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The WAVE Newsletter
January 19, 2024 ~ 9 Sh'vat 5784
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Dear Central Great Lakes,
There is something about the digital photo album at the top of my iPad screen that I simply can’t ignore. You know, it’s that album of Portraits Over the Years feature that is at-the-ready
each morning with a different photo of a loved one looking out, inviting you to take a moment to visit a memory.
I’m hooked, especially if the photo of the day is one of my young grandchildren; I always stop for a visit. I’m never disappointed. There, securely captured in a tech cloud in the sky, I find reminders of the spirit and wonder, the pure joy, the life-delight in all things that color children’s lives. From their ready smiles to their uninhibitedly absurd face-closeups of pure fun, I’m reminded that children’s lives are a song in the key of exuberance! Perhaps this is the magical allure of that album feature because this realization makes my heart smile.
Sunday, I heard about children whose song of life was stolen -- Children who live in a quiet
uncertainty not knowing if they will have to run to a shelter; who have lost one or both of their
parents; who hug their favorite stuffed animal a little tighter with each day. I heard of children
who, at this moment, find themselves hostages in a frightening world. I heard of children who,
as one woman explained, have had their song crushed! My heart broke.
Sunday, the day that marked the 100th day of horror known as the War with Hamas, CGLR took a virtual trip to Israel to visit with our sister kehillah, Hod v’Hadar in Kfar Saba, to see how our sisters in central Israel were managing. As those who were able to join us agree, it was an unimaginably moving experience. Facilitated by Rabbi Judith Edelman-Green and Rabbi Helaine Ettinger, who are members of the congregation, women of our kehillah opened their hearts and they shared their stories. Their words created a mural in our minds that vividly portrayed the personal nature of this war. With each story, our understanding deepened as we heard how the war was encircling everyone in Israel, and how the story of the war was a tragically personal story for our sisters of Hod v’Hadar and for everyone in Israel.
One sister at our program just returned from a morning at Hostage Square, where thousands of Israelis stood in solidarity on that solemn anniversary, to listen, to pray, to raise their voices, and to connect. She shared the vulnerability everyone was experiencing; she shared the abandonment they all felt. This was one story of many that morning.
But there’s more to share... in the truest spirit of Kol Israel Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh, All of Israel is Responsible for One Another, our sisters are channeling their pain to help mend what was torn apart.
For you see, Hod v’Hadar is the center of an enormous volunteer effort to help thousands of
Israelis displaced by the war, the survivors of the music festival, the families of hostages,
families with loved ones in the IDF, and children orphaned and caught in the middle. The
basement of their synagogue is now what they call the War Room. There you will find our
sisters responding every day to the changing needs of Israelis. Sometimes it’s distributing
clothing or cooking meals, sometimes handing out suitcases to displaced Israelis so that they have a way to carry the things they receive, often it’s giving a hug to a child who just doesn’t understand it all. It’s the Homefront Backbone of the war because it touches the
everyday people on the ground of the war.
Our Israeli sisters' can-do spirit and their selfless giving of hours to help calm the infinite anguish of so many are inspiring. Right now, our presence, our outreach to them and letting them know that we stand with Israel and with them are critically important to help keep them strong. In reminding them that we have not forgotten or abandoned them, we, too, declare Kol Israel Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh, All of Israel is Responsible for One Another! We’re here, sisters strong!
As we learn more details about how, along with our prayers, we can support our kehillah and their war initiative, we will share them with you. In the meantime, we can lend our voices and our actions to demand the safe return of every hostage. We can stay connected with our kehillah. We are planning another conversation in the coming weeks. Please watch for announcement and please join us!
In these challenging days, we have to keep our hope machine running, our spirits strong, our
outreach to our sisters in Israel constant. Together, as CGLR Sisters, we can make a positive
difference in this world and with courage, we can make our lives a blessing. How good is that!
