|
CHAI LINES
The Newsletter of the International Northeast Region
January 5, 2024 - 24 Tevet 5784
| |
|
If you are viewing Chai Lines on your smartphone,
consider a landscape orientation for easier viewing.
| |
|
Welcome!
As members of a WLCJ affiliated sisterhood or as a WLCJ Individual Member, you also belong to the International Northeast Region (INR) of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism and we are happy to be able to send you our bi-weekly region newsletter we call “Chai Lines”! Please read and enjoy!
| |
From our Region President
| |
|
Dear Friends:
This week we begin reading the second book of the Torah, called Shemot or “names”, since it begins with a list of the names of Jacob’s sons and grandchildren who went down to Egypt. It is also known as ‘Exodus’ because it relates the history of the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery in Egypt.
However, I would like to talk about other names in this parsha – specifically those heroes whose names are mentioned and who are all women. These women displayed extraordinary courage and each one contributed to the safety & development of Moses who was eventually able to deliver the Jewish people from slavery to freedom.
The parsha explains that after Joseph’s death, the Jewish population in Egypt increases and a new pharaoh who does not know Joseph, comes to power. Doubting the loyalty of the Jewish people, the new pharaoh fears that, if Egypt is attacked, the Jews will side with his enemy. So, he orders the Israelites to be enslaved and puts them to work building the cities Pithom and Raamses. Yet the more the Israelites are oppressed, the more they increase in numbers. The first women we now encounter are the midwives Shifrah and Puah. Pharoah orders these midwives to kill every male child when they deliver the Israelite children. But Shifrah and Puah disobey Pharoah and let the babies live. When asked why they disobeyed Pharoah they say” Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.” (Exodus 1:19)
In a fascinating aside I learned that Gematria (Hebrew Numerology) shows how the midwives were ‘givers of life’. The Hebrew letters in Shifra’s name (Shin, Fei, Reish, Heh) add up to 585. If you add those digits (5+8+5) the total is 18 or chai/life. The Hebrew letters in Puah’s name (Pei, Vav, Ayin, Heh) add up to 161. The sum of these digits (1+6+1) is 8 referring to the eighth day when a baby Jewish boy is circumcised and brought into the fold of the Jewish people. Both Shifrah and Puah were givers of life and enabled the next link in the story of Moses to occur.
Pharoah next orders every male Israelite baby to be thrown into the Nile, but Moses’ mother Yocheved hides Moses and then his sister Miriam watches over the baby in his reed basket as it floats down the Nile until the daughter of Pharoah finds Moses and decides to adopt him. Miriam persuades her to have Moses’ own mother, Yocheved, nurse him till he is weaned. It is obvious that without Miriam or Yocheved, and later the Daughter of Pharoah, Moses would not have survived to grow up in Pharoah’s house.
The last woman in the parsha who helped Moses on his way to becoming the true leader he was meant to be was Zipporah, his wife. Moses may have known of his heritage, but he had great difficulty accepting the challenge of leadership. On more than four occasions Moses made excuses to God as to why he was not up to the task of leading the People of Israel to freedom. When he finally agreed to return to Egypt, Zipporah realized the most important sign of the Covenant with God had not been fulfilled and it was she who circumcised their son Gershom, thus paving the way for Moses to be a true hero and role model to his people in Egypt.
Shifrah, Puah, Yocheved, Miriam, Pharoah’s daughter and Zipporah were all enablers and givers of life. They each helped make the story of the exodus from Egypt possible by finding ways of saving Moses and bringing him to accept his responsibility of redeeming his people.
Let us celebrate together the meaningful contributions of these wonderful and significant women!
Shabbat Shalom
Marilyn
Marilyn Cohen
INR Region President
INRPresident21@wlcj.org
| |
REGION MATTERS:
There is still time to register for next week's region Torah Fund program with current rabbinical student Alicia Rothamel. Read all about her in the flyer below.
Register now for the next Women’s League Leadership Institute in Boca Raton. This is an intense two-day training experience that will prepare you for the challenges of leadership.
Our region’s Spring Conference, May 5-6, 2024 in Toronto at Beth Tikvah Synagogue promises to offer great speakers, educational opportunities, spiritual services and camaraderie. Plan now to join us in Toronto. See the "Save the Date" below.
