Hello Carol,

• President's Message
• WRJ Atlantic & Mid-Atlantic Pocono Mountain Retreat - Save the Date!
• General Board Meeting Recap
• Count Your Blessings!
• Mid-Atlantic District Innovations and Engagement Microgrants
• Save the Date
• More from the District and Beyond

President's Message

Last week I saw the band Heart at Wolf Trap. For those of you who are unfamiliar, they are considered the first hard rock band fronted by women to achieve widespread commercial success in the late 1970s and then again in the late 1980s. This concert brought back so many memories. I first saw Heart when I was a student in Boston. I had never witnessed women playing electric guitar and unleashing songs and vocals on par with their male counterparts at the time. It was awesome. Now in their seventies (I guesstimate) they have remained relevant even though one of the Wilson sisters, Ann, had difficulty walking and needed to sit the entire concert. It didn’t stop her guttural voice from filling the sold-out venue of multi-generational women and men. Nancy reminded the audience that in spite of their commercial success, their path was very difficult because of extreme sexism and still is. It was both a story of perseverance and a reminder that complete equality for women has not been realized yet. 

It did trigger me to think about WRJ and the relevance of gender-based organizations. Being part of WRJ, we are surrounded by so many smart, capable women who are successful in many facets of their lives. Yet, despite our successes we are still fighting for equality in the workplace, making decisions about our body and being believed about and being used as a weapon of war with sexual assault and rape. Our newest social justice focus, Climate Change, particularly viewed through a gender lens, will further the reasons that gender-based organizations are still relevant and needed.

 There is so much we can do as individuals, and I thank you for all of those efforts large and small. But sometimes we need to make an impact by shouting; by linking our arms and joining our voices together. Our WRJ network allows us to tackle issues important to us locally through sisterhoods and individual members, the Mid-Atlantic District regionally and WRJ throughout North America and globally. And if you have any doubts that our collective strength can have an impact think back to the reproductive rights ballot initiative victories in Florida and Ohio. 

Clearly, we face monumental challenges as women, as Jews, and as humans wishing to leave a world that will sustain freedom, peace, opportunity and health for future generations. May I suggest that we try not to let the enormity of what we are facing get us down. I invite you to find strength and comfort within this community. I encourage you to attend and invite the women both within and without your community to join us at both virtual and in-person events. You have my promise that I am available to you any time to help you navigate our resources. And although I know this retired tag line is a bit cliché, for me it meets the moment – We are stronger together!

In Sisterhood,

Andrea

Group Rates at the hotel have been extended to June 18th!

Click here for more information and to register for this event.

General Meeting Recap

Executive committee members, sisterhood presidents, committee chairs and a few interested individuals gathered together at Beth El Hebrew Congregation for our semi-annual general board meeting. Thank you to Jeanette Astrow and other leaders of their sisterhood for welcoming us so warmly and taking care of the details and arrangements.

Here are the highlights from our financials for the period that will end on June 30:

• Dues: We had 3371 members in our District in the year ending 2024, a small decrease from the year before. That is the most current number that can share. We won’t know our membership numbers for the current fiscal year until around October 2025. After a modest adjustment, MAD will receive $8428 in dues income.
• Investment earnings:  We earned $1206 in interest on our CD, and as a related matter, $298 in cash rewards on our credit card
• Grants from WRJ: we received $1960 in a grant for the civil rights Kallah which we expect to apply next fall, and $2500 in an engagement grant that we actually received at the close of the last FY, the majority of which were applied to this fiscal year, the remainder in next fiscal year. The grants were used to build relationships with our sisterhoods/women’s groups in North Carolina
• Camp scholarships: We gave out $3150 in camp scholarships to six campers, 2 each attending Camp Harlam, 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, and 6 Points Sports Academy.
• Innovation Microgrants paid to Sisterhoods/Individual Members: We awarded our first grant of $750 to Temple Sinai Women of Reform Judaism. Currently, 5 additional sisterhoods have shown an interest in applying. Grants are given on a rolling basis until the budgeted funds are depleted.
• YES Fund revenue: We sent $1847.95 to WRJ North America for the YES fund, plus we are sending an additional $250 just received, which will make a total of $2097.95.  We congratulate Louise Johanson, who recently received her Lifeline Gold Pin. Mazel Tov!

Our FY 25-26 budget was approved unanimously. Note, this is a 10-month MAD budget which will bring us through the unification of the Mid-Atlantic District and the Atlantic District as the Eastern District during our Convention, which will be held in Wilmington, Delaware, April 30-May 3. Although our operating budget contains an estimated placeholder for our portion of Convention income and expenses, a detailed convention budget will be created by the Convention Task Force. A separate vote was taken to approve $15,000 and $5,000 to be taken out of our reserve funds and used to set aside money to support a camp scholarship fund and innovation microgrant fund, respectively. This would better align our budget with the Atlantic District budget when we unify into a new Eastern District. This also passed unanimously. 

An updated MAD directory and budget will be sent to all general board members, including sisterhood presidents, this summer. Sisterhood presidents, please fill out the WRJ leadership change form, https://urjyouth.wufoo.com/forms/z1vij89v0jtq0np/, so all of WRJ and district communications go to the correct person.

Other reports included our upcoming Camp Harlam Retreat in July, our MAD innovation microgrants, and the upcoming nomination process for officers and other executive committee members for the upcoming term, beginning immediately after a plenary session during Convention. More information regarding all of these items can be found in this and upcoming issues of the Candle.

