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Take Away Tips: Sisterhood Shabbat Services
Upcoming Events
Social Justice Focus: Antisemitism Ad on Super Bowl Sunday
News from Our Sisterhoods
News from WRJ
Calendar and Other Resources
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Take-Away Tips for Your Sisterhood: |
Sisterhood Shabbat Services
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Something almost magical happens when women gather together to pray. When we write our own services for Shabbat or Havdalah or another holiday, some of our spirit becomes part of the service. The process for creating your own service may sound daunting at first, but it becomes so much more personal and inspiring. Then, you will have your own special women's service that includes your group's personality and vibe.
The key to writing or assembling your own service is to not start from scratch. Services do have an order to them for prayers which will give you a starting point. Here are some good tips to help you personalize your sisterhood Shabbat:
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Pictures from Districts 2016
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- Use services written by other sisterhoods as a guide and resource. Nothing is wrong with reusing a good passage as long as you reference it.
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Speak with your rabbi for guidance in how to structure your service and alternate prayer or song choices.
- Choose a theme for your service. It could be as simple as "sisterhood" or you can focus on different topics such as social justice, blending generations, music, or whatever else may inspire your group.
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Plan to vary your readings between leader and congregation. Include responsive readings or maybe have multiple readers for certain parts.
- Use familiar tunes or introduce new tunes in your service. You can take a few moments to demonstrate a new song so that everybody can feel included.
- Invite a WRJ or WRJ Northeast speaker to be your guest and have her present the sermon or d'var Torah.
- Involve as many sisterhood members as you can to be readers for the actual service. It also ensures that you will have a great turnout!
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Whatever you come up with, have some fun with it. Parts of the service may call for solemnity, but other parts are for celebration. Include musical instruments or dancing if the spirit moves you. From the pictures above, you can see that when we have services at district events, there is always time for dancing, especially if we sing Miriam's Song.
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February 8 at 7:00 pm
on Zoom
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| Through the Glass Ceiling with Nancy Callan and Katherine Gray
Experience an evening with Nancy Callan and Katherine Gray, are innovative glassblowers whose captivating artwork permanently graces the halls of major museums and collections.
Join us as thy talk about their careers in glass and collaborative projects - and watch them present their beautiful art.
Register here.
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February 8 at 8:00 pm
on Zoom
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| Relational Leadership: Finding Leadership in Followers and Followship in Leaders
Led by WRJ Executive Committee member Dr. Madelyn Katz, examine the definition of leadership and followership and unpack our assumptions. Are we stigmatizing followership as those who don’t “rise to the top?” Take a deep dive into leadership and followership and enhance your skills!
Register here.
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February 25 at 4:00 pm
on Zoom
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| Northeast District Literary Discussion: Lion & Little
Join us as we discuss this winner of the Stonewall Book Award that was featured by the Jewish Book Council. Billed as "a stunning novel on love, identity, loss, and redemption," this award-winning Young Adult novel tackles challenging subjects in an interfaith blended family through the lens of a young woman of color who is trying to make sense of a new situation.
You will want to acquire a copy of the book in advance.
Register here.
(Please note that the registration link will NOT work with a Safari browser.)
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February 28 at 4:30 pm
on Zoom
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The First Fifty Years: A Jubilee in Prose and Poetry Honoring Women Rabbis
WRJ is proud to have Executive Director Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch give opening remarks for this fantastic CCAR publication event. In short pieces of new prose, authors - many of them pioneering rabbis - share stories, insights, analyses, and celebrations of women in the rabbinate. Hear from the volume's editors, Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, Jessica Greenbaum, and Rabbi Hara E. Person, in conversation with Rabbi Mary L. Zamore, executive director of Women's Rabbinic Network.
Register here.
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March 28, 2024 at 7:30 pm
on Zoom
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| Northeast District Event featuring Rabbi Marla J. Feldman
Spend some time with our WRJ North America Executive Director Emerita. Read between the lines of Torah and watch the women in the Passover story come alive.
Click here to buy Rabbi Feldman's book at a discount.
Gather your sisterhood/women's group to watch and participate in this zoom program or watch the zoom on your own.
Register here
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March 4, 2024 at 8:00 pm
on Zoom
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| Speaking Out: An Israel Mission Trip Discussion and Recap
Be part of this exclusive opportunity to gain insights from the "We Will Not Be Silent" Israel Mission trip leaders, Women of Reform Judaism Executive Director Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch and Women's Rabbinic Network Social Action and Advocacy Vice President Rabbi Lisa Delson. Hear firsthand accounts from additional attendees on their profound experiences, as well. You don't want to miss out!
Register here
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March 30, 2024 at 7:00 pm
at Beth El Temple Center, Belmont, MA
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| Northeast District WRJ Says STOP Event
Join us for a special evening with Shoshana Dweck, WRJ Vice President of Social Justice (and proud Northeast District member), for a Havdalah service with dessert to follow. Shoshana will be leading the event along with past district president, Trina Novak. Stand proudly with them and wear teal as WRJ says STOP: An Initiative Against Sexual Harassment and Assault.
