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- From the Region President
- February Program: It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina
- Save the Date for Virtual Spring Conference!
- Beth Tikvah Women Torah Fund Event
- From our Torah Fund Vice President
From Women's League:
- Shabbat Message
- Upcoming Programs from WLCJ
- Masorti Days of Study
- Programming Idea of the Week
- Social Justice Blurb of the Week
- Makom B'Yachad (previously known as Daily Psalms)
- Weekly Words of Torah from Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields
- Upcoming events in other Regions
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NEW!! Link to WL Week email for more information and programs from other arms of the Conservative Movement!
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From the Region President |
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I have begun to ruminate on the fact that my term as President is coming to a close and I have decided that I have very mixed emotions about this. It’s funny, one of the things that I was most fearful of when my term began is now one of the things I most enjoy – writing these messages for Chai Lines, our region’s bi-weekly newsletter.
I do still stress over what I will write about, how it sounds and if I got my “message” across. And of course - did I spell everything correctly and is my grammar correct? But more and more, I actually enjoy the process instead of stressing over it. And every once in a while, I will receive an email or a message from someone saying that my message touched them in a personal way. That of course makes it all worthwhile. (And who knew? Someone is actually reading them!)
As I pondered all of this I decided to go back and look at some of those early messages I had written. I definitely have improved over time! I think I gave up trying to be a Torah scholar and just started speaking from the heart. One thing I will say is that it is definitely easiest when there is a lot going on and I need to provide updates. Which as it turns out is what I am going to do this week!
Please remember to send in your RSVP for our February program, an interview with Elizabeth Bettina, author of It Happened in Italy. Email adelew@rogers.com.
Save the date for our Virtual Spring Conference: B’Yachad Together to be held on April 25, 2021. The Conference Committee is hard at work putting together some phenomenal programs and events for that day and you won’t want to miss it. Stop in for a few programs or stay for the whole day!
Beth Tikvah Women in Toronto is holding their Torah Fund Study Day on March 7, 2021 and they are inviting us all to join them. Please see the flyer below.
Per Capita was due on January 10, 2021. A HUGE thank you to those Sisterhoods and Women’s Groups who have already sent their Per Capita in to New York. However, we have several who have not yet done so. If you need assistance or direction on where to send Per Capita please contact me at INRPresident@wlcj.org ASAP!
So, I may not have shared any pearls of wisdom this week, but I did share some very important dates coming up for the International Northeast Region of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism! I hope to see you soon!
I wish, above all else, good health for you and your loved ones, and of course, a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat.
Joan Lowenstein
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Presents
An evening with Elizabeth Bettina
Tuesday February 23, 2021 at 7:00 pm
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Elizabeth Bettina is the author of It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust, a work that brings to light the little known history of how approximately 80% of Jews in Italy were saved during the Holocaust.
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Her book was the inspiration for the documentary, My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes, which was co-produced by Ms. Bettina and narrated by Golden Globe winning actress, Isabella Rossellini. The documentary was financed by a group led by Joseph Perella. The documentary opened in the Rome Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival, October 2014. Ms. Bettina has had private audiences with both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis and her work has also been recognized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
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With a mission to learn about those who risked their lives to save others and to inspire people to take action, Ms. Bettina founded the Be the Difference-Never Again program. It is her core belief that each person, every action, large or small, can make a difference.
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As a public speaker, Ms. Bettina has been invited to lecture around the world, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, the American Consulate in Florence, Holocaust Education Week in Toronto, various embassies, colleges, universities, and advocacy organizations. She is a graduate of Smith College in Massachusetts.
Ms. Bettina signs her books, “If you are not indifferent, things can be different.”
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Zoom information will be provided when you RSVP
Our programs are a benefit of your membership in your local affiliated Sisterhood/Women's Group or as an Individual Member of
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
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From our Torah Fund Vice President |
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Our Torah Fund B’Yachad Pins have arrived! All Torah Fund Chairs who sent the Torah Fund office their Pin order forms should have received their Benefactor and Guardian Pins to distribute by now. Higher level Pins are being sent separately to the individual donor. Pins are not sent automatically. If you need more, place your order today. Click here for the 2020-2021 B’Yachad Torah Fund Pin order form.
PIN INSERTS – The usual Inserts describing this years Pin were not able to be created as the Torah Fund office was closed. A fellow Torah Fund VP created a printable version that you can cut out and fold to resemble past inserts. If you would like a copy, please email me at marilyncohen@bell.net and I will be happy to forward you a copy.
