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Dear Friends;

Parashat Terumah opens as God tells Moses to collect donated materials in order to build a dwelling place for God called the Mishkan (Tabernacle) in which the people will worship God during their forty-year journey in the desert. God tells Moses to ask each Israelite to bring a Terumah, or “gift”, a “contribution”, for its construction. “Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts: you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him” (Exodus 25:2) … “And let them make Me a Mikdash (sanctuary) that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8). Notice God did not say “that I may dwell in it” but “among them” meaning the people. God’s presence is not found in a building - it is found in the hearts and souls of the people who fashion and sanctify that building (Etz Hayim pg. 486). God goes on to describe in great detail the architectural specifics of the Tabernacle and all its interior furnishings and decorations. But just as we do for our own sanctuaries, synagogues or institutions, we start with a fundraising phase. God begins the parashah by asking the people to bring donations of gold, silver, acacia wood, beautiful fabrics, skins, spices, incense, etc. In other words, things that could actually be used in the Tabernacle and things that could be seen by the people.

The word “Terumah” comes from the Hebrew root meaning to ‘lift up’ or to ‘elevate’. It originally referred to the physical act of lifting up that which was being offered as a sacrifice. It can also imply that the act of offering a gift to God elevates the donor to a higher level as well (Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev).

The Mishkan was a unifying force for the community. When people gazed at the Mishkan in the middle of the camp each person saw what they had brought as a gift. It must have been an empowering experience. It must have lifted them up. That is why the meaning of Terumah is both donation and also a lifting up because by contributing to the creation of their own religious centre, the people were lifting up their own lives. In our work within Women’s League, or our communities today, we don’t only give financially, we also give of ourselves. We give our knowledge, passion, expertise, time and talents. And by giving of ourselves to others we lift up our own lives. The hidden gift of a Terumah or donation is how we grow and how we gain and how we become better versions of ourselves as human beings.

REGION MATTERS

I am so excited about the new Torah Fund eCards online feature that Canadians can use. From the time I first became Torah Fund VP, back in 2015, we have been advocating for this! Todah Rabah to Lisa Paule, Torah Fund Director, Barbara Ezring, WLCJ Torah Fund Chair, Randy Schwartz, WLCJ Torah Fund Canadian Liaison and the Torah Fund Team, for your hard work in making this happen. Mazal Tov and Ya’asher Kochachen! See the article below from Linda Boxer, our Torah Fund Vice President for more details.

SAVE THE DATE:

Our next INR region program will be on March 9, 2022 at 7:30pm. This will be an interesting presentation, on “Jewish Gangsters in America”. See our flyer below for details and to register for the Zoom invitation.

We hope all members in INR are now receiving our Chai Lines Newsletter as well as Women’s League Week (WL Week). In addition to learning, about our region events, you can see all the amazing programs, social justice ideas, best books to read and events from other organizations – ideas which could be used in your own affiliates. Women’s League emails its newsletter to everyone who has provided their email address on their profile in the WL Data Base. If you are the Data Base Manager for your affiliate/sisterhood, please make sure you are adding all of the email addresses of your members.

Please continue to keep me posted about the happenings of your affiliate/sisterhood. I would love to know what is happening in all of our INR affiliates/sisterhoods. Invite me to your Zoom programs. Please send me your flyers well in advance of your programs and we will gladly promote your programs in our Chai Lines Newsletter.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marilyn Cohen, INR President

inrpresident21@wlcj.org

So much of what Torah Fund is about is the future. We raise money today to support the students who are currently studying to become our rabbis, cantors, educators, and scholars. These endeavors have been going on for nearly 80 years, thanks to the wisdom and foresight of Mathilde Schechter. During the coming months, there will be many options to celebrate 80 years of Torah Fund. Will your affiliate host a party to honor those turning 80 during this 80^th year? Will you make an additional gift of $80? Will you honor your rabbi, cantor or educator who attended one of the five Conservative/Masorti schools of higher learning? There must be at least 80 ways to celebrate 80 years. If your affiliate has special plans, please share those plans with me.

