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News from the Northeast
April 3, 2018 | |
This eblast is sent from northeast@wrj.org.
Please add this address to your Contacts so you won't miss our News. If this eblast is "clipped," click "View entire message" at the end of the eblast.
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Message from Betty Weiner
Vice President of Marketing & Communications,
WRJ Northeast District
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It has been a month since the Fried Leadership Conference in Nashville. I am still flying high! I was challenged to develop new skills and try new things. I made new friends from across North America. The conference reinforced my commitment to WRJ and the importance of being involved in a women’s group and I believe that I am able to make a difference in my community and beyond. It is invigorating, energizing, and rewarding. Marsha Moller, Area Director of our District, expresses this beautifully in the following. Why a Women’s Organization Is Still Relevant Today... It’s all about energy. Have you ever sat next to someone in a meeting or a movie who taps her foot up and down, up and down? She has an energy that seems to be spilling out, almost as if she cannot control it. I feel this energy now. With women. It is palpable. No matter the age, no matter the professional paths chosen, no matter if single or married, gay or straight, women’s energy has been tapped into, rediscovered, rekindled. Women are looking for a way to harness their energy to make a positive change in our world. Women are looking for a vehicle to make our voices heard. Women are looking toward the future, knowing that the foundation on which we now stand is not as secure as it has been. Who will stand up for the foundation on which so many of us have achieved success in our personal and professional lives? For me the answer is clear. Women will stand up for women!
There is something unique and incredibly special about a women’s group. It presents a myriad of opportunities to express one's Jewish identity. Take advantage of these opportunities! Become more involved. Consider applying to be a member of our District Executive Committee. (See the “ Join our team. Make a difference.” article below.) Plan to attend our upcoming convention in Framingham, MA, October 25-28, 2018. If you have any questions, your District officers are here to answer them! L’shalom. Betty Weiner
Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, MA
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| Equal Pay Webinar – April 10
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For every dollar a man earns, a woman earns approximately 85 cents. This statistic prevails as well within our Reform congregations and institutions. Want to change this reality? Sign up to learn more about the Reform Pay Equity Initiative and how you can promote pay equity in your congregation in the next WRJ Women ACT webinar – April 10 at 1 p.m. EDT. Reform Pay Equity Initiative The Reform Pay Equity Initiative needs pilot congregations to test drive its toolbox for pay equity and provide feedback. GET THE DETAILS HERE. If interested in learning about becoming a pilot congregation, please submit THIS FORM or contact Alyson Malinger by email or by phone (212-650-4057).
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Are you looking for an exciting new challenge? Do you want to become more involved with WRJ at the district level? Want an opportunity to take your leadership skills to the next level? Then consider becoming a part of the WRJ Northeast District Executive Committee! The Northeast District Nominating Committee is currently seeking women for the two-year term that begins in October 2018. This is an excellent opportunity for sisterhood leaders, former sisterhood presidents, and women who are simply passionate about WRJ. A seat on the District Executive Committee not only honors the women who serve, but is also a source of pride for your sisterhood and congregation. You can find our job descriptions HERE. Each term of office is two years and will begin in October 2018. The application can be found HERE. The deadline is Sunday, May 6, 2018. The slate will be announced in June 2018. The new board will be installed at the Sixth Northeast District Convention in Framingham, MA, October 25-28, 2018.
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Mother-Daughter Weekend at Eisner Camp – April 13-15 Moms, escape to the Berkshires with your daughters for the weekend! Bring grandmas and aunts as well! CLICK HERE for more information and the registration form. Summer Camp Have you considered sending your children to a URJ camp this summer? Learn about URJ camps in MASSACHUSETTS and ONTARIO. It’s never too early to start planning! Call for Counselors and Staff
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Sisterhood News & Events All WRJ members are invited to these events.
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Saturday, April 7, 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting & Paintings, Schmoozing...
Temple Tiferet Shalom, 489 Lowell Street, Peabody, MA Wine tasting provided by Kapp's Wine & Spirits. Plus paintings, schmoozing, and decadent dessert buffet! The $20 fee covers it all. GET THE DETAILS and RSVP!