Torah Fund has a new on-line donation page for US donors only. It uses the same URL - http://www.jtsa.edu/torah-fund. Canadians – Please do not donate on-line to Torah Fund. All Canadian donations are eligible for a tax receipt only if mailed to the Jewish Theological Society (with Torah Fund on the Memo Line) at 100 Elder St. Toronto, ON M3H 5G7. Contact your Sisterhood’s Torah Fund Chair with any questions.
CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS – US Donors Only. Torah Fund Chairs can no longer accept credit cards for donation payments as this is considered a “third party” accepting donations and leads to mistakes and a breach of confidentiality.
If you wish to make a credit card donation you have two options:
1. Go to the Torah Fund website to donate on-line
2. Leave a voicemail for Sherrill Moss-Solomon (212-928-6560) at the Torah Fund office and she will call you back to get your credit card number personally.
As you plan your virtual events for 2021, remember to request a student speaker. Please contact the Torah Fund Director Lisa Paule, lipaule@jtsa.edu, for a rabbinical or cantorial student from JTS.
Feel free to contact me at marilyncohen@bell.net with any questions, suggestions or concerns about any aspect of your Torah Fund campaign.
Shabbat Shalom!
Marilyn
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Shabbat Message:
A CODE OF LAWS
By Anise Parnes, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island Region President
How often have we heard the statement that we are a nation of laws? This often-quoted John Adams declaration, made as the former British colonies organized to create a “union” of states, became model language incorporated into many US state constitutions and remains a core value statement of our society.
How often have we heard that no one is above the law? Seems to be a lot in recent years, especially about certain local, state, and federal government officials, political agitators, and less than scrupulous business executives.
Societal laws and business laws can be traced back to ancient peoples, including the Israelites. In this week’s Parashat Mishpatim the “codes” of conduct and punishment, given by God to Moses and then received by the Israelites, are described. Among the many laws included within this “Covenant Code” are how to adjudicate crimes of murder and kidnapping, assaulting one’s parents and those causing bodily injury, along with the detailed treatment of slaves, foreigners, widows, orphans, and the poor.
Parashat Mishpatim is more than just a recounting of societal laws the Israelites accepted in the desert. It reflects guiding principles of Jewish life, lived with intention, through the centuries. It’s the foundation that drives many organized social action missions today, including those promoted by Women’s League, like our current “Stock the Shelves” initiative and Convention 2020’s no-sew blankets and t-shirt totes that were designated for Chicagoland’s The Ark. Born of compassion for those in need within our communities, these social action projects flow from the values established and accepted thousands of years ago within Parashat Mishpatim.
Commenting on this week’s parashah, Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson observes, “Ours is a religion of law. Take away the force of law and Judaism becomes merely a series of helpful suggestions. Just as one cannot claim to embrace American values without adhering to American law, so, too, one cannot distinguish Jewish values from Jewish law.”
Shabbat shalom,
Anise Parnes
BQLI Region President
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WL Programs in February/March 2021 |
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Jews in Comedy Series
We are pleased to have Lois Silverman back for Part II of her popular Jews In Comedy series.
JEWISH TELEVISION COMEDY GROWS UP / 1960-2000. Through film clips, this course will explore the history and role of Jewish entertainers in television from the beginning of the industry.
SAVE THE DATE for the 3rd and final part of this series, Monday, March 15th, 3:00 PM ET, Jewish Television Comedy Enters the Mainstream.
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Jews in Comedy, Part II
Monday, February 22nd
@ 3:00 PM EST
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Organ Donation: Out of the Shadows
People may shy away from discussing organ donation … until they or a loved one face a crisis. In the USA alone, 117,000 people currently await a lifesaving new organ. We hope to highlight the incredible mitzvah of registering for and supporting organ donation.
This program will illuminate the types of donation, the registry system, today’s medical boundaries, the halachic framework, and ethical dilemmas. We’ll also hear some personal stories from people who have been on the giving and receiving ends.
We’re honored to present as speakers:
Rabbi Dr. Elliot N. Dorff - Rector and Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy, American Jewish University; Chair of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. He is a leading voice for Conservative Judaism on a range of subjects including bioethics.
Dr. Amy L. Friedman - Transplant Surgeon and the Chief Medical Officer/ Executive Vice President of LiveOnNY, an organ donation network, support, and outreach program.
Dr. Michael Kaner – Dentist in the Philadephia area (and the brother of Women’s League leaders Debbi Goldich and Ellen Bresnick). When he and his wife tragically lost their 2-year-old son, they donated his organs to save many lives.