Do you remember when you became a Torah Fund donor? Or why? I don’t remember exactly when I made my first donation, but I could go look at my pin collection to figure out when I became a Benefactor. I do know that I first became a Benefactor because Sheila Trossman asked me to do so. It was that simple. What is your story? Will you share it with all of us? Do you want to know more about leaving a legacy to Torah Fund? Click here: Torah Fund Legacy Society - Jewish Theological Seminary (jtsa.edu)

Barbara Ezring, International Torah Fund Chair, and Randy Schwartz, Torah Fund Canadian Liaison, this week announced that the Canadian ecards platform is now operational. Our U.S. donors have experienced the ease of online donations. Such donations result in an immediate, appropriate receipt for tax purposes. For each Canadian ecard transaction, donors have the option of adding a donation of any amount. This means that our Canadian supporters will have a way to make TF donations online, with a minimum purchase of one ecard at $5.00 per recipient. Torah Fund makes every effort to make ‘giving’ as easy as possible. This platform adds a new dimension to TF fundraising, and we hope you'll use it - whether to simply send ecards to family and friends for a variety of purposes, to make an annual gift, or to contribute periodically. Thanks for your continued support, and to our Canadian donors, for using our new platform. And thank you to Lisa Paule, our Torah Fund Director, and her team for bringing this project to fruition!

Please note that the platform is a work in progress and you may find some snags along the way. Marilyn Cohen has already tested it and reports the following:

• When asked for an additional donation, if you do not wish to do so, enter ‘$0’ and you’ll be able to move forward in the process.
• Note that the first mazal tov card is a baby card.
• Don’t sign your name – it will be filled in for you.

If you have problems using this platform, please let me know: INRTorahFund@gmail.com. I will be attending a training and information session next week. If I can’t answer your questions, I will find someone who can. Your patience and understanding are appreciated.

Again, here is the new Canadian platform. And here is the current Torah Fund U.S. ecards platform.

All contributions, large and small, B’Yachad, together, make a difference. Our region is doing very well, working towards our goal, but we do have more to do. If paying by check/cheque, please communicate with your local Torah Fund Chair.

Thank you to all who have donated. Your support is always appreciated. Together, B’Yachad, we make a difference.

Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Linda Boxer

INR Torah Fund VP

INRTorahFund@gmail.com

presents

HELENE HERMAN on:

But They Were Good to Their Mothers:

Jewish Gangsters in America

Wednesday March 9, 2022 @ 7:30 PM

This lecture addresses a seldom-covered aspect of the darker side of the immigrant experience, delving into the rise and fall of Jewish gangsters who dominated crime from the 1920’s until the end of WW2. Beyond exploring famous crime figures (e.g., Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky) and organizations (e.g., Murder Inc., The Brownsville Boys), we will learn about some lesser known but quite fascinating characters.

email Adele Weinstein @ adelew@rogers.com by 12 PM on 3/9/2022 to register

Helene Herman recently retired as President of a 400+ member lifelong learning club. She is a lecturer for adult learning programs at multiple universities on a variety of historical and cultural topics. Helene has over 30 years of executive experience in global marketing, and holds a B.A. in Anthropology from NYU. She is the Sisterhood President at Temple Beth Torah Sha’aray Tzedek in Tamarac, Florida.

Helene generously offers her lectures to affiliates of Women’s League for no fee. All she asks in exchange is that we make donations to Torah Fund, the dedicated philanthropy of Women's League for Conservative Judaism. INR, as a region, will be making a donation in Helene's name. If you wish to voluntarily contribute as well: In the US, you can donate online here. In Canada please mail donations to: Jewish Theological Society, 100 Elder Street, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5G7. Be sure to include the name of your local affiliate for proper credit.

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 - training will be provided.

If you are interested or know of someone who might be a good “fit”, please contact Joan Lowenstein at jmglowepp2021@gmail.com.

Thank You!

For more information/registration, see the detailed fliers below.

Or - click anywhere on the calendar and it will take you to the WL Week where you can "click" on each individual program!

Per many requests, here is some follow-up information:

If you are interested in having a WOW representative as a speaker, please contact Nechama Namal, WOW Director of Philanthropy. development@womenofthewall.org.il

The links below are from Women of the Wall to give you more information on their efforts and places to show your support.  

To sign up for their newsletter: https://www.womenofthewall.org.il/

To Donate: https://www.womenofthewall.org.il/donate/

To make a Purchase: https://www.womenofthewall.org.il/donate/shop/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womenofthewall to watch Rosh Hodesh and to follow WOW

Every Rosh Hodesh except for those falling on Shabbat, you can find WOW at the Western Wall or on their Facebook page – see their live feed at 12:00 AM EST – the evening before Rosh Chodesh in Israel. Remember, you can watch the video the next day, if you are not a night person!

WOW Merchandise

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

Four Mothers - $250

Garden of Eden - $225

Spirit of Israel - $250

Siddur - $36

Challah Cover - same design as our Garden of Eden tallit - $72

our copy should address

The Conservative/Masorti movement organizations feel betrayed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government’s ongoing refusal to implement the 2017 Kotel Agreement, most recently expressed in an interview with the Jerusalem Post January 28. The agreement, reached between the government of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Haredi parties in his government, the Women of the Wall, and the pluralistic streams of Judaism, calls for the formal establishment of an egalitarian prayer plaza at the Kotel.

