of the evening was like most weddings – eating and drinking, enjoying each other’s company and dancing to great, popular music. We all returned to our homes or hotels, not only with a ‘loot bag’ but with thoughts and prayers for this new couple starting on their journey together as they create their own Jewish legacy for their descendants to follow. May you all have similar joyous occasions to celebrate in your lives.
REGION REMINDERS:
SAVE THE DATES!
1. Sunday November 7TH at 11:00 am
MEMBERSHIP WORKSHOP with Corinne Hammerschlag who has invited all sisterhood/affiliate Presidents and Membership Chairs to attend.
2. Wednesday December 1ST
Our next INR region event. It will be a delightful evening Hanukah program. Please tell all your sisterhood/affilite members to come and enjoy the fun. Details will be in our next Chai Lines issue.
3. January 12, 2021
TORAH FUND Region Program featuring Lisa Ellison (formerly Kogan), who will speak about Jewish Women and Social Action.
Calendar Diaries are now available for purchase. This is the first year the Calendar Diaries have included holidays from other religions.
WL Week – Are YOU receiving your WL Week? It is chock full of wonderful programs, Jewish learning opportunities and activities. If you are not receiving it, please let me know and I will arrange it. All programs and events are open to any affiliate or Individual WL member.
Please Invite Me! – Thank you to Joan Lowenstein for inviting me to attend the Temple Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood’s program “What Every (Jewish) Family Should Know About Breast Cancer Risk” given by an outstanding speaker – Dr. Jayne Charlamb.
Please remember to invite me to your Sisterhood events and celebrations. Until Covid is over I will not be able to visit you in person, but zooming is the next best thing.
Proudly Publicize your Programs – please send me your upcoming or past programs to share with the region. Many other Affiliates could use your ideas to create their own program. Sharing is caring for our region members.
I would like to wish you all a peaceful and joyful Shabbat.
Marilyn Cohen, INR President
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What: A Few Good People!
For: The INR Communications Team!
Requirements: Prior experience working with Constant Contact is a plus but not absolutely necessary if computer literate. Also, it would be helpful if candidates have some experience writing and editing articles or reports in some capacity of work or volunteer experience.
If you are interested or know of someone who might be a good “fit”, please contact Joan Lowenstein at jmglowepp2021@gmail.com.
Thank You!
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From our Torah Fund Vice President |
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The B’Yachad/Together Campaign Continues
Our 2021-2022 Torah Fund B’Yachad Campaign supports scholarships and programming at the five Conservative/Masorti seminaries. Can you name them?
The students are as diverse as the locations. Help strengthen Jewish education and ensure the vibrancy of the Jewish people for decades to come, with your gift to Torah Fund. Each gift, large or small, together makes a difference. You make a difference with your gift.
For our Canadian supporters: We’ve been promised that on-line giving is coming soon for our Canadian donors. In the meantime, please make your cheque payable to Jewish Theological Society and send to your affiliate’s Torah Fund Chair. If you wish to mail directly to the Jewish Theological Society, 100 Elder Street • North York, Ontario, M3H 5G7, please email me that you sent it. A Canadian tax receipt will be issued and sent to you. Thank you for your contribution.
We thank you for each and every donation. Our future rabbis and cantors and educators thank you. Together we make a difference.
For more information or questions, please contact me.
Linda Boxer
INR Torah Fund VP
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WL Education: List of Educational Programs |
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Questions?
Contact
Contact WL Education Co-Chairs
Ellen Kaner Bresnick
ebresnick@wlcj.org
or Julia Loeb
jloeb@wlcj.org
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Women's League is proud to provide this handbook containing educational programs provided by the education committee after a successful workshop over the summer.
In this booklet, you'll find information about each Women's League sub-committees, the chair-person’s contact information, and the dates of future programs. In addition, there also will be information about other sisterhood/affiliate's education program and their contact
information.
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How to Live Forever - Thursday, October 28th
@ 7:30PM ET
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Questions?
Contact
Cory Schneider
WLCJ Archives Chair
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How to Live Forever – Session 5
Family Heirlooms: What are they? What to do with them?
Family heirlooms can be just about anything, as long as there is sentimental or monetary value attached. As heirlooms get passed down over time, their mystique grows. In this workshop Cory Schneider, Women’s League Archives Chair, will share information to help answer these questions:
- What is an heirloom?
- What’s the difference between an heirloom and junk?
- How to pass down heirlooms and to who?
- How to preserve, store and digitize them?
- What are the best ways to tell their story?
- How to create new heirlooms (A huppah from dad’s favorite ties! Or one from pieces of clothing belonging to past generations! A brit pillow)?
- How to display heirlooms and some ideas of what to do with collections?
- What about heirlooms you don’t want?
If you don’t think you have heirlooms or don’t know what to do with the heirlooms you have, this session is for you! You will leave this workshop full of ideas!
