Dear Central Great Lakes,

Purim is almost here! It’s our spiritual spring where we’re encouraged – well actually commanded -- to freshen up our spirit and be happy! Where to begin? To be happy takes some serious thought and preparation. If only Martha Stewart had a guidebook on Ten Simple Steps to Freshen Up Your Spirit and Be Happy!

When Adar arrived, we were told to increase our happiness a little each day. The Talmud teaches us: “When the month Adar enters, increase in joy.” (Ta’anit 29a). This is a Yom Tov of Process!

This happiness is a serious matter.

Purim within Adar is set aside as a time to remember and celebrate that the decree to destroy and annihilate all the Jews on a single day was averted. And so, we’re instructed to live Adar and Purim in a state of increased happiness.

It seems like an impossible trajectory to move from the everyday cacophony of news of a world swirling in wars, illness, natural disasters, suffering, illness to a happy place. There’s no QR code that we activate with our iPhones and through the magic of technology, access a Happiness App. To arrive at complete happiness takes more than a day to prepare. It’s like a spiraling ascent. Another rung higher each day. Perhaps that’s why we have a month to work on this.

But what is it about this month and Purim that teaches us about happiness? Let’s look closer.

Purim is known as the happiest day on the Jewish calendar. Think Purim and you think liveliness and fun. To commemorate Esther and Mordechai’s courage in the face of Haman’s wickedness, we’re commanded to laugh and then laugh a little harder and simply have fun. We celebrate with great gusto: costumes, a Purim spiel, hamantaschen, songs, noisemakers, and carnivals. It’s a season for breaking out of ourselves; and we do! But this isn’t happiness.

We listen to the Megillah, the story of Ester. It’s a story without extraordinary miracles like the splitting of the sea, thunderous clouds, or pillars of fire. However, something great occurs. Listening carefully to the end of the story, we find that G-d was a presence throughout the turmoil. This is a powerful message. It reveals a source of strength for us as we try to navigate a world turned upside down; a well of happiness if we so choose.

Adar and Purim bring no ordinary joy. More than a joy from a simcha in our life, it’s a joy of transformation. It’s the joy of the bitter turned sweet; of the adverse changed to a positive force.

This happiness doesn’t come to us. It comes through us and from us. It’s how we live. It’s the privilege of being a part of a process of increased happiness that spans generations. And it needs to be nurtured consciously. That’s the beauty of Adar and Purim. It gently commands us to stop and be aware of life -- of our blessing. It’s being grateful for today. And that’s the source of happiness. That’s the key!

Finding something each day to be grateful for is transformative; it increases our happiness. Rabbi Eliot Cosgrove reminds us that “life can always be turned on its head; none of us really knows what any one moment will bring. And yet, we can respond to those moments, as Esther did in her time of darkness, by leaning in, keeping our wits and sense of humor, and most of all, by writing ourselves into life’s story with courage and strength.”

Sisters of CGLR, you not only write your story of service to our Jewish Community, to our region, and to your affiliate but also you carry this mantel of courage and strength, Chazak v’Ematz, forward in your unwavering support of Torah Fund.

In the weeks ahead, I look forward to joining you for your Affiliate Sisterhood Shabbatot, Torah Fund programs, and chats. Even if it must be virtual, finding opportunities to be together is a good thing! For, as part of CGLR, we are deeply connected by: Our commitment to service ~ Our hearts are joined by a spirit of joy ~ Our minds are of a single purpose: to help sustain Conservative Judaism for the generations that will follow us ~ Our voices of caring for global communities in need blend with those of all the women in WL.

This is how we increase our happiness – day by day, step by step, in every heartbeat and with every breath.

This is how we make our lives a blessing!

Chag Purim Sameach.

Shabbat Shalom,

Pam

Pam Schlosberg

CGLR President

cglrpresident21@wlcj.org

847.433.7546 (h); 847.691.8991 (c)

The Ukraine War Continues -

Please help if you can!

