Greetings!
Check out the WRS Virtual Events below and see the
CRS website
to find all of the congregational programs available. We care about YOU!
|
|
EVENTS this Month via Zoom
|
|
Join us for a PJ Party!!
Sunday, August 16 at 7pm
We'll schmooze, watch and discuss a short film, and build connections! Wear your coziest PJs and bring your beverage of choice.
|
|
|
Meeting ID: 852 1147 7247 and Password: 854287. To join by phone, call 1(699) 900-6833, enter meeting code and password.
|
|
Tips For Communicating in the World of Hearing Loss
Sara Oser
Thursday, August 20 at 4pm
|
|
Communication is a two-way street for people who hear well and for those with hearing loss
|
|
Meeting ID: 869 4405. Password: 973482. To join by phone, call
1(699) 900-6833, enter meeting code and password.
|
|
“Whoever blesses the moon in its time welcomes the presence of the Schechina (female Devine presence).”
|
|
Rosh Chodesh Group
Tuesday, August 18 at 2pm
|
Rosh Chodesh marks the beginning of each month by the appearance of the new moon. The talmud records this as a special holiday for women.
The Women of Rodef Sholom invite you to join our Rosh Chodesh group. In an intimate setting, share women's perspectives on Torah, politics, ritual, music, prayer, and much more.
|
|
Join us for this Zoom Rosh Chodesh, hosted by Diane Amarillas, with co-host Sara Oser.
Contact Fanny Stein at
fannyxstein@gmail.com
if you are interested, and we will send you the link for Zoom.
|
|
|
|
Honey for Sale
Erev Rosh Hashanah is September 18,
Still Time to Order!
|
- $13 per jar, plus shipping
- $22 to Canada, $30 to all other countries
- Honey is guaranteed to arrive by Rosh Hashanah if ordered by August 21
- True Source Honey, trackable from hive to table
|
|
Missing even local friends and family this year? Stay connected during the holidays with a beautiful jar of honey! A portion of the proceeds goes toward the Women of Rodef Sholom's Tikkun Olam (repair the world) fund!
|
|
BOOK CLUB will be meeting via Zoom
Book of the Month:
Wednesday, August 19 from 7:30 - 8:30pm
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
|
|
Wednesday, September 16 from 7:30 - 8:30 pm
The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris
|
|
If you want to participate in Book Club,
CLICK HERE
or call Alice Miller 415-381-6792 and she will send you the Zoom link info.
|
|
Get Involved: Your input is valuable
|
|
WRS Programming Team meeting
Wednesday, August 5 at 4:30pm via Zoom
Help us develop and plan virtual programming for the end of summer!
RSVP with your name and email to
wrssisterhood@gmail.com
, and the Zoom link for the meeting will be emailed to you. Providing your email address will also ensure you are notified about future meetings by the WRS Programming team.
Even though we are not physically together, we can still stay socially connected!
|
|
Kabbalah Study
Are you interested in studying Kabbalah, either in a small group or through presentations?
If so,
CLICK HERE
, provide your name and telephone number.
|
|
Spotlight on the Gift Shop!
|
|
The following interview with
Ingrid Tolson, Gift Shop Buyer
(at right hosting a Gift Shop pop-up event)
,
gives you the scoop on our beautiful Gift Shop and the amazing team that keeps it running, even during Covid-19!
Who runs the Women of Rodef Sholom Gift Shop?
The management team consists of the Manager, Claudia Belshaw, Treasurer, Cynthia Boyd, Volunteer Coordinator, Fanny Stein, and Buyer, which is my position. Claudia handles policies and procedures, promotional ads, coordination with the JCC and provides internal support. The other roles are more self-explanatory, but we make decisions collectively for the shop.
How many volunteers staff the shop during non-Covid-19 times?
During the year the shop has two volunteers per day Monday through Thursday, one on Friday, and one on Sunday. Leading up to Hanukkah and Passover, we are open additional hours, so three or four volunteers are needed per day. We have about ten regular volunteers who are weekly or biweekly, and another ten who are subs that fill in where necessary each week.
What is your role in the Gift Shop?
My role is the buyer for the Gift Shop. I track sales by category and quantity and decide what we need to add and replenish.
What is your favorite part of this job?
