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News from the Northeast
August 1, 2017 | |
Message from Sharon Sobel
Vice President, WRJ Northeast District
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In some cases, it is very possible to judge a book by its cover, because the cover reflects the very thing that the reader hopes to accomplish. With that in mind, publishers aim to get their “beach reads” out before Memorial Day, marketed to those who intend to spend the next few months sitting on a sling-back chair facing the water, protected by a wide-brimmed straw hat. The prospect is Elysian.
But for anyone who is entertaining children or grandchildren throughout the summer, who continues to work, who struggles to keep the deer away from the garden, or who is faced with planning a whole year of sisterhood or women’s group events, a beach read might be nothing more than the front page of the newspaper while standing at the kitchen counter. We lament that there is no rest for the weary, but a more positive spin is that there is no rest for the ambitious, the engaged, the energized. The summer may not be the time to just sit back and watch the waves come in, but the opportunity to make your own waves.
Many sisterhoods are dormant during the summer months, punctuated by a few email updates and the occasional barbecue. But as soon as our vacationers return, we are faced with the busiest weeks of our entire year: high holy days, new member welcomes, honey sales, membership dinners and programming. The success of these and other events are often predicated on what is accomplished during the summer, on who plans and who implements. For those volunteers, help might be found with some excellent summer reading – provided by Women of Reform Judaism and the many leaders who contribute to its success.
None of us are alone while our WRJ website, printed materials, and online communities provide the ideas and the tools to plan for a full year of activities, social action projects, and successful programs. Ideas for fundraisers are shared (what about that honey sale?) and guest speakers are available. Your Sisterhood Shabbat service can be crafted on those used by other sisterhoods, and haggadahs for Tu Bishvat and Passover can be downloaded.
Please read about the Northeast District’s upcoming Kallah in Connecticut, where we will have the opportunity to discuss our plans, and our opportunities to serve. Consider applying for a grant from WRJ, for assistance in financing a special project. And read about what other groups have done, inspiring all of us.
While it’s true that the plots of all these resource materials might not involve love on the beach, or solving the mystery of the stolen salt water taffy, the characters are pretty good, and the endings usually work out well. And if you manage to have some extra time after reading about all the wonderful possibilities for you and your sisterhood, then you might find a comfortable sling-back chair, dip your toes in the water, and pick up that beach read you picked up at Barnes & Noble two years ago.
Happy reading, Sharon Sobel Wilton, Connecticut
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Northern Area Event, Buffalo, NY
Saturday, September 9, 2017
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Time to connect, share and learn together at Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, NY... Join us for services, followed by lunch and a presentation by guest speaker Vivian Blumstein, president of WRJ Northeast District, whose program will be "WRJ 101 – Global Connections."
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With 16 camps in North America, the URJ operates the largest, most successful Jewish camping program in the world! Back in 1950, it was the WRJ (then NFTS) that resolved to create Jewish summer camps to foster Jewish learning and interaction for our youth:
"We hereby resolve, that the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods adopt as its next national project ... the acquisition and establishment of camps for Reform Jewish youth."
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| In 1952, the URJ opened the first of its Jewish summer camps. Today, the camps include not only regional summer camps but have expanded to include specialty camps for sports, sci-tech, and a creative arts camp that will open next summer. The program at each camp works to enrich and transform lives by strengthening Jewish identity, teaching Jewish knowledge, instilling Jewish values, exploring campers’ connection to Israel, and cultivating lifelong friendships – all informed and inspired by the traditions and values of living Reform Judaism. In the Northeast District, we have two regional camps, one Canadian camp, one specialty camp, and one national camp. Eisner and Crane Lake are regional camps in western Massachusetts, Camp George is in Ontario, Canada. 6 Points Sci-Tech is a specialty camp just outside of Boston. We also have the NFTY national leadership camp - Kutz in Warwick, New York. For so many of us, Jewish summer camp was the first time that we had truly life-changing Jewish experiences. We may have grown up in a congregation, attended religious school, gone to services, and become a bar/bat mitzvah, but camp was about just US. It gave us a safe place to explore what it meant to be Jewish in ways that helped us on our journey. Some aspects appealed, others seemed a bit strange, but we were free to discover and try it out. Most kids return from camp with a renewed (or a new) sense of Jewishness and excitement, along with cherished friendships. It is this excitement that helps to re-energize their interest in Jewish life and helps to create our future leaders.