We can extend our sense of renewed hope and send our light forward by a donation via The Schechter Institutes, Inc. www.schechter.edu/donate or

via Masorti Olami: Support Our Work (masortiolami.org)

Come Join us for:

The Ten Plagues and the Exodus in Jewish Art

with 

Marla Hand, PhD

Explore through images of the Ten Plagues and the Exodus, the artists of the Passover Haggadah who evolved as storytellers, innovators, and historians of the Jewish people. 

Dr. Hand earned a BA in French and Fine Arts from Dickinson College, and an MA and PhD in Art History from The University of Chicago. She had a long career as Curator of the Robert B and Beatrice C Mayer Family Art Collection, a large, diverse, and primarily modern art collection in Chicago. She also served, nearly 30 years, as Adjunct Professor of Art History at Loyola University Chicago.

SAVE THE DATE

WLCJ Convention 2023

When:

Sunday, July 16 - Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Where:

Schaumburg, IL (a suburb of Chicago)

WLCJ 2023 Convention Social Action Project:

Our Shifrah and Puah Project –

GIVING THE GIFT OF A HEALTHY BIRTH

In the Torah Portion, Terumah: Exodus 25:1-27:19   God tells Moses to collect donated materials to build a dwelling place for God called the Mishkan or Tabernacle. God describes how to build all the things that will fill the Mishkan - the ark, table, menorah, and sacrificial altar, and the Mishkan’s walls and curtains.

The Shifra and Puah Maternity Center in Uganda was “built” in July 2018, due to the efforts of an Israeli nurse and midwife, Ilana Shemesh, who wanted to improve the maternal and infant mortality rates in Uganda.

Through donations, this center serves the women of Mbale and its neighboring villages and has a multi-denominational clientele and staff of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

All services provided by the center are completely free of charge to encourage women to come in for prenatal, birth and post-partum services rather than going through their pregnancies unassisted. The center is dependent on donations. That’s where we come in.

March 6th is the International Women’s Day, a National Holiday in Uganda. Help us support the women of Uganda and the work that was started in 2018. With your donation, or your Sisterhood’s donation, we can help maintain and improve the degree of health and wellbeing of the women and their babies of Abayadaya, Uganda.

Here is the recent category added:

• $126.00, you can cover the costs of mosquito netting and Malaria treatment and medications - Pitocin, iron pills and infusion solutions; for all pregnant women to prevent stillbirths, prematurity births, and poor fetal growth for an entire MONTH.

Here are just a few other examples of what we can help cover with your donations:

• $18.00, you can cover a woman’s cost to get an ultrasound during her pregnancy and to have her baby delivered at the Center.
• $36.00, you can cover the costs of the sanitary napkins necessary after each delivery for an entire MONTH.
• $72.00, you can cover the costs of the laundry service to keep the sheets, towels and gowns clean for each delivery for an entire MONTH
• $108.00, you can cover the MONTHLY costs of supplying each mother with three sets of baby outfits and one blanket; otherwise, they only have rags to wrap their baby in.

These are just a few examples of what we can do with your donations. With your donation, whatever the amount, you will help greatly

Look for more information to come and more ways to help our Convention 2023 Shifrah and Puah Maternity Center Project. Have a wonderful Shabbat and realize how important “GIVING THE GIFT OF A HEALTHY BIRTH” can be to help to those who need our help. The help we can give is truly of life-saving value.

You can go to the Women’s League website, click on the Convention 2023 Special Project button at the top menu. From there you'll be able to donate by category or by amount. Thank you for your support of GIVING THE GIFT OF LIFE.

Best,

Ellen & Randy

Todah Rabah and Shalom,

Ellen Grossman

WLCJ 2023 Convention 2023 Social Action Project Co-Chair

elkie17@gmail.com

Randy Schwartz

WLCJ 2023 Convention 2023 Social Action Project Co-Chair

rschwartz@wlcj.org

Did you know there was a Torah Fund Newsletter? Well, there is, and it is called Chadashot.If you have given your Torah Fund Donation online or written a check to Torah Fund then the Torah Fund office has your information, and you should be receiving this quarterly newsletter. If you did not receive, you can read it by clicking on this link: Chadashot: News from Torah Fund - Jewish Theological Seminary (jtsa.edu)

There is an article that I would like to share from Chadashot. Please enjoy!