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Thursday, April 26, 6:30 p.m. A Holocaust Survival Story
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, 30 West 68 Street, New York, NY
Living in Skalat on the Polish/Ukrainian border at the outbreak of WWII, a Jewish family with seven children should not have survived. But the Parnes family did, thanks to luck, happenstance, and the family’s determination to stay together. Jeanne Parnes Wechsler, the youngest child in the Parnes family, will be our guest for the evening. RSVP to wo@swfs.org.
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Saturday, April 28, 12:30-5 p.m. The Art of Dressing
Congregation B'nai Shalom, 117 East Main Street, Westborough, MA Tziporah Salamon – designer, raconteur, and model – will present a two-hour seminar using her extensive collection of antique and designer clothes to teach the elements of design. The $36 registration fee includes a light sandwich and salad lunch, followed by tea and dessert. GET THE DETAILS and REGISTER BY APRIL 21.
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Sunday, April 29, 1-5 p.m. Mah Jongg Tournament
Temple Beth Am, 300 Pleasant Street, Framingham, MA The $30 fee includes coffee, tea, and light refreshments. REGISTER HERE by April 15.
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Sisterhood Shabbat at Beth El Temple Center, Belmont, MA Trina Novak, WRJ Northeast District First Vice President, and Abby Fisher, WRJ Northeast District past president and WRJ vice president, participated in the Sisterhood Shabbat at Beth El Temple Center on March 23. Trina spoke eloquently on WRJ's century-long advocacy of social justice and support of our youth and clergy. She was a true ambassador for WRJ. Abby moved everyone with her moving rendition of Stacy Beyer’s "She Has the Right." The Shabbat service created by Susan Jacoby and Ilene Cohen, "Voices of Women," is available for your sisterhood Shabbat. Please contact Paulette.Black@hmhco.com. Sisterhood Seder at Temple Shalom, Newton, MA The Sisterhood of Temple Shalom held their biennial Seder on March 25. The evening was the culmination of their "Discovering Miriam" project, which was supported by a WRJ Outreach Grant and presented as a series of programs to help those new to Passover learn about the different traditions and practices of the holiday. Close to 120 women attended and enjoyed a delicious Charoset Bar, complete with recipes from different parts of the world. Over 150 matzah balls were handmade and served with chicken or vegetarian soup – accompanied by gefilte fish, assorted kugels, salads, and matzah. The baking committee created a beautiful array of Passover desserts. It was a wonderful evening for all, filled with laughter, learning, and lots of delicious food – and accompanied by a special Haggadah, created by Rabbis Alison Berry and Laura Abrasley, that descibed new ways of explaining and observing Passover from a woman's perspective.
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| April Is for Area Director Calls If you are a sisterhood president or co-president, or a women's group leader or co-leader, then you should hear from your area director during the month of April. If you find a voicemail or email message from her, please return her call or reply to her email. Your area director wants to hear from you! LEARN MORE ABOUT AREA DIRECTORS. Know someone interested in becoming an area director?
Perhaps you are interested yourself? For those intereested in participating more in sisterhood... Consider becoming an area director! It's an excellent way to become more involved with other sisterhoods, the Northeast District Board, and WRJ. Here's the AREA DIRECTOR APPLICATION.
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Reflections from Fried Leadership Conference What an inspiring event! To learn, worship, and have the most enjoyable Purim ever with 350 of my sisters. To hear about our YES Fund, and then to have our event close with the amazing words of Abby Brafman,* a graduate of Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who is now a freshman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Her sad yet inspiring words give me such hope in the future of our people.
– Liza Robbins Theuman, Temple Brith Kodesh Sisterhood, Rochester, NY * You can watch Abby Brafman's powerful speech HERE. Attending the FLC for the first time as the new sisterhood president of a new WRJ sisterhood was a life-changing experience. I found tools and resources to grow our sisterhood in size and scope, to make an impact, and to ultimately change the world. While learning all of this, I also made some excellent new friends, and was moved by the amazing services, speeches, and programs provided.