This summer, I am proud to have sent both of my children to URJ camps. For me, choosing to send them to a Jewish camp was an easy choice as I had very positive experiences when I was younger and attended Camp Coleman in Georgia. My son went to Kutz camp and focused on studying social action, developing his leadership skills, and making connections with other teens from around the country. My daughter went to Eisner where she made new friends and experienced Shabbat like never before, Both returned with incredibly positive experiences and energized about their Jewishness and about themselves. Without the planning and support of the WRJ (and NFTS), opportunities like these camps would not exist. The women of Women of Reform Judaism have always understood that children immersed in Jewish life at camp are forever transformed. WRJ understands that investing in our children helps to pave the way for ensuring a Jewish future and creates leaders for the next generations. For more information on URJ summer camps, CLICK HERE. Alissa Woska, proud camp parent
Glen Cove, New York
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Kallah is Coming!
Time to Register
Inviting WRJ Northeast District Board Members, Sisterhood Presidents and Rising Leaders to join us for an inspiring weekend at Dolce in Norwalk, CT
October 27-29, 2017
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| WRJ Board Applications – Due Sept. 1 Do you have a passion for making a difference? The WRJ Nominations Committee is accepting applications for the
2018‑2021 WRJ Board of Directors. Each sisterhood is invited to endorse one candidate to apply. All forms are due by September 1, 2017.
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Calendar August 1 – Tisha B'Av August 26 – Women's Equality Day September 1 – Deadline for WRJ Board Applications September 4 – Labor Day September 9 – Northern Area Event September 20-22 – Rosh Hashanah September 29-30 – Yom Kippur
Save the Date... September 9, 2017
Northern Area Event
Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, NY October 27-29, 2017
Northeast District Kallah
Dolce, Norwalk, CT March 1-4, 2018
Fried Leadership Conference
Nashville, TN October 25-28, 2018
Northeast District Convention
Framingham, MA
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If so, scroll down to the bottom and click View Entire Message.
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| NFTY Alumni Directory NFTY alums can use the new NFTY Alumni Directory to reconnect online.
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| Book a Speaker Your sisterhood is entitled to a District Speaker once every two years, without expense to the sisterhood, and a speaker from WRJ in alternate years. Please submit your requests with 6-8 weeks' lead time.
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| WRJ Outreach Funds Available
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WRJ will provide outreach grant funds of up to $1,000 to WRJ sisterhoods and women’s groups for programs that reach out to interfaith families and non-Jews. These grants, made possible by a grant from the National Center to Encourage Judaism, are designed to encourage and enhance learning about Judaism and to engage participants in Jewish life. The emphasis will be on programs that can be replicated.
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| Celebrating Women's Efforts Toward Full Equality
Women's Equality Day is about more than just the passing of the 19th Ammendment that gave us the right to vote. To learn more, CLICK HERE.
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It’s not too early to start planning. SAVE THE DATE IN 2018! WRJ NORTHEAST DISTRICT CONVENTION Framingham, MA October 25 – 28, 2018
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Did You Know...? Jewish Summer Camp Fun Facts - Since 1951, URJ has provided tens of thousands of children with the best combination of an outdoor summer overnight camping experience with a vibrant Reform Jewish living and learning environment.
- URJ camps and summer programs are guided by Jewish values, from sharing Shabbat dinners to learning Jewish texts to giving tzedakah to tikkun olam on both a local and global scale.
- Eisner camp has adopted the mantra of “Be the One,” teaching every individual has the ability to bring about positive change in the world – through standing up to bullying, feeding the hungry, protecting our environment, and more.
- Crane Lake camp this summer is focusing on a Culture of Kindness where all campers can write down and share the acts of chesed they see around them.
- At 6 Points Sci-Tech camp, the faculty helps uncover the richness of connections between Judaism and their scientific focus, celebrating its core values of respect, connection, curiosity, discovery, and patience.
- Thanks to help from the WRJ, the URJ camps are an incubator for the future of Judaism in North America. Children who attend Jewish camp are more likely to remain intimately engaged with Judaism throughout their lives, and our camps provide a peer group that greatly increases the likeliness of campers making Jewish choices on a daily basis.
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