Marilyn Cohen
Region President
INRPresident21@wlcj.org
| |
From our Torah Fund Vice President | | |
|
|
Announcing
Our 2023-2024
Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh
Campaign
All the people of Israel are responsible for one another
| |
|
When our 2023–2024 campaign began on July 1st, the slogan Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh was a nice saying. All of Israel is responsible for one another. Since October 7th, those words have deeper meaning. We, across the International Northeast Region, in Canada and the United States, feel concern and worry about what is happening in Israel. We are connected, one to another. If we do not know a victim or a hostage, we know someone who does. May 2024 be a year when peace returns.
Meanwhile, our future rabbis, cantors, scholars, and educators, at the five institutions where our Torah Fund Campaign supports scholarships and programming continue to learn. We will be privileged to meet fourth year JTS student Alicia Rothamel on January 10th at 7:30 pm on Zoom. Join us as she shares her journey to the rabbinate for our annual Torah Fund event. More information and the registration link are in the flyer above.
If you have not already done so for this campaign, please make a donation to Torah Fund, the dedicated tzedakah of Women’s League and its support of The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, Schechter Institutes of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, and Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam.
If you have already made your pledge, please consider an additional donation to the special project, Creating New Spaces, which will equally fund two important projects: A “Women’s League Study Space” in the new undergraduate residence hall at The Jewish Theological Seminary, and 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.” Our goal is to raise $200,000 that will be split equally between the two projects.
Torah Fund has added some beautiful new ecards from Israeli artist, Bracha Lavee, in addition to the original ecards by Debra Brand. By sending e-cards, our region receives credit toward our annual goal. Here is a copy of the new all-purpose card:
|  | |
|
See all of the available cards and send Torah Fund ecards to your friends and loved ones using these links:
US page: https://torahfundecards.jtsa.edu/
Canadian page: https://torahfundecards.jtsa.edu/canadian/
Remember to use the link from your country, not the recipient’s country.
Please note that it is from that Canadian link that you can make additional donations to Torah Fund, after first purchasing an ecard.
In the United States, to make a donation, the link is: Donate to Torah Fund (jtsa.edu)
Consider joining the Torah Fund Legacy Society. Four years ago, the Torah Fund Legacy Society was established for donors to make planned gifts to benefit Torah Fund. There are different options. You simply designate Torah Fund as a beneficiary of a financial instrument such as an IRA, life insurance policy, pension fund, bank certificate of deposit, or Israel Bond. Or you can make a bequest from your will or trust.
Please choose the best method in consultation with your financial advisor or attorney. There is no minimum or maximum donation amount required, nor do you need to state a dollar value unless you would like to do so. Once you have designated a legacy gift for Torah Fund, we ask you to complete the Bequest Confirmation Form. You then receive a beautiful charm with the word ‘Atid’ (‘Future’) in Hebrew, to affix to your Torah Fund pin. Please let me know when you would like to be contacted by a Torah Fund Legacy representative. Thank you for helping ensure the future of the Jewish people through your long-term support of Torah Fund.
Wishing you all good things in 2024.
| |
Beth David Women - Toronto | |
Week At A Glance
This week at Women's League:
| |
Sunday, January 28 - Tuesday, January 30, 2024 |  | |
Women’s League for Conservative Judaism – committed to developing skilled and dedicated leaders – invites you to attend an inspiring Leadership Institute that will expand your skills as a leader and enhance your knowledge as a Jewish woman while strengthening your connection to Women’s League, your sisterhood, your community, and Klal Yisrael.
Join International President Julia Loeb, Executive Director Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields and Lead Trainer Carol Simon at our FIRST LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE IN FOUR YEARS ON
JANUARY 28-30, 2024
AT B’NAI TORAH CONGREGATION,
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE?
A 2-day workshop that will enhance your personal style of communication with interactive exercises and role-playing. Discover tips and techniques for using language that motivates, stimulates and encourages women to volunteer.
An opportunity to Network with other women, master goal setting, time management and team building. Learn the secret of keeping yourself challenged.
| |
|
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT THAN OTHER LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS?
The Leadership Institute’s unique format allows participants to build a personal program to expand Jewish knowledge and leadership skills.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
$299 includes materials, programming, and meals. This fee does not include hotel or transportation to B’nai Torah.
Registration for the hotel ranges from $249-$279 + tax per night double occupancy.
The learning and sense of community created during the Institute comes both from the shared experiences during the formal program and the unstructured time together at the hotel. To facilitate this, we strongly urge local participants to stay with the rest of the group at the hotel.
Your Region, Sisterhood/Affiliate or your Rabbi might have scholarship money to help cover these costs. Don’t forget to ask!
Register by January 5! Space is limited and fills up quickly.
