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News from the Northeast
October 5, 2021
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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 Marsha Byrnes
Membership Secretary, WRJ Northeast District When I look back on the last year and a half, it’s somewhat of a blur – and many of my friends have said the same thing. We’ve missed many events and trips that mark the passing of time. One year seems to merge into the next. Adding to the sameness, every day, the newspapers have articles about people having difficulty dealing with the pandemic. Many people have been spending more time alone, or with just one other person, and not getting to see friends and family.
I have three grandchildren, and I have not seen one of them – who is only seven-and-a-half-years-old – since January 2020. The Delta variant and illness in both families have kept us from cross-country travel. Although not the same as in-person visits, Zoom and FaceTime allow me to see how my grandson is growing, and to interact with him.
Technology has also made it possible for me to stay in touch with my sisterhood, my WRJ friends, and my temple – in some ways, more easily than before. I am able to attend our rabbi’s class and services more often than before because they are online. I have attended two Virtual Women’s Weekends Away with my sisterhood, two Virtual Fried Women’s Conferences, and many other meetings and get-togethers. I have also enjoyed online art exhibits, speakers, and videos from all over the world.
I’m grateful to my sisterhood and WRJ for keeping me in touch with friends and important issues. Last week I attended a Simchat Torah service in the temple parking lot, where we gave small Torahs to the new consecrants and danced the hora! I hope this period of isolation is coming to an end, and soon we will all be able to travel and see friends and family.
Marsha Byrnes
Temple Isaiah, Lexington, Massachusetts
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Saturday, November 6
Northeast District Virtual Shabbat Join us for a rejuvenating and peaceful Shabbat Presenters will include: Psychologist Dr. Robert Brooks
Rabbi Julie Bressler
Cantor Melanie Cooperman
WRJ President Sara Charney
WRJ Northeast District President Sharon Sobel
WRJ Northeast District Board Member Suzy Gelman This event will be presented online from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a siesta break.
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| More Upcoming Events
~ Join us online ~
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Thursday, October 7, 8 p.m.
Pink Challah Bake WRJ is partnering with Sharsheret to bring you a special program in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As part of the larger Sharsheret Summit, WRJ will be hosting a Pink Challah Bake where Rachel Margolis, senior program manager at URJ will demonstrate how to braid and decorate a pink challah and we will hear from Melissa Rosen, Sharsheret's director of Community Education about the importance of including both men and women in education and discussions surrounding breast cancer touching on topics such as preventative measures and caretaking Register here.
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Wednesday, October 13, 8 p.m.
Virtual Lilith Salon Have you always wanted to join a Lilith Salon but don't have access to one locally? Well now is your chance to join WRJ for our Virtual Lilith Salon where we will discuss the Summer Issue of Lilith Magazine! Register here.
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Sunday, October 17, 3 p.m.
Film Screening & Discussion: 'Defiant Requiem' Join the Women of SSTTE for a virtual discussion session with Maestro Murry Sidlin, president and artistic director of The Defiant Requiem Foundation.
Defiant Requiem is a feature-length documentary film that tells the extraordinary, untold story of the brave acts of resistance by Jewish prisoners at Theresienstadt (Terezín) during World War II.
The film-viewing link will be emailed to registrants by end-of-day October 12 and the event link will be sent on October 15.
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Tuesday, October 19, 8 p.m.
Film Discussion: 'The Life Ahead' starring Sophia Loren The Life Ahead (available on Netflix) is the story of a Holocaust survivor running a daycare business who forms an unlikely friendship with a bitter street kid when she takes him in after he robs her. Register here.
Sponsored by WRJ's Film, Fiction, and Fine Wine group.
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Sunday, October 24, 11 a.m.
A Conversation on Voting Rights Join Rabbi Eric Polokoff and Juri Jacoby, Legislative Director of the RAC (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism), for a conversation on why the protection of voting rights for all is a Jewish value. Email bnaisisters@gmail.com to register.
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October 31 - November 7, 2021
Celebrate Light: Holiday Auction 2021 What a time to celebrate the light in all of our lives. Last year's online auction was a big success, and WRJ North America is excited to bring you another online auction. The event will end in time for this year's early Hanukkah season.