Jeanette M. Brownstein – Florida Region Torah Fund Vice President. She received a kidney from a sisterhood friend, in a living-donor transplant.
Women’s League members are invited to submit a one-page essay about their own direct experience with organ donation, as a donor, recipient, or next of kin. These will be published in a document to be shared with the participants in this webinar. Send to vleber@wlcj.org.
We hope that this program will also provide inspiration and tools for your Sisterhood to develop its own programs about the mitzvah of organ donation. April is National Donate Life Month. Learn more at organdonor.gov and donatelife.net or through your state’s health department.
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Personal Conversations
Thursday, March 18th
@ 7:45 PM EST
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Masorti Days of Study - Tuesday, February 23 & March 2 @ 12:00 Noon EST |
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There's Still Time to Register for the Other Two Sessions! |
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In memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1st Jewish woman justice
on the U.S. Supreme Court
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We would appreciate registration for the next Study Days to start now.
Separate registration is required for each program. As a reminder, all those who donated $36 or more to the Women's League Giving Tuesday campaign can register free-of-cost; additional donations are always welcomed.
High-level, multi-themed online events focusing on Jewish Women and Gender Studies. Conducted in five languages: Hebrew, English, Spanish, French, and Russian.
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Ellie Kremer
Women's League Israel Chair
(610) 724-6612
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Upcoming Study Days
Tuesday, February 23
12 Noon - 2:55 PM EST
Tuesday, March 2
12 Noon - 2:55 PM EST
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Repro Shabbat - Friday, February 12th & Saturday February 13th
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Repro Shabbat is an opportunity for congregations, organizations, and communities to celebrate the critical importance of reproductive health access, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice, and to learn more about Judaism’s approach to these issues. For more details and to RSVP, click here.
For booklet version, click here. Additional information, click here.
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Programming Idea of the Week |
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Passover Programming Ideas |
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With Passover beginning this year on March 27th, many of us are thinking about what our Sisterhood can do virtually to recognize, celebrate and honor the traditions of the holiday. Below you will find several ideas that ascend from the very simple to the more complex. As always, feel free to contact me to further discuss any of these concepts!
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1. Adult Coloring has become all the rage and has helped millions to relax and relieve stress. Inexpensive Pesach-themed coloring pages are available to download and share online. Via Zoom, plan a BYOCP (Bring Your Own Colored Pencils) night and create a beautiful design to display at your Seder. Since this is an easy craft to start and stop and start again, you don’t have to complete it in one evening. In fact, you can use this coloring craft during the hectic holiday times to enjoy a mess-free “YOU TIME.” For inspiration: Click Here (Free or very inexpensive)
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2. Build a Matzah Pyramid! Arrange a Drive-Thru Matzah Collection. As the cars drop off the matzah boxes, organize the boxes (preferably 5 pounders) into a triangle. It only takes two or three socially distanced volunteers to accept and arrange the display. Remember to take some pictures to share with your members and to put in your synagogue’s bulletin! Coordinate a donation to a local food pantry as the culmination of your Sisterhood’s efforts.
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3. With so many wine glasses floating around a Seder table, it would be smart and fun to create a way to designate each guest’s glass. Create Wine Glass Charms! Click Here to order inexpensive silver wine glass ring assemble packets with materials to create 4-6 wine glass charms by filling a snack size baggie with the rings, themed charms, and colorful beads such as these: Click Here. Encourage your participants to BYOG (Bring Your Own Glass), preferably filled with wine, to sip and demonstrate her creations! (You will need to approximate your number of participants and order your supplies accordingly. Make sure to charge enough to cover your expenses and to make a little extra!) Note: If you prefer to keep it simple, order ONE style of Jewish themed charm and encourage your participants to differentiate the rings with the colorful beads.
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4. Plan a Cooking Demonstration (or Cook Along). Select four Sisterhood members to present their recipes. You can assign an appetizer, main dish, side dish, and dessert to them. Alternatively, you can make this a “Just Desserts” demonstration. Make sure to send all your Zoom viewers the recipes (if they’re just watching) or the recipes and ingredient lists if they’re cooking/baking along. As an add on to this, you can create a recipe exchange within your Sisterhood group.
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Submitted by Grace Schessler
WLCJ VP, Programming Team
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Social Justice Blurb of the Week |
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We’ve been talking about the growing epidemic of food insecurity for several months. We’ve acknowledged the need, now we’re excited to announce the solution! No, we don’t expect WLCJ to end hunger in America, but we can be proactive in working toward a resolution.
