Hello Angela,

Happy Chanukah!

Wishing you a joyous festival of lights.

May the glow of the menorah shine in your life for a healthy and happy year.

Join the Women of Rodef Sholom at

our annual Chanukah social.

Connect with friends - new and not so new.

Bring your Chanukah menorah with candles to light.

Imagine and discuss Chanukah from

a feminine perspective.

Share your favorite Chanukah recipe with us.

Wear Chanukah attire and bring your favorite Chanukah food to eat during our time together.

REGISTER NOW

Contact: WRS Membership Committee for questions.

The Women of Rodef Sholom is proud to participate in the San Francisco Marin Food Bank Holiday Dinner Drive again this year. Several years ago the San Francisco Marin Food Bank expanded their annual Holiday Dinner Drive to include the winter holidays. WRS, CRS, and four other SF and Marin congregations raised over $26,000 in 2021 for the SF Marin Food Bank, providing 52,000 meals to those in need. They need our help more than ever this year based on increased demand and escalating food purchasing costs

Donate online: sfmfoodbank.org/dinnerdrive

1. Select Women of Rodef Sholom from the drop down menu and complete your donation. Use the QR code below the photograph.

The WRS Book Club will discuss

Woman on Fire

by Lisa Barr

No meeting in January.

The book selection for February:

February 6 - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

REGISTER TO ATTEND



Join other

Women of Rodef Sholom for

monthly walks in Marin.

We will walk for about an hour and for about three miles, rain or shine, on varying terrain throughout the county.

The first three dates and locations:

Sunday, December 4 - 10:00am in Mill Valley

Sunday, January 8 - 10:00am in San Rafael

Sunday, February 5- 10:00am in Larkspur

Register by emailing to WRSwalkinggroup@gmail.com with your name, telephone number, and zip code. We will send you details before the walk.

We hope you will join our Sunday Walking Group.



The Rosh Chodesh Group

Next meeting: Tuesday, January 3

2:00pm - 3:30pm on Zoom

“Whoever blesses the moon in its time welcomes

the presence of the Schechina (female Devine presence).”

Rosh Chodesh marks the beginning of each month in the Hebrew calendar by the appearance of the new moon.

According to the Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation, each month in the Jewish year has a letter of the alef bet, a zodiac sign, one of the 12 tribes of Israel, and a controlling limb associated with it.

It's a time for women to gather joyfully

to bond in sisterhood!

        Share your views Everyone is welcome.

REGISTER TO ATTEND

If you would like to purchase Rosh Chodesh 

materials ($18.00), click here.

These materials are not required to attend our meetings.

Questions:

coordinatorroshchodesh@gmail.com



Sales staff needed in the WRS Gift Shop

Have you ever considered yourself behind the counter meeting folks coming into the JCC and helping someone find that special gift?

We need you now! Flexible shifts and a 20% discount on your purchases.

Thinking about it? Email our Volunteer Coordinator to find out more.



WRS Board Meeting

Tuesday, December 6

7:00pm - 8:30pm on Zoom

Our Board of Directors meetings are the first Tuesday of 

the month and are open to all members. 

Send your name and email to wrs@rodefsholom.org if you would like to attend this or future meetings.

WRS continues to recruit members to volunteer with several standing committees within our organization. If you are interested in sharing your talents with Membership, Programming, or Social Justice and Fundraising endeavors, please email your contact details to wrs@rodefsholom.org. 

WRS Programming Team and

Social Justice Meeting

Tuesday, December 20

5:30pm - 7:00pm

This Team meets the third Tuesday of the month.

Help us develop and plan virtual programming for the coming months. At our September meeting, we will focus on planning for the Women of Rodef Sholom Shabbat Service. RSVP with your name and email to wrssisterhood@gmail.com, and the Zoom link for the meeting will be emailed to you. If you attend a meeting, you will be added to the distribution list for future meetings. Join us! We are stronger together.

THANK YOU WRS PROGRAMMING TEAM:

Amy Friedricks, Denise Freinkel, Angela Giacomini,

Laura J. Giacomini, Toni Golbus, Susan Goldwasser, Toni Grimes, BettyAnn Kram, Barbara Kraus, Sheri Langer, Jen Levine,

Eileen Levy, Alissa Ralston, Fanny Stein.



What led you to get involved with Women of Rodef Sholom? 

I became involved with WRS because a friend asked me to participate.

What is your favorite memory from a Women of Rodef Sholom event? 

There are many great memories, but I think the in-person WRS retreat at Westerbeke and the fire circle activity lead by Claire Mikowski.

In one word, what does Women of Rodef Sholom mean to you? 

Community

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? 

I think of myself as an introvert. In a room filled with people I don’t know, I will find a corner and hide.

What is something that you do for fun? 

So many things, singing, dancing, skiing, gardening, photography, but most fun of all is playing or doing anything with our grandkids.

What song or genre of music energizes you? Or what book(s) or poem(s) inspires you? 

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, My People by Abba Eban, Poetry by Yehuda Amichai. All music!

