WL Week
Thursday, November 16, 2023 | 3rd of Kislev 5784
Week At A Glance
This week at Women's League:
- Still time to Register for WL Adult Bat Mitzvah Classes - First Class is on Thurs, Nov 16, 2023
- Fri. Nov 17, 2023 - Join us on Makom B'Yachad on Zoom
- Saturday, Nov 18, 2023 - Read up on WWOT: Parashat Toldot
- Sunday, Nov 19, 2023 - Conversations between Sisters
- Voices of Change: A WLCJ Civil Rights Journey registration is OPEN
- WL Kehilah Program: Bridging Faiths and Rights is OPEN for registration
- WL Hanukkah Program: We Are Going on a Treasure Hunt is OPEN for registration
Women’s League's got talent — Join the communications team! Positions STILL NEEDED!
Are you fluent in Zoom? Can you spotlight a speaker? Start the recording? Set up breakout rooms? Do you know how to let people in from the waiting room? Or would you like to learn more about how to use Zoom’s moderating features? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions we need you!
WLCJ is looking for volunteers to help run Zoom for our Region conferences and Women's League programs. Hours vary and are flexible. Please reach out to Esta Lichtenstein with any questions or to sign up.
War in Israel
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 yesterday among the approximately 300,000 participants at the National Mall, standing in solidarity with Israel.
WL Bat Mitzvah Course Commitment 2023-2026
First Class is on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023
7:30 PM ET
Please join us as we begin our educational journey with the Bat Mitzvah Class of 2023-2026.
Highlights of the Class:
This is a three-year program.
Year One
Living in Jewish Time
Year Two
The Three Pillars of Judaism: God, Torah, and Israel
Year Three
Preparing for your Bat Mitzvah
Sessions will meet on a Thursday night each month over Zoom at
7:30 PM ET / 6:30PM CT / 4:30 PM PT
November 16, 2023
December 21, 2023
January 18, 2024
February 15, 2024
March 21, 2024
April 18, 2024
May 16, 2024
June 20, 2024
The Zoom link for all session dates will be included in the confirmation you will receive after registering.
Registration closes November 16, 2023.
There is a one-time fee of $36 for this three-year program.
Toby B. Holtzman
WL Bat Mitzvah Class Co-Chair
tholtzman@wlcj.org
Anne Schimberg
WL Bat Mitzvah Class Co-Chair
afkschimberg@gmail.com
Did you miss the information session last week? Click on the button below to view the recording.
Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) /
Masorti Olami / Mercaz Olami Grant-Sponsored Program:
Sichot Beyn Achayot - Conversations Between Sisters
Women’s League for Conservative Judaism stands united with our Sisters in Israel. We pray for the safety and security of our Sisters and Brothers in Israel. We send you our prayers and words of strength. Sisters, if you are able, we invite you to join us in our program Sichot beyn Achayot.
Three-Part Series
Session 2: Sunday, November 19, 2023
19:00 Israel Time | 12:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM CT | 10:00 AM MT | 9:00 AM PT
Session 3: Sunday, December 17, 2023
19:00 Israel Time | 12:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM CT | 10:00 AM MT | 9:00 AM PT
שׂיחוֹת בֵּין אָחַיוֹת, Sichot beyn Achayot means “conversations between sisters.” This program is designed to foster a deeper mutual understanding between the members of WLCJ in North America, the Masorti women from Israel and Masorti Olami, and our communities around the world. It is designed to address the question, “How are we the same, and how are we different?” The theme of this year’s program is כּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עָרֵבִים זֶה בַּזֶה, Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh, All of Israel is Responsible for One Another [BT Shevuot 39a]
The three sessions will address this question by each concentrating on one specific issue that is both relevant and timely to us all and will include presentations from speakers from both sides of the Atlantic. Each workshop will also be followed by a Q&A session in which all attendees will be encouraged to participate.
Session Two: Addressing Homelessness and Food Insecurity - Mitzvot, Motivations and Methods
Sunday, November 19, 2023
19:00 Israel Time | 12:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM CT | 10:00 AM MT | 9:00 AM PT
Session Three: Volunteerism: Mitzvot, Motivations and Methods - Sunday, December 17, 2023
19:00 Israel Time | 12:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM CT | 10:00 AM MT | 9:00 AM PT
Rabbi Margie Cella
Did you miss Session One? Click on the button below to view the recording. Session One: Helping the Stranger: Mitzvot, Motivations and Methods
Sunday, October 22, 2023
Voices of Change: A WLCJ Civil Rights Journey
Monday, March 11 - Wednesday, March 13, 2024
The Jewish fight for civil rights helped create fundamental changes in this country. Join us as we learn about the brave freedom fighters and tour significant civil rights sites in Georgia and Alabama. Some of those sites include the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and MUCH more!
These first-hand experiences will allow us to explore issues of race and racism, and the legacy of civil rights. As we travel and reflect together as a Women’s League community, we will personally consider how each of us can make an impact today.
Civil Rights Monday- Wednesday Trip Costs
Price $1200 paid in full at registration
$165 single room supplement
What is included
• All meals from Monday lunch through Wednesday lunch.
• Continental breakfast on your own is included at each hotel.
• All provided group meals are kosher.
• Hotel for Monday and Tuesday nights.
• Ground transportation in an air-conditioned coach bus.
• Admission to all museums and historic sites.
What is not included
• Transportation to and from your home city to Atlanta
• Lodging before or after the trip (information on suggested hotels to follow)
• You must arrive in Atlanta before 10:00 AM on Monday March 11 so we recommend that if you are flying in, you might want to arrive on Sunday in case of any flight delays.
