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News from the Northeast
May 5, 2020
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This eblast is sent from northeast@wrj.org.
Please add this address to your Contacts so you won't miss our News.
If this email is "clipped," click "View entire message" at the end of the eblast.
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Message from Betty Weiner Vice President of Area Management & Advocacy
WRJ Northeast District Why be a member of a sisterhood? Why be a member of WRJ? There is a magic one feels in a group of women with shared goals and values who become your sisters. We support one another, help each other grow, and give back to our communities, and WRJ gives us a chance to work together and make a difference on a larger scale.
This past February I took part in the WRJ Cultural Mission to Israel. It was a journey jam-packed with the arts, food, music, and people. Our visit to the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa – one of Israel’s premier educational institutions – was particularly meaningful.
The Leo Baeck Education Center provides quality K-12 education for mainstream, gifted, and special needs students of all racial, religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, Leo Baeck’s Arab-Jewish Summer Camp provides a program of shared existence that builds trust and friendships between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. We met two campers, an Arab and a Jew, who told us of their experiences. During our visit, Abby Fisher, WRJ vice president and past Northeast District president, presented the camp with the YES Fund’s Choice Grant.
On the final day of our tour we had lunch with first-year students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Jerusalem. President Andrew Rehfield thanked us for WRJ’s continued support and several rabbis noted that they would not be rabbis today if it were not for WRJ.
After our return home, WRJ received a request from Leo Baeck: the school was closed due to COVID-19 and needed laptops for distance learning. The YES Fund answered the call.
Throughout our tour – whether attending Shabbat services at Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv, visiting with staff and students at Leo Baeck in Haifa, or meeting with students at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem – we were thanked for WRJ’s support of the Jewish community in Israel. Our impact is important and appreciated.
WRJ enables us to reach out beyond our own communities to help repair the world. May we continue to do so in this world of “new normal.” By supporting WRJ and the YES Fund, we help other communities as well as our own – and we continue to grow. We are truly stronger together.
L’shalom,
Betty Weiner
Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, MA
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Leaders Wanted:
Join the WRJ Northeast District Executive Board Are you passionate about WRJ? Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? Are you looking for an exciting new challenge? Then consider becoming a part of the WRJ Northeast District Executive Committee. Applications are due by May 13.
The Northeast District Nominating Committee is seeking women who represent the broadest range of experience, background, and geographic location to join our team for the term that begins at our district convention in November 2020. Please note that this term will be approximately 2½ years in length. For more information and to apply, go to the WRJ Northeast District homepage.
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WRJ Northeast District Chai Tea Schmooze Monday, May 18, 2020, 7:30-8:30 p.m. We had so much fun last time... Let’s do it again!
Dress Code: Casual Chic ~ Hats, fascinators, and gloves are encouraged
Bring: Your favorite tea or beverage of choice, tea pot for refills, snacks or desert
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting.
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WRJ Online Schmooze Sessions
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Join WRJ members from all over North America as we gather virtually via Zoom for online social schmooze sessions in May on Monday afternoons and Thursday evenings!
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Upcoming Webinars (No in-person events)
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May 5, 7:30 p.m. – Empty Nest Syndrome, Retirement, and Reinventing Oneself Join Linda Levin, director of the Wise Aging program in Phoenix, AZ, for an overview of the unique issues women face when children leave home REGISTER HERE.May 9, 8:00 p.m. – Havdalah with WRJ This special Havdalah service will be led by WRJ district presidents. REGISTER HERE.May 19, 7:30 p.m. – Every Voice, Every Vote; Virtual Town Hall
May 21, 8:00 p.m. – Book Talk With Anna Solomon Author Anna Solomon will talk about her new novel, The Book of V., which intertwines the stories of three women in different centuries – a teenage Esther in ancient Persia; a senator's wife in 1970s Washington, D.C., who is banished much like Vashti; and a Brooklyn mother in 2016 who is getting ready for Purim. REGISTER HERE.
Official publication date is May 5; order your copy here.June 3, 7:30 p.m. – Incoming Presidents Webinar This webinar is for sisterhood presidents and women's group lieaders who will soon begin their terms. Join us to learn about tools and resources available from WRJ to help set you up for success! REGISTER HERE.Additional Online Programming
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District Convention Update WRJ Northeast is going virtual! We LISTENED
With so many women worried about large gatherings, finances, and having the time to travel, we have decided to GO VIRTUAL.
Keep your calendars marked for November 6-8, exact day/time TBD.
Follow us on Facebook and be on the lookout for upcoming "News from the Northeast" for updates on including workshops, services and how to sign up.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Reproductive Health and the Pandemic
We are living through a “new normal.” Everywhere we turn there is something – breaking news, updates, commentaries – regarding COVID-19. But while our attention is on the pandemic, anti-choice politicians have been including measures limiting reproductive health and rights in legislation about the virus.
At least thirteen states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas, have been trying to classify abortions as non-essential procedures, effectively banning them during the epidemic. But reproductive health care decisions are time-sensitive, and patients need speedy access to care.
