Chai Lines
International Northeast Region
Women's League
for Conservative Judaism
Networking to Engage, Enrich and Empower
Conservative Jewish Women
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January 12, 2018 Volume 2, Issue 69
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IN THIS ISSUE
Click on name of article to go to that article.
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SAVE THE DATE FOR SPRING CONFERENCE 2018
INR SPRING CONFERENCE
"PORTRAIT OF SISTERHOOD"
WHEN: April 29 and 30, 2018
WHERE: Temple Beth El, Rochester, New York
WHO: All Sisterhood Members from IN Region
WHY: Time to Meet and Learn from Each Other
CO-CHAIRS:
Marcia Nabut and Ruth Shapiro
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FR
OM THE REGION PRESIDENT
Last Shabbat I was honoured with an
aliyah to recite the blessings at the Torah. As I held the well worn silver token with the raised letters of r'vi'i, I thought of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of members and guests of our synagogue who have held this token in anticipation of the honour they were about to receive.
The third aliyah is done, and I walk to the bimah. The chazzan sheini announces: "Ta'amod (You will arise), Ita bat (daughter of) Leb Ha-Levi (the Levite) v'Rachel, r'vi'i." Upon hearing my name and those of my parents z"l, I move to the right of the reader and face the Torah scroll. I lightly touch the beginning and end of the Torah reading with the corner of my tallit and bring it to my lips. I close the Torah and hold both handles while reciting the blessing. I thank God for giving us the Torah, God's covenant with the Jewish people.
And as I watch the yad gently pass over the parchment and listen to the ancient words of the Torah, I can't help but think about the miraculous survival of Judaism and our people.
Yes, we have endured many tragedies in our history. Yet it is our heritage, our unique value system, and our contributions to the world that have sustained us as a people. But we cannot take our current status for granted. We must strengthen our communities by supporting - with money and volunteer efforts - the physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual institutions devoted to promoting Jewish life. We can help to ensure that Israel continues to grow and progress. We can read Jewish books, visit Jewish museums and attend Jewish programs. We can support our synagogues, our schools and our traditions. As proud Jewish women, we can continue to be involved in our sisterhoods and Women's League.
All of these acts, while honouring the memory of the generations that preceded us, will help to create positive new memories and strong new Jewish realities for the generations that follow.
Shabbat Shalom,
Eleanor
514-458-6204
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FROM THE REGION EDUCATION VP, LOIS SILVERMAN
In the 1940's, Mahatma Ghandi said "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."
Since these words were spoken, many countries around the world have tried to better the conditions of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the disabled, the aged, and the children. Some countries have succeeded better than others. Some have backslided putting the desires of some powerful special groups over the needs of the weak.
Remember the words of our tradition:
Love your neighbor as yourself.--
Leviticus 19:18
That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.--Hillel
Yes, we must remember these words, but we must also act by performing acts of loving kindness.
I repost this prayer for children in the hope that each of us will do something for all the weak in our world and especially for the children.
A Prayer for Children
By Ina J. Hughs
We pray for children
who put chocolate fingers everywhere,
who like to be tickled,
who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,
who sneak Popsicles before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who've never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
who cover themselves with Band-aids and sing off key,
who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,
who slurp their soup.
And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under their bed and never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church and scream in the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and
whose smile can make us cry.
And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and
cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children who want to be carried,
and for those who must.
For those we never give up on,
and for those who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother,
and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer.
See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/child-watch-columns/child-watch-documents/Therealmonsters.html#sthash.13CXEmn5.dpuf
Shabbat Shalom
Happy Hanukkah
LOIS
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FROM WOMEN'S LEAGUE FOR CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM
Networking to engage,
enrich and empower
Conservative Jewish women
Shabbat Message: Beyond a Dream
By Sandy Blumenthal, WLCJ Financial Secretary
"I have a dream."
"Free at last."
These are a part of the words my students learn each January in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In their first seven years of education they had copied, memorized, and recited these famous phrases. Each of the students of my inner-city Philadelphia middle school classes was familiar with Dr. King. Their previous teachers had diligently taught them about the man who had inspired a movement, not to mention a day off from school.
