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WRJ Central District
Executive Committee
2018-2020
President
Alison Auerbach
Immediate Past President
Chair of Nominating and Finance Committees
Sheilah Abramson-Miles
Past President
Vice Chair of Nominating
Sandy Adland
1st Vice President
Lizabeth McOsker
VP Marketing & Communications
Pamela Feldman-Hill
VP Development & Special Projects
Jan Goldstein
Recording Secretary
Shawn Olds
Corresponding Secretary
Jackie Randall
Membership Secretary
Lisa Singer
Treasurer
Laurie Blinder
Assistant Treasurer
Sandy Flaksman
Bulletin Editor
Marcia Persin
Parliamentarian
Hilda Glazer
Historian
Heinke Lillenstein
Area Directors
E. Michigan - Wendy Kohlenberg
W. Michigan - Cindy Bolokofsky
Southwest - Sue Voos
South - Sheilah Abramson-Miles
Central Ohio - Ellen Half
West - Beth Lande/Sharon Karp
N. Ohio - Marilyn Goldfein
N.E. Ohio - Robin Rosen-Sharp
Chairs
Affiliate Development - Karen Sim
Advocacy - Hillary Handwerger
World Union/YES Fund - Susan Kaplan (chair)
World Union/YES Fund - Carol Friedman
(co-chair)
Speakers Bureau - Rachel Silverland
Website Manager - Hillary Handwerger
Awards - Lisa Kalson
Convention Facilitator - Marci Delson
WRJ Board Members
Sheilah Abramson-Miles
Sandy Adland
Alison Auerbach
Stacey Beyer
Sally Blau
Cindy Bolokofsky
Pamela Feldman-Hill
Hillary Handwerger
Wendy Kohlenberg
Beth Lande
Lizabeth McOsker
Karen Sim
Lisa Singer
Susan Singer
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DON'T FORGET!
The Central District Speakers Bureau is here to serve YOUR sisterhood!
Installations
Shabbat Services
Training
Workshops
Leadership Development
Torah Study
Area Days
A district speaker can take your event to the next level!
Contact
Rachel Silverland
to find out more!
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What's in this issue of Isha L'Isha?
Scroll down to read about WRJ's Social Justice Conference, Women's Work Weekend in May, our Interim Meeting next Fall, our 2020 Convention, upcoming area and sisterhood events, meet two of your Area Directors, find out about our Chai Award winning Sisterhood, read about our Social Justice/Advocacy initiative and much much more!
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Greetings from Our
President
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Alison Auerbach
WRJ Central District President
Hello Central District Women!
I write this with the hopes that the worst of winter is behind us and spring is around the corner. Positive thinking given we've had snow here in Cincinnati as late as April! Yes, I know our Michigan and northern Ohio folks are probably shaking their heads and saying 'April? Let's talk about May', but I can only go by my experience here.
Since convention Liz McOsker, Central District 1st VP, and I have been hard at work carrying forward Sheilah Abramson-Miles' legacy. On behalf of both of us I attended the District Presidents Council in December in Atlantic City. There were lots of discussions on each district's 2018 convention as well as the start of plans for everyone's 2020 gatherings. It turns out it's never too early to plan a great convention! Liz is already working with our Cincinnati sisterhoods -The Valley Temple Sisterhood, Wise Temple Sisterhood, Women of Rockdale and Women of Temple Sholom - to pick a date. Scroll through the newsletter for the big announcement.
Liz and I, along with several of you, are planning to attend
WRJ inaugural Social Justice Conference May 18-19, 2019. We look forward to the opportunity to join other Jewish women and become better-educated and trained on social justice issues, learn advocacy skills we can utilize at home and on a larger scale, and address timely topics in a welcoming and encouraging, all-female Jewish environment. There's still time to register if you want to join us!
(click here for the link)
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With WRJ's new strategic plan in place, our district has been looking over our policies and procedures. As with any review there's stuff we're doing that is great (yay us!) and other areas we might want to take a deeper look at, along with one or two we know need tweaking - but exactly how to handle the tweaks is going to take time and discussion. Central District Executive board will be meeting in early April to start the process. You'll hear more on this down the road - whether down road is our Interim meeting in 2019 or our next convention in 2020 is hard to tell!