80 for 80

BY MARGIE MILLER, 80TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR

There is an old witticism referring to the commonality of all Jewish holidays. Almost every holiday focuses on three elements: a threat to the Jewish people, how we rose up and overcame the threat, and then we eat a holiday-specific treat. Although that might be true, the theme of most holidays is one single word: dedication. 

This spring we celebrate two of our most favorite holidays, Purim and Passover. In each case our people’s existence was threatened and we overcame that threat with God’s help, faith, and determination. Although totally different, one word could be used to describe the history and the impact of our Torah Fund campaign: dedication.

For 80 years, women across North America have been truly dedicated to the cause of supporting seminary students to ensure that we will always have rabbis, cantors, educators, and lay leaders to serve our congregations, our people and especially our future. With all the adjectives and all the accolades that could be used to describe generations of women collecting their coins and dollars through myriad fundraising activities, it still comes down to that one word, dedication.

In celebration of more than $108 million collected throughout the decades, with gratitude to all our mothers, grandmothers, and founding members of our sisterhoods, in honor of our children and their future in Judaism . . .

NOW is the time to celebrate our past, thank those who came before us, and ensure our future!

NOW is the time to make your annual Torah Fund donation. Please join the celebration, be inspired, rededicate yourself to this worthy cause, and give

Plus 80 for 80 years.

Be strong and courageous.



Shabbat Shalom,

Rebecca Goldwasser

CGLR Vice President of Torah Fund

rebeccatorahfund@gmail.com

Torah Fund supports programs and scholarships for the five Conservatives/Masorti global institutes

of higher education.

New Digital Torah Fund eCards Available NOW:

Send a greeting with ecards and support Torah Fund! Make your gift more meaningful by using our ecards for every occasion!

     Visit YOUR CGLR Website

YOUR Resource for all Things CGLR!



We welcome information to post about your affiliate. Send us your news, and we will add it to our site!

Click here -> http://www.wlcjregion.org/central/

Take a look at CGLR's NEW Facebook page at

WLCJ Central Great Lakes

SPECIAL NOTICE for the March 17 & 31 issues:

Please send your copy to Karen Weiss at knweiss1023@gmail.com

because

Laurie B. is traveling the world! :)

Mi Sheberach for

Rhonda Cohn, Past President of CGLR

Ruth L. Harris, IntraContinental President

Susan Steinberg, Southern Region President



We wish them a Refuah Shlemah -

a complete and speedy recovery

Baruch Dayan Ha Emet

With sadness we advise you of the passing of Zachary Levine z"l, husband of Joan Levine. Joan was a Past President of the former North Shore Long Island Branch. She is a long time active member of Flushing-Fresh Meadows Jewish Center Sisterhood, holding many positions over the years.

Funeral services were held this past Sunday.

Shiva will be observed through Friday morning, March 3rd, at Joan's home:

300 E Overlook

Apt 324 

Port Washington, NY 11050

Messages of condolence may be sent to Joan at the address above or jozach@msn.com.

We extend our condolences to Joan and her family and pray that they will be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you would like to make a donation to Women’s League in memory of Zachary Levine, please click here.

If you would like to make a donation to Torah Fund in his memory, please click here.

If you're in the U.S. and wish to send a Torah Fund ecard, click here.

************************************************

Baruch Dayan HaEmet

It is with sadness we note the passing of Rabbi Arnold Goodman on February 28, 2023.

Rabbi Goodman is a past Senior Rabbi of Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Minnetonka, MN.

He is also a Past President of the Rabbinic Assembly.

Funeral and Shiva was held in Jerusalem. 

Shiva will also be held at the home of Shira Goodman and Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz – 40 Montrose St., Newton, MA 02458-22718 on:

·      March 4 – 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

·      March 5 – 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.