Our next Leadership Institute will be held in July 2024 on the West Coast (exact dates and location tba)
The leadership Institute team,
Carol Simon
Margie Miller
Debbie Lempert
Illene Rubin
| |
Illene Rubin
Leadership Institute Logistics Chair
irubin@wlcj.org
| |
|
Monday, January 15, 2024
7:30 PM ET
| |
Navigating Civil Rights: The Journey Begins
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
| |
|
Please join us on Monday, January 15th, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as we explore the history of the Civil Rights Movement taking place in the 1950s and 1960s. It was an organized effort by Black Americans to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights under the law. Many people of conscience, from all races and faiths, were a part of this movement, including the Jewish community.
This is the second program in a series that will examine in depth the Civil Rights Movement. Each program is a standalone program which can be attended individually or as part of the series. At the end of the series Women’s League will sponsor the trip Voices of Change: A WLCJ Civil Rights Pilgrimage. ALL WLCJ members are invited to attend these programs, regardless of whether they intend to participate in the trip.
| |
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. | |
Torah Fund Stands with Israel
Sunday January 21, 2024
1:00 PM ET
| |
Please register for this program here: | |
WLCJ Hybrid Open Board Meeting | |
|
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
1:00 PM ET
Shalom,
We write to inform you that as of the end of 2023, Razel Kessler, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism Office Administrator, has officially retired from her position, which she has held since March 2005. We thank Razel for her dedication, devotion, diligence, disposition, humor, patience and knowledge that she has shared with all of our Women’s League sisters throughout her years of service. Razel will remain an active member of her Sisterhood Affiliate, Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, in the MetroNorth Region. Razel has graciously offered to come back to the office in January to train our new employee.
|  | We will thank Razel for her years of service, on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m. EST, at our Women’s League for Conservative Judaism Hybrid Open Board Meeting and Celebration of Razel’s Years of Service to WLCJ, both on Zoom and in our offices, located at 520 8th Ave, 4th floor in New York City. You must register in order to attend in person. Please click on the button below to attend in person or to receive the Zoom link. Please consider a donation to the WLCJ General Fund in honor of Razel by clicking on the button below. | | On January 2, 2024, Rob Vincent (rvincent@wlcj.org) joined our WLCJ office staff as Administrative Coordinator. Rob Vincent (he/him) is a lifelong activist, educator, community organizer, and nonprofit enthusiast who is incredibly excited to join our WLCJ office staff. In his spare time Rob creates art, tinkers with technology, makes noise for broadcasts and podcasts, dabbles in comedy, and strives for social justice. A selection of such things can be seen at https://RobVincent.net. | |
Thank you Razel for being an exceptional individual and for all you do for our WLCJ sisters. We will miss you in the office, but we know that you will always be around and an active WLCJ member. Welcome Rob!
Happy and Healthy 2024!
L’Shalom,
Julia Loeb
International President
Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
Executive Director
| |
|
The Theme for World Wide Wrap 2024 is "Wrap for Israel"
Wrapping Tefillin
in Solidarity with Israel
Reach out to all club members and congregants. Encourage them to wrap tefillin in solidarity with the IDF soldiers and hostages who are unable to wrap themselves.
This can be done by individuals or in groups. Please photograph the event and post your group photos and/or selfies on Facebook by tagging FJMC_hq.
| |
If you need assistance posting your photos on Facebook, please reach out to Lisa Pollack at assistant@fjmc.org | |
Here's a checklist of some action items clubs should now be addressing.
1. Register on www.fjmc.org/www-registration website.
Be one of the top 50 and register now!
Remember, you must register your club to qualify for a Quality Club Award.
2. Have a Plan for your Club's Wrap programming incorporating this year's theme, "Wrap for Israel" including the solidarity wrap initiative.
3. Send out publicity now.
Save the Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024.
Thank you.
Len Abrams
leonardabrams@yahoo.com
2024 World Wide Wrap Chair
Bill Becker
wbecker1919@gmail.com
2024 World Wide Wrap Co-Chair
| |
Spring 2024 - WLCJ Classes: Learn Hebrew and Read from the Praybook | |
|
New WLCJ Classes starting this Spring to Learn Hebrew and Read from the Prayerbook
For New Students
Spring Semester
Registration Opens Soon
Are you interested in:
• Learning or reviewing the Hebrew alphabet and communal prayers?