            EVERYONE CAN COUNT THEIR BLESSINGS   

Now more than ever, the Mid-Atlantic District believes in the importance of helping others, especially women and their children. Your support to the MAD General Fund will provide youth camp scholarships, meeting registration subsidies to leaders within our district, innovation & engagement grants to sisterhoods, and support for Area Days events.

Click here for more information.

Mid-Atlantic District Innovation & Engagement Grants

• Do you have an innovative program that will have a meaningful impact? or, 
• Do you have a program that engages in the areas of sisterhood/community building, spirituality, or personal enrichment and growth? or,
• Are you preparing a Social justice or advocacy program that includes WRJ resolutions and high-priority issues? or, 
• Are you preparing a program that will provide outreach to other groups?

The Mid-Atlantic Innovation and Engagement Grant is a rolling grant that will fund new social justice and engagement programs in an amount between $250-$750 and can be combined with other funding opportunities. Applications are being accepted now for Summer/Fall 2025 programs. 

We are excited to announce that the first Innovation and Engagement Grant was awarded to the Temple Sinai Women of Reform Judaism for their Tovanot Program. on Sunday, June 29, from 10 am to noon. Tovanot uses a dual-narrative approach to deepen understanding of Israel’s historical and political landscape while fostering empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians. Rejecting binary thinking and zero-sum assumptions, it encourages participants to engage with multiple perspectives—Israeli Jews, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians—while recognizing Israel’s significance in the region.

For more information, see the article below. 



Click here for the application and criteria explanation. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marilyn Morrison at marilynmorrison1990@gmail.com or 703-989-7960.

Outstanding opportunities you don’t want to miss!  

Sunday, June 22 - 1 pm - Beth El Congregation Sisterhood 1st Annual Mah Jongg Tournament Click here to register.

Sunday, July 2 - 8 pm - Washington Hebrew Congregation - Kol HaDorot: A Concert Celebrating 50 Years of Women in the Cantorate. Click here to register

Friday, July 11 – Sunday, July 13; Camp Harlam Retreat with Atlantic District; click here to register. Friday, September 12 - Saturday, September 13 - North Carolina Civil Rights Kehillah in Greensboro, NC. Details to follow.

Thursday, October 9; Understanding Microaggressions; 7:30 pm, details to follow

More from the District and Beyond ...

Tovanot 

Sunday, June 29, 2025 

10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Temple Sinai

Since October 7, 2023, conversations about Israel and Palestine have become increasingly polarized, leaving many feeling unprepared or conflicted. Tovanot offers a dual-narrative approach that deepens understanding of the region’s history and politics while fostering empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians. Rejecting binary thinking, it encourages engagement with diverse perspectives and acknowledges both people’s national aspirations.

Dr. Ruti Kadish grew up in Israel and moved to the U.S. after her military service, earning a BA in Women’s Studies and a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley. She held a postdoc in Israel Studies at the University of Maryland and was a Fellow at the Mandel School in Jerusalem, where she developed progressive Israel curricula. A former diversity education consultant, Ruti has spent the past 15 years working in Jewish nonprofit education and resource development.

Contact Carole Brand for more information.

Thanks to a generous grant from WRJ's Mid-Atlantic District, there is no participation fee for this seminar. We expect the event to fill up to its maximum 40 participants quickly. We will keep a waiting list for those who register after the seminar is full.

Women of Temple Rodef Shalom

Falls Church, Virginia

Volunteer Apreciation Event - May 15, 2025

After a year of helping to make a positive difference in our world, the well-deserving 2024-2025 volunteers of Women of Temple Rodef Shalom (WoTRS) enjoyed a fun and celebratory evening of appreciation May 15 at the WoTRS Volunteer Appreciation Event in our temple’s Social Hall. So important to thank hard-working and dedicated volunteers!

 About 65 guests were greeted by beautiful piano music and enjoyed a delicious spread of light appetizers, dessert, wine, and other beverages. The Presidents’ Council thanked each volunteer – approximately 200 individuals this year! It was truly a night of sisterhood – and realization about all the Tikkun Olam that WoTRS does – social, spiritual, fundraising, cultural, and traditional events and activities!

An evening of WoTRS and Jewish Trivia, and upbeat karaoke followed with lots of teamwork and sisterhood fun! The “Underdogs” were the big trivia team winners, with the Modern Mavens and The Fun Bunch in second, and third. Other teams included Knitmaj, The Savvy Seven, and Seven Samurais. Even our clergy and staff was up singing and dancing with us! We love our volunteers!

Attention All Sisterhood and Women's Group Leaders!

The women in your sisterhoods and women’s groups are entitled to receive information from the WRJ Mid-Atlantic District. We also encourage you to share information with friends, relatives, and others in your community who may be interested. WRJ has individual memberships available.

To receive our monthly newsletter: Contact madmarketcom@gmail.com

Join the WRJ Information platform Mighty Networks

If you have not already done so, please sign up here to request an account on our new platform. This new site allows us to communicate with each other more freely with some privacy. You can ask other members questions, share events or fundraising ideas, or see what events are coming up in the district. We look forward to seeing you there.

Mighty Networks Video Tutorials 

Watch Video 1: Create Account 

Watch Video 2: User Guide 

If you encounter any problems, you can contact Heather Lorgeree at hlorgeree@wrj.org. 

Check out the Women of Reform Judaism page to find out what other sisterhoods are doing across North America.

Click here to see the latest WRJ program calendar.