Eighth grade is a time when students can not only be taught historical greatness, it marks the foundation for a lifetime of interpretive, inquisitive, and independent thinking. And so, we would study together making meaning of the times and circumstances that had inflamed the words and actions of Dr. King and his followers. We would dissect the Letter from a Birmingham Jail, not only analyzing the phrases, but also examining their impact on action. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Prominently displayed in my classroom was a poster of the iconic photo taken in Selma, Alabama. It is a picture that we have all seen, men and women of all colors linked arm in arm, marching together for human rights. Inevitably, as we studied, a student would raise the question, "Who is that funny looking man in the front row with Dr. King?" I would then identify Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. "Why did he join Dr. King?" "Why did Dr. King allow him such a prominent position in the March?" I don't know which of these and similar questions was asked the most, but I took great pleasure in the asking, and even greater pride in my students coming to respect this Jewish leader. Here was evidence of Dr. King's words, "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right." Dr. King's friendship with Rabbi Heschel was a model for their shared concept of the need to eliminate artificial barriers between peoples. I always expanded this unit to include a class service project. Words are not enough. "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but, whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."
As Rabbi Heschel wrote and said, "When I marched in Selma, my feet were praying."
Shabbat Shalom,
Sandy Blumenthal
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Initiate your shopping session through our website, and Amazon will rebate a percentage of the sale back to Women's League. Click on the Amazon logo on the top left corner of our webpage (near the Facebook icon), and click on the Amazon shopping cart on the next page - then repeat the process for each individual purchase.
$100 for 100 Years...Continue the Legacy
2018 -- the culmination of our first 100 years -- promises to be a huge year! In looking ahead to our many centennial celebrations, we invite you to join us in ensuring the future of Women's League for Conservative Judaism:
$100 for 100 Years.
We invite all members and Sisterhoods to support the next 100 years of Women's League by contributing a minimum of $100 to the $100 for 100 Years Campaign. Donors will receive a Women's League kippah as a thank you gift.
With your participation, Women's League will continue to provide innovative programs, personalized leadership development, direct sisterhood support, and accessible resources to benefit all members of our dynamic network.
All donations can be sent to:
Women's League
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 820
New York, NY 10115
Donate:
online at bit.ly/support-wl,
by sending a check to the Women's League office,
or by calling Razel Kessler at 212.870.1260, ext. 1263, and providing your credit card information over the phone.
We thank you in advance for your generosity!
Women's League Reads
WL Reads' new featured book is
The Weight of Ink, and an Interview with
author Rachel Kadish is planned for
Monday, February 26, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. EDT. WL Reads members may listen to the live Interview by phone or by Weblink (to be posted).
By popular request, we are giving WL Reads members more time between announcement and interview dates, especially because it's a long book. The historical novel has received rave reviews for its stellar prose and portrayal of two intellectual women, one a Jewish history scholar from our time, and one a scribe and self-educated Sephardic Jew in 17th-century London. Each woman, with poise and passion, must face soul-piercing internal conflicts and external enemies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
RACHEL KADISH is the award-winning author of the novels
From a Sealed Room and
Tolstoy Lied: A Love Story, and the novella "I Was Here." Her work has appeared on NPR and in the New York
Times online.
To become a WL Reads member, write to Lois Silverman, WLCJ Internet Services Chair, at lsilverman@wlcj.org with your Sisterhood's name and town, and your name and e-mail address.
Distance Workshops
The next free Women's League Distance Workshop is on Wednesday, January 10, at 8:30 p.m., Eastern Time:
"Zoom Call with WLCJ President Margie Miller."
This call is open only to sisterhoods with membership over 100 members and limited to the first 20 to register. Register
here.
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FROM THE TORAH FUND VICE PRESIDENT
MARILYN COHEN
Contact me with any questions:
Marilyn Cohen
VP Torah Fund - International Northeast Region
416-5
18-1860
Check out the New Torah Fund Guide and all the other materials to run a great campaign!
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FROM ACROSS THE REGION
TORAH FUND PROGRAMS TO KVELL AND SHARE
The Best Torah Fund Programs in Our Region
This space is being reserved for Torah Fund programs that have worked for YOUR sisterhood. Please send Lois Silverman at
lsilverman@wlcj.org a summary of what you have done to support Torah Fund. It just might inspire other sisterhoods to do similar events.
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NEED HELP?
HELP IS AVAILABLE ON THE WLCJ WEBSITE.
Programs, membership ideas, education material, and more available at wlcj.org
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