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Minyan Ahavah - Friday, October 29th @ 4:45 PM ET |
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Minyan Ahavah reaches out to people with memory loss and their caregivers. The next virtual Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming the Sabbath) service Friday, October 29, at 5 pm. Cantor Josh and Rabbi Judith Hauptman will lead the service. You can log in at 5 pm, or even better, at 4:45 pm, for a schmooze.
Link: https://bit.ly/3ClSAhx
Meeting ID: 212 673 2096
Passcode: 2126732096
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Want to bring a friend or relative to the Kabbalat Shabbat service? Please do! Just forward them the link.
Here’s a way for you to participate in the service: we are going to ask you to hold up a favorite
beverage. It can be coffee or tea or juice or anything else. You will be asked to say a few words why you like it.
During the Mi Sheberach prayer for healing, you will be able to type in the names of the people for whom you are wishing a speedy recovery. The names will be read aloud. Also, during the mourner’s Kaddish, the Jewish memorial prayer, you can type in the names of relatives or friends whom you are memorializing.
Please join a few minutes earlier for a Kabbalat Shabbat service.
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Personal Conversations - Thursday, November 4 @ 7:30PM ET |
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Creating Your New Community Without a Partner
Many Jewish women, either through the sudden loss of a partner, or by their own choice, find themselves newly single and are caught off-guard to discover the degree to which the world has been organized for the comfort of couples. The transition may be unsettling, isolating and hurtful. Two rabbis each will bring her pastoral experience as well as her personal life experience to a conversation that explores this phenomenon and finds solutions:
When you become “uncoupled” -- How might you take positive control of your sense of self? How might you maintain your existing connections in a way that best supports you, or build a new community? What are some practical steps to take you forward?
Fran Hildebrandt, WLCJ Chair of Mishpachah, will moderate the discussion. Vivian Leber, Chair of Personal Conversations, will introduce the program and speakers.
Women’s League members are invited to submit in advance (to VLeber@wlcj.org) their own one-page essay in which they share related personal experiences and discoveries that would be helpful to other women. After the program, those essays will be shared with registered participants.
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Questions?
Contact
Vivian Leber
Personal Conversations Chair
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Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein leads Congregation Beth Ohr, in Bellmore, NY.
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Rabbi Dana Bogatz leads First Hebrew Congregation, in Peekskill, NY.
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Women of the Wall - Thursday, November 4th @ 11:30PM ET |
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On Rosh Hodesh Kislev, WOW is hosting a historic Torah Mantle Parade. They will enter the Kotel plaza with supporters carrying empty Torah mantles. The message: women must have access to Torah at the Kotel. They highlight the flagrant inequality women face at this holy site and they demand that the government implement the Kotel Agreement. https://fb.me/e/4ed3IeGLN
Friday, November 5th at 6:30 AM Israel /
Thursday, November 4th at 11:30 PM ET
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ADL's Never Is Now: The World's Largest Annual Summit on Antisemitism and Hate - Sunday, November 7th - Tuesday, November 9th |
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Attend ADL’s Never Is Now: The World’s Largest Annual Summit on Antisemitism and Hate to listen, to learn and to take action. Join us as we gather virtually with thousands of experts, students, community leaders and more to tackle crucial conversations about hate and bigotry in today’s world. Together we’ll discover what each of us can do to combat antisemitism and bias in all its forms right now. The Summit is being held virtually, Sunday-Tuesday, November 7-9, 2021 and there is no cost to attend. There will be a special track for high school students, and attorneys can earn free CLE credits. Sign up today! Neverisnow.org
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WL Reads - Thursday, November 11th @ 7 PM ET |
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WL Reads
November 11th
R.L. Maizes
We Love
Anderson Cooper
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WL Reads co-chairs Merle Carrus and Susan Farber will be interviewing R. L. Maizes, CO Finalist Colorado Book Award. Her recent short stories book, We Love Anderson Cooper, will be the focus of our virtual conversation. Most of the stories deal with the direct aftermath of trauma or hurt, and it is in this immediacy that we get to know the characters. Or at the very least, we get to know them at their lowest. Join the author and WL Reads co-chairs this November 11th.
Zoom link will be sent upon registering.
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Sichot beyn Achayot: An Open Dialogue Between Disapora and Israeli Sisters - Workshop 2 - Sunday, November 14th @ 1 PM ET |
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Thanks to a generous Grant from
KKL-JNF/ Masorti Olami/Mercaz Olami
Women's League is grateful to provide a series of Workshops of Conversation between Sisters.
Registrations through Wizevents will be required to join each/all sessions.
Click on speakers’
pictures to read their bios.
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Questions?