I have a few favorites. I love to track sales trends. Another one is finding new and interesting vendors to carry. Lastly, I enjoy working with customers. Sometimes they come in looking for a gift for someone else and ask for suggestions or advice. Others come in for a particular Judaica (Jewish ritual object) item for their home, or a family comes in to buy a tallit for their upcoming b’nai mitzvah. It is meaningful to be part of the process.
What kinds of merchandise does the WRS Gift Shop sell?
We carry Judaica items for Shabbat and the Jewish holidays, as well as tallit (prayer shawls), kippot (skullcaps), mezuzot (parchment scrolls encased in decorative boxes for your doorpost), jewelry, and cards. We have a wide selection of Shabbat candlesticks, kiddush cups, challah boards, and Havdalah sets (for the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat), plus a huge assortment of Hanukkah and Passover items during the holiday seasons. You can also find items such as Jewish art, tablecloths, serving dishes, and whimsical items like key chains, Mah Jong necklaces, and wine stoppers.
Does the Gift Shop sell items for children?
During Hanukkah and Passover, we carry toys and children’s books related to the holiday. Throughout he rest of the year we have limited children’s items, mainly tzedakah boxes, baby kiddush cups and Jewish art for new babies.
What are your favorite items the WRS Gift Shop sells?
My favorite items are pieces made by artists and artisans that create unique and stylish interpretations of Jewish objects. We carry a lot from artist Yair Emanuel, who makes a wide variety, and whose style is sleek, contemporary, and fun. Other artists we carry that I like a lot are Joy Stember, Adi Sidler, and Gary Rosenthal.
Where does the profit from the Gift Shop go?
The bulk of our profits go to support the Women of Rodef Sholom's tikkun olam funds and other programs. The Women of Rodef Sholom Board of Directors, on which the Gift Shop management sits, decide exactly what programs to fund, but, in general, they support women and children, such as summer camp aid, religious school aid, and the San Francisco Marin Food Bank.
When is the Gift Shop open during non-Covid-19 times and where is it located?
The shop is located in the lobby of the Osher Marin JCC which is adjacent to Rodef Sholom. We are open every day except Saturday, and from 10am-3pm Monday-Thursday, 11:30am-2:00pm on Friday, and 10:00am-12:30pm on Sundays. During Hanukkah and Passover, the shop is open for additional hours in the afternoon.
What has changed with the Gift Shop during Covid-19?
Covid-19 prompted us to build a website for the shop. It has been up and running since May with curbside pick-up and delivery options. We have also increased our marketing efforts, with an Instagram account to promote new items, and more frequent posts in the Rodef Sholom @ Home e-newsletters. The other big change is that, unfortunately, our shift volunteers have not had the opportunity to help out in the shop. For many, their work at the Gift Shop was an enjoyable regular part of their week.
Can we still shop the Gift Shop merchandise for the High Holy Days and beyond?
The website will continue even after the physical shop reopens, for the High Holidays and beyond.
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Our family has been a member of Rodef Sholom since 2005. I live in Mill Valley with my husband Andrew, and 4 boys: 2 sets of twins, ages 17 and 20. I’m originally from New Jersey, and Andrew is from San Francisco. We have been living on the West Coast since 1998. In my free time I enjoy hiking, running, tennis, reading, cooking, and baking.
What are you most looking forward to once Covid-19 is over?
I am looking forward to being able to travel and see my family on the East Coast. Our Passover was on Zoom like everyone else’s, and, typically in the summer, my kids and I go to the Jersey Shore to see my parents and enjoy the warm Atlantic Ocean.
|
|
Thank you, Ronna and Joanna!
|
|
Long-time Gift Shop management, Ronna Voorsanger, Manager/Buyer, and Joanna Berland, Bookkeeper, retired from the Gift Shop in 2020. Read their farewell stories below. THANK YOU, RONNA AND JOANNA!
|
|
 |
Ronna Voorsanger, Retiring Gift Shop Manager and Buyer
I’m Moving On — For Real — thrilled that younger people are stepping up and enjoying keeping the fantastic Women of Rodef Sholom Gift Shop humming along.
Looking back, common for those moving on – here are a few memories:
The worst part about stepping-up and volunteering to be the Manager/Buyer for the Gift Shop was the old cash register, bless its heart, which gave many of us fits. Our Square credit card reader changed everything as we stepped into the 21st Century. And it’s sleek and very modern, not like me who is so last century. Happens when it’s 2020 and you were born in 1944.