Speaking of Interim 2019, we've got news! Liz, in consultation with several groups, has picked a date and location.
We'll be having our interim meeting in Columbus, Ohio September 13-15, 2019 so mark your calendars now! Details are being negotiated and will be available soon. Look for more information & online registration by June 10.
Between now and our Interim meeting, most of our areas will be holding their Area Days. Area Days are opportunities for women and sisterhoods who are in an 'area'/geographical region to do things together - but they are always open to any woman in the district who wants to attend. Look for more information on upcoming Area Days on Facebook and Yammer as they are finalized. (If you're not on Yammer yet you can email a request to join to
Leadership@WRJ.org). We hope you attend your local area day, but if you see another one that interests you, don't hesitate to reach out/take a road trip. I find it's always fun to visit other areas/sisterhoods and see what they are doing.
Speaking of road trips, our district board members are available to come and visit you through our District Speakers Bureau. It's no cost to you (well, you do need to feed us and put us up for the night- home hospitality is welcome). We'd love to come see you, do a D'var, meet with your board, help run a shabbaton or discuss a #WRJWomenAct topic - Rachel Silverland, our Speaker's Bureau Chair has a list of programs we can present. Don't hesitate to reach out to her with your ideas and requests. You can reach her at
racheladland@gmail.com.
As we head into spring and yearly planning for many of our sisterhoods, I hope you take advantage of the benefits being a part of Central District brings you. Attend your Area Day - and maybe another! - take advantage of our Speakers Bureau and make sure to mark your calendars for our Interim meeting in the fall of 2019 and our next convention 2020. Don't hesitate to reach out - to your Area Director, to me or Liz, to each other if you have questions or simply want to talk. We all want to support each other and help you reach your goals.
Yours in sisterhood,
Alison Auerbach
WRJ Central District President
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Social Justice Conference
May 18-19
Register NOW!
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WRJ's Social Justice Conference in DC
Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel
1000 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
The WRJ Social Justice Conference on May 18-19, 2019 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.
Join hundreds of Reform Jewish women from sisterhoods in North America and beyond, individual members from around the world, and other women interested in advocacy as we gather in Washington, D.C. to learn, grow, take action, and demonstrate that we are stronger together.
- Workshops to teach crucial, foundational advocacy skills to those new to social justice work or seeking a refresher;
- Sessions on today's social justice hot topics including pending Supreme Court cases, reproductive rights, gun violence;
- Workshops on the roots of women's advocacy and
- Sessions for more advanced learning, including for sisterhoods/groups including Advocacy do's and don'ts for religious groups.
SJC is intended for any woman (age 18+) interested in advocacy in the Reform Movement through a Jewish woman's lens.
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Women's Work Weekend at GUCI
May 17-19, 2019
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Mark your calendars: the 4th Annual Women's Work Weekend (formerly Sisterhood Service Retreat) at GUCI is set! Please plan to join us at camp May 17th-19th for a great weekend of bonding and work to help prepare camp for another magical summer!
In case you are wondering if this weekend is for you, here are comments from some women who have attended in the past.
I love giving back to the place that has shaped my children's Jewish identity, and where they formed lifelong friendships. - Beth Lande
I had an amazing time with women of all ages as we accomplished so much to make GUCI beautiful for our campers! - Liz McOsker
I've loved giving back to GUCI, a place so dear to my heart, alongside old friends and new. The weekends are filled with hard, rewarding work, balanced by quality time spent with a special group of women. - Rachel Silverland
I am a relative "newbie" to WRJ Central district. This weekend was a fun way to meet and get to know well the women behind the names you only saw in emails! I met and worked alongside new friends! - Jackie Randall
I loved celebrating Shabbat with a great group of women. The campfire (indoors) with singing Saturday night was wonderful. I saw long time friends and made new ones of all ages. - Ellen Half
What a fabulous weekend of productive work, spiritual moments, a "GUCI Shabbat", and fun social activities with WRJ and GUCI women, which made for a magical and memorable experience. I can't wait to go back! - Sandy Adland
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Social Justice and Advocacy Initiative:
"What injustice did you see and how did you respond?"