It is unconscionable that Prime Minister Bennett has shelved these plans in light of the fact that alongside a majority of ministers and MKs in the present government who concur with the implementation, the majority of Israelis also believe that there should be free access for all Jews to pray according to their custom at the Western Wall. It is inconceivable that the government of Israel should continue to prevent freedom of prayer and equal rights to all Jews.

Furthermore, the continued denial of religious freedom is directly contradictory to the Prime Minister’s and other Ministers’ stated desire to bridge the gap between Israel and world Jewry. It is of grave concern to us that an increasing number of our members do not see themselves represented in the way Judaism continues to be practiced in the Jewish state. Israel cannot afford to turn its back on the majority of the Jewish people at a time when it is soliciting the assistance of World Jewry in combating anti-Israel actions in the UN and other forums. 

We call upon Prime Minister Bennett and his government to immediately implement the Kotel Agreement, manifesting his own belief that Israel should be a home for all Jews. 

We are happy to work with all and any government agencies to help promote the implementation of the agreement in the shortest possible time.

Click here to continue reading the Statement

TUESDAY,

MARCH 29TH

7:30 PM - 8:30 PM 

KICKOFF EVENT

Questions?

Contact

Corinne Hammerschlag

Environment Co-Chair

corinneh@rogers.com

or

Lymor Wasserman

Environment Co-Chair

mrswass@gmail.com

Submitted by

Grace Schessler, WL Programming Chair 

gschessler@wlcj.org

Rebel Daughter takes the reader back in time to an event that changed the course of human history, the destruction of Jerusalem and the second Temple. A thrilling saga of family, faith and forbidden love while

blending the fascinating story of the Jewish people with a timeless protagonist determined to take charge of her own life against all odds.

Join author Lori Banov Kaufmann and scholar Dr. Jonathan Price, of Tel Aviv University, as they discuss this book of historical fiction and share the details of their 10-year collaboration...

To continue reading, click HERE.

Cory Schneider

Archives Chair and Consultant

cschneider@wlcj.org

Tel. 717-574-1807

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! We want to make sure we have everything needed from Women’s League international, our branches and regions to tell our story. Do you have hidden away somewhere meeting minutes, branch/region directories, brochures, newsletters, event information, memorabilia, creative handcrafts? Photographs?

We are asking you to search through your files, albums and boxes of materials and gather them together. Please label the pictures with a date, what event, who the people are, and where are they. Please label other items with their story (if not told in the item). Then send it on to Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields at 627 Bowne Road, Ocean Township, NJ 07712. For questions, contact Cory Schneider.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Also, watch for information on three new How to Live Forever zoom presentations: Collecting and Organizing Your Sisterhood Archives, Collecting and Organizing Your Region Archives, and Writing Your Organization’s Story.

Upon reading the Women's Health Resolution, please cast your VOTE. To vote, click on the button below and it'll take you to a doodle website. 

All you need to input is your name and email to cast your vote.

Karen Cuker

Public Policy & Resolutions Co-Chair

cukers@verizon.net

Marlene Oslick

Public Policy & Resolutions Co-Chair

mtocpa@aol.com

To the Membership of WLCJ,

PLEASE VOTE!

The Resolutions and Public Policy Committee has approved the following Women’s Health Resolution (2022). This resolution passed the WLCJ Executive Committee and was offered to our membership for comment in WL Week. The Resolutions Committee, which drafted this resolution, reviewed all the member comments and made some changes and clarifications which the committee deemed appropriate and which enhanced the spirit of the resolution. 

Now we are asking the 40,000 members of WLCJ to vote yes or no on this resolution. If passed, this resolution becomes an official position of Women’s League and a part of our historical archive. 

Further, our hope is that our Sisterhoods will develop programming and projects inspired by this resolution.

Please take a moment to read the WLCJ Women’s Health Resolution (2022) and VOTE.

Thank you,

Marlene Oslick and Karen Cuker,

Public Policy & Resolutions Co-Chairs

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: jewel@wlcj.org

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

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

12 PM Noon 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                      

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: https://zoom.us/u/abkdqsxzJq

Two Views of the Book of Psalms; Portraits of Jewish Educational Leadership; Honoring Cantors; and More

REMINDER - Safety in the Synagogue Is This Wednesday

Schechter's Winter 2022 Hybrid and Zoom Courses

INR of Women's League for Conservative Judaism