·      March 5 – 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

If you would like to make a donation to Women’s League in memory of Rabbi Arnold Goodman, please click here.

If you would like to make a donation to Torah Fund in his memory, please click here.

If you're in the U.S. and wish to send a Torah Fund ecard, click here.

Whether you’re celebrating the joy of a simcha or remembering a loved one who passed away, please consider donating to our CGLR Leadership Fund.

Your gift provides support for those women in our region who may need financial assistance to participate in our WLCJ Convention in July, a region conference, or one of our educational programs.  

We will send a lovely card to the recipient acknowledging your gift. 

Donations in any amount are welcome. There are two ways to donate:

Simply click the “DONATE” button below. Then, email Pam at: cglrpresident21@wlcj.org

with the occasion, your name and address plus the name and address of the recipient.

or 

Simply send a check

(Payable to Women's League for Conservative Judaism) to:

Pam Schlosberg

144 Whistler Rd

Highland Park, IL 60035

Please include:

Your caring will help keep our future strong - and we thank you!

Where is God When We Need God Most?

Comparing the Messages of the Purim and Passover Stories

Thursday, March 9 @ 8:00 PM ET

Open to Individual Members ONLY.

Please join the Individual Membership Committee of WLCJ for an evening with Rabbi Rachel Ain, Rabbi of the Sutton Place Synagogue in New York, NY.

Questions? Contact:

Individual Membership Committee:

Gail Goldfarb, gailgold1@comcast.net or

Mimi Pollack, mimipollack@comcast.net or

Jill Tomar, jill.tomar@gmail.com arn More & Register

When I became a Bat Mitzvah many years ago... you know, when girls had their Bat Mitzvah on a Friday night, were able to sing the Haftarah, sing the Kiddush and perhaps be able to lead the congregation in Yigdal... My Rabbi said the following three words to me when he spoke directly to me... ALWAYS BE YOURSELF!

I learned over the years what he meant AND what kind of person I should strive to be.

Always be honest and kind.

Know your own strengths and weaknesses.

Never micromanage; just give suggestions.

Realize that "my way" is not the only way.

Realize that there are many kinds of people in the world; figure out a way to work with them.

Smile! As it always creates a good atmosphere.

Always listen. My Dad, of blessed memory, was the ultimate listener. My brothers and I used to say that listening to him was like listening to E.F. Hutton... some of you may remember that name. When my Dad spoke, which was less often, than more often, everyone always listened.

Know your personnel; in other words, learn about the people you are conversing with. Are they talkers or listeners or both? Do they like to lead the conversation or maybe not? Do they like to have the final say or maybe not? 

Figure out the most important things in your life... for me, family is always first followed by good health, kindness and honesty. 

Know what are your needs and wants. 

I know that we have been told that there are leaders and there are followers. I believe that everyone is a leader in their own way. 

I've been blessed to meet and get to know a plethora of Women's League members. Some of them have similar ideas but many have different ones. That's why I feel that working in committees, teams or partnering with someone is a great idea. 

I know that following these points will keep me grounded and lead me to always be myself. I hope that each and every one of you will Always be Yourself, too.

Shabbat Shalom,

Sue Bengele

WLCJ Financial Secretary

Sbengele@wlcj.org

Parashat Tetzaveh – Shabbat Zachor - March 4, 2023

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat of Remembrance, which is always the Shababt before Purim, because the Maftir portion, the final part of the Torah reading for this Shabbat, is taken from Deuteronomy 25:17-19, which discusses Amalek, who were Haman’s ancestors. The Maftir portion discusses Amalek, who attacked the Israelites, as they were leaving Egypt. The evil character in Megillat Esther, read on Purim, was Haman, who was a descendant of Amalek. The Maftir portion for Shabbat Zachor teaches that we should remember what Amalek did to us when we were leaving Egypt. We should not forget. I would assume that most of us want to be remembered as good people. What do you want your legacy to be ? What do you want to be remembered for? Let us be remembered for being strong and courageous women! Chazak v’Ematz – Be Strong and Courageous!

Did you miss it?