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News from WRJ WRJ Board of Directors Applications
Tree of Life Study Guide WRJ has partnered with 2 for Seder to create a Torah study resource guide to celebrate our Judaism and honor the lives of the eleven killed in the 2018 Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh. WRJ encourages our sisterhoods to plan a Torah study using the resource guide on or around October 27. For any questions, please reach out to WRJ Engagement Associate Jenny Levy at JELevy@wrj.org. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Grants After a successful first year of funding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, WRJ is offering another round of grants. These grants, funded through WRJ’s YES (Youth, Education & Special Projects) Fund, are intended to uplift Jewish organizations committed to promoting DEI in creative ways within the Jewish community. If chosen, a grantee will typically receive between $5,000-$10,000 for a one-year period. Apply by November 12. Report Leadership Changes
WRJ Website Migration WRJ moved its website to a new platform on August 1. The migration includes a reorganization of the website, including our own district webpages. Some content has been moved to a new webpage. You can use the search function, the magnifying glass in the upper right hand corner of each webpage, to locate content that has been moved.
Note: Links to some WRJ website content may need to be updated by the Marketing & Communications team of your sisterhood or women's group.
Changes to the WRJ Shop The WRJ Shop will continue selling traditional Uniongrams and Goldengrams, but it is phasing out other notes and products. Check shop inventory here. Product orders may be placed by calling 212-650-4050 or by emailing info@wrj.org.
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Call to Action: Reform Movement Initiatives It is easy to make your voice heard. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has created a series of forms that you can use to contact your legislators in the U.S. Congress. Please support these important initiatives for women's health, voting rights, and racial justice.
Support the Freedom to Vote
Plan to attend the following events sponsored by the RAC and the Reform Movement:
October 6, 8 p.m. Call-to-action Zoom gathering. Prepare to participate in November phone calls. Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way, will talk about the status of the freedom to vote legislation; Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center, will speak on the Reform Movement’s impact; and Joy Friedman, the RAC’s director of Organizing, will discuss what you can do to make the November phone banking days a success. Register here.
November 8-11. Reform Movement Call-in Week. Make calls and get others in your congregation to make calls to your senators and to President Biden to ensure that the filibuster does not prevent the two Freedom to Vote bills from passing. Get all the details.
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Other News 'Less is More' Becomes Law On Friday, September 17, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the #LessIsMoreNY Act into law. This crucial legislative reform, which ends reincarceration for individuals alleged to have committed technical parole violations, was supported by RAC-NY and women like you. Thank you!
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| Calendar and Other Resources
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| Calendar October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 11 Thanksgiving (Canada)
Indigenous People's Day (U.S.)
October 20 WRJ Holiday Auction Donation Deadline
October 31 WRJ Holiday Auction Begins
November 2 Election Day (U.S)
November 6 Northeast District Virtual Shabbat
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| | Request an Online Speaker
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Your sisterhood is entitled to a district speaker without expense to your sisterhood
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| The RAC has established a series of call‑to‑action petitions:
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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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| Tools & Resources Northeast Resources
WRJ Resources
WRJ Programs
Other Resources
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| Did You Know. . . Pumpkins in Jewish CuisineAs autumn begins to change the hues of our Northeastern landscape, and a hint of chill dances in on the breeze, one thing is certain: it's pumpkin season.
Pumpkins, and the highly popular pumpkin spice flavor, are prominent at this time of year, but this celebrated squash has been part of Sephardic cuisine for centuries. Indeed, when pumpkins, which had been cultivated by indegenous people in North and South America for thousands of years, were introduced in to Europe in the 1500s, Sephardic Jews embraced them as an amazingly versatile food source, using them to make soup, breads, cakes, pudding, and more.
The popularity of this nutritious and easy-to-grow staple among Jews influenced cuisine in many countries, bringing about delicious pumpkin dishes such as Italian pumpkin fritters (frittelle de zucca), Syrian pumpkin patties (kibbet yatkeen), and Turkish and Greek pastries stuffed with pumpkin (borekitas).
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| The Board of the Northeast District of Women of Reform Judaism Wishes our Sisters in Canada a Very Happy Thanksgiving!
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The next eblast will be sent on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
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