CHAI LINES
The Newsletter of the International Northeast Region
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Baruch Dayan Ha'Emet
Mollie Rothman
May her memory be a blessing.
From the Region President
It has been quite some time since I have attempted to learn anything new. However, when my Synagogue advertised a shofar blowing class, I decided to give it a go. It is something I have always wanted to learn how to do, and I thought to myself, “it should be so much simpler than learning how to read Torah – right?” It was a fun experience and I did quite well actually.
 
I recall when I was a very young girl on the High Holidays my mother, z”l, would have me stand on my seat at Temple so that I could not only hear, but see the shofar being blown. I knew then that it was an important moment, but I don’t think I really knew why. I also recall fondly when my daughter was young doing the very same thing, having her stand on those very same seats, making sure that she was able to see the shofar being blown. 
 
Now, having learned how to blow the shofar made me want to know deeper the “why.” I know the basics, of course, but I desired to learn a bit more. My Google searches did not produce much that I found satiated my curiosity. The first article I found reported that “the sound of the teruah is both earthly and Divine. It comes from an animal, but makes the same sound that was heard on the top of Mount Sinai when God addressed the people. Music can be celebratory, but the sound of the shofar is more than just a sound of jubilation. It is the sound of the presence of God, and the sound we use to cry out to God when we need God’s intervention.” Click here to read the the article.
 
I then clicked on a Washington Post article that stated “The call of the shofar, one of the most ancient and holy ritual objects in the Jewish tradition, is a reminder to look inward and reflect on the past year.” Click here to read the article
 
This all seemed to ring true to what I knew but still a bit shallow. Later on that day, after my shofar blowing lesson, our Synagogue held a “drive-by” where we picked up Mahzors to use while we follow along from home on StreamSpot over the High Holidays. These are actually our Synagogue’s “old” Mahzors, the Harlow edition, copyrighted in 1972. But really, how much can this have changed? It is the same shofar we have been blowing for 5780 years after all, right?
 
So, I flipped through the pages and I find on the first day of Rosh Hashanah: “The shofar exclaims: Wake up from your slumber!” It then continues with “Examine your deeds, and turn in repentance…Let everyone abandon his bad deeds and his wicked thoughts.” Further down the page I find “When the Holy One, on a judgment day, begins to judge, He ascends the throne of strict judgment, as it is written, ‘The G-d of judgment has ascended with acclamation.’ But when the people Israel, standing in judgement, sound the shofar, the Holy One is filled with mercy, and changes to the throne of compassion, as it is written: ‘The Lord of compassion ascends with the shofar blast.”
 
And thus here is my eureka moment. Not only are we awakening ourselves to renewal, to recommitment, to repentance and to all of the other “re’s,” we are actually communicating directly with Hashem in this moment, maybe more so than in any other time of prayer and convincing Hashem to have mercy. That indeed is a special moment, to be not only heard, but yes, seen. Thank you Mom, I love you and I miss you very much.
 
I wish, above all else, good health for you and your loved ones, a healthy, happy and sweet New Year, and of course, a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat.
 
Joan
Upcoming Program from Beth Tikvah Women, Toronto
UPCOMING PROGRAM FROM WL REGIONS
FROM WOMEN'S LEAGUE
September 19, 2020 | 1st of Tishrei, 5781
By Debbi Kaner Goldich, International President

I NEED SOME HELP
HOW DO I KEEP IT GOING?”
“THIS IS NOT A GREAT TIME”  
“I NEED SOME HELP”

I have heard all of these comments in the last few months from Sisterhood Presidents and other leaders trying to begin the programming year. Six months into the Pandemic and our new fiscal year starts. Do we give up and let the year pass without even an attempt at creating another great year of opportunities for our members? Absolutely not! If anything, our members need us more now than ever. I am often asked, “How do we do that? Where do we get help?” 
 
All the help you need is on the Women’s League website. Take advantage of all that Women’s League for Conservative Judaism has to offer that you never took advantage of before. Check out the websitewww.wlcj.org.  
 
If you have never visited the website, log in and you will be given a password which you can change so it is one you will remember.  If you have trouble, please email Razel Kessler at RKessler@wlcj.org, office administrator, who will assist you. Once you get into the website you will be amazed at how many useful things you find. There is an open section which is available to anyone. Watch videos of the moving Convention Healing Service and the Installation Ceremony.
 