Watch the livestream recording here: https://fb.watch/iRL9hRPHUo/

Adar is a month of joy and celebration. In light of the government’s recent threats against our freedom, we fight back with song and prayer. Debbi Kaner Goldich, WLCJ International President, and Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, WLCJ Executive Director, were there!

Rabbi Ellen leyned/read second, Debbi had Second Aliyah, and our WLCJ sister, Sheila Gersh, had First Aliyah for her Bat Mitzvah.

Consulting Services Workshop presents:

Hybrid Meetings— Why, When, Where... Especially How!

Are all your members ready for in-person meetings? If not, perhaps a hybrid meeting is for you. We will discuss etiquette and technical aspects of hosting a successful hybrid meeting as well as types of programs that work.

Presented by the WLCJ Consulting Services team.

Questions?

Contact Renee Ravich at rravich@wlcj.org.

NIGHT AND DAY—The Jewish Connection to the Movie Musicals of the 1940s- Session 3 The War Years

Lois Silverman, WLCJ Communications Co-Chair

n the 1940s the creation of Hollywood musicals was led by Jewish composers, directors, and writers. The creators included legends of musical theater including: Irving Berlin, Sigmund Romberg, Jerome Kern, the Gershwin Brothers, Rodgers and Hart, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Explore the Jewish contribution to the movie musicals of the 1940s, a decade of vast changes in American society and movie musicals...

Part 2--This training will focus on equipping participants to be active allies to the LGBTQ+ community, specifically through language and pronoun-use. It assumes prior knowledge of the basics of LGBTQ+ identities and concepts, which will be covered in the first workshop. Rakhel Silverman (pronouns: they/them/theirs), New York Education and Training Manager, and Hannah "Hensch" Henschel, Associate Director of Education and Training (pronouns: they/them/theirs) will co-facilitate our discussion and answer our questions. 

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

12:00 Noon ET; 11:00 AM CT; 9:00 AM PT; 10:00 AM MT

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/630830287

Meeting ID: 630 830 287

Password: 875936



Want to sing, teach, help with technology, and more during Daily Psalm Study, and Kaddish? Sign up below.Sign

Project Stock the Shelves   

If you’ve been shopping recently, you can’t help but notice how much the cost of food has gone up. Please consider contributing a Kosher item to your pantry collection this month.

Debbie Bettan

Social Justice Project Chair

dbettan@wlcj.org



Karen Block

Social Justice Co-Chair

kblock@wlcj.org

Ardis Wexler

Social Justice Co-Chair

judgeardis@aol.com

Learn More

Your contribution will help reduce food insecurity among our neighbors

Key to Calendar:

CGLR Events

WLCJ Events

Affiliate Events

Thursday, March 9 @ 7:00 PM CT/ 8:00 PM ET - Special Program for Individual Members ONLY

Tuesday, March 14 @6:30 PM CDT/ 7:30 PM EDT - Sisterhood Affiliates Workshop

Monday, March 20 @ 1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT - Jews in Film, Session 3 - The Post-War Years 1946-1949

Wednesday March 23 @ 7:00 PM CT/ 8:00 PM ET- CGLR presents "The Ten Plague3s

Thursday, March 23 @ 6:30 PM CDT/ 7:30 PM EDT - How to Live Forever - Writing & Sharing Your Sisterhood/Region Story

Thursday, March 30 @ 7:00 PM CDT/ 8:00PM EDT - Health & Wellness - End of Life Issues, Part II

Sunday, April 23 @ 6:30 PM CDT/ 7:30 PM EDT - Mishpachah: Going Deeper: LGBTQ+ Language & Pronouns (Part 2 of 2)

Thursday, April 27 @ 6:00 PM CDT/ 7:00 PM EDT - WL Reads interviews Alyson Richmond and Shaunna Edwards, co-authors of the book, The Thread Collectors. 

May 13 @ 9:30 AM CT/ 10:30 AM ET - EHNTJC Sisterhood Shabbat

Laurie B. Davis

Communication VP/ The WAVE Editor