• Expanding your Jewish literacy skills, confidence, and sense of connection with Judaism?
| |
|
In the Beginner Hebrew Course, students will learn how to recognize the letters of the aleph bet, read basic words in the Siddur, and follow along in the service. Each student will be provided a virtual copy of Shalom Aleichem, by Noah Golinkin, for use in the class.
In the Advanced Beginner Hebrew Course,
students will continue to refine their reading skills by learning blessings for Friday evening, several kaddishes, and many Shabbat morning prayers, all while emphasizing reading fluency.
To be in the Intermediate
Hebrew Course, students should be proficient at reading (sounding out few words) and will improve their fluency through the following prayers: ashrei, the musaf Amidah, aleinu, the v’ahavtah and following paragraphs, and many other prayers for holidays.
Watch your email and WL Week for the link to register for all class levels. Classes begin the week of February 15/16, 2024.
Rachel Ferber
rferber@wlcj.org
Hebrew Course Chair
| |
Parashat Miketz - December 16, 2023
| |
|
For the past 80-plus years, the Torah Fund Campaign of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, the dedicated philanthropy of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, has been supporting scholarships and programs in the worldwide Conservative/Masorti institutes of higher Jewish learning, The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, Schechter Institutes of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, and Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam.
The 2023-2024 / 5784 Torah Fund General Campaign is Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh, All the people of Israel are responsible for one another. Arevut, responsibility, will be visible on our new, silver heart-shaped charm which can be worn as a pendant or pin.
The WWOT, the Weekly Words of Torah, each week through the end of June 2024, will delve into the idea of arevut, responsibility.
| |
|
Parashat Shemot: Exodus 1:1-6:1
January 6, 2024
This week’s parashah begins the second book of the Torah, which tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Here we are introduced to Moses, the future redeemer of the nation, who receives his commission from God, Who speaks to him from a burning bush.
The real heroes of this parashah, however, are the women. No less than five brave women stand up and do the right thing despite the possible danger to their own lives and safety. The midwives Shifrah and Puah defy Pharaoh’s order to kill all the male children born to the Israelite women. Yocheved, aided by her daughter Miriam, manages to hide her newborn son from the Egyptians, only to become a wetnurse to her own child after Pharaoh’s daughter discovers and rescues him from the basket his mother had placed him in before setting it afloat in the Nile. These five women all defied the orders of the powerful and ruthless ruler of Egypt, acting to save the lives of the babies, endangering their own lives by doing so. There are times in each of our lives when we are called upon to put aside our own needs to do what is right for the larger community. We can all take a lesson from these brave women. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh - All the people of Israel are responsible for one another.
| |
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 AM PT; 10 AM MT, 11 AM CT; 12 PM ET | |
A virtual service for our WLCJ Sisters to recite Mishaberach, the Prayer for Healing, recite the Psalm of the Day, study and recite Kaddish together.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/630830287
Meeting ID: 630 830 287
Password: 875936
| |
A virtual background is available for Makom B'Yachad! DOWNLOAD HERE | Want to sing, teach, help with technology, and more during Daily Psalm Study, and Kaddish? | |
Prayer for Comfort - composed by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
VIEW PRAYER
| |
Recently, we read Parashat Vayishlach, in which Dinah was raped and held captive to coerce Jacob into “sharing” his property and family with the captors. On October 7, 2023, the weaponization of sexual violence against women became not just a reflection of the Torah narrative but, tragically, a personal experience for hundreds of Israeli women. In the immediate aftermath of October 7, captured Hamas terrorists boasted that they were directed to rape the women they encountered and to mutilate and defile them. Since then, substantial, stomach-turning evidence has emerged, supporting these horrifying claims, and detailing the systematic sexual violence by Hamas. Much of the evidence is from disturbing videos proudly taken by Hamas terrorists on that Black Shabbat. | |
|
The October 7 attacks on Israeli women were grave war crimes that should be strongly called out and unequivocally denounced. Doing so is a moral imperative. To deplore the rape and defilement of women as a weapon of war should not be challenging. Explicitly condemning these war crimes, along with others committed by Hamas—including the targeting and kidnapping of civilians, the use of civilians and hospitals as human shields, and the obstruction of Red Cross visits to kidnapped victims—is not an endorsement or alignment with the governing coalition in Israel, nor does it reflect on the military actions Israel has had to take to root out Hamas. Yet, in too many quarters, those who claim to advocate for women’s rights have been shockingly silent, treating rape and violence against women as if it were somehow different when used against Jews in Israel.