Shabbat Shalom,
Pam
Pam Schlosberg
CGLR President
cglrpresident21@wlcj.org
847.433.7546 (h); 847.691.8991 (c)
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CGLR Slate of Officers
2024-2026
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Announcement of Nominations for Board Positions 2024-2026
Please be advised, in accordance with the Bylaws of Central Great Lakes Region, that we are announcing below our slate for the 2024-26 CGLR Administration. Our bylaws state that this list of positions and the individuals running for each office be publicized approximately 90 days before our Board Officers election.
Also, in accordance with Article IX, Sec. 3b, of our Bylaws, it is the right for any member of CGLR to petition and have her candidate placed on the ballot if said person meets the following criteria:
ARTICLE IX - NOMINATIONS /ELECTIONS
Section 3: Nominating Procedure:
B. Additional nominations may be made 45 days prior to the region conference at which elections take place by petition signed by the representatives of at least 3 affiliates within the region, together with the written consent of the nominee, submitted to the region nominating committee.
This means that February 23, 2024, is the last day on which a nomination can be submitted to the Nominating Committee. If you choose to do that, please send your nomination to fhildebrandt@wlcj.org.
Please submit questions and/or additional nominations to Fran Hildebrandt
at fhildebrandt@wlcj.org.
Respectfully submitted,
Fran Hildebrandt, Nominations chair
Nominating Committee-
Rachel Ferber
Rebecca Goldwasser
Robin Lash
Cynthia Lerner
Pam Schlosberg,
Edna Schrank
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CGLR Slate For 2024-2026
President: Wanda Pitzele
IPP (Immediate Past President): Pam Schlosberg
Nominating Chair: Pam Schlosberg
Parliamentarian: Pam Schlosberg
Torah Fund: Rebecca Goldwasser
TF Support: Andrea Heiger
Membership: Sandy Carleton
Education: Gilda Schwartz
Programming: Linda Wolf
Treasurer: Lynda Abraham-Braff / Fern Schwartz
Fin. Secretary: Renee Kaplan
Communications: Heidi Weisman
Communications Support: Robin Lash
Recording Secretary: Robin Lash
Books: Phyllis Weeks
Individual Members: Robyn Rosengard
Israel: Dr. Ester Javetz
Archives: Cindy Marder
Conference (Installation 2026): TBD
Creative Judaic Arts: Paula Ferguson
Past Presidents Council: Fran Hildebrandt
Social Action/Social Justice/Inclusion: Michele Sussman
Environment/Sustainability: Laurie B. Davis
Region Representatives to the WLCJ Board of Directors:
Fern Schwartz
Linda Wolf
Wanda Pitzele (as Region President)
Pam Schlosberg (as Immediate Past President)
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We continue to send our prayers for those who suffer in Israel and the Ukraine. | |
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A Prayer for Israel in this Time of War
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
God, our Strength and Protection, we pray for the State of Israel in this
devastating time of war, shock and grief. Our hearts are breaking, God. We pray
for the lives of the innocent civilians who have been heartlessly kidnapped by
Hamas, bring them home, watch over them, God. We pray for the lives of the
soldiers who have been taken captive, we pray for their safe return, shelter them,
God. We pray for the souls of the innocent victims who were brutally slaughtered.
Send comfort and strength, God, to the grieving. Send healing to the injured, and
strength and wisdom to their doctors and nurses. We pray for all our brothers and
sisters in Israel in this time of tragedy and crisis.
Watch over Israel, God, spread Your shelter of peace over the land and over all
our brothers and sisters who live there. Shine Your light upon Israel’s leaders,
officers and advisers, help them to overcome all divisiveness and to act with
clarity and determination. Protect the men and women who defend Israel, let them
be safe and may they be victorious over the Hamas terrorists who attacked our
people. Watch over them, God. Hear their prayers. Bring peace, God. Let it rain
down from the heavens like a mighty storm. Let it wash away all hatred and
bloodshed. Peace, God, please, God.
God of the brokenhearted, God of the living, God of the dead, gather the souls of
the victims into Your eternal shelter. Let them find peace in Your presence, God.
Their lives have ended, but their lights can never be extinguished. May they shine
on us always and illuminate our way.
Amen.