A new month means a new chance to get involved in our newest Social Action initiative: Project Stock The Shelves!
How can you help? While the plan for each sisterhood will vary, the object is to connect with your local food pantry to find out what their greatest need is. The Social Action will publish a recommended monthly selection if your pantry doesn’t have a specific request.
The project is simple:
- Select a collection spot; a box in the synagogue lobby if you have access or a designated member’s home.
- Encourage members to consider purchasing the monthly recommendation during their regular shopping trip and drop it off in the collection box.
- Deliver collected items monthly to the selected pantry in the name of WLCJ and your sisterhood.
That’s it! Simple enough yet will result in a huge impact.
Many sisterhoods are already working on a similar project, which is great! If so, you are a step ahead. Continue what you’ve been doing and let us know about it. We will highlight your story in Women’s League Week.
To help plan ahead, and in case you see the item on sale, the recommendations for the next several months are:
January – Cereal and shelf stable milk
February – Peanut Butter and jelly
March – Soup and crackers
April – Pasta and pasta sauce
May – Tuna and macaroni and cheese
June – Canned fruit and protein bars
Consider using local brands. Be aware of “sell by" dates. While they may not be harmful, food pantries are not able to distribute “expired” products. Unless you are supplying a kosher pantry, there’s no need to check the Heckscher. Gift cards and cash donations are always welcomed. Diapers and feminine hygiene products are needed too. These items cannot be purchased with food stamps.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, we look forward to taking on this initiative together and making a true difference in our communities!
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Debbie Bettan
Social Justice
Project Chair
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Karen Block
Social Justice
Co-Chair
kblock@wlcj.org
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Ardis Wexler
Social Justice
Co-Chair
judgeardis@aol.com
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Monday-Friday 12PM Noon ET; 11AM CT; 9AM PT; 10AM MT
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;
*On Tues. Feb 9, Tues. Feb 23, and Tues. March 2 - because of the Masorti Women's Day of Study, our Makom B'Yachad will be at 11 AM EST
*On Mon. Feb 15 will not hold our Makom B'Yachad. We will have the Zoom line open for all who want to connect in observance of President's Day.
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Want to sing, teach, help with technology, and more during Daily Psalm Study, Pirkei Avot, and Kaddish?
All are welcome. We have many available spots to fill.
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Parashat Mishpatim / Shabbat, February 13, 2021 - What new mishpatim, statements, have been incorporated into our lives this past year?
This week we read Parashat Mishpatim, which continues with many new laws and commandments God is giving to the Children of Israel, as they move into a new stage of their lives, from slaves, to free people. This generation of the Children of Israel have never lived as free people and will need new mishpatim, laws, and statements to live in a just and free society. Over the past year, our society has also changed. What new mishpatim, statements, have been incorporated into our lives this past year? Do you think these mishpatim will continue in a post COVID world, or will new mishpatim need to be created?
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Stay Connected with WLCJ Groups |
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Interested? Contact Ellie Kremer,
Israel Committee Chair
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To join the WLCJNet, please send an email to Sherry Lynn Rubin at slrubin@wlcj.org.
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WLCJ on Social Media Posting |
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Posting the WL Week on any Social Media? |
We would like to advise our WL members to refrain from posting exact Zoom links for our events on Social Media. It takes great care and hard work to provide these amazing programs specifically for our members. If you know of anyone who is not a member but would like to join a program, please refer them to join WLCJ, and take advantage of all we have to offer! |
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Upcoming Sisterhood Region Calendar Events |
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Rosh Chodesh Healing Circle
Wednesday, February 10th
@ 6:30 PM EST
Facilitated by Sue Gurland
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Atlanta Mah Jongg Madness
goes "Virtual"
Play at rotating tables using
tournament scoring to win Amazon
gift cards for one of 4 top prizes!
Sunday, February 14th
@ 11:00 AM EST
Cost is $20 to Register
To view flyer, click HERE
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Central Great Lakes Region |
Preserving YOUR Past as a Keepsake for YOUR Future
Sunday, February 21st
@ 1:00 PM EST
To view the flyer, click HERE.
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Free Program & Open to All!
8th Annual Open a Book...
Open Your Mind for 2020-21.
NOW until April 2021
View the revised flyer HERE
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Please follow this LINK to read more from Women's League and to find links to more programming from our partners in the Conservative/Masorti Movement.
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