Who are the women of Reform/Progressive Judaism? Why does being Reform/Progressive matter to us? How does it shape our lives? What values speak to us? Who inspires us? What challenges do we face in our communities?
Shalom! And welcome to “Sharing Our Stories” - a place where Reform/Progressive Jewish women in North America and around the world share personal stories of sisterhood, spirituality and social good – in an effort to help us create meaningful connections and better understanding of each other, our shared values, goals and challenges, to share what we have in common as Reform/Progressive Jewish women, and also explore our own unique identities as citizens of different cultures.
This project was inspired by my own recent participation in the
WRJ Wilkenfeld International Women's Seminar
. The women attending this leadership development seminar came from very different places and lead very different lives, and yet, we all found it easy to form bonds of support and friendship. Sharing our personal stories – some of them bringing many tears - enabled us to develop a real sense of connectivity in the short time we were together. I believe we all left the seminar feeling inspired and empowered with a new sense of momentum towards our shared goal of a better world in which we are
able to live out the values and vision embodied in our Reform/Progressive Judaism. My hope is to now help other women feel this same sense of inspiration and empowerment which comes from connecting with others.
Every woman has a story to tell. These stories about who we are and what we believe are powerful – they can give us new insights, provide us with inspiration, and ultimately, move us to action. When we share our stories with others, across generations and geography, we strengthen not only ourselves and each other, but our entire Movement as well.
Each edition, I will be highlighting a particular question or issue of interest and featuring the stories of different Reform/Progressive Jewish women from around the world. For this inaugural publication, I wanted to start with the heart, asking women: “Why Reform/Progressive Judaism? Why be part of it?
Why does it matter to you?”
Want to hear more? Want to share your story? Join the conversation! Communities around the world would love to hear from you. Please
contact me.