Women’s League for Conservative Judaism strongly denounces the silence from many women’s rights groups, human rights groups, and international organizations, and extends our full support and love to the survivors and families of the victims... [continue reading].
| | |
|
Daughters of Yisrael, a song for Women’s League for Conservative Judaism by Rabbi Aviva Shira Funke is live and making its way into all streaming music platforms! Click on the icons below. |
|
|
Find more Israel-related Resources on the WLCJ website
We now have a webpage with all the resources collected. Please go to www.wlcj.org
and click on the Resources menu and then Israel.
Women's League for Conservative Judaism was proudly represented among the approximately 300,000 participants at the National Mall, standing in solidarity with Israel.
| |
From the Seminaries We Support | | |
|
|
|
Digital Torah Fund eCards
for every occasion!
| |
All prices include regular shipping (with tracking, 2-4 weeks). Express shipping costs an extra $20 per item. | |
Please click on the image to learn more | |
WLCJ 5784 Calendar Diaries | |
|
Pocket Size = $11.00
Planner Size = $26.00
You may now order bulk quantities online.
| |
WLCJ Convention 2023 Resources, please click on the image: | |
|
To learn more about these opportunities,
| | |
|
Keeping to our Mission – Adjusting to the War
Focusing on our Responsibilities & Leveraging our Unique Capabilities
Olim Services - Serving 80K NBN Olim and Anglo Oleh community at large
• Financial grants for families impacted by the war
• Therapy and counseling services
• Financial grants to community initiatives during the war
• Weddings at cost in our Jerusalem Aliyah Campus
Lone Soldiers & their Families - Supporting 10,000 lone soldiers in active combat
• 24/7 Hotline & I Center for parents of Lone Soldiers
• Multilingual Broadcasts from IDF to Olim and families of Lone Soldiers
| |
|
• Flights to Israel during the war for parents of Lone Soldiers
• Free Mental Health Support services for Lone Soldiers
• Attendance at every funeral and shiva of Lone Soldier
• Contact with families of captive Soldiers
• Tending to various urgent needs of Lone Soldier
Supporting Israel’s National Health Care System
• Assist Israel’s Ministry of Health compile a list of Physician volunteers from the Diaspora
• Serve as an official representative of the Ministry of Health, The Jewish Agency for Israel and Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, responsible for handling the technical logistics and costs of coordinating foreign physicians to come to Israel to assist the local healthcare system during the war
What Nefesh B’Nefesh is doing during the war. A must read. Pay particular attention to the last subject: “Supporting Israel’s National Health Care System”, want to learn what this includes?
Operation Hug - a partnership between Nefesh B’Nefesh, Jewish National Fund USA and the F.I.D.F.. Know anyone who has a Lone Soldier currently serving in the I.D.F.? Send the father or mother’s name, email and mobile and/or suggest they contact Rabbi Paul Freedman.
| | |
|
|
Designed for rising Jewish leaders ages 22-30*
On this six-day journey through Poland, our community will explore the cities of Warsaw, Lublin, and Krakow; hold each other up in Zbylitowska Gora—the Children’s Forest, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Treblinka; volunteer in cemeteries and local communities; meet with Jewish and non-Jewish peers; thank some of the families of Poland’s Righteous Among the Nations; and celebrate Shabbat in Krakow with the revitalized Jewish community and the work of the JCC Krakow.
We will work to fulfill our generation’s responsibility to remember, rebuild, and retell.
| | |
|
|
MERCAZ USA at the Extraordinary Zionist Congress
MERCAZ USA and our international partners made a significant difference and were a LOUD voice for your values at the Extraordinary Zionist Congress held in Jerusalem at the end of April.
1. The forces fighting for a pluralistic democratic Israel are on the offensive and we won this Congress
2. The delaying tactics of those who opposed us failed this time
3. We stood up for MERCAZ USA’s values and our voice was heard loud and clear..
| | |
|
Naomi Graetz taught English at Ben Gurion University of the Negev for 35 years. She is the author of Forty Years of Being a Feminist Jew (2018), Unlocking the Garden: A Feminist Jewish Look at the Bible, Midrash and God (Piscataway NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005), The Rabbi’s Wife Plays at Murder (Beersheva: Shiluv Press, 2004), S/He Created Them: Feminist Retellings of Biblical Stories (1993; 2003), and Silence is Deadly: Judaism Confronts Wifebeating (1998). Her book Silence is Deadly has been translated into Hebrew and will be published by Carmel Press in 2024. She teaches a variety of courses on Zoom to an international audience and is a regular blogger for the Times of Israel. | |
INR of Women's League for Conservative Judaism | | | | |
