Shalom!
How’s Your To-Do List Working for You?
Does creating a To-Do list keep your life organized and focused? Is it the key to your having an efficient day? Or not so much.
There are days when even my most meticulously organized, color-coded, prioritized, bold-faced-numbered list just doesn’t make it. And at the end of day, my list simply deteriorates into no more than a record of a frenetic day. Why? -- Because there isn’t a tool to create a To-Do list for interruptions.
In this time of a new normal, events in a day constantly shift; little is predictable. We’ve even added a new word to describe our reaction, pivot! These interruptions that we pivot around are as much a part of life now as those responsibilities we list every day.
Ultimately, that unfinished list at the end of the day simply reminds us of how vulnerable we are to the unknown that relentlessly challenges us. That list also is a shout-out that it’s not about finishing the list but about keeping engaged -- starting each day with an ever-hopeful To-Do list of our common responsibilities and attempting to handle the surprises along the way.
This week’s Parshah, Chaye Sarah, (The Life of Sarah) is rich with teachings about lives well-led and vulnerabilities overcome. Ironically, even at the beginning of the parshah, we have to pivot mentally because Chaye Sarah begins with our matriarch, Sarah’s death. And ends with Abraham’s death. But then it provides a commentary on how Sarah lived life and how they both responded to life’s unending challenges.
Their lives were not without complications and interruptions. They were commanded to leave everything that was familiar, their land, home, family, and travel to an unknown land. And they responded. However, they arrived and found famine. Abraham’s life was at risk twice. They waited a long while for a child. As Rabbi Sacks notes, “Theirs were lives of trial, in which their faith was tested at many points.” Yet, they moved forward knowing that it all was a part of the journey G-d set for them.
We’re told that Sarah enjoyed a long life with years “equal in goodness.” Abraham, after traumatic life-events and now bereavement, “rose from his grief.” In fact, he engaged in a flurry of activity as he fulfilled a new "To-Do list!"
Together they reflect a profound tenet of Judaism: That we always look forward and act with a strong heart to build the future.
Through Central Great Lakes Region, WLCJ, we also journey forward, B’Yahad, together, doing all that we can do as Conservative Jewish women to help ensure the future of Conservative Judaism. We build the future through the common deeds we write on our To-Do list every day.
- We study because that leads to focused action.
- We act to support the Conservative Jewish seminaries throughout the world to help educate our future leaders.
- We engage in social action and social justice initiatives, many listed every week in Women’s League Week, to help make this world a better place.
Our To-Do lists are long but that's okay because with each day we continue to look forward; and inspired, empowered, and strong, we plan for the future.
May we make our lives a blessing each day.
Shabbat Shalom,
Pam
Pamela Schlosberg
Central Great Lakes Region President
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
847.433.7546 (h); 847.691.8991 (c)
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On Wednesday,October 27,
we honored and remembered the victims
we tragically lost three years ago.
May their memories be for a blessing.
May we honor them and hold their families
and their communities in our hearts.
May the Tree Of Life-Or L’Simcha,
Dor Hadash, and New Light congregations
be surrounded by love and support.
And may the hope of the reality of rising
antisemitic violence come to an end.
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My name is Wanda Pitzele. My position on the CGLR Board is Treasurer. I have the fiduciary responsibility to make sure our bills are paid and that we receive revenues due us from various sources, such as subvention from WLCJ, and Conference registrations. As part of the finance team, I help generate the budget each year and, hopefully, have us stick to it!
For kicks, I went back through some old records: this is my ninth (of thirteen) years of the region’s existence that I have been either treasurer or financial secretary. Prior to that I was active in Central Branch, having served in various capacities – conference co-chair, membership vice president, fund raising Vice President, and as a Sisterhood President. I had been involved for a few decades with my original sisterhood of Congregation Kneseth Israel in Elgin, Illinois. I was active as fund raising VP and President for more years that I care to think about! At the same time, I was active in the Elgin Chapter of Hadassah and was its President and Treasurer many times over the thirty years we lived there.
In 2018, we moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. I joined Adath Israel Sisterhood and have been active at a less strenuous level – serving on committees and as committee co-chair of the Vashti Banquet/ Women’s Seder. I will be co-chair of the CGLR conference in 2024.
In Illinois, I almost earned a living as an artist. I sold and taught bead weaving. A part of my business is making beaded kippot, sold in many Judaica shops around the country. Since our move, I am semi-retired. After taking three years off from selling at fine art fairs, I decided I enjoyed NOT setting up a booth, tearing it down and everything in between! I have always enjoyed the support of my family and friends. I am truly blessed vocationally and volunteer wise!
Shabbat Shalom,
Wanda Pitzele
CGLR Treasurer
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Because...
As members of our Sisterhoods/ Affiliates, we all are called upon to be leaders within our sphere of influence. We all have a role to play in strengthening Jewish life today and for the generations that follow. No small task!
So, we’re launching, Leadership Focus! We’ll explore insights and tips to help us cultivate our leadership skills. We don’t have all the answers about leadership, but we can ask questions, lean into the challenges, and have conversations about ideas that are actionable!
