April 2013

Throughout its history, Women of Reform Judaism has supported the next generation of the Refrom Movement. In celebration of WRJ’s Centennial and the significant role that WRJ has played in the life of NFTY, the current National Board members and a staff member of the North American Federation of Temple Youth share their reflections on this vital relationship.

Evan Traylor, NFTY President: Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) was instrumental in the founding of the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) in 1939, and since that date has continued to provide enormous financial and moral support to the organization. WRJ has made it possible for generations of Reform Jewish teens across North America to engage in and create meaningful Jewish experiences with their unwavering support. On any given weekend throughout the year, hundreds – often thousands – of Reform Jewish teens gather with their local Temple Youth Group or NFTY region to engage in Jewish activities and events. They have the opportunity to understand their Jewish identity, create powerful relationships, and contribute to the present and future of Reform Judaism. Through enormous partnerships between temple youth groups and URJ congregations, these teens will learn from and develop relationships with vital role models. 

Jordan Rodnizki, NFTY Programming Vice President:  For the past three summers, I have had the pleasure of attending the URJ Kutz Camp. In my two years as a participant, I witnessed engaging programming, grappled with tenets of my Jewish identity, and formed relationships that will last a lifetime. In 2012, I had the opportunity to help provide this meaningful experience for a new batch of camp participants as a staff member. The program would not be possible without the help of Women of Reform Judaism and its YES (Youth, Education, and Special Projects) Fund Grants, which help to support teens needing financial assistance to attend.  Over the past thirty years, WRJ has made it possible for nearly 5,000 teens to attend my beloved Kutz camp.  I am forever indebted to the remarkable generosity of my sisters, mothers, grandmothers, and ancestors – for without them, I wouldn’t be the involved Jewish adult I am today.

Joy Nemerson, NFTY Social Action Vice President: I am privileged to not only have gone to one URJ camp, but two. I have called both Crane Lake Camp and Camp Eisner my homes for many summers. There are numerous people who are involved with supporting these wonderful establishments, and WRJ is one of the most ardent of supporters. Without their fervor for bringing the meaningful environment of Jewish camp to as many children as possible, the URJ camp community would be definitively less vibrant. Even through my high school years in NFTY, WRJ has provided many teens with opportunities similar to a camping experience by making scholarships available to events like Convention and Biennial. We are so lucky to have the WRJ as collaborators with NFTY.

Jacob Georginow, NFTY Religious and Cultural Vice President: At the recent NFTY Convention in Los Angeles, CA, I was highly impacted and inspired by the exciting and dynamic musical performances. Through WRJ’s gracious donations and contributions, NFTY Convention was able to pull out all the stops and create incredible musical experiences that united over 1,200 NFTYites and youth professionals in song and dance. Music plays a key role in almost every aspect of NFTY and to encourage young people to explore their musical identities as Jews is a true Mitzvah. Thank you to the WRJ for sponsoring their concert series at our major gatherings. You can watch footage of the recent concert here! 

Marlee Ribnick, NFTY Membership and Communications Vice President: WRJ programs have made a significant impact on my experience at my home congregation – Temple Israel of Minneapolis, MN. The women who were part of the Sisterhood at my synagogue always supported my TYG and our efforts in creating social, purposeful Jewish programming. In just the past year, the Women of Reform Judaism have given over $85,000 to NFTY and the Campaign for Youth Engagement in order to continue expanding and creating the opportunity for young Jewish individuals to explore and thrive. I’m deeply thankful to WRJ for laying the groundwork for such collaborative and supportive programs for Jews of all ages to be involved in.

Rebecca Wolchok, NFTY and Kutz Program Associate: When I think of Women of Reform Judaism, fond memories of my childhood at my hometown Synagogue of Beth Emeth in Albany, NY come rushing back. The Sisterhood was regularly responsible for the most cheerful, enjoyable activities of the year. Everything from Hamantashen baking to organized day trips to see off-Broadway shows – the Sisterhood was the driving force of all the fun. While I realize now that they create a diverse array of programming that far exceeds my memories as a child, in my youth I associated their presence with warmth, fun, and very often times, delicious food.

Throughout my teenage years, WRJ began to take on a different meaning in my life. Suddenly I was enjoying the full scope of their work, which included volunteer opportunities and sponsored cultural events. I spent all four years of high school as an active member of my Temple Youth Group, the support of the Sisterhood never wavered. They provided scholarships to aid many in attending our regional events, and enthusiastically volunteered as chaperones for our overnights. The presence of WRJ was felt in so many positive ways throughout my years in NFTY.

Now that I am a young adult working in the Reform Jewish world, I see the Sisterhood in a new (but equally endearing) light. I am overjoyed to be privy to the impact WRJ continues to have on the youth of the Reform Movement. On behalf of myself as well as the thousands of teens whom WRJ continues to enthusaistically support,  thank you. Thank you for working tirelessly in your quest to engage and enhance Reform Judaism for people of all ages. It is difficult to convey just how lucky we are as a movement to have a backbone as strong and resilient as you are – and we are excited to share a small glimpse into the many impacts you have made on NFTY and its leadership

On behalf of the NFTY Leadership, our more than 7,000 current members, and our countless thousands of alumni over the past 75 years, we wish Women of Reform Judaism a Happy 100^th Birthday!  Here’s to the next 100…

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By Rabbi Edwin Goldberg

Part One: Don’t “Bury the Lead,” or Why We Have Placed the Shofar Service into Three Parts of the Service

The traditional High Holy Day prayer book, as opposed to the Reform versions produced in the last century and more, includes a service, musaf, that evokes the ancient sacrifices.  Reform Judaism abandoned this service, due to its musty connotations of “barbarian” rites but a key element of this service on Rosh Hashanah, the sounding of the shofar was maintained.  Sounding of the shofar was retained no doubt because the very essence of Rosh Hashanah is bound up in the peal of the shofar.  Can you imagine Rosh Hashanah without it?

When our core editorial team for the new machzor first sat down to work on the book, and we began with Rosh Hashanah morning, we wanted to make sure that the essence of the day was front and center.  We all agreed that the shofar sounding was the most important element of the day for so many worshipers.  We realized that the placement of the shofar service, towards the end of the morning worship, left something to be desired.  After all why would something to integral to the morning be only introduced near the end? 

In journalism, this error is called “burying the lead.”  This is when a reporter waits too long to present the heart of the article.  Many years ago a small-town newspaper carried a headline about a hen that lay two-eggs at the same time.  This was newsworthy, of course.  Later on in the article we learn that another hen hypnotized a snake.  Were I the editor, I would have led with that headline!

I fear that, all too often, and especially when synagogues have to