Contact
Rabbi Margie Cella
WLCJ Educational Programming Chair
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שׂיחוֹת בֵּין אְַחַיוֹת, Sichot beyn Achayot means “conversations between sisters”. This program is designed to foster a deeper mutual understanding between the members of WLCJ in North America and the Masorti Olami women of Israel. It is designed to address the question, “How are we the same, and how are we different?"
Each session will address this question by concentrating on one specific issue that is both relevant and timely to us all, and will include presentations from speakers from each side of the Atlantic. The November workshop will be followed by a Q&A session in which all attendees will be encouraged to participate. The December will conclude with breakout rooms in which participants will have an opportunity to join the conversation.
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Click on speakers’ pictures to read their bios.
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Workshop 2: Davening as Conservative / Masorti Women on Sunday, 11/14 @ 1PM ET
Two speakers will examine the question of davening as Conservative/ Masorti women; they will address the experience of davening with Women of the Wall, and also davening in an egalitarian experience at Robinson’s Arch.
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Missed Workshop 1?Click on the button below to view the recording: |
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Workshop coming up:
Workshop 3: Conversations Between Conservative and Masorti Sisters
Sunday, 12/12 @ 1PM ET
Three pairs of women will each explore some aspect of living Jewishly as a Conservative/ Masorti Jew, comparing life in North America to life in Israel. Following the 3 conversations, all participants will be invited to participate in breakout rooms, where women from both sides of the Atlantic will have the opportunity to engage in conversation.
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Conversation 1: Comparing the Nativ/College Experience to the IDF/College Experience
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Click on speakers’ pictures to read their bios.
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Conversation 2: Living Jewishly In a Minority vs. A Majority Population
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Click on speakers’ pictures to read their bios.
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Conversation 3: Being A Lay Leader in the Conservative/Masorti Movement
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Click on speakers’ pictures to read their bios.
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submitted by
Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
WLCJ Executive Director
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Parashat Chayyei Sarah – I Kings 1:1-31 – October 30, 2021
In Parashat Chayyei Sarah, deals with the deaths of both Sarah and Abraham, and takes place in Abraham’s tent, when he is old and dying, described as “old in advanced years” (Genesis 24:1), and is not able to travel himself to find a wife for his son Isaac, so he sends his servant instead to choose a wife. A young woman is sought
to become Isaac’s wife, and again bring life back into Sarah’s tent. The servant knows how daunting a task it will be to choose a wife for Isaac. The servant creates a type of rubric, for the eligible woman to complete, in order to be a worthy wife for Isaac. Abraham is concerned about which of his sons will succeed him as leader of his family and inherit his fortune. Abraham hopes for an orderly transfer of his fortune and leadership. Our Torah Reading depicts a failure of the law of primogeniture, the right of the eldest child to inherit the leadership role in the family. Isaac, not the first born, takes over Abraham’s position, and not the first born son, Ishmael.
In the Haftarah that goes b’yachad, together with Parashat Chayyei Sarah, from I Kings 1:1-31, takes place in the King’s palace, when King David is old and dying, described as “old in advanced years” (I Kings 1:1), and his impending death is inevitable. King David can no longer do things for himself, like keeping himself warm. A young woman is sought to bring comfort to King David, as he lies on his deathbed. There is a very daunting task to fulfill in the Haftarah - appointing a successor to King David. This task is actually a divine mission, which will be undertaken by Nathan and Bathsheva, and they worry that they will not succeed, but they do create a plan, and carry it out, without waiting for Divine intervention. King David wants an orderly transfer of his fortune and leadership to his son Solomon and arranges for Solomon to be anointed king before David dies. The Hafarah is an example in the Bible which shows the failure of the law of primogeniture.
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Want to sing, teach, help with technology, and more during Daily Psalm Study, and Kaddish? |
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Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
12 PM Noon ET; 11 AM CT; 9 AM PT;
10 AM MT
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 630 830 287
Password: 875936
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); or
find your local number:
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Women's Health Resolution - Please COMMENT |
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To the Membership of WLCJ
The Resolutions and Public Policy Committee has approved the following Women’s Health Resolution (2021). This resolution passed the WLCJ Executive Committee and is being offered to our membership for comment.
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The Resolutions Committee, which drafted this resolution, will review all comments and make changes, as the committee may deem useful and appropriate. Then the resolution will be offered to the WLCJ Membership for final vote. If passed, this resolution becomes an official position of WLCJ. Our hope is that our affiliates will develop programming and projects inspired by this resolution.
Resolutions have been a part of the work of Women’s League for over 70 years. We are proud of the positions we have taken, as we have added the collective voice of thousands of Conservative Jewish women to the call for justice, freedom and tikkun olam. The WLCJ website contains the entire archive of our resolutions.
Please take a moment to read our Women’s Health Resolution and send your comment.