• We will not return to the Atlanta airport until 5:00 PM on Wednesday March 13 so we recommend that you book a flight after 7:00 PM that night or stay an additional night and fly home the following morning.
Space is limited. Please register soon so you don’t miss out.
Registration Deadline
December 1 for Women’s League members.
If there is still space available after December 1, we will then open the registration to family of Women’s League members until December 15.
Your payment for the tour and meals is refundable until December 21.
WL Personal Conversations
Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023
7:30 PM ET
Please join us as we welcome back WL Personal Conversation programming this fall with a two-part series to raise awareness for the inclusion of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Part 1: A discussion with Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe
Rabbi Dubowe is the first female deaf Rabbi to be ordained in the world.
Get to know Rabbi Dubowe as she shares her incredible and inspiring life's journey to the pulpit.
Part 2 is scheduled for February 29, 2024. Save-the-Date as we continue the conversation to raise awareness.
Grace Schessler
Personal Conversations Co-Chair
Jani Majewski
Personal Conversations Co-Chair
WL Kehilah
Bridging Faiths and Rights: A Civil Rights Exploration
“Racism is man’s gravest threat to man – the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Please join us on December 7th, as we explore the history of the Civil Rights movement, past and present. 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 first 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.
WL Hanukkah Program
We Are Going on a Treasure Hunt!
The Maccabees were able to find a treasured cruse of oil, but what can you find?
Join us on December 14 at 8 pm ET for a little Hanukkah fun, reminiscing and candle
lighting. We’ll search and share and laugh and learn and end with communal candle lighting.
WL Leadership Institute - SAVE THE DATE
Sunday, January 28 - Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Save the Date!
It’s back! After a COVID Hiatus, the next Women’s League Leadership Institute is scheduled for 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.
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND?
To expand your skills as a leader and enhance your knowledge as a Jewish woman while strengthening your connection to Women’s League, your Sisterhood Affiliate, your community, and Klal Yisrael.
These skills can be used in your personal and professional life, not just in your Women’s League activities.
You can find more details, including costs and the registration form in next week’s WL Week. Register quickly because space is limited.
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 Toldot teaches an important lesson about inclusion and taking advantage of those who have a disability. Isaac was tricked by his sons, partially as a result of the fact that he was visually impaired, and Jacob took advantage of that by disguising himself and identifying himself as Esau. It is our responsibility to take care of those with disabilities, and make sure that people with disabilities are never taken advantage of. Consult our WLCJ - FJMC Inclusion Initiative for important information.
https://www.wlcj.org/wlcj-fjmc-inclusion-initiative-overview/
Makom B'Yachad
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.
Zoom link can be found in WL Week. Please email info@wlcj.org if you are not in our mailing list.
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
From the Seminaries We Support
Friendship in Jewish Text, Thought, and Life
Should University Presidents Take Stances on Moral and Political Issues?
Torah Fund
Digital Torah Fund eCards for every occasion!
Women of the Wall
Four Mothers Tallit
Garden of Eden Tallit
Spirit of Israel Tallit
All prices include regular shipping (with tracking, 2-4 weeks). Express shipping costs an extra $20 per item.
Region / Sisterhood Affiliates Programming
Dec 3, 2023 at 9:30 AM ET
FLORIDA
For more information, contact Nancy Goldberg: TFWLCJFL@gmail.com
Dec 6, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
GARDEN STATE
But they were good to their mothers...
Learn about the rise and fall of Jewish gangsters who dominated crime from the 1920's until the end of World War II. We will explore famous crime figures like Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, and organizations (e.g. Murder, Inc., The Brownsville Boys).
We will learn about lesser known fascinating characters such as Gangy Cohen, Waxy Gordon, Moe Annenberg, Longey Swillman and others.
This lecture will help us understand the cultural drivers that created this group and ultimately led to their decline and integration into American Society.
For more information, contact Susan Winter:
winter.susan@gmail.com
SAVE THE DATE
Jan 21, 2024
CENTRAL GREAT LAKES
SAVE THE DATE
CGLR Torah Fund Event will take place on January 21, 2024.
7:00 PM CT | 8:00 PM ET
Details will be published when they are finalized.
Jan 28, 2024
SEABOARD
SAVE THE DATE
Education Day will take place on January 28, 2024.
Details will be published when they are finalized.
Do you have any upcoming programs that are virtual/hybrid?
Send it to info@wlcj.org to add it in WL Week.
Ongoing WLCJ Resources
To learn more, or email chair of WL GoogleGroups/Hebrew Classes, please click on the image:
WLCJ 5784 Calendar Diaries
Pocket Size = $11.00
Planner Size = $26.00
You may now order bulk quantities online.
WLCJ Convention 2023
WLCJ Convention 2023 Resources, please click on the image:
Additional Opportunities
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.
December 1-5, 2023
Momentum is building for our Conservative/Masorti Convening in December! We have hundreds of attendees already signed up - and want you to be part of this incredible gathering of the brightest minds in our Movement.
Monday, December 4, 2023
8:45 AM to 9:45 AM
Barbie, You're Kenough: How to Bring Inspiration to Your (Surf) Board
Learn how to identify your members’ passions and build on their existing skills to help them find their voices on your board. Leaders need to be heard and valued as individuals so they are more personally involved and motivated. Examine ways that your Board members can enhance their knowledge and contribute to the broader Conservative/Masorti movement.
Our WLCJ International President and Executive Director will speak at this event.
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...
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