Today’s Focus: Encouraging Leadership in Others
Sandy Blumenthal, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism Vice President, Region Services Chair, shared a great article recently: Courage to Lead: Re-looking the Role of Courage in Leadership: What does it take to be an effective leader? by Ken Dower.
Courage Is a Powerful Word.
It was used a lot to describe superheroes and only recently to be seen as important for leaders. Courage here is turned inside out. The focus is not on us, but on how we share it with those we work with.
· It takes courage to lead, to be fully engaged, invested, and committed to the
work at hand.
· Leadership also requires that we pass our courage along to the women we work
with who we want to be engaged, focused, and committed
Through this lens, leadership is taking responsibility for finding the potential of every member of our Affiliates / Sisterhoods and doing whatever is necessary to develop it. Give them the confidence to be courageous. How?
The author suggests that we look at the word 'courage' and add an “En” and make the word,“Encourage.” That's an even more powerful word!
Provide opportunities for your members to be in front, to have a voice, to feel successful, and proudly wear their power capes.
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Personal Conversations- Thursday, November 4 @ 7:30PM ET |
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Creating Your New Community Without a Partner
Many Jewish women, either through the sudden loss of a partner, or by their own choice, find themselves newly single and are caught off-guard to discover the degree to which the world has been organized for the comfort of couples. The transition may be unsettling, isolating and hurtful.
Two rabbis each will bring her pastoral experience as well as her personal life experience to a conversation that explores this phenomenon and finds solutions:
When you become “uncoupled” -- How might you take positive control of your sense of self? How might you maintain your existing connections in a way that best supports you, or build a new community? What are some practical steps to take you forward?
Fran Hildebrandt, WLCJ Chair of Mishpachah, will moderate the discussion. Vivian Leber, Chair of Personal Conversations, will introduce the program and speakers.
Women’s League members are invited to submit in advance (to VLeber@wlcj.org) their own one-page essay in which they share related personal experiences and discoveries that would be helpful to other women. After the program, those essays
will be shared with registered participants.
Questions?
Contact
Vivian Leber
Personal Conversations Chair
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What is Going on with Torah Fund?
I want to thank everyone who attended the Torah Fund training on October 17th. For those who were unable to attend here is the link to the recording for the training so you can watch at your convenience:
I also wanted to let you know that the new invitation shell for Torah Fund’s 80thanniversary is available for your affiliates to order. Just email the amount your affiliate wants to torahfund@jtsa.edu.
Lastly, I want everyone to know that we will have two new e-cards. One for Hanukkah and one for baby naming. To buy a Torah Fund e-card go to the following website: https://torahfundecards.jtsa.edu.
Remember to invite me to your Torah Fund Programs.
Currently, I can only attend via Zoom, but this all could change come January 1st, 2022.
Thanks for your constant support of Torah Fund.
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Shabbat Shalom,
Rebecca Goldwasser
CGLR Vice President of Torah Fund
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Happenings Around the Region |
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Shabbat Message~October 30, 2021 | 21st of Cheshvan 5782 |
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By Cathy Swerdlow and Marcia Toppall,
Torah Fund Legacy Society Co-Chairs
Torah Fund Legacy Society
Especially in B’reishit, the book of the Torah that we are currently reading, the stories of family, community, and legacy take center stage. It is from these stories that we progress from the children of Israel (b’nai Israel) to the people of Israel (ahm Israel). It is our pathway to Judaism.
This passing of stories, beliefs and values from one generation to the next is central to our resilience as a people. This transmission occurs both publicly and communally as well as privately within each family. The way this transmission occurs varies from formal to informal. It might include written stories or recipes or family heirlooms. It might be traditions for how to conduct a seder or light candles to welcome Shabbat. In every instance it is the values that are being passed along, often without much thought about the method of transmission itself.
As members of Women’s League, our support of Torah Fund is a value that we express by our donations of time and money. For many of us it is more than just an annual donation. We continue throughout the year with the purchase of Torah Fund cards, donations to special projects and now, e-cards. But how can you pass that value to the next generation? How can we make sure that our loved ones understand what all those pins meant to us?
The Legacy Society is the answer to that question. By joining our Legacy Society, you can make a bequest to Torah Fund from your estate. This becomes a tangible acknowledgement of your lifelong commitment. It is a statement to your family that articulates your values one last time.
Joining the Legacy Society is easy and confidential. You decide what mechanism to use to make the bequest. You decide the amount of the gift. And, most importantly, you retain control of that asset during your lifetime. Once you make the commitment through completion of the Declaration of Intent form, you will receive a beautiful charm to display with your Torah Fund pin that acknowledges your participation in the Legacy Society. Then all you need to do is complete the Bequest Confirmation when arrangements have been finalized.
I invite you to join us, and the dozens of other WLCJ members, who have already made this commitment. Please reach out to either one of us; Cathy Swerdlow or Marcia Toppall or your Region Torah Fund Vice-President or the Torah Fund office for more information.
Shabbat Shalom.