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As Advocacy/Jewish Concerns Chair, I attended a Zoom conference call of all district advocacy chairs last month. We had a very interesting discussion, covering many topics.
One idea that we worked with on the call however, really resonated with me. The question was asked, "Think of a moment when you saw injustice and how did you respond?"
Well, I have to tell you, spontaneously, 3 of our attendees provided brilliant stories about situations they had found themselves in and told how they resolved them. One of the women, who was a teacher, heard of a Swastika painted on the wall in the boy's bathroom. Her principal and superintendent did little about it besides re-painting the walls. She, with the support of colleagues, insisted that it be treated as it was supposed to be in the school system, with seriousness. She arranged for a holocaust survivor to come to the school and talk to certain grades. The following year, she arranged field trips to holocaust memorials, again for specific grades. This has become an annual learning experience for her whole school, and the "curriculum" is spreading to other schools.
That was a big WOW. However, it dawned on me that this is something that we can use in our Sisterhood and District to provide some ideas and road maps for advocacy projects of our own- no matter the size. At the least, we should applaud the members or congregations that have had an experience "righting a wrong".
The Executive Board agrees that this is something we can promote throughout our sisterhoods and congregations. We can collect and "publish" stories that speak to "What injustice did you see, and how did you respond?"
We can ask our women, individually or as a group. We can ask our kids if they are been involved some way in correcting injustices. Bullying is just as much an issue that needs addressing as is job equity or racism.
What we are asking is that you ask and respond to
"What injustice did you see, and how did you respond?"
Describe the circumstances and results. Feel free to provide a video of your story rather than typing it up. If you want to provide a picture or pictures, please do. If you send us your stories, we will assume that you agree to allow us to post and share them on wrjcentral.org or on the Central District Yammer page. Feel free to announce this activity in your Sisterhood newsletter or even congregational bulletin; we would like to hear from many people.
The WRJ Advocacy Plan has identified six high priority social justice issues for us to focus on as an organization.
These issues include:
- Pay Equity
- Violence Against Women
- Reproductive Rights
- Economic Justice and Labor Rights
- Israel and Religious Pluralism
- Immigration and Refugee Reform
To this, we can add other issues, such as bullying/cyberbullying, gun control, opioid crisis, mental health, living wage, and more. Issues do not come up just because we want them to; we address those issues we see affecting us and our community in the way we can.
Please send your stories or videos to Hillary Handwerger at hhandwerger@yahoo.com. Be sure to include your name, city, state, congregation, contact information, etc.
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Announcing our Fall Interim Meeting
September 13- 15, 2019
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Meet your Area Directors:
Michigan East and West Areas
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We are starting a new series to acquaint our Sisterhoods and members with the Area Directors across the District. In each issue, we will feature two of your Area Directors. This issue, please meet our Michigan Area Directors, Wendy Kohlenberg and Cindy Bolokofsky.
Wendy Kohlenberg - Eastern Michigan Area Director
Wendy Kohlenberg grew up in Niagara Falls, NY, attended Ithaca College (IC) and worked for IC's London Center for four years right out of college. She moved to Michigan in 1988 following her sister, Laurie Blinder, and worked for EDS until 1999. At that point Wendy was able to dive into her volunteer life while helping out in her husband, Larry's CPA firm. They are the proud parents of Jared, 25 and Liza, 22.
Wendy first got involved in Hadassah and then stepped into Sisterhood helping out in the kitchen, of course!! She has held a variety of positions including Spring Boutiques Cafe Co-Chair, Fall Fashion Show Co-Chair, Corresponding Secretary, and Ways & Means VP. Wendy is currently the Immediate Past President of Temple Israel Sisterhood in West Bloomfield, MI and the Area Director for Eastern Michigan. Wendy spends most of her time with Sisterhood but is also involved in the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit's Women's Philanthropy and she is a Board Member of the Jewish Ensemble Theater. Wendy is passionate about football and basketball and loves cheering on the Michigan Wolverines!! She is also excited to be Chair of Volunteers for this summer's Maccabi Games here in Detroit!