The best part – searching for, finding, trying out, questioning Judaica for our little shop, and then watching the products go to their forever homes and the Jewish joy they bring. We are, after all, the only Judaica shop for many miles around. Our goal is to offer quality Judaica at many price points.
The bestest part – working with Fanny Stein and Joanna Berland reinventing and renovating our shop. Giving her a fresh look, new carpet, new walls, spiffy cabinets and bright lights! We closed down for a month and when we reopened we kvelled. If only I could find such a personal face/body lift!
The bestest of the bestest part of managing and buying for the Gift Shop – working with the Gift Shop Team – Fanny, Joanna, Ingrid Tolson, Claudia Belshaw, Leslie Laskin-Reese, our incredible volunteers, and the wonderful people who purchase their Judaica from us.
Stepping into the Gift Shop after many years as Women of Rodef Sholom – Programming Chair, Women’s Retreat chair, and President was not a step down but a step up. I’m so happy I said “yes”.
I will miss being part of The Shop – very much miss it.
Looking forward:
Someone new, someone younger, a team player will manage while I continue to snoop around the Internet, browse other Judaica shops and attend trade fairs looking for the next knock-their-Jewish-socks-off items to buy for us. It’s a habit that’s going to take a long time to kick.
My wish for our community – go on-line and take a look at some of the products we carry and pray for the day, not too distant, when you can come in and touch the merchandise.
|
|
|
|
Joanna Berland, Retiring Gift Shop Bookkeeper
Allan and I have been members of Rodef Sholom since 2006. If I remember correctly, I joined Sisterhood (the Women of Rodef Sholom) a year later. Soon after, I started volunteering, my first task being writing notes to congregants as the Good and Welfare Director on Sisterhood’s Board. A year or so after that, I served as Co-VP of Fundraising with Abra Berkson. In 2013, I took over Carole Friedlander’s position as bookkeeper of the Gift Shop. I’ve been doing this in addition to covering shifts as a salesperson in the shop ever since.
Being part of the management team of the shop has been rewarding, because the shop provides a beautiful community service to our congregants and Marin County at large. Being part of the shop team taught me a lot about Judaica, as I had come from Catholicism. More personally, it allowed me to form a closer bond with Ingrid, Ronna, Claudia and Fanny. I’ll miss having a say in management decisions, but I’ll continue volunteering in the shop, selling and schmoozing with customers – as soon as we’re able to open again.
For me, the biggest change in the shop during my tenure was getting an account with Square Up. It’s allowed customers freedom to pay with a credit card. It’s also made my bookkeeping job so much easier. It brought the shop into the 21st century!
Going forward, I plan to spend more time being part of Allan’s jazz appreciation radio program. A few years ago, I volunteered to help out, and I stumbled into something quite fun: I’m now the sound engineer and director of The Jazz Lounge, which airs every Friday evening at 8pm on radiosausalito.org. That time is inconvenient for Jewish listeners because of Shabbat, but, luckily, it’s repeated the following Monday evening at the same time. I’ve learned how to edit audio and help put together an enjoyable radio program. And besides, I get to enjoy listening to some great music from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Check it out!
|
|
|
|
Message from our President
|
|
Dear Women of Rodef Sholom and Friends,
How are you holding up amid the opened-again, closed-again Covid-19 world? I and my family are still being conservative with two autoimmune cases in our house. However, it does appear that all three children will be leaving home, now by mid-September. In some ways, it’s scary to let them loose during a pandemic, but I hope that we have prepared them well. I know it will be good to get back to the business of emptynesting with my husband.
In the meantime, I am trying not to lose sight of the racial inequities Covid-19 and its economic impacts have illuminated, even as the protests and media coverage wane. For nearly 30 years, we have been hosting a large extended family 4
th
of July barbecue at our house, but, in the midst of Covid-19, of course we didn’t this year. The downtime gave us additional time to reflect on that holiday. I appreciate my relative freedoms more than ever since the dangers of the pandemic have kept me largely confined. I have also recognized more clearly the irony of the 4
th
of July holiday, as people of color were legally enslaved long after America cut ties with Britain and, to this day, fear for their lives and the lives of their children at the hands of law enforcement, the judicial system, and other societal institutions. In lieu of our usual celebration, I attended another socially-distanced masked march in San Francisco with my youngest daughter, which felt like a productive alternative. I was proud of the young people organizing the event, and I was so disappointed to see the SWAT team “greet” the relatively small group of mostly teenagers at City Hall. Luckily there were no injuries or arrests.
During one of our many eves at home, I also watched an inspirational film called
They Ain’t Ready for Me
through the Jewish Film Institute that tackled the even more challenging subject of intersectionality – when a person or group falls into multiple marginalized groups. This film spotlighted Tamar Manasseh, a female African American rabbinical student, and force to be reckoned with, who founded a nonprofit organization, MASK, Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings (
https://www.ontheblock.org
). I loved the simplicity of her vision: bring neighbors together to just sit on a historically violent street corner during the hot Chicago summer to prevent further violence. She has served dinner and provided games on that corner every summer evening since 2015. Ms. Manasseh is also a Jew, regularly asked by other (white) Jews "How are you Jewish?" because she is black. Because she is a woman, she has been denied admission to the rabbinate of her synagogue. During the filming, the synagogue leaders refused to even hold a vote on whether women should be admitted. Talk about intersectionality.
But also, talk about the power of women. I believe women, and our children, will be instrumental in solving the world’s inequalities. Join the Women of Rodef Sholom in making it so.
One of the most important things we can all do to repair the world is VOTE in local, state, and federal elections. Our very own First VP and Co-VP of Programming, Angela Giacomini, along with WRS stalwart, Toni Golbus, are the leading the congregation’s efforts in the Every Voice, Every Vote campaign, which is the Reform Jewish Movement’s nonpartisan campaign to encourage everyone to participate in the 2020 fall election and ensure that Reform
Jewish values are represented in our democracy. See the "In Partnership" section below for how you can help.
Lastly, while you are taking care of our world, don’t forget to take care of yourselves. Join the WRS’ virtual pa
jama party on Sunday, August 16, at
7pm to relax, meet new women, and connect with good friends. I hope to see you there!
Without you, we are one woman short!
Thoughtfully,
|
|
Jen Levine
President, Women of Rodef Sholom
|
|
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC)'s 2020 Civic Engagement Campaign
|
|
is
Congregation Rodef Sholom's
Every Voice, Every Vote Campaign
As Reform Jews, we believe democracy is strongest when everyone participates, and it suffers when citizens are shut out from the democratic process or choose not to engage. This nonpartisan campaign aims to increase the education and the participation of voters in the upcoming US election, as a vital part of implementing our Reform Jewish values in the public sphere.
The Reform Jewish Movement's 2020 Civic Engagement Campaign encourages all U.S. citizens to exercise their right to vote and to break down obstacles that shut some out of the voting booth.
If you would like to join the Every Voice, Every Vote team, which is now calling fellow congregants about these key issues, please contact:
|
|
Marin Organizing Committee (MOC)
Civic Academies on Renter Protections
|
|
|
|
The pandemic has created a crises for families who rent in Marin. Join fellow MOC and Rodef Sholom leaders to hear the stories of tenants and landlords, and learn about policy solutions and how we can act together to ensure families remain safe and housed. Sign up for one of the two sessions below.
|
|
|
|
Guided Meditation Art Workshop
|
|
|
|
Sheri Langer, LMFT led a lovely meditation in an intimate art workshop setting. Feedback about the workshop included: "it was such a relaxing break in the middle of the day, I felt much lighter afterwards," and "Sheri's introduction to guided meditation was worthwhile, as a way to enter the private, safe space to create a response to her question through drawing or writing". THANK-YOU, Sheri!
|
|
Stoicism in Pandemic Times
|
Sharon Lebell shared her book
The Art of Living and her deep knowledge of the history and power of Epictitus' Stoicism to an enthralled audience of about 30 congregants. Feedback to Sharon included “I’m still thinking about it and referring to my notes; it was memorable for me” and “so interesting and clearly conveyed, very relevant, love that we have such experts in our community.” THANK YOU, Sharon!
|
|
|
WRS Virtual Women's Retreat
|
|
If you missed the WRS Virtual Retreat LIVE, you can now watch the Shabbat service!
|
Comments from attendees: "The Shabbat service was a highlight for me", "Loved the music", "It was a beautiful day, spent with dear and new friends", "The retreat was amazing", "loved how engaged all of the participants were', "excellent program", and "so impressed with the level of organization and the flow of the entire day.
|
|
|
On the lighter side . . .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