Cathy and Marcia
Cathy Swerdlow
Torah Fund Legacy Society Co-Chair
Marcia Toppall
Torah Fund Legacy Society Co-Chair
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Parashat Chayyei Sarah – I Kings 1:1-31 – October 30, 2021
In Parashat Chayyei Sarah, deals with the deaths of both Sarah and Abraham, and takes place in Abrarham’s tent, which he is old and dying, described as “old in advanced years” (Genesis 24:1), and is not able to travel himself to find a wife for his son Isaac, so he sends his servant instead to choose a wife. A young woman is sought to become Isaac’s wife, and again bring life back into Sarah’s tent. The servant knows how daunting a task it will be to choose a wife for Isaac. The servant creates a type of rubric, for the eligible woman will complete, in order to be a worthy wife for Isaac. Abraham is concerned about which of his sons will succeed him as leader of his family and inherit his fortune. Abraham hopes for an orderly transfer of his fortune and leadership. Our Torah Reading depicts a failure of the law of primogeniture, the right of the eldest child to inherit the leadership role in the family. Isaac, not the first born, takes over Abraham’s position, and not the first born son, Ishmael.
In the Haftarah that goes b’yachad, together with Parashat Chayyei Sarah, from I Kings 1:1-31, takes place in the King’s palace, when King David is old and dying, described as “old in advanced years” (I Kings 1:1), and his impending death is inevitable. King David can no longer do things for himself, like keeping himself warm. A young woman is sought to bring comfort to King David, as he lies on his deathbed. There is a very daunting task to fulfill in the Haftarah - appointing a successor to King David. This task is actually a divine mission, which will be undertaken by Nathan and Bathsheva, and they worry that they will not succeed, but they do create a plan, and carry it out, without waiting for Divine intervention. King David wants an orderly transfer of his fortune and leadership to his son Solomon and arranges for Solomon to be anointed king before David dies. The Hafarah is an example in the Bible which shows the failure of the law of promingeniture.
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Sichot beyn Achayot:
An Open Dialogue Between Diaspora and Israeli SISTERS -
Sunday, November 14th @ 1 PM ET
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שׂיחוֹת בֵּין אְַחַיוֹת, Sichot beyn Achayot means “conversations between sisters”. This program is designed to foster a deeper mutual understanding between the members of WLCJ in North America and the Masorti Olami women of Israel. It is designed to address the question, “How are we the same, and how are we different?"
Each of the 3 sessions will address this question by concentrating on one specific issue that is both relevant and timely to us all, and will include presentations from speakers from each side of the Atlantic. The October and November workshops will each be followed by a Q&A session in which all attendees will be encouraged to participate. The third workshop in December will conclude with breakout rooms in which participants will have an opportunity to join the conversation
Click on speakers’ pictures to read their bios
SAVE THE DATE
Workshop 3: Conversations Between Conservative and Masorti Sisters
Sunday, December 12 @ 1PM ET
Questions? Contact Rabbi Margie Cella, WLCJ Educational Programming Coordinator
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Gary Rosenthal's Hiddur Mitzvah Project |
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Gary Rosenthal has offered to set up a link for WLCJ members to purchase his art from his stock. He will then give 25% of the sales back to Women's League.
The password to use is WLCJ2021.
Special Discount Code: WLCJ25%
Questions? Contact Grace Schessler
WLCJ Programming Chair
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is now Psalms, Pirkei Avot,
and Kaddish
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays
12PM Noon Eastern Time;
11AM Central Time
Meeting ID: 630 830 287
Password: 875936
Dial by your location:
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York);
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose);
+1 647 558 0588 Canada;
+972 55 330 1762 Israel; +972 3 978 6688
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We are saddened to advise you of the passing of Samuel Warsoff, husband of Susan Romanoff, Garden State Region Torah Fund Vice President and member of the Torah Fund Cabinet.
We are saddened to advise you of the passing of Sidney Glassel, brother of Madeleine Gimbel, International Torah Fund Vice Chair - Communications and Torah Fund Cabinet Member.
May his Memory be for a Blessing.
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Central Great Lakes Region Board |
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Executive Committee:
President
Pam Schlosberg
Communications
Laurie B. Davis
Education
Fern Schwartz
Membership
Gilda Schwartz
Program
Robin Beth Lash
Secretary
Sandy Carleton
Torah Fund
Rebecca Goldwasser
Treasurer
Wanda Pitzele
Financial Secretary
Marjorie Maxwell
Parliamentarian/ IPP
Fran Hildebrandt
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Board of Directors:
Communication/
Social Media
Paula Ferguson
Communication/Website
Rachel Ferber
Education/ Israel
Open
Membership Service
Cynthia Lerner
Member Support
Marlene Ostrow
Presidents Council
Laurie B. Davis
Program/Books
Renee Kaplan
Creative Judaic Arts
Lynda Abraham-Braff
Spring Conference
TBD
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Nominating
Fran Hildebrandt
WLCJ Board Representing CGLR
Rebecca Goldwasser
Fran Hildebrandt
Robin Beth Lash
Cynthia Lerner
Wanda Pitzele
Pam Schlosberg
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Webmaster
Central Great Lakes Region
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