Thank you,
Marlene Oslick and Karen Cuker,
Committee Co-Chairs
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Programming Idea of the Week |
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Submitted by
Karen Seltzer, Programming Activities Chair
Grace Schessler,
WL Programming Chair
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Algorithms, News Bubbles and Social Media: Finding Real News in the Media Disinformation Age
This Zoom program is presented by members of the Long Island Media Task Force and its Media Literacy Project. The organization is designed to help the public understand the ways in which news and information provided by social media outlets differs dramatically from the ways we received information in the past. This program is available at no cost as a public service.
The presentation runs approximately 60 minutes followed by 30 minutes for interactive questions and discussion...
To read more, click HERE.
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Gary Rosenthal Special Event Shop |
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Gary Rosenthal Special Event Shop that is for WL members to receive a 25% discount off certain of his works.
Password: WLCJ2021
Discount Code: WLCJ25%
Here are some of the pieces being offered:
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WOW Merchandise
All prices include regular shipping (with tracking, 2-4 weeks). Express shipping costs an extra $20 per item:
Four Mothers - $250.
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Challah Cover - same design as our Garden of Eden tallit - $72
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Toby Maser
PrezNet Moderator
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Join the WL PrezNet
The WL PrezNet is an online group where we share ideas, exchange opinions, and discuss “out of the box” innovations. You can only belong to this group if you are currently a Sisterhood President. This ensures that you have the freedom to express yourself without the fear of 'outsiders' hearing you. To join this list, please send me an e-mail. Once verified by checking your current Sisterhood membership list and profile, I will add you to our list.
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Upcoming Sisterhood Calendar Events & WL Groups to Join |
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9th Annual Open a Book...
Open Your Mind for 2020-21.
NOW until April 2022
Admission is $18 per author
To view the flyer, click HERE.
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Central Great Lakes Region |
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Jewish Book Month Author, Fern Schumer Chapman, has written several award-winning
books. Viking/Penguin released her most recent book, Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation, in April 2021.
RSVP by October 31st
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Finding North is a month of inspiration, reflection and self-discovery in Haifa for people 55+.
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WLCJNet: The Sisterhood Without Walls |
Want to join WLCJNet? Contact
Sherry Lynn Rubin,
Sisterhood Net Chair
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American Mothers of Olim GoogleGroup |
Sisterhoods...
1. Do you know which Israeli Kehilah is your sisterhood twin?
2. Do you have a contact name and e-mail so that you can easily reach out?
3. Would you like that info?
If you answered “no” to either/both of the first two questions, and yes to the third, contact Ellie Kremer, the WLCJ Israel Committee Chair by text or email: ellieventnor@gmail.com.
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Previous WLCJ Programming |
Weren't able to join us? Visit our Youtube Channel for more videos. View our past recordings.
Tell us about YOUR Sisterhood
event coming up!
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Antisemitism in the US and Responding Effectively - Recording and Resources Available |
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Please take a moment to complete this short survey. Your feedback is important and will help USCJ shape programs like this one in the future.
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ADL Recording
Weren't able to join us? Click on the image or button below to view the recording
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Below are some useful resources that were mentioned during the webinar:
Find your ADL regional office:
Register for Never is Now!, the largest conference on antisemitism at
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The Jewish Theological Seminary and
the American Jewish University
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Social Justice and the Jewish Middle Class; Heschel Book Talk; Poetics of the Zohar; and More |
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Cokie Roberts' Jewish Story, Ehud Barak on War and Peace and More! |
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Arts at AJU Welcomes You Join us in our art studio this November + online learning |
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Wear Your Ramah T-Shirt Day: Nov. 4th |
Be sure to Follow @ReshetRamah
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Shabbat Across Ramah 2021! Nov. 12th |
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Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies |
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How to Live an Ethical Jewish Life with Rabbi Dr. Vernon Kurtz |
Most of us are familiar with Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers. Fewer of us are knowledgeable about its companion volume: The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan...
Dates: Sundays, October 31;
November 7, 14, 21
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An Encounter with the Legacy of 19th-20th Century Jewish Communities in Ukraine with Rabbi Irina Gritsevskaya |
Countless Jews around the world have their roots in Ukraine; their families having left a once vibrant Jewish culture destroyed by the Holocaust and the Soviet regime...
Dates: Sundays, October 31;
November 7, 14, 21
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Rabbinic Teachings on the Destruction of the Temple and its Relevance for Contemporary Society with Rabbi Dr. Vernon Kurtz |
The fall of the Second Temple and the exile from Jerusalem were cataclysmic events in the life of the Jewish people...
Dates: Tuesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23; Dec. 7, 14, 21, 28
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To register and find more courses, go to:
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The MERCAZ USA Summer 2021 Newsletter is Here! Plus No Fear Rally: A Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People, and MERCAZ Reads Israel: Watch our Book Club Discussion about 'All the Rivers', and more. |
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INR of Women's League for Conservative Judaism |
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