There is also a Members Only section which holds valuable information available only to our members. Check out the Members only section and review videos and minutes of all the Convention workshops on Membership. Programming, Social Justice/Advocacy, Torah Fund, Communications and Sisterhood Presidents. Look at Sisterhood model bylaws and review yours. Read the sisterhood advisor and review the job description of a Sisterhood President. The Sisterhood Advisor will answer all the questions you wanted to ask but did not know who to ask. Click on videos of all the programming we have had in the last few months and share the videos as a program. Prepare for Women’s League Shabbat with materials created so you do not have to. Read our WLCJ resolutions over the past ten years and put them into place in your Sisterhood. Look in the Program section for fresh ideas and then look at this year’s Jewels in the Crown application to keep track of those programs so you won’t have to start from scratch in three years. 
 
If you are a Sisterhood President, your website log in allows you to maintain your membership list and adjust per capita accordingly. Yes, if you are a President, the website knows who you are and will provide you with materials that only you can see.
 
This year is unique and challenging. When it comes to Women’s League and sisterhood, you can do something new to make it less so. Reach out to the website for ideas and information. And of course, you can always reach out to all of us in Leadership or our Professional staff. You can also find that information on the website, of course!
 
Shabbat shalom,
Debbi
 
Debbi Kaner Goldich
WLCJ International President
Kabbalat Shabbat / High Holiday Service

Minyan Ahavah, which reaches out to people with memory loss and their caregivers, will hold its next service on Friday afternoon, September 25 at 5 pm ET. This date is in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The service will be a combined Kabbalat Shabbat and High Holy Day service. The shofar will be blown at the end. Rabbi Dr. Judith Hauptman will lead the service together with Cantorial Soloist Josh Gorfinkle.
Please join us on Friday September 25 at 5 pm ET, or a few minutes earlier, for a Kabbalat Shabbat / High Holiday service.
Join Zoom Meeting (on Friday Sept 25, High Holiday/Shabbat service)
 
 
Meeting ID: 212 673 2096
Passcode: 2126732096
First Day of Rosh Hashanah - Genesis 21:1-34 - Right here all along...
Second Day of Rosh Hashanah - Genesis 22:1-24 - Sacrifices

Do you ever realize that something was there right in front of you the whole time, but you never realized it? What happened in that experience, and what made you open your eyes? Have you ever helped someone else realize that what they were looking for was there all along, but they had to be open - both eyes, heart and mind - to be aware. That is what happens to Hagar in the Torah Reading for the First Day of Rosh Hashanah, from Genesis 21:1-34. The Torah Reading for the Second Day of Rosh Hashanah is the story of Akedat Yitzchak, the Sacrifice of Isaac, from Genesis 22:1-24. What sacrifices have you made in your life? What sacrifices do you wish you had made? Which sacrifices do you regret making?
Want to sing, teach, help with technology and more during Daily Study and Kaddish? Click here to 
WL will not be having Daily Psalms on Labor Day, September 7th.
Monday - Friday 12 PM Noon ET; 11 AM CT; 9 AM PT; 10 AM MT

Join Zoom Meeting: 
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 Israel
or find your local number: 
Click here for more information and/or to REGISTER for FREE 
class.
Click here for more information and/or to REGISTER for FREE 
class.
Join the Discussion: World Affairs, Resolutions and Social Justice Committees of WLCJ
Sacred Spaces Program
Sharing the resources from the presentation Monday's September 14th program:
Sin & Repentance with Ozark, High Holiday Reboot, and King Bibi
B’Yachad Together: Spirited by American Jewish University is just getting stated. As we enter week 27 of the pandemic, we continue to deliver original content designed to captivate, ignite and advance ideas, dialogue and debate, capturing the insights of faculty and friends.
 
For more information on B'Yachad Together spirited by AJU, please click here to REGISTER or READ MORE.
Explore Our Graduate Schools; How to Disagree; The Apocrypha; and More
For more information on JTS news and events, please click here to REGISTER or READ MORE.
Programming Idea of the Week
Does your Sisterhood have an active Book Club?  Whether the answer is yes or no, perhaps you’d like to invite a Jewish author to speak to your membership.  Now more than ever, with the expense of an author’s travel and transportation eliminated, you can connect virtually for an engaging, exciting, and relatively inexpensive program.  
 
Follow these ideas to plan a great event:
 
1)    Check out www.jewishbookcouncil.org which is the longest running organization devoted exclusively to the support and celebration of Jewish literature.  
2)    Order self-sticking Book Plates (to be signed by the author) and distribute to your members who purchase the book. 
3)    Request that the publisher offer your group and purchase price discount for holding the event.
4)    Familiarize yourself with the book’s discussion questions and guide in order to engage the author in a meaningful dialogue.
5)    Select relevant and appealing themes or topics to attract interested participants of all ages and backgrounds.  
6)    Choose a program facilitator to introduce the author, the selected book, and to ask the questions that will keep the conversation following.
 
