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Dear Friends,

This week we read the double portion Tazria-Metzorah which deals, among other things, with the management of a skin disease known as Tzara’at. This is sometimes translated as leprosy, but it was much more complex as it included swellings, rashes, boils, and skin discolorations. It could also occur on a person’s clothing and even on their house. We can imagine that in a world before Penicillin, antibiotics or disinfectants, these unknown diseases would be terrifying and dangerous. This was very troublesome to the ancient people and the Torah spends quite a bit of time discussing how to diagnose the disease, what to do if it is diagnosed and what to do with other various kinds of discharges like menstruation, seminal emissions and even impurity that occurs following pregnancy. The Torah is dealing not only with things that happen to the body that cannot be understood but also about matters of contagion and impurity and how to stop them from spreading. Impurity is not only something you get from a disease that can be passed on to someone else, but you can also become impure by giving birth to a child or menstruating or from having a seminal emission or from coming into contact with a dead body. To be impure or “tamei”, does not mean to be unclean but it has to do with your fitness to enter the Temple or holy spaces. One would have to move through the isolation period of being tamei and then that individual would have to be inspected and purified by the Kohen/Priest before being allowed to enter the camp and return to being part of the community.

We could ask the question - Why would contracting a skin disease, giving birth, touching a dead body or menstruation make a person tamei? Many scholars think that the scenarios that might make one tamei are related to some sort of contact with matters of life and death. These are moments where we encounter the force in the universe that gives and takes away life. These events, being beyond one’s control are frightening or awe-inspiring and perhaps it is why our ancestors concluded they must be the result of God’s displeasure and that they endangered both the individual infected and the community. It was therefore logical that those infected and then healed, would bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Temple which ended one’s period of impurity and which acknowledged to God and the community that one was no longer tamei and was now moving back into normal communal life.

Even today, we have a human need to mark moments of transition from a frightening ordeal. In the earlier stages of Covid-19, did we not see countless images posted of people proudly displaying themselves as they received their vaccinations? Don’t we say the Birkat Hagomel in synagogue after coming through a dangerous time? This week’s portion shows us that this is not a new concept. Our ancestors also understood the need to mark such moments with rituals of gratefulness and thanksgiving.

May we all be thankful for the gift of medicine, the gift of health and the gift of life and may we continue to support our own families and communities with strength and courage.

Chazak V’Ematz and Shabbat Shalom

Marilyn Cohen 

Region President

INRPresident21@wlcj.org

Reminders from Marilyn...

INR ISRAEL PROGRAM

“Israel: Beyond the Headlines – The Israel we don’t hear about”

Today is the last day to register for our region’s fabulous Israel Program taking place on Zoom this Sunday April 23, 2023 at Noon. (Please do so well before Shabbat). Having heard the presentations at our dress rehearsal, I can honestly say you will enjoy it immensely. Read the flyer below for more details and click on the Registration button. You will be so glad you joined us. The Zoom Link will be sent to all who registered on Sunday morning.

WOMEN’S LEAGUE CONVENTION 2023 preparations are in full swing. All the players on the Convention Team are working tirelessly to make it an unforgettable experience for us all. You deserve a treat for yourself. See the flyer below outlining all the activities that are planned and the special tzedakah projects offered. If you cannot possibly attend Convention in person, consider coming virtually. The cost to attend via Zoom is well worth it. We all know how complicated and expensive any technical expertise can be and doing it for a three-day convention for a crowd of Jewish women has got to be even more challenging. There will also be special workshops for Sisterhood Presidents, Region Presidents, Region Education/Programming VP’s, Region Torah Fund VP’s and Region Communications VP’s and only those registered will be able to attend. I hope to see you there!

REGION CONVENTION SCHOLARSHIPS of up to $500.00 US are available to help attendees defray their costs. Please click HERE to download the Application Form. Fill it out, save it and send it as an attachment to me by APRIL 27th. The Scholarship Committee will review all applications and will contact you. You must have registered for the Convention by that date in order to qualify for a scholarship. Checks will be sent out following the Convention.

Our programs are a benefit of your membership in your local affiliated Sisterhood/Women's Group or as an Individual Member of Women's League for Conservative Judaism

Our 2022-2023 Chazak v'Ematz Campaign

Be Strong and Courageous

For many people, happy sounds are children laughing or birds singing. After this past winter, I found new sounds that made me happy: the sump pump plumbing, the generator roaring to life, the click of the furnace turning on. They are all background noises and are routine, part of the cycle of the seasons. Spring is coming - finally. We see the piles and heaps of snow have melted away. We’ve had a few beautiful days and then back to dreary rain. As we cycle from winter to spring, we look forward. So, too, we know that supporting the students at our five institutions of higher learning has a lifecycle, too. Bright people enroll, study hard, master material, and emerge to lead the Conservative/Masorti movement as rabbis, cantors, scholars, camp directors and, in doing so, make us all better.