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A Prayer of Peace for the People of Ukraine
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
G-d, our hearts are with all the people of Ukraine,
Its president, Volodymyr Zelensky,
And with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Ukraine
200,000 souls
Who crouch in fear
As the sound of sirens and bombs pierce the air.
Synagogues once filled with songs of celebration
Have become makeshift shelters.
Echoes of the Holocaust reverberate.
The memory of the one and a half million
Martyred Ukrainian Jews.
G-d, we pray that the panic in the streets of Ukraine
Will give way to the sound of children playing,
And the sound of sirens will give way to songs of hope.
We pray that the world community will unite
And cause the Russian army to retreat.
We pray for no more violence
Or bloodshed
And we pray that diplomacy
Will be the path to peace.
Hear our prayers, G-d,
Hear the prayers of the mothers and fathers,
the prayers of the children
longing for safety.
G-d, our Shelter,
Bring peace.
Let it rain down from the heavens like a mighty storm.
Let it wash away all hatred and bloodshed.
Peace, G-d. Please, G-d. Amen.
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Please consider extending a sense of renewed
hope and send our light forward.
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Find more Israel-related resources on
Please go to www.wlcj.org and click on the Resources menu and then on Israel.
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CGLR Spring Conference 2024 | |
Valued Volunteer Information | |
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Dear Sisters,
Well, it is hard to believe but we are about halfway through the campaign year entitled, Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh, All of Israel are Responsible for Each Other. When this theme was chosen, we did not know how applicable this theme would be for the times we are in. Sometimes I think I am in a bad dream, and I hope I will wake up soon. Unfortunately, we know it is not a dream. We can be there for each other to support one another. There are also many other things that we can do to help the Jewish people in diaspora as well as the Jews in Israel. Here is a list of some of the things that can help you and your community that you live in:
- Donate to Torah Fund by clicking the button below the advertisement about our new Torah Fund cards. This helps ensure that we have future Jewish leaders for the Conservative Movement.
- Give to the Spaces Campaign by clicking on the Donate button and choosing the Spaces Campaign rather than the General Campaign. This goes to two special projects: 1) the "Women’s League Study Space” in the new undergraduate residence hall at The Jewish Theological Seminary and2) a special course of training for rabbinical students at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, entitled “Women’s League Institute on Gender Bias and Harassment."
- Make a legacy commitment to Torah Fund. It can be big or small, but it allows Torah Fund to be around for years to come.
- Mark your calendar for CGLR conference, April 7 - 9 in Cincinnati, and attend the Torah Fund Luncheon on Monday.
- Send a Torah Fund e-card to a friend to help celebrate a simcha or remember a loved one. All the money goes to our Torah Fund campaign.
Every little bit helps with securing the future of our Jewish community. Giving to Torah Fund helps ensure that our Jewish leaders are there to guide us spiritually as well as to educate us.
I hope to see everyone in Cincinnati in April. In the meantime, stay warm.
Shalom,
Rebecca Goldwasser, CGLR Vice President of Torah Fund
rebeccatorahfund@gmail.com
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Torah Fund Stands with Israel Program
Sunday, January 21, at 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
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2023-24 Torah Fund Campaign | |
Torah Fund Legacy Society | |
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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!
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Torah Fund supports programs and scholarships for the five Conservatives/Masorti global institutes
of higher education.
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Scan Code
to send E-Cards --->
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CGLR Archives - We Need Your Help! | |
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We want to spotlight your Affiliate/Sisterhood’s events and programs and give your Affiliate Sisterhood a Shout Out in The WAVE.
Please send us your flyers and photos! And please invite Pam, CGLR President, to join you, too!
Please share your Affiliate's events and programs with us. The next full issue of The WAVE will be published on Friday, February 2, 2024!
Flyers are due by 1:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, January 30.
Please send your copy to Laurie Davis at LBD715@gmail.com.
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Mazal Tov
to
Debra Green, CGLE Past President and WLCJ Board of Director, belated birthday wishes.
Her birthday was January 13.
Andrea Heiger, CGLR Torah Fund Support Services, CGLR Board of Directors.
Her birthday is on January 29.