Cindy Bolokofsky -
Western Michigan Area Director
I am the area director for Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor, Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing, Temple Israel
and Temple Kol Ami both in West Bloomfield. I am also on the WRJ North American board. I am
currently a co-president for a third time at Temple Beth El, each with different leaders. I also have been
in charge of our Gift Shop at the Temple for the past 5 years taking on a renovation of the store.
I love a challenge and seeing it through to the end. Besides my sisterhood challenges, I have 5
grandchildren that love to challenge my physical abilities. Biking, rock climbing, tree climbing with zip
lines, skating, snow skiing, swimming and hiking are a few of the ways they try to keep me young.
Sometimes the adventures add a few years but there is nothing like the youth to show us the beauty,
excitement and wonder of the world.
To acquaint all our Sisterhoods with the full resources of the Central District we have compiled a Resource Document for your reference.
Click here to access the full list on our Central District website.
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2018 Central District
Chai Award-Winning Sisterhood
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2018 Chai Award winner: Temple Israel Sisterhood, West Bloomfield, MI
Just like horse racing's Triple Crown, Central District's Chai Award winner doesn't come around too often. To get this award, a Sisterhood needs to win, in the same year, all three of the following: the Innovative Programming Award, the Emerging Leader Award and the President's Award. At the 2018 Biennial Convention last November, one group beat the odds: Temple Israel Sisterhood in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Temple Israel Sisterhood's 2017 paid-up membership program, "Sisterhood: Past, Present and Future - A Celebration of 75 Years of Sisterhood!," won the
Innovative Programming Award in the large sisterhood category. This award recognizes a sisterhood (one small, one medium, one large) that creates "an innovative, energizing, original program," according to district guidelines. The Central District Awards Committee looked at a number of factors that made the program a success, such as leadership, participation, topic and growth in new members.
"In anticipation of our Sisterhood's 75th anniversary, our board took a chance and voted to set aside funds to bring in a special guest who would attract younger members," the sisterhood wrote. Psychic medium Rebecca Rosen was tapped as the entertainment. Temple Israel Sisterhood also commissioned a video featuring all living past presidents, who talked about 75 years of commitment to the temple, youth and community.
By making this program free for paid-up members, Temple Israel Sisterhood gained more than 200 new women, a 47% increase in overall membership. There were also 100 guests who paid a premium price to attend without joining. With a profit in the end, Temple Israel Sisterhood made a gift to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Rebecca Rosen's honor and still had extra funds for its sisterhood's leadership development.
Temple Israel Sisterhood member Andrea Weiss won the district's
Emerging Leader Award for her strong commitment to both her sisterhood and Judaism, as well as her potential to assume a role within Central District in the near future. After chairing many activities and helping out whenever needed, Andrea Weiss stepped up to recording secretary after an unexpected resignation on her sisterhood's executive board. "Her interactions are always kind, thoughtful and successful," Temple Israel Sisterhood wrote. "Andi loves what WRJ stands for and embraces those Jewish values. Andi epitomizes what it means to be an emerging leader."
Unlike the other awards, Central District's
President's Award is a flexible one. The district president determines the theme, and for 2016-18, President Sheilah Abramson-Miles chose "Tikun Olam." To win, a sisterhood in each size category needed to work "above and beyond to help make their community healthier, happier and safer."
Temple Israel Sisterhood's "Greenhouse Par-Tea Program" - designed for little ones as well as ladies -- did just that. Both young and old learned about the importance of greenhouses and community gardens in age-appropriate ways. Children painted healing garden rocks and planted their own succulent terrariums; adults learned about the good works of Yad Ezra, a kosher food pantry that also encourages the use of community gardens. Together, everyone enjoyed a lunch with homemade desserts. After lunch, children gathered up table centerpieces - 144 pairs of garden gloves and nearly 80 garden tools - to be donated to Yad Ezra for use in community gardens.
During the event, Temple Israel Sisterhood also announced its latest contribution to the congregation: the "Fruit of our Hands Sisterhood Greenhouse" to be built as part of a new education wing for the temple children. "Through its use, our kids will learn about food and nutrition in a whole new way," the sisterhood wrote.