Your support of Torah Fund makes a difference, one dollar at a time, combined with all the other donations, makes it possible for a big impact on the future. Think about the shouts of mazal tov at a brit or naming, a bat or bar mitzvah, an auf ruf, or a wedding. Those happy sounds are made possible - in part - because of the support we provided to help those leaders achieve their goals.

Donating is easy. Send your checks/cheques to your local Torah Fund Chair or use the online links.

In the US: Donate to Torah Fund (jtsa.edu)  Send an ecard to celebrate joys and sorrows:

Torah Fund eCards – Send an eCard to a loved one. (jtsa.edu)

In Canada, start with the ecard platform and add an additional gift: Canadian eCards – Torah Fund eCards (jtsa.edu) It took a lot of time and effort to create the Canadian online platform. Our Canadian sisters are asked to make use of this option for online giving.

Remember to use the ecard platform from your home country, no matter where the recipient lives. Remember to enter the name of your own affiliate so proper credit can be given.

Paper cards are available from local Torah Fund Chairs.

Please consider an afterlife gift to the Torah Fund Legacy Society. Lean more here: Torah Fund Legacy Society - Jewish Theological Seminary (jtsa.edu) The goal of 80 Torah Fund Legacy Society Members to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Torah Fund is in reach. If you are thinking about joining this special group, please reach out to learn more and complete the process.

Please consider an extra gift of $80.00 in honor of Torah Fund’s 80th anniversary.  Those who have done so will be honored at the upcoming Women’s League Convention in July.

As always, if you have questions or comments, please contact me.

Linda Boxer

INR Torah Fund VP

INRTorahFund@gmail.com

Join us in Schaumburg, Illinois this July,

for WLCJ Convention 2023!

Watch this message from our Convention Leadership Team

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 8th was 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.

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 A HEALTHY BIRTH.

Best,

Ellen & Randy

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

Mishpachah: Exploring LGBTQ+ Identities. Building Bridges... Creating Community

Part 2 - April 23rd from 7:30-9:00 ET: Going Deeper: LGBTQ+ Language & Pronouns

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 were 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. 

Women of the Wall -

Rosh Chodesh Iyar

Friday, April 21 @ 12 AM ET

Join Women of the Wall for Rosh Chodesh Iyar - Friday, April 21 at 12:00AM ET

The word Iyar shares a root with the Hebrew word for light (ohr). Together we will be a force of light as we pray and sing together at the Kotel.

Israel's Declaration of Independence Live From the Egalitarian Kotel - Sunday, April 23 @ 11:00 AM ET

April 23, 2023

8AM Pacific | 9AM Mountain | 10AM Central | 11 AM Eastern

Israel's Declaration of Independence Live From the Egalitarian Kotel

Every year between Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha'atzmaut, we at the World Zionist Organization hold a festive event of reading Megillat Ha'atzmaut at the Egalitarian Kotel. We broadcast it live in different languages to the whole Jewish world. This is our way to celebrate Israel’s independence and it strengthen our sense of Jewish peoplehood in Israel and abroad.

WL Reads - Thursday,

April 27 @ 7:30 PM ET

WL Reads co-chairs Merle Carrus and Susan Farber will interview co-authors, Alyson Richmond and Shaunna Edwards about their novel, The Thread Collectors. This book will appear in stores and online in August 2022.

For images and details: Alyson Richman | Shaunna Edwards | The Thread Collectors

This novel takes us to the Civil War period and two different women’s lives. Stitchery is a common activity, as well as their concern for soldiers during this tumultuous interval. Their threadwork connects their lives in New Orleans.

Join us for an engaging virtual conversation about this novel and how these co-authors, Ms. Edwards and Ms. Richmond collaborated to create this praiseworthy novel.

Programming Idea of the Week

David N. Gottlieb earned his PhD in the History of Judaism from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2018. He is the author of “Second Slayings: The Binding of Isaac and the Formation of Jewish Memory” (Gorgias Press, 2019), as well as numerous scholarly and general-interest articles. David is a co-host of the New Books in Jewish Studies podcast, a channel on the New Books Network.

