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News from the Northeast
November 6, 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 Trina Novak
President, WRJ Northeast District
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When I was young one of my favorite dancing games was the Hokey Pokey. I especially loved the last verse, when I got to “throw my whole self in.”
On October 25-28, 2018, 113 women threw themselves wholly into the experience of attending the Sixth Northeast District Biennial Convention. Our theme, “Ten Years Together – Growing Our Community,” commemorated our first decade as the Northeast District. We learned, we prayed, we conducted district business, we fundraised, and we were entertained by a variety of speakers and topics.
Highlights of our general sessions included keynote presentations by Judith Rosenbaum, executive director of the Jewish Women’s Archive; Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education director of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh; and Marilynn and Sheila Brass, the PBS Food Flirts. Our musical entertainment – a concert featuring Sue Horowitz, accompanied by Lisa Marcus Jones, and the signing of E.J. Cohen – was phenomenal. Our workshop presenters worked tirelessly to bring our women choices in a variety of topics. And our WRJ Guest, Jane Taves, WRJ vice president of Advocacy, Marketing, and Communications, was a valued advisor before and throughout the convention, as well as a multi-topic presenter during our time together.
Our women made connections at sessions and at free time and have continued to interact on our District Yammer page. In fact, several are discussing traveling together to the WRJ Social Justice Conference in May 2019 and at future district events. Our district calendar can be found on the Upcoming Events page on our website; please check the calendar and events listings periodically for updates. Take advantage of our Speakers Bureau, and our other district resources. Read our eblasts, “News from the Northeast,” check out our Facebook page, our Twitter page, and join the Northeast District Yammer group if you have not already done so. Over the next two years, we hope to continue our outreach to women, to continue to connect women in ways that have proven successful and to try some new and more spontaneous efforts.
I am honored to serve as your district president. Feel free to reach out to me or to any of the fabulous women who serve as district leaders. Let us know what we can do for you.
In Sisterhood,
Trina Novak
Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, MA
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A Kaddish for Pittsburgh
Saturday, October 27, marked one of the darkest days in American Jewish history. All of us are hurting as we try to make sense of the horrific and deadly attack on Tree Of Life - Or L'Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh.
“Jewish Resources for Coping with Acts of Terror” is the Reform Movement’s ongoing listing of evergreen resources to be used in the wake of tragedy. This document includes resources for parents and educators, resources for prayer, and resources for action. This piece continues to be updated on an ongoing basis.
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WRJ Active Listening Webinar
Tuesday, November 27, at 8 p.m.
Have you ever planned an amazing program only to have a disappointing turn-out? Are you searching for an exciting program to attract new members? Instead of planning what you like or think others will want and hoping they will come, hold a listening campaign to find out what they want, what they care about, and what's important enough to them that they will show up.
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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WRJ Women Act Webinar
Gender Equality
Thursday, November 29, at 1 p.m. As WRJ continues the fight for equality worldwide, we cannot forget the exclusion of women under "religious pretext." Hear from Women of the Wall Executive Director Lesley Sachs and Rabbi Allison Berry, one of the first women in the world to be in a co-senior rabbinic role, according to Jewish Boston. They will discuss the current struggle for equality in Israel and ways for North American voices to get involved. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Sisterhood News and EventsAll WRJ members are welcome at these events
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Sunday, November 18, 2018, 2 p.m.
Reproductive Freedom and Judaism: The Time is NOW
Sisterhood of Temple Beth El, Providence, RI Please join them for their annual membership event as they welcome Hilary Levey Friedman, current president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Organization of Women and member of the Platform & Issues Committee of the Democratic Party of Rhode Island. Click here for more information.
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Sunday, December 16, 2018, 9-11 a.m.
Second Annual Craftivism Event
Beth El Temple Center, Belmont, MA
Learn to quilt with WRJ@BETC and their Social Action Committee. Aid refugees via the Welcome Blanket Project. Event will be held in the Zonis Auditorium, 2 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA. Click here for the flyer.
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WRJ Northeast District Area Event
Kol Isha: The Voices of Women Together for Social Justice
Our district's Northern Area Event was hosted by Holy Blossom Sisterhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 14, 2018. We were welcomed by our district president, Vivian Blumstein, who introduced Associate Rabbi Michael Satz of Holy Blossom Temple, who gave an informative d'var Torah on advocacy and related it to the parsha of the week.
The day included five dynamic speakers who educated us on the various programs that occur in both Canada and the United States. The speakers were Barbara Weinstein, associate director of the RAC and Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism; Judy Zelikovitz from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs; Eva Karpati, president of the National Council of Jewish Women Canada; and Fran Isaacs and Helen Poizner, co-chairs of National Social Action Committee Canadian Council of Reform Judaism (CCRJ).
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2018 District Convention Wrap-Up
Last month, over 100 women gathered in Framingham, Massachusetts, to attend the Sixth Northeast District Biennial Convention. It was four days of learning, praying, mourning, and celebrating together. We had seminars on a variety of topics from how to run your sisterhood to how to run social advocacy programs to using social media to relaxing with Jewish meditation. While we were devastated by the events in Pittsburgh that Saturday morning, we were happy that we were together to share our feelings and make plans for what to do next.