Grace Schessler
Vice President WLCJ
Social Justice Blurb of the Week
I am an Election Judge and proud of it! But what you might ask, does an EJ (or also known as a poll worker) actually do? When you walk into a polling site and you see a number of people seemingly busy, aren’t you curious? So here is the skinny: To serve as an EJ (at least in Minnesota) you must have at a minimum 2 hours of basic training which was done both electronically this year and at an acceptable social distance. We are assigned to a polling place generally close to where we live. I do indicate my political party affiliation for the purpose of having balance for completing a certain number of duties.
 
EJs are permitted by law to take time off from work without penalty with appropriate written notice and receive an hourly wage. I can vote at my home precinct but if I am serving at another precinct, I will vote by absentee ballot.
Some jurisdictions have EJs sign in at 6 a.m. but others run on split shifts. My duties are assigned by the head judge but we alternate during the day. Along with a judge of another political party we count the ballots at the precinct and initial them (completing the Ballot Delivery Certification form) so they are ready for the voters when the polls open at 7 a.m. I may be assigned to place signs indicating that this is a polling station, open the poll books to register voters, assist in setting up the ballot counter and demonstrate how to mark ballots to the voters. All judges take care not to make any comments to the voters. EJs also (under the COVID-19 healthcare guidelines) clean and disinfect each voting booth after its use. Every precaution is taken to insure the health and well-being of both EJs and the voters. Another task might be to confirm with each person who comes into the polling station that they are in the correct precinct; if not, they are directed to the correct location.
 
At the end of the day (8 p.m.) the last voter in line is given a “Last voter” card and the polls are declared “closed.” Anyone still in line waiting to vote is allowed to do so. At this time, the voting booths are disassembled, various other official duties are assigned and completed, and we are done for the day!
I strongly urge anyone who ever thought about becoming an EJ to do so this year. So many men and women have served in this capacity for years and now find themselves in the position of worrying about their safety. There may well be a shortage of EJs in your area and in order to have the process function effectively more EJs are needed. Step Up and Do Your Civic Duty: you’ll find it interesting, exciting and very fulfilling. All you have to do is contact your local City Hall for information.
 
Ardis Wexler,
Edina, Minnesota
WL Social Justice Co-Chair
The Jewish New Year is upon us — usually a time for reflection, renewal, community and celebration. Our team at AJWS has created a ritual to bring us all together symbolically this New Year. It’s a Rosh Hashanah “seder” — a feast for justice — inspired by the tradition of Jews from Spain, North Africa, the Middle East and other lands to bless and eat a series of foods that symbolize our hopes for joy, strength and justice in the year ahead.
To READ article, click HERE.
Our Rosh Hashanah Seder is Here and Ready to Download!
To DOWNLOAD our virtual seder, click HERE.
To VIEW Divrei Torah from RA Rabbis Around the World, click HERE.
The WL PrezNet is an online group where we share ideas, exchange opinions, and discuss “out of the box” innovations. You can only belong to this group if you are currently a Sisterhood President. This ensures that you have the freedom to express yourself without the fear of 'outsiders' hearing you. To join this list, please send me an e-mail. Once verified by checking your current sisterhood profile, I will add you to our list.

To post to this list, send your question, comment, and other message involving Women's League programming to:  wlsispreznet@googlegroups.com
Please make sure to add your name, sisterhood, city and region to any posts. This way, others can respond to you privately, without including the entire member list. If you have any questions or need help with our group, feel free to email me and I will respond as quickly as possible. 
 
Toby Maser, PrezNet Moderator
315.868.5560
SISTERS JOURNEYING TOGETHER
CONTINUE THE LOVE
We are continuing to collect fleece blankets and t-shirt shopping bags for The ARK as our Social Action Project for Convention 2020. If you have any questions or have already completed fleece blankets and/or t-shirt shopping bags, please contact Edna Schrank eschrank@wlcj.org or 847-651-2231. Please ask Edna on where to send them. If you need the directions, please click on the appropriate link:
 
UPDATE: On September 2, 2020, I was honored to deliver the first group of fleece blankets (19), t-shirt shopping bags (32), and reusable bags (58) to The ARK as we continue our Social Action Project from Convention 2020...
 
To READ MORE click HERE.
Calendar Diary Still Available
To purchase your WLCJ Calendar Diary 2020-2021, please CLICK HERE.

To download the order form, email Razel: rkessler@wlcj.org
Torah Fund
High Holiday Message from Chancellor Schwartz
LOVE WLCJ

Follow WLCJ on her Social Media Sites. If you aren't already following Women's League for Conservative Judaism on all her social media sites, now is the time to do so. It's a great way to keep in touch with the latest news and events. Click on the icon to go to the social media site. 
Stay tuned over the next months for quick tips on how to help maximize WLCJ's impact on all her social media sites.