Mi Sheberach
for
Alyssa Volkov, Ariella Ylena bat Rachel Devorah,
is the daughter of Rhonda (Past CGLR President) & Dave Cohn
and
Ellen Kaner Bresnick, WLCJ Kehilah Co-Chair
We wish them a Refuah Shlemah - a complete and speedy recovery.
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Shabbat Message:
From Fear to Hope – A Journey Across the Narrow Bridge
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I have been hearing a popular Jewish song a lot lately since the Hamas attacks on Israel: Kol haolam kulo gesher tzar meod, veha-ikar lo lefached klal – the whole world is a very narrow bridge, but the main thing is to have no fear at all.
This song has become a rallying cry at vigils and all types of services. At the Conservative Movement Convening in December, the USYers there sang it over and over again, each time louder, faster and more enthusiastically. This song, based on a teaching from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov seems, on the face of it, to be upbeat and encouraging, but is it realistic to have no fear at all? After all fight or flight is a basic human instinct.
These are the cold, dark days of winter. We see dangerous antisemitism on the rise. We just marked 100 days since Hamas attacked Israel and kidnapped hostages, and Israel is charged with genocide in the United Nations International Court of Justice (where Israel’s warning civilians of attacks and guiding them to safe zones was unbelievably used as evidence of genocidal intent). How can we have no fear at all when so many dark clouds loom around us?
I recently learned that the song alters Rebbe Nachman’s quote. His actual quote is “…v’ha-ikar lo l’hit-pached klal.” Instead of lo lefached klal, to have no fear at all, Rabbi Nachman uses the reflexive form of the verb lo l’hit-pached klal. Its meaning is similar, but not identical. Rabbi Nachman’s message is not that we shouldn’t fear at all, but that we shouldn’t be consumed, or paralyzed by our fear. Even though the bridge is narrow, it represents the way forward, a way to continue the journey, instead of turning back in fear.
Overcoming our fear, along with hope, faith, and determination are essential elements of
who we are. It is no accident that the Israeli national anthem is Hatikvah, meaning “The
Hope.”
Even among the dark clouds, there are reasons for hope and pride. We are not letting our
fears overcome us. The Jewish people are donating to Israeli and Jewish organizations in
record numbers. In Israel, brave soldiers risk their lives to defeat Hamas and to gain return
of the kidnapped victims. Everyday Israelis are supporting one another. The level of care
and support in Israel for those displaced by the Hamas attack and the war is simply
inspiring.
Eleanor Roosevelt said that we should do one thing that scares us every day. If we do not
succumb to it, fear can be a powerful motivator. It motivates many of us to contribute our
time and resources to efforts in Israel. It motivates others to push back against
antisemitism by wearing a Magen David in public or flying an Israeli flag outside your home.
And in Women’s League, I see women push past their fears and take on new challenges and
leadership roles, whether it’s accepting a position on your Sisterhood affiliate or Region
Board when a member of the nominating committee calls, or leading part of the service for
Women’s League Shabbat.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel observed that it is our fate, as in the many generations
before us, to cross that narrow bridge, to preserve and secure the continuity of the Jewish
people and to “give new life to our traditions.” Conservative Judaism has always focused on
tradition and change, and as we move forward, Women’s League will be there as your voice.
As I meet more and more Women’s League members across the country, my hope and
confidence in our future grows. I am energized by the passion and the strength of our
community. Together, we are walking across the narrow bridge, keeping ourselves from
being overcome by fear, and working towards a better tomorrow.
Shabbat Shalom!
Julia Loeb
International WLCJ President
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from WL Week
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | 7 Sh'vat 5784
To see the entire WL Week email, click here.
Look for Two Upcoming Kehillah Programs!
The website calendar is updated on a regular basis.
For upcoming calendar events, click here.
To read the Weekly Words of Torah from
Rabbi Margie Cella, WLCJ Educator, open WL Week above.
To read Rabbi Ellen's Reflections on the
Masorti Leadership Solidarity Mission to Israel, click here.