Who is your favorite Jewish woman and why?

A woman named Miriam Fishman, whom I think of as my Jewish guru. She taught me that I had to "put lots of layers of Judaism onto our children because they will start throwing them off, and you want there to be a layer left when they finish”.

What led you to get involved with Women of Rodef Sholom? 

While I have been a member of the Women of Rodef Sholom (WRS) since my family joined the synagogue about 15 years ago, I attended my first WRS event, a pool party, about six years later, after my youngest children became b'nai mitzvah. I was looking for a way to stay involved in the community after those milestone events, and my first WRS role was as Gift Shop Volunteer Coordinator. I am thankful every day that I found this community of wise, caring women, who have been tremendously helpful as I raised three spirited children.

What is your favorite memory from a Women of Rodef Sholom event? 

I have really liked nearly all of our events, but probably my favorite memory is dancing with my daughter and all the other women at the Women's Passover Seder.

In one word, what does Women of Rodef Sholom mean to you? 

Friendship

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? 

For better or worse, I am a wide open book, so I have very few secrets. How about that I got married when I was only 23 years old? That still surprises me, as that's younger than my oldest daughter is now! My hubby and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary this summer, so now even my age isn't a secret if you do the math! 

What is something that you do for fun?

I have always loved movies and reading (historical fiction is my favorite). There's nothing better than getting lost in a good story, and I'm now including storytelling podcasts, like the Moth and Storycorps, to my sources of that joy.

What books, poems or songs inspire you?

Well, I love liturgical music of all kinds from our own Shabbat music to gospel choirs to Gregorian chanting and most music in between. I don't have opportunities to attend services as much as I would like, but, thanks to the pandemic, I absolutely LOVE listening (and sometimes singing along) to the Shabbat recordings in arrears. It might be Monday afternoon or Wednesday morning, but it's always wonderful to hear our amazing rabbis, cantor, and b'nai mitzvah students singing and chanting in our ancient and not-so-ancient traditions.

Who is your favorite Jewish woman and why?

We have lots of wonderful Jewish women to celebrate, but I will mention someone who was recently honored, Anat Hoffman, who is retiring as the Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) this year after 20 years in that role. Ms. Hoffman and IRAC have fought tirelessly for religious pluralism and gender and racial equity in Israel which is so important to me as a Reform Jewish woman. The Women of Rodef Sholom was lucky enough to host Ms. Hoffman a few years ago, so I had the remarkable opportunity to hear her speak in person about hers and IRAC's work to ensure public equity in Israel. She is a tremendously inspiring speaker with an amazing ability to relate anecdotes and stories that easily explain the issue at hand, from women being forced to sit at the back of Israeli busses to publicly funded radio programs that did not air women's voices. I am always called to action by her words and deeds, and I wish her the best in retirement.



 Read more about Rodef Sholom's social justice activities.

 Congregation Rodef Sholom's website

The Women of Rodef Sholom is a proud member of the Women of Reform Judaism and WRJ Pacific District (WRJ PD). Sign up for the WRJ PD's weekly "Chai Line."

Reform Movement Leaders Denounce the Supreme Court’s Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Read here

WRJ “Advocacy Matters” Newsletter. Sign up here

WRS received Special Merit recognition on the WRJ Honor roll, for our generous contributions last year to WRJ’s YES (Youth, Education, and Special Projects) Fund.

Marin Organizing Committee (MOC)

Civic Academies

Sunday, December 11, 1:00 - 2:30pm

In person: Kol Shofar, 215 Blackfield Dr, Tiburon

On Zoom: Contact wrssisterhood@gmail.com

for the Zoom link.

Join us at MOC’s upcoming Civic Academy. We are facing a care crisis in Marin. There is a shortage of caregivers for older adults and people with disabilities, especially for the most vulnerable among us. And those among us who do this essential work face low wages and difficult working conditions.

We all know the cost of living is high in Marin, and it falls hardest on the working poor and people living on fixed incomes. Come learn how we can act to make Marin a community that truly cares—for older adults, people with disabilities, workers, and all of us.

MOC consists of faith-based and nonprofit organizations that are working on social justice issues around renter protection, affordable housing, aging, and mental health within our community. Congregation Rodef Sholom is proud to be one of the founding members of MOC. To learn more, contact Judy Bloomberg.

Visit the MOC website to learn more.



WRS CONCERT WITH AMY AND FRIENDS

Thank you to everyone who attended the WRS Concert with Amy and Friends on November 19. It was well worth the wait and a special treat to be serenaded by our beloved song leader Amy Friedricks and her band mates.

We are deeply grateful for Amy’s many contributions to our WRS community as a musician, song leader, WRS Shabbat Service lay leader, and member of our WRS Programming Team. It was wonderful to see the community come together in person and virtually to enjoy and celebrate her gift.

Congregation Rodef Sholom's Capital Campaign

The Women of Rodef Sholom's mission is aligned with this project. Please add your support. 

For more information about Rodef Sholom's new sacred space and ways to contribute, click here.