– Jenifer Rosenberg, FSF Sisterhood, Flushing, NY I always feel like I am going home to see family when I go to the FLC – I get to see my sisters and my friends!! It is a wonderful few days of learning, praying, and playing. This FLC was extra special and meaningful for me as Sara Charney (also from Toronto) was the first Canadian to be installed as first vice president of WRJ.
– Ruthe Schipper, Holy Blossom Temple Sisterhood, Toronto, ON Convention recap: - Services co-led by our own Robin Sobol
- Amazing music from Michelle Citrin, Stacey Beyer, and the WRJ choir
- Or Ami award presentations, including gold to Rodeph Sholom (NYC), silver to Temple Israel (NYC), honorable mention to Temple Beth El (Providence), Community Synagogue (Port Washington), East End Temple (NYC), and the Northeast District (for two separate projects)
- Installation of our own Sara Charney as first vice president and Abby Fisher as vice president
- Jane Evans Award recipient Marion Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund
- URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who marveled how WRJ has been the leader of change in the liberal Jewish world for over 100 years
- Abby Brafman, Vanderbilt freshman and Stoneman Douglas High School graduate, recently returned from her visit home to Parkland, Florida
- Purimpalooza, incuding a fun-filled talent show and costume party
- WRJ resolutions regarding affordable housing and child marriage
- Nearly $200K raised for the YES Fund, including over $93K in new pledges for lifelines
Did you miss all that? Then put the WRJ Social Justice Conference in Washington, DC, on your calendar for May 18-19, 2019, followed by the RAC Consultation on Conscience May 19-21, 2019. In the meantime, click the image below for a slide show from FLC 2018 featuring Northeast women.
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WRJ Stands Against Gun Violence
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WRJ issued its first statement for Restrictions on the Sale of Firearms in 1967. WRJ and its affiliates issued their latest statements against gun violence in February, after the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. On March 24, we marched in Wasington, DC, but also in cities and towns across the Northeast and across America. But fight for gun violence prevention isn't over! Check out ReformJudiasm.org's blog. Striving for a Better Future!
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Click the image for photos of Northeast women in the March for Our Lives. | |
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| Calendar April 6 - Last day of Passover April 10 - Equal Pay Webinar / Equal Pay Day April 12 - Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day April 13-15 - Mother-Daughter Weekend at Camp Eisner April 15-21 - National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 19 - Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day April 20 - Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israeli Independence Day May 6 - Applications due for WRJ Northeast Officers and Executive Board positions June 1 - Deadline for completing WRJ Outreach Grant projects
Save the Date for Convention 2018
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WRJ Northeast District Convention
October 25-28, 2018
Framingham, MA
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| W E L C O M E New Sisterhood Presidents and Leaders
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| Request for FLC Feedback Did you attend FLC 2018? If you have not done so already, please provide feedback HERE.
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| Your sisterhood is entitled to a District Speaker once every two years, without expense to your sisterhood.
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| WRJ Outreach Grants End Soon
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WRJ will provide outreach grants of up to $1,000 to WRJ sisterhoods and women’s groups for programs that reach out to interfaith families and non-Jews. Programs must be completed by June 1, 2018. Evaluation forms must be submitted by June 15, 2018.
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| We Are On Twitter @WRJNortheast
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Get up-to-the-minute information on happenings around the Northeast District and of interest to Jewish women. Follow us, retweet us, interact with us, and share us!
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| Did You Know... April 10 is Equal Pay Day In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Law, which made it illegal to pay women lower rates for the same job as their male counterparts on the basis of gender. At the time, women earned 59 percent of men’s wages. Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages. NCPE leadership decided years ago to select a Tuesday in April as Equal Pay Day. Tuesday was selected to represent how far into the next work week women must work to earn what men earned the previous week. On average, women earn 85 cents for each dollar earned by men.
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| | The Board of the Northeast District of Women of Reform Judaism wishes all our readers a wonderful Passover holiday!
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Share this newsletter by using one of the "Share this" icons at the top of the newsletter. The next eblast will be sent on May 1, 2018.
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