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WL Jews in Performing Arts | |
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ONLINE
Back by popular demand
BEFORE CAMELOT—Jews and the Musicals of the 1950s
The 1950s was a time of challenges for the American film industry. The musical helped save the industry, and many Jews were part of the creation of these wonderful films.
This course will investigate the great movie musical of the 1950s created by Jewish composers, lyrists, directors, and producers. Using film clips and discussions, the legacy of these great American movies will be explored.
Registration is open to WL members in North America, but you must log in to register for each class session. If you need assistance, please contact the office at (405) 870-1260.
This course will be comprised of three stand-alone sessions:
Monday, January 22, 2024, at 2:00 PM CT/ 3:00 PM ET
Class One: The Jewish Godfathers of the Movie Musicals: Romberg, Kern, Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart
REGISTER FOR CLASS 1
Monday, February 19, 2024, at 2:00 PM / 3:00 PM ET
Class Two: The Jewish Masters of the Movie Musicals: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Frank Loesser, Comden and Green, and Adler and Ross
REGISTER FOR CLASS 2
Monday, March 18, 2024 at 2:00PM CT / 3:00 PM ET
Class Three: The Jewish Producers, Directors, and Composers Behind Kiss Me Kate, High Society, Anything Goes, Kismet, and Summer Stock
REGISTER FOR CLASS 3
Lois Silverman
lsilverman@wlcj.org
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January 20, 2024
10 Shevat 5784
Parashat Bo
Each year, the members of Affiliated Sisterhoods celebrate the 1918 founding of Women’s League by Mathilde Schechter with a special Shabbat service. Women’s League provides readings, divrei Torah, and suggestions to help create a meaningful commemoration and Shabbat experience.
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For WLCJ Individual Members
חג שמח
SAVE THE DATE
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET
Individual Members In Conversation
A Virtual Meeting
The first of a series of virtual events to create connections!
REGISTER
Gift a Women's League Individual Membership to a friend/family member!
GIFT A WLCJ MEMBERSHIP
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Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/630830287
Meeting ID: 630 830 287
Password: 875936
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Want to sing, teach, help with technology, and more during
Daily Psalm Study and Kaddish?
Sign up here to lead a part in Makom B'Yachad.
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SAVE THE DATES
WL Reads programs
coming up:
The Choice by Maggie Anton
Sunday, February 11, 2024
12:00 PM CT /1:00 PM ET
Exile Music by Jennifer Steile
Date and Time TBA
Karen Block
WL Reads Chair
kblock@wlcj.org
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Key to Calendar:
CGLR Events
WLCJ Events
Affiliate Events
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2024
Saturday, January 20 / 10 Shevat 5784 – WL Shabbat Parashat Bo
Sunday, January 21 - Torah Fund Stands with Israel Program - 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET (Zoom)
Monday, January 22 - WL Jews in Performing Arts - 2:00 PM CT/ 3:00 PM ET (Zoom)
Tuesday, January 23 - Beth Hillel B'nai Emunah - Girl's Night Out: Paper Quilling for Beginners - 7:30 PM CT (In person only)
Wednesday, January 24 - WL Open Board Meeting - 12:00 PM CT/ 1:00 PM ET (Zoom)
Sunday, January 28 - Tuesday, January 30 - WL Leadership Institute, Boca Raton, Florida (in person)
Wednesday, January 31 - WLCJ Individual Member Conversation - 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET (Zoom)
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Wednesday, February 7 - CGLR Affiliate President Coffee Chat with Pam - 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET (Zoom)
Wednesday, February 7 - Ezra Habonim Niles Township Jewish Center Book Discussion, Poisoned Passover by Susan van Dusen - 1:00 PM CT / 2:00 PM ET (Zoom)
Sunday, February 11 - WL Reads "The Choice" by Maggie Anton - 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET (Zoom)
Wednesday, February 14 - Registration opens for CGLR Spring Conference, Beyond the Eclipse
Monday, February 19 - Jews in the Performing Arts - 2:00 PM CT / 3:00 PM ET (Zoom)
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Central Great Lakes Region Board | | | | |
