Thanksgiving and Hanukkah
Together Again!
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November is a curious month – outside the fall foliage, and garden produce is present in wild abandon, and yet we all know that we’re about to enter the winter season. All around us, activities at work, school, or play of all kinds proceed at a feverish pace, and yet we’re all aware that we’re nearing the end of the calendar year. So if we “start with the end in mind,”
I cannot believe that Thanksgiving and immediately following is Hanukkah, in no time. Last year we were thinking about how different the world looked. This year I am ready for some fun. Ready to spend time with friends, in person, and celebrate the holidays with friends and family.
The coming months will bring the Mid-Atlantic District so much. First up is our Membership Mania District Event on Wednesday, November 17th. Stacy Nagler of the Pacific District will bring her wonderful program to MAD. I encourage everyone in your women’s group to sign up for this informative and fun program. As we know, programming is changing; do we plan for in-person, online, or hybrid? And while we are talking about it, just what is a hybrid event? Stacy will fill us in and give us great ideas on how to manage and strengthen membership.
In December, watch for a December Hanukkah Schmooze and the regular District Book Club “Sisters, Wine, and Words.” I want to see everyone on the schmooze.
In the coming months, we will begin to discuss our first in-person meetings. Andrea and I would like to start meeting with each of the women’s group Presidents, just to catch up and see how we can accommodate your needs. . If you have an event you would like us to attend please send us the invite. We want to come visit and attend programs.
One last thought. Since the end of the year will bring a party of sorts, let’s think of the final days of the year this way-
Everything always looks better if we can look forward to a party at the end.
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Sisterhoods Gone Wild: It’s Membership Mania!
Stacy Nagel, WRJ-PD VP of Membership
Wednesday, November 17 at 7:30 PM
Come join our Special Guest - Pacific District’s VP of Membership as we take a summer fling into the world of Membership! It’s Membership Mania and we’re here to answer any and all of your questions and to learn from each other.
- What’s going to happen with our membership when we return to in-person activities?
- How can we recruit and retain members in a new “hybrid” online and in-person world?
- How can we recruit those ever-elusive younger members? Should we just “give up”?
- How can we encourage our members to be more active in our Sisterhood?
- How can we support our synagogues as we move back to in-person activities to increase our membership?
- Our synagogue is losing congregants or changing --- will our Sisterhood survive? Can we still be a Sisterhood without a synagogue? Can we be a part of WRJ without a Sisterhood?
Wear your comfy clothes, bring your questions and ideas, and let’s twist!
Please join us! This evening especially is designed for Sisterhood Vice Presidents of Membership, Membership Chairs, and Presidents, but all who are interested are welcome!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Join the Women of the Mid-Atlantic District for Another Great Book Talk!
Thursday, December 16th, 2021,7:30 PM
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In her warm, absorbing, and keenly observed new novel, Lara Vapnyar follows the intertwined lives of four immigrants in New York City as they grapple with love and tumult, the challenges of a new home, and the absurdities of the digital age.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Women of the Mid-Atlantic District got together for the first time in two years on October 31st. We enjoyed the music of Nefesh Mountain at Ram's Head On Stage in Annapolis followed by a walk around town and dinner at Uncle Julios. |
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Women of Temple Rodef Shalom
Falls Church, VA
What a great afternoon with over 14 Women of Temple Rodef Shalom at Theater J's "Becoming Dr. Ruth". This one-woman play follows Dr. Ruth's life as a child of the Holocaust, to being a sniper in Jerusalem, to her career as the radio sex therapist. We followed this wonderful play with a delightful light lunch at Agora Restaurant.
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Order Your Virtual Cookbook in Time
for the Holidays
Find over 75 diverse and delicious recipes, including holiday favorites such as brisket, kugel, pumpkin chocolate chip bread and cranberry chutney in this virtual cookbook. Enjoy vegan and gluten-free recipes too. Mid-Atlantic District’s Treasured, Tried and True Recipes was created last year during COVID to bond our District’s sisterhoods together. Order yours now in time to create fabulous holiday meals or order them as gifts for family and friends.
To purchase your own virtual copy for a donation of $18, go to https://mid-atlantic-district.square.site/. Proceeds will be used by the District to provide scholarships for URJ campers and first-time District event attendees and for other District projects.
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Check out the WRJ December 2021 Program Guide
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Save the Date! Reproductive Rights Rally: December 1st
On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the most consequential abortion rights case in generations. The threat is real: Mississippi has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The case is about more than the right to legal abortion: nearly 50 years of precedent is at stake as is our fundamental right to live with autonomy, dignity, and equality.
Join the RAC and WRJ to raise our voices for abortion rights at 7:45 am EST on December 1st for an Interfaith Gathering before joining thousands of advocates outside of the Supreme Court for the Abortion is Essential: Rally for Our Rights. For supporters who are unable to attend in person, there will be an opportunity to watch the rally program via live stream.
Sign up to stay in the loop for the in-person rally and we will follow up with more information closer to the event.
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Dear Friends,
After a long time of not being able to join in person, we are looking forward to our second WRJ Women's Empowerment Awards Dinner. Save the date, to join us virtually or in person, on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. We will be honoring a select group of nominees who empower other women and are advocates for change as well as Rabbi Marla Feldman for her 20 years of Reform Movement service. You won't want to miss this special event! Information on registration will come early this winter.
In the meantime, we are asking for nominations of special women in your life. Nominations are due on Friday, December 10, 2021. Think "out of the box" and nominate women who continue to shape and change the course of history. We want to recognize their incredible service. To read more about the guidelines, visit our Women's Empowerment Awards website here: https://wrj.org/womens-empowerment-awards-dinner.
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Is your women's group hosting events that you would like to share?
Have a great speaker or virtual tour?
Mid-Atlantic District would love to help you celebrate these events.
Send information regarding any future programs to WRJ Mid-Atlantic Engagement Chair: Jaime Racer, at jbethracer@gmail.com, so she can add it to the District Calendar!
Deadline Information
1st of the month is for events that will happen in the future. They will be publicized in the "Mark Your Calendars" edition.
10th of the month is for events that have already happened.
A BRIEF write-up and pictures will be included in the Sisterhood News and Information section in The Candle that is published on the 15th of the month. Please send pictures and a brief write-up to madmarketcom@gmail.com
Items that are not sent in time for the first edition
will not be included in the second edition.
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Does your sisterhood need Yammer training? Ask your president to get the PowerPoint presentation that gives you
all you need to know. The slide deck has been made available to every Area Director.
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Keeping You Informed
Join our district Yammer group. If you are already on Yammer, you can look for it using the search bar or you can search for it in groups. Once you click on the group, you can read the messages and then click the button on the upper right side that says "join group". If you are not yet on Yammer, you can send an email to leadership@wrj.org
to request an invitation.
In addition to information pertaining to our district, you can join groups that include information on Judaica shops, membership, Israel, and many other interests.
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WRJ Mid-Atlantic District
madmarketcom@gmail.com
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