To register: please email
wrj@betheltemplecenter.org
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Social Justice Focus: Antisemitism Ad on Super Bowl Sunday |
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Did you know that there will be a commercial about antisemitism airing during the Super Bowl this coming Sunday? We share with you a podcast about its creation, hosted by a woman who works for the Canadian Jewish News (CJN). Unfortunately, Canadians will only be able to see this (and all Super Bowl ads) on YouTube as they get replaced with Canadian ads.
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"As the rabbinic leader at Temple Sinai Congregation in Toronto, Rabbi Michael Dolgin has gotten used to speaking to a crowd. But on Feb. 11, the Canadian rabbi will appear before a global audience of more than 100 million, as part of a 30-second commercial about antisemitism that’s debuting during Super Bowl LVIII.
Rabbi Dolgin plays a rabbi in the commercial, which was filmed completely in Toronto earlier this month, for the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. The organization was set up in 2019 by Robert Kraft, the American Jewish billionaire and owner of the New England Patriots.
The ripped-from-the-headlines story shows how an American teenager’s bat mitzvah service was interrupted by a bomb threat in Massachusetts just days after Hamas’s attack on Israel last October. The stranded Jewish worshippers had to evacuate the building but found themselves quickly welcomed in by an Evangelical church across the road in Attleboro.
On today’s episode of
The CJN Daily, Rabbi Dolgin joins to describe why the role was actually created with him in mind—and what he hopes the ad will do when it airs next Sunday."
-- Canadian Jewish News
Link for the Podcast
Special thanks to Ruthe Schipper (proud Canadian member) for bringing this to our attention.
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News from Our Sisterhoods |
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Boston Area Event - A Visit to Mayyim Hayyim
submitted by Robin Krieger and Trina Novak
Women representing seven sisterhoods and one potential new affiliate gathered on Sunday, January 28, 2024, to learn about and tour Mayyim Hayyim, Living Waters Community Mikveh, Paula Brody & Family Education Center, in Newton, MA.
Julie Childers, CEO of Mayyim Hayyim, taught our women about the importance of embracing accessible mikveh for our diverse community and various rituals created for immersions. We also learned about a few of the events and classes held in the facility. This was referred to as “the dry side” portion of the tour.
Mayyim Hayyim Rabbinic Intern, Aviva Herr-Welber, who studies at Hebrew College in Newton, MA, conducted the physical tour of the changing facilities and the mikveh itself. She showed us samples of immersion prayers and explained how the living waters from nature are gathered outside and mixed with the warmed water that fills the ritual bath. This is referred to as the “the wet side” of the tour. As the same time, we could see snow falling outside, which contributes to building up the stores natural living waters available to the mikveh.
We were honored to be joined by Susan Singer, WRJ Treasurer, and Rachel Gebeloff, WRJ Philanthropy Associate. Susan educated us about WRJ’s 3 pillars of Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Social Justice. We also learned about how WRJ’s philanthropy supports these 3 pillars through YES Fund grants, microgrants to women’s groups in engagement and social justice, and emergency grants - the latest allocations going to support Israel.
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We would like to thank the following women who assisted in putting this program together: Robin Krieger, Betty Weiner, Paulette Black, Barbara Fierman, and Marsha Moller.
We hope our women enjoyed their experience at Mayyim Hayyim, and we encourage everyone to continue engaging with WRJ and the Northeast District.
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Fried Women's Conference May 30-June 2, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Join WRJ this spring to “unmask your potential” at what is sure to be an unforgettable, in-person (re)union at the Fried Women’s Conference (FWC)! WRJ’s flagship event, FWC is a multi-day experience to hone leadership skills, further Jewish learning, partake in women-led worship and music, and deepen connections with other sisterhoods, women, and WRJ at large.
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We have transitioned our message board from Yammer/Viva Engage to Mighty Networks
If you have not already done so, please follow this link to request an account on our new platform.
Click here to sign up for Mighty Networks.
If you already have an account, you can access the WRJ group
here.
We have information for you to get the basics of using the new site, including videos on how to navigate the site here.
This new site allows for us to more freely communicate with each other with some privacy. You can ask other members questions, share event or fundraising ideas, or see what events are coming up in the district. There are also fun polls, posts, and other fun things that we share there. We look forward to seeing you there.
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Need Access to
Mighty Networks?
(formerly known as Yammer)
Contact WRJ at
212-650-4050
or send a note to leadership@wrj.org
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| Request a District Speaker
Your sisterhood is entitled to a district speaker at no cost to your sisterhood. Learn more here.
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Donate to the District
Make a gift to WRJ Northeast District Fund (NDF) to say thank you, happy birthday, mazel tov, or to send get well wishes or condolences to your family members and friends. An acknowledgment will be emailed to each person whose email address is provided.
The NDF enables the Northeast District to support our sisterhoods, women’s groups, and individual members.
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The WRJ Northeast District wishes you a Happy Presidents' Day (U.S.) and National Flag Day (Canada)
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Share this newsletter by using one of the social media icons above.
The next eblast will be sent on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Send event listings, photos, and articles to wrjneblast@gmail.com by February 20,2024
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