David welcomes the opportunity to come to your community to offer lectures, seminars, scholar-in-residence visits, or guest sermons. Speaking topics include:

• Meditation as a Jewish practice
• The Binding of Isaac: New approaches and perspectives
• How Judaism Interprets Its Way Out of Crisis: Midrash, Mythmaking, and Jewish Renewal
• Parenting Like a Matriarch/Patriarch: Do’s and Don’ts
• Affordable Housing as a Jewish Value
• and many more

To contact: Click Here

Weekly Words of Torah

April 22 - Parashat Tazria-Metzora - Rosh Chodesh Iyar - Earth Day 

This week’s Torah reading is the double portion of Parashat Tazria-Metzora, which reads like a dermatology textbook. There are many descriptions of leprous lesions, and often people needed to leave their tents, and live in other areas of the community while they healed. Why so much description about skin lesions? Perhaps it is because a skin lesion shows differences in people. This is truly a section of the Torah that comes to teach us about tolerance for others. We need to embrace the other, and understand those who are not the same as us. That is why Women’s League for Conservative Judaism has partnered with the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs to create The Inclusion Resource Guidebook. This resource will assist in creating an atmosphere in which we can embrace everyone in our Sisterhood affiliates. https://www.wlcj.org/wlcj-fjmc-inclusion-initiative-overview/ May this be a mission for all of our Sisterhood affiliates, to make sure that no one is ever again left out, but rather embraced and loved. Chazak v’Ematz - Be Strong and Courageous! 

Makom B'Yachad

A virtual service for our WLCJ Sisters to recite Mishaberach, the Prayer for Healing, recite the Psalm of the Day, study and recite Kaddish together.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

9 AM PT; 10 AM MT; 11AM CT; 12 PM ET

Join Zoom Meeting:

 https://zoom.us/j/630830287

Meeting ID: 630 830 287

Password: 875936

Special Programming:

Friday, April 21 - Rosh Chodesh Iyar

Tuesday, April 25 - Yom HaZikaron / Israel Memorial Day 

Wednesday, April 26 - Yom HaAtzma'ut / Israel Independence Day

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

Project Stock the Shelves

Your contribution will help reduce food insecurity among our neighbors

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

PrezNet

Join the WL PrezNet

Toby Maser

PrezNet Moderator

WLCJ-FJMC Inclusion Resource Book

We are not accepting mail-in order forms for this item as of now. Please place your order online or by calling (405) 870-1260.

#StandUpToJewishHate is a new campaign to educate everyone in the United States about the rise of antisemitism and mobilize people outside the Jewish community to help us address growing hate and intolerance. We need to drive home the message that Jews make up just 2.4% of the U.S. population but are the victims of 55% of all religious hate crimes. Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and a wide coalition of Jewish and non-Jewish groups are asking as many people as possible to post and share #StandUpToJewishHate on social media, using the blue square emoji on your phone, as a simple but powerful unifying symbol of solidarity. During the campaign, you will see the blue square taking up 2.4% of TV and digital screens, billboards and social feeds to call attention to the disparity between the Jewish population size and scale of hate that Jews face, both online and in person.

Here are a few actions you can take to #StandUptoJewishHate and join this national movement:

• Post and share #StandUpToJewishHate — and/or # with a blue square — an emoji already available on most mobile devices — on your social media channels, email signatures and text messages, alongside a message of support against hate and intolerance.
• Speak up and share your personal story with antisemitism.
• Follow the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign at @StandUpToJewishHate on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to keep up-to-date with #StandUpToJewishHate and learn more about antisemitism.
• 
  

Together, we can educate and empower more people to join us as we Stand Up to Jewish Hate.

The cost for the weekly questions email and hard-cover book is currently $99. For more information and to receive a $10 discount click below:

Women's League for Conservative Judaism gets a donation by using the link.

Cory Schneider

Archives Chair & Consultant

Past International President

Administrator, Torah Fund Legacy Society

cschneider@wlcj.org

WLCJ App

We brought back the WLCJ App.

It's available for download on all devices (iPhone/iPad/Google Play/Android).

WLCJ Website

The Women's League website now is available in all languages.

Visit our website: www.wlcj.org

Confronting Anti-Religious Bigotry; The Ketubbah Through the Ages; and More

This Week! Commemorate the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising + Netflix WWII Series Transatlantic

Schechter's Ongoing Hybrid and Zoom Courses in Jewish Literature, Philosophy, Art and History

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!

