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News from the Northeast
July 4, 2017 | |
Message from Trina Novak
First Vice President, WRJ Northeast District
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I was one of 46 lucky women who went on the WRJ trip to Israel. Each place visited, each event planned, and each speaker heard made the trip a unique experience. (Kudos to co-chairs Liz McOsker, Marla Goldberg, and our own immediate past president, Denise Levine!) I was called to the Torah for an aliyah when we worshipped with Women of the Wall on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. I was honored to recite the Torah blessings and to hold open the beautiful Torah, as one of the women chanted. I had not become a Bat Mitzvah as a 13‑year‑old. To do so at the Kotel surrounded by WRJ women, Women of the Wall, and other like-minded women was an uplifting experience that I will never forget! What made this trip especially wonderful was the bonding and sharing we experienced. We laughed together, we cried together, and boy, did we eat together! The shopping was excellent as well! Many of us have taken trips with other women – whether to Israel or Cape Cod. There is a bond that develops and unique relationships are born. Being a part of WRJ can be that experience for you. As we enter a slower summertime mode, many Northeast sisterhoods/women‘s groups take a breather from holding major events, though there is always the buzz of background activity as planning for future events begins. Some sisterhoods have transitioned their leadership teams. Mazel Tov and welcome to all new sisterhood leaders, and thank you to those leaders who are continuing on in their roles! If you have a new leadership team, please let us know by filling out the WRJ leadership change form. We look forward to contacting you so we can begin to get to know you! Area directors are a sisterhood leader’s first connection to the district and WRJ. In August, area directors will be calling sisterhood leaders to introduce themselves to start to get to know you and to begin to build the bridge of communication and sisterhood. When your area director calls, please speak with her, or set up a more convenient time to speak. If she sends you an email, please respond. Help us build the bonds of friendship. We are busy planning several fall events that will help women in the Northeast District build more connections and circles of friends. Check out the monthly eblast, our website ( www.wrj.org/northeast), and our Facebook page for details about upcoming events such as the Northern Area Event (September 9, 2017, in Buffalo, NY) and the Northeast District Kallah that is followed by the Board of Directors meeting (sisterhood leaders are members of the board), October 27-29, 2017, in Norwalk, CT. Please join us. Without you we are one woman short! In sisterhood,
Trina Novak
Needham, MA
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Or Ami Applications Are Due July 10
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| Has your sisterhood run an exceptional program or project this year? You may be eligible for an Or Ami Award! VISIT THE OR AMI WEB PAGE for details, guidelines, and past programs. Or Ami winners will be recognized at the WRJ Fried Leadership Conference in Nashville (March 1‑4, 2018). APPLY NOW!
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Rookie Day in Massachusetts!
July 9 at Eisner Camp ~ July 30 at Crane Lake Camp
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Camps Eisner and Crane Lake are trying something new to give prospective campers a chance to do more than just see camp when they visit. The camps want them to spend a summer with them in one afternoon! Prospective campers entering grades 3-6 and their families are invited to Rookie Day this summer. This is a great way for prospective campers and their families to try camp on for size. Rookies can attend one or both—it’s up to you! CLICK HERE for more information and the registration form.
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| Photos from Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu‑El
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Women of SSTTE visited the Chihuly exhibit at the NY Botanical Garden on May 24 | |  |
Northeast District VP Sharon Sobel was the guest speaker at SSTTE's "Women's Shabbat, NOT for Women Only" service on June 9 | |
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CLICK HERE to view more photos from our Spring 2017 Sisterhood Events album on Facebook.
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Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, MA | |  |
Temple Am Echad, Lynbrook, NY | |
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We are happy to post photos of your new board.
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Northern Area Event, Buffalo, NY
Saturday, September 9, 2017
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Time to connect, share and learn together at Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, NY... Join us for services, followed by lunch and a presentation by guest speaker Vivian Blumstein, president of WRJ Northeast District, whose program will be "WRJ 101 – Global Connections."
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| WRJ Board Applications – Due Sept. 1 Do you have a passion for making a difference? The WRJ Nominations Committee is accepting applications for the
2018‑2021 WRJ Board of Directors. Each sisterhood is invited to endorse one candidate to apply. All forms are due by September 1, 2017.
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About Area Directors Do you know what an area director (AD) is and what she does? Area directors are your connection to the Northeast District and WRJ. They are there for you to answer questions and provide support. An area director will contact the leader(s) of your sisterhood/women’s group this summer. Answer the call. Reply to the email. You are not alone! Here are some words from two area directors – Barbara Thomas, a veteran AD from Temple Concord, Binghamton, NY; and Marilyn Shebshaievitz, a new AD from SSTTE, Scarsdale, NY. Barbara: With new sisterhood presidents and women’s group leaders being elected, we want you to know about one of the resources that is available from the district – your area director. You will be getting phone calls three times during the year (starting in August) from the area director assigned to your sisterhood/women’s group. This is your opportunity to brag about what you are doing or planning to do... CONTINUE READING Marilyn: Before I began attending programs outside of my sisterhood, I had no idea what an area director was. But at a district get-together in San Diego, I learned that an area director is your friend, your contact, and your connection to the Northeast District board, and more. As I became more involved in sisterhood, I learned how helpful our area director could be. She stayed in touch with us, offered help and, in several instances, attended our programs... CONTINUE READING
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YES Fund Grantees Announced
WRJ has awarded $339,300 in YES Fund (Youth, Education, and Special Projects) grants to programs that will strengthen Jewish life and provide the tools necessary for religious, social, and educational growth in North America, in Israel, and around the world.
These grants will help nurture Jewish youth engagement by supporting youth programs around the world, including middle and high school youth programs in North America, PJ Library, camps in the former Soviet Union, post-college Jewish advocacy fellowships, Bat Mitzvah education for Israeli girls, and scholarships for girls to attend URJ's science and technology summer camp. Other grants will provide scholarships for rabbinical students and Jewish professional programs in North America, Berlin, London, and Moscow. READ MORE...
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| Calendar July 1 – Canada Day July 4 – Independence Day July 9 – Rookie Day at Eisner Camp July 10 – Deadline for Or Ami Applications July 30 – Rookie Day at Crane Lake Camp August 1 – Tish'a B'Av September 1 – Deadline for WRJ Board Applications
Save the Date... September 9, 2017
Northern Area Event
Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, NY October 27-29, 2017
Northeast District Kallah
Dolce, Norwalk, CT March 1-4, 2018
Fried Leadership Conference
Nashville, TN
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| Got Leadership Changes? And don't forget to honor your new president and past president with WRJ PINS!
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| NFTY Alumni Directory NFTY alums can use the new NFTY Alumni Directory to reconnect online.
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| Book a Speaker Your sisterhood is entitled to a District Speaker once every two years, without expense to the sisterhood, and a speaker from WRJ in alternate years. Please submit your requests with 6-8 weeks' lead time.
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| WRJ Outreach Funds Available
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WRJ will provide outreach grant funds of up to $1,000 to WRJ sisterhoods and women’s groups for programs that reach out to interfaith families and non-Jews. These grants, made possible by a grant from the National Center to Encourage Judaism, are designed to encourage and enhance learning about Judaism and to engage participants in Jewish life. The emphasis will be on programs that can be replicated.
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| Tales from the Women's Journey to Israel Check out the WRJ blogs from the May 2017 Women's Journey to Israel.
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| July 1 was Canada Day! The board of the Northeast District hopes that our Canadian sisters enjoyed a happy and healthy national holiday.
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| Did You Know...? Fourth of July Fun Facts - Independence Day became a federal holiday in 1870.
- The holiday does not celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence; it celebrates the adoption of the Declaration by the Second Continental Congress.
- Contrary to popular belief, only two Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
- The source copy that was used for its first publication on July 4, as the Dunlap Broadside, was lost.
- Our country now boasts over 325 million residents, but on the first Fourth of July there were only 2.5 million.
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| | | Women of Reform Judaism | 633 Third Avenue | New York, NY 10017-6778 US
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