Telemedicine, which eliminates the need to travel to a doctor’s office or clinic, can minimize the number of in-person appointments required for medication abortions – non-surgical procedures for terminating pregnancies up to ten or twelve weeks. Providers prescribe medication via telemedicine; patients receive pills by mail or at a pharmacy.
During a virtual Pro-Choice Check-in run by NARAL of Massachusetts on April 14, Dr. Cheryl Hamlin, an OB/GYN practicing in Massachusetts and Mississippi, reported on the situation in Mississippi. There is only one clinic in the state, in Jackson. Multiple in-person visits are required, even for medication abortions. Out-of-state visits are needed for some other procedures. In a separate virtual conference, Emily Martin, deputy director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, told of similar barriers in Texas. Eighteen states require in-person visits for medication abortions.
The current atmosphere restricting women’s reproductive rights will make this situation worse. It isn’t just a Mississippi or Texas problem; it is a problem in every state, even where women think their rights are safeguarded. No one’s rights are truly safe until everyone’s rights are safe.
What can we do? We must stay vigilant. Keep up-to-date. Let your representatives know your views and ask for their support. We cannot stand on the sidelines. Our voices are stronger when we stand together.
– Betty Weiner
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Physically Apart, Spiritually Together Here for you as we all shelter at home. The closing of our URJ summer camps greatly saddens us, but after this we will come back strong.
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|  | Hashkiveinu by Dan Nichols featuring Eisner Camp
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WRJ Northeast is Back on Twitter Follow us at @WRJNortheast
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News from WRJ WRJ Online Auction Bidding will take place May 15 through June 1, 2020. Check Yammer/WRJ for details. For questions, contact Abigail Fisher, vice president of WRJ Philanthropy, at WRJauction@gmail.com.
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WRJ Board Changes We welcome the following Northeast sisters to theWRJ board:
– Yvette Bergman, Community Synagogue, Port Washington, NY
– Michelle Rosen, B’nai Israel, Southbury, CT
Presidential appointee:
– Jane Karlin, Temple Israel, New York, NY
Term extended:
– Vivian Blumstein, Am Echad, Valley Stream, NY
And we thank outgoing WRJ board member:
– Paulette Black, Beth El Temple Center, Belmont, MA
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Or Ami Winners Congratulations to these sisterhoods in the Northeast District!
Gold: The Community Synagogue Sisterhood, Port Washington, NY
Silver: B'nai Israel Sisterhood, Southbury, CT
Honorable Mention:
Beth El Temple Center Sisterhood, Belmont, MA
Temple Beth Zion Sisterhood, Amherst, NY
Temple Isaiah Sisterhood, Lexington, MA
Women's Leadership Council of Temple Israel, New York, NY
Women of Reform Judaism Northeast District
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Resources During Social Distancing
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Incubator Grants There is still time to apply for an incubator grant.
WRJ is offering Incubator Grants of $500-$2,500 to WRJ sisterhoods and women’s groups for creative programs that promote one or more of WRJ’s three S’s: sisterhood, spirituality, or social good. WRJ is looking specifically for programs that encourage tikkun olam, promote Reform Jewish values, create caring communities, and/or cultivate spiritual or personal growth in its participants. Get the details here.
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| Calendar and Other Resources
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| Calendar May 5 Empty Nest webinar
May 9 WRJ Havdalah
May 11 Lag B'Omer
May 13 Deadline for Northeast District Executive Committee applications
May 18 Northeast District Chai Tea Schmooze
May 18 Victoria Day (Canada)
May 19 Every Voice, Every Vote webinar
May 21 Book Talk with Anna Solomon
May 25 Memorial Day (USA)
May 29 Shavuot
June 1 WRJ Online Auction ends
June 3 Incoming presidents webinar
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| Save the Date November 5-8 Northeast District Convention
March 11-14, 2021 WRJ Fried Women's Conference, New Orleans
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| New sisterhood presidents and women's group leaders! Please complete the LEADERSHIP INFORMATION FORM so that we can update our records and keep you informed with news, events, advocacy alerts, and more.
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| | Keep in Touch
with WRJ Northeast
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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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| Tools & Resources Northeast Resources
WRJ Resources
WRJ Programs
Recent WRJ Webinars
Other Resources
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| Northeast District Photos
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Together we can make a difference
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| Did You Know... May 25 is National Wine Day Tap the keg. Crack open a bottle.
People have been drinking wine since the early days of woman. There are plenty of references to wine in the Bible. Wine has thankfully been around for thousands of years.
There are many varieties of grapes, giving us the opportunity to make and enjoy, hundreds of different varieties of wines. Made from fermented grapes, wine is easy to make. As a result, there are many home vintners among us.
While you don't have to drink wine today to celebrate this day, it certainly would not be as much fun.
It is so easy to celebrate National Wine Day. Here are a few ideas:
- Have a glass or two of wine.
- Go on a virtual winery tour.
- Make some homemade wine.
- Have a wine variety that you have never tried before.
Important: Remember, if you do drink, don't drive and know your limits. Always have a designated driver.
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| The Board of the Northeast District
of Women of Reform Judaism
Wishes You a Happy Mother's Day
and a Joyous Shavuot
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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 June 2, 2020
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