Dear Torah Fund Leadership Team,

During this 80th anniversary year for Torah Fund, all $80+ donations will be reported and recognized by the Torah Fund office. Please share with us any 80th anniversary events happening in your Region or sisterhood. Also, we would appreciate it if you would forward any invitations, flyers or articles to us so we can share the updates.

Margie and Rita

Co-chairs of the Torah Fund’s 80th anniversary

Margie Miller              Rita Wertlieb

Mmiller@wlcj.org     Rwertlieb@wlcj.org

All prices include regular shipping (with tracking, 2-4 weeks). Express shipping costs an extra $20 per item.

For the past six years, Keshet and USCJ have worked together to deliver Keshet's Shivyon Project cohort for USCJ-affiliated synagogues. 

Keshet, in partnership with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), is launching the Shivyon Project cohort for USCJ-affiliated synagogues on February 28! The Shivyon project is a year-long cohort-based opportunity for synagogues that want to focus on creating organizational change in order to better support LGBTQ+ community members and staff. Through the Shivyon Project, a synagogue will gain access to in-depth education, practical training, coaching, skills, and knowledge to spark long-lasting change from congregational policies to the individual experiences of your community’s participants and staff. Check out Keshet's website to learn more and sign up.

If you have questions, please ask Fran Hildebrandt, fshildebrandt@gmail.com.

Young Professionals Poland Trip

Ramah Israel and Reshet Ramah are partnering to create a meaningful Poland experience for adults in their 20s and 30s. Please fill out the form below if you are interested in this opportunity. 

Dates organized by Ramah Israel and Reshet Ramah to participate in a Poland trip are:

• August 20-27, 20023
• December 24-31, 2023
• May 19-26, 2024

If you are not in this age cohort, click here for information about another adult Poland trip led by Ramah Israel.

The Nefesh B’Nefesh JNF 2022-2023 Ma'alot Grant Program

Go to this LINK for the Ma'alot Grant information. It has details about the application plus a special offer from Rabbi Paul Freedman. He will be delighted to call you if you wish more information.

Is your synagogue considering a Mission to Israel in 2022 or 2023?

Our colleague, Rabbi Paul Freedman (nina_f@netvision.net.il) can offer resources including offers from Masorti Movement, Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, and Nefesh B’Nefesh with its new Campus (located in the Kiryat Leumi, next to the Jerusalem Supreme Court). Some suggestions translate into budgetary reductions for your Mission especially with the NBN Campus.

New format for our EMagazine - Today’s Israel

Our EMagazine Today’s Israel, has a new format with fewer articles and an emphasis on photos. In this first issue there are three examples describing what Rabbi Paul’s partners, Nefesh B’Nefesh, Masorti and JNF are doing. Without their support, none of the above would be possible. We need your input with suggestions for future issues. Here is the Link. 

Save the Date: September 10, 2023

6th Annual Reverse Tashlich

Add the largest Jewish Community Waterfront Cleanup to your 2023 programming. Register as a community or individual to stay up to date!

Introducing: The Repair the Sea App: Click HERE to Watch Video

Join our international community virtually on the Repair the Sea app.

Reshet Ramah Poland Journey

May 20-26, 2024

Designed for rising Jewish leaders ages 22-30*

On this six-day journey through Poland, our community will explore the cities of Warsaw, Lublin, and Krakow; hold each other up in Zbylitowska Gora—the Children’s Forest, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Treblinka; volunteer in cemeteries and local communities; meet with Jewish and non-Jewish peers; thank some of the families of Poland’s Righteous Among the Nations; and celebrate Shabbat in Krakow with the revitalized Jewish community and the work of the JCC Krakow.

We will work to fulfill our generation’s responsibility to remember, rebuild, and retell.

Please reach out to Adina Scheinberg, National Ramah Program Director, at adina@campramah.org with any questions. 

Don’t miss this new website – ExploringJudaism.org – where people like you can share personal and meaningful Jewish wisdom and reflection in addition to insight on practical living through the lens of Conservative/Masorti Judaism.

ExploringJudaism.org is a digital home for the Torah of Conservative/Masorti Judaism. While the name of this stream of Judaism was born well over a century ago, in the contemporary world Conservative Judaism is expressed through connection, community, and the creation of meaning.  This lens on Judaism is rooted in the idea that Judaism grows with us, that we’re guided by process, and that there is beauty in the balance.

Click on the button to visit website for additional events:

INR of Women's League for Conservative Judaism