The services were moving and beautiful, and we were lucky to have with us Jane Taves, WRJ vice president for Advocacy, Marketing, and Communications; Rabbi Marla Feldman, executive director of WRJ; and Heather Lorgeree, WRJ manager of Programming and Affiliate Services. And this was in addition to our own Sara Charney, WRJ first vice president, and Abigail Fisher, WRJ vice president of Development and Special Projects. That's a LOT of woman power!
Most importantly, those women that attended were re-energized and renewed with the excitement of what we as women can to together. They returned to their local sisterhoods ready to help them try new programs and to share all that they learned. If you have not done so already, please take a look at the running blog entries for the convention that appeared on the District's Facebook page. Also, you can check out the pictures of many of the AMAZING women that make up our Northeast District.
You can find the district's Facebook photo album HERE.
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Celebrating Israel and Women of the Wall
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WRJ's Women's Journey to Israel
Winter 2019
If you have never been to Israel before, or if you have been there many times…
If you are interested in the ancient wonders of Israel or the modern miracle of the start-up nation…
If you are seeking new opportunities to connect with other progressive women…
If you are hoping to have an adventure of a lifetime…
We have an opportunity just for you!
March 4 - 10, 2019: This trip is a Women of the Wall 30th Anniversary celebration that features an optional pre-mission program to northern Israel February 28 - March 3.
For more information or to register, visit their information page HERE.
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| Celebrating 30th Anniversary of
Women of the Wall
March 7-9, 2019
Women of the Wall (WOW) is sponsoring "Let Me Hear Your Voice," a weekend of events of learning and solidarity in Jerusalem for their Israeli and international supporters. The weekend will celebrate WOW’s three decades as a voice for feminism in Israel, and will coincide with Rosh Chodesh Adar II (March 7) and International Women’s Day (March 8). Registration closes January 31, 2019
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Social Justice Conferences
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WRJ Social Justice Conference
May 18-19, 2019, Washington, DC
The WRJ Social Justice Conference is a brief but powerful experience for Jewish women to become better-educated and trained on social justice issues, learn advocacy skills you can utilize at home and on a larger scale, and address timely topics in a welcoming and encouraging, all-female Jewish environment.
This is the first time that WRJ is offering such an event!
Early bird registration ends February 27, 2019.
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Consultation on Conscience
May 19-21, 2019, Washington, DC
As we continue to face legislative and cultural challenges to some of our deepest-held beliefs and values, social justice leaders from across the Reform Jewish Movement will gather in Washington, DC, to chart our path forward. The Consultation on Conscience is an opportunity to deepen connections within congregations and across the Reform Movement, network with other communities facing similar social justice challenges and opportunities, build tangible organizing and advocacy skills, and make your mark on the federal as well as state landscape.
Early bird registration ends Jan. 30, 2019
Flash sale: $100 off early bird price until Nov. 23, 2018
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Looking for Jewish Camp for Next Summer?
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HIAS Holiday Calendar HIAS was founded in 1881, originally to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, and continutes to welcome all who have fled persecution. HIAS has prepared a new Jewish holiday calendar that you can download HERE. The second page of the calendar gives tips on how to be part of the American Jewish movement for refugees.
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| Calendar November 6 – U.S. Election Day November 11 – Veterans Day (U.S.), observed November 12 November 22 – Thanksgiving Day (U.S.) December 2 – First night of Chanukah
National Diabetes Month & National Adoption Month
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| Northeast District Photos Browse photos from past WRJ events on our District Facebook page and on YouTube:
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Incubator Grants Now Available
Applications are now open for the 2019 Incubator Grants. Grants of $500-$2,500 are available to WRJ sisterhoods and women’s groups to fund unique and creative programs that promote one or more of the WRJ 3 S's: Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Social Good.
Applications are due February 8, 2019.
APPLY TODAY
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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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Join the "WRJ Northeast District" group on Yammer, where you can ask questions, learn what's happening, and reconnect with friends in the district. Not on Yammer yet? Then contact Heather Lorgeree in the WRJ office at 212-650-4063, or email her at leadership@wrj.org, for an invitation to Yammer.
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| W E L C O M E New Sisterhood Presidents and Leaders - Email leadership@wrj.org or call 212.650.4050 to request Yammer invitations for your new leaders.
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| Did You Know....
Lots and Lots of Latkes!
With Chanukah set to begin at sundown on December 2, Jews around the world will be celebrating the rededication of Jerusalem's Second Temple during the second century BCE The lighting of the menorah commemorates the legendary tenacity of the Maccabees and their successful revolt against oppressors of the Greek-Syrian regime. When Judah Maccabee rededicated the temple, it was believed there was only enough oil for the temple's flame to be lit for a single night. When the flame endured a miraculous eight nights, it became the starting point of a cherished annual holiday.
For many, Chanukah signifies a welcome beacon of cheer on these darker days at year's end. There will be prayers, gifts to unwrap, music, dreidel-spinning, and since the holiday is, by nature, oil-centric in theme, there will be a whole lot of frying going on.
If you are trying to combat that carbohydrate coma of potatoes, feel free to grate some beets, cauliflower, carrots, or even try frying up some cheese or making latke waffles.
Below are links to some websites with various alternatives to the traditional latke. Enjoy!!!!
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| The Board of the Northeast District of Women of Reform Judaism wishes you a meaningful...
Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Day!
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| and early wishes for a
Joyous Chanukah!
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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 December 4, 2018.
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