The Executive Committee and Board of the International Northeast Region of Women's League for Conservative Judaism would like to wish all of our American Sisters a very Happy Thanksgiving!



May we give thanks for all that we have as we pray for peace in Israel, a safe return of all of the hostages and safe borders in our own region.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marilyn

Thanksgiving

By Julia Loeb,

International President

This week's Torah portion, Vayetzei, begins with the account of Jacob's dream featuring a ladder ascending to the heavens, with angels traversing up and down. God speaks to Jacob, reiterating the promises of the land of Canaan made to Abraham and Jacob, and bestows blessings upon Jacob and his descendants. Upon waking, Jacob says that the “Lord is present in this place, and I did not know it,” expressing surprise and being visibly moved by this realization.

Jacob's awakening to God's presence and the blessings bestowed upon him resonates with the universal need to pause, reflect, and appreciate the blessings in our lives. As we approach Thanksgiving in the United States this week (and celebrated last month in Canada), we are reminded to take a step back and express thanks.



While Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, its essence aligns with Jewish traditions. Gathering with family, sharing a festive meal, and expressing gratitude are integral aspects of many Jewish holidays. Some Jewish families even incorporate Shir Ha’Maalot into the Grace After Meal Prayers, the Birkat Hamazon, on Thanksgiving, a practice typically reserved for Jewish holidays and Shabbat.

The connection to Thanksgiving is seemingly natural for Jews, given that the very name of our religion, Judaism, is rooted in gratitude. The term "Jew" or "Yehudi" originates from the word meaning "to thank" or "to express gratitude." The Torah says that when Leah gives birth to a fourth son, she was overwhelmed with a sense of thanksgiving. Rashi comments that Leah did not expect to have a fourth child. She felt that she has been given “more than [her] share, so [she] now need[s] to give thanks." She names her son Judah, to express her thankfulness. So, being Jewish inherently requires us to be thankful. Such gratitude is deeply ingrained in Jewish culture, traditions, and prayers. Indeed, the words of the very first morning prayer "Modeh Ani Lefanecha," reflect gratitude for the restoration of the soul and the gift of life.

It is not only the Thanks part of Thanksgiving that is Jewish, but also the Giving. It is said that Tzedakah is equivalent in value to all other mitzvot combined and holds the power to avert negative divine decrees. This year, consider a generous contribution to one of the many funds listed on the Women’s League website that are supporting Israeli relief efforts and, on Giving Tuesday, donate to support the Masorti Days of Study, honoring the memory of Professor Dr. Alice Shalvi, a trailblazing woman, educator, and a true friend of Women’s League. The Days of Study will be held virtually this year because of the war, and all our members are invited to attend.

On a personal note, on this holiday, I express gratitude for my family, my Women’s League sisters, and the dedicated individuals contributing to our collective efforts. Special appreciation goes to the Women’s League Executive Committee, Executive Director, staff, and the courageous IDF members safeguarding Israel and working to free hostages held by Hamas.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a joyous Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

Julia Loeb

WLCJ International President

jloeb@wlcj.org

By Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields,

WLCJ Executive Director

I was privileged and honored to be able to represent Women’s League for Conservative Judaism on a 56-hour Masorti Leadership Solidarity Mission to Israel, November 5 through November 8, 2023. In the Torah, in the verse Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad, Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One, the last letter of the word Shema - the Ayin - and the last letter of the word Echad - the Dalet - are enlarged in the Torah. Together, Ayin Dalet, spells the word Eid, a Witness.

This was the shortest and most powerful of my 13 trips to Israel, because on this trip I was witness to the atrocities of Black Shabbat, October 7, 2023. I was able to be an eyewitness to the results of Amalek in our midst. I am the Eid, the Witness, and now I can share what others must hear, Shema.

How did you feel in the middle of March 2020? Not sure what this whole Corona was all about? Was it the flu? Would it last? What are you talking about - wearing a mask? We will work remotely and go to school remotely for a few days? Then a month? Who knew, because it was unknown. We are back in that period of the unknown. But a major difference is that the COVID period of the unknown was caused by something that was not created by human beings. This period of the unknown is created by human beings. We are living in a period created by pure Evil. 

Israel became a new country after October 7, 2023. There is a paradigm shift. Nothing is what it used to be. I was always a dreamer. I am now a realist. Reality: many people who wanted to live in peace alongside Palestinians, instead lived beside terrorists, who murdered innocent civilians. People who devoted their lives for peaceful dialogue, died texting that they wished they had a knife in their safe room. I stood in the former homes of residents of Kfar Azza, and saw the bullet holes in the walls of their homes; their blood on the walls; their personal items thrown everywhere. Three groups came across the Gaza border - Hamas; Islamic Jihad and Palestinians who took this break in the border fence as an opportunity to steal and loot from their Jewish neighbors who were lying dead, with their blood still draining.

We heard firsthand about how Hamas did not only kill people, they also set booby traps on the bodies and in homes, so when the Israelis came to check on those killed, the rescuers were also killed. We listened to a mother talk of the plight of waiting to hear news about her daughter, who was seen in a video being pulled by her hair, being held captive by Hamas. We listened to a nurse, and mother of ten, who was at an army base on Black Shabbat, October 7th. Her husband was a rabbi on an army base in the south and was there to bring Simchat Torah to the soldiers. Instead she wound up tending to a soldier who was shot, and was tricked into thinking the other soldier who came to help was part of the IDF, but instead it was a Hamas terrorist, who shot the nurse in her back and arm. She used her head covering as a tourniquet. She shared her story with us when we visited Hadassah Hospital. We listened attentively to the woman who was on a crowded bus when a missile hit, but it was so crowded, no one could hear the sirens to warn them to go into a shelter. She had shrapnel in her leg, and was undergoing extensive physical therapy. But she was one of the lucky ones; better off than the murdered owners of the hundreds of cars we saw in a parking lot in Netivot; cars which were shot and demolished and burned. There were car seats and baby carriages in those cars, and I wondered, where are those children now? Are they orphans? Captive? Is someone saying Kaddish for them?

I sat on the El Al flight back home in delirium, listening to the cries of the baby in front of me; grateful that the baby was being held; thinking about the children being held captive, who are not old enough to speak to tell you their name, or who their parents are. I witnessed this; and want to scream - Remember what Hamas terrorists did to us on Black Shabbat, October 7, 2023. 

Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

WLCJ Executive Director

ewolintz-fields@wlcj.org

Now through

Sunday, December 31, 2023

All of the #GivingTuesday Campaign will go to the “MASORTI WOMEN’S DAYS OF STUDY”.

#GIVINGTUESDAY Facebook Fundraiser

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