Mazal Tov to Temple Israel Sisterhood on the awesome achievement of receiving the Central District Chai Award!
District Award winners receive a $90 credit towards a District event in the following 2 years. We hope this article will provide ideas and inspiration for your Sisterhood to develop programs that stimulate and sustain your membership. Other 2018 district award winning programs can be found on our Central District website.
Lisa Kalson, Awards Committee Chair
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Central District Book Club
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Hello Bookgroupies,
Our next Book Group meeting will be St. Patty's eve -- March 17 at 7:00 pm.
The book selected for this discussion is "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise" by Ruth Reichl, a well known food critic and editor in chief of Gourmet magazine. She reveals "the comic absurdity, artifice, and excellence to be found in the sumptuously appointed stages of the epicurean world and gives us, along with some of her favorite recipes, her remarkable reflections on how one's outer appearance can influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites, not to mention the quality of service one receives."
This book was tied with Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America" as the group's choice. Therefore, we decided that will be our next book selection, probably some time in June.
We meet every 3 months, on a date that is convenient to the group.
We meet over Zoom, where we can see and talk to each other, no matter where we are.
We have plenty of room for more members, so if you want to join the "Club", contact Hillary Handwerger at
hillaryh@ix.netcom.com
and we will be sure you get notified of the meeting. Zoom meetings are fun because they are face to face over the internet, but you can also join by just using your phone.
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What's Coming Up in our Sisterhoods and Areas?
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Coming up in March:
Tuesday March 26th at 7 pm - Organizing For Real with KD Clutter Busters! Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, MI
Coming Up in April:
Monday, April 1, 2019, 6 pm, Annual Women's Seder, Temple Kol Ami, West Bloomfield, MI
Sunday, April 7, 2019,
Docent-led Trip to the UM Art Museum,
Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, MI
Tuesday April 9, 2019 at 6 pm - Women's Freedom Seder - highlighting the Opioid Crisis, Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, MI
Annual Spring Bulb Sale, April 10 - May 25, 2019, Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, MI
Sunday April 28th 9:30 am to 3:30 pm - Spring Boutiques, Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, MI
Coming Up in May:
Women of Fairmount Temple is celebrating its 110th Anniversary May 31-June 2, 2019.
We would love to list all the upcoming events in Isha L' Isha, post them on Facebook and on our WRJCentral.org website. All we need is for you to let us know. Email Hillary at hhandwerger@yahoo.com or ishawrjcentral@gmail.com
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Looking Ahead
Join Us in 2020 in Cincinnati
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| Thank You! #GivingTuesday2018 |
For those of us who had the pleasure of attending our Convention in Beachwood, Ohio in November 2018, you will remember our video adventure on behalf of WRJ. See the fruits of our labor in this video "Thank You, WRJ". Be sure to turn on the sound on your computer to hear us yell our appreciation!! |
Highlight your sisterhood on our Central District Website,
Facebook or in Isha L'Isha
As we start yet another new year, this is a reminder that you have the opportunity to shine a light on your sisterhood and its programs. You can send flyers about your programs to Hillary at
hhandwerger@yahoo.com
and they will be posted on Facebook. You can also share your successful programs on Isha L'Isha with articles and pictures.
If it's an Area Day, we will promote it on our website. Don't forget to include WRJ Central in your advertising. Have a great 2019.
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Tchotchkes
During our WRJ Award Winning Events session at WRJ District Convention, we talked about some of the inexpensive ways we can make a big splash. Susan Singer, President of Temple Israel, W. Bloomfield, mentioned quite a few, and so did others.
We would like to create a listing on the WRJ Central District Website where we can share these great nuggets of information. I will put it under the Resources page once its created.
In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you might be using for great "give-aways"-- vendors and pricing- that you think work well.
Having some information as well as vendor contact info on great "sales items" such as honey, etc might also be a good idea.
So I will accept both-- give-aways and successful sales projects.
Please send information- product, picture if you have it, price, vendor, how did you use it, review, etc on items that you think would be helpful to the group.
Hillary Handwerger
Website Administrator
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Please submit articles for the next issue of Isha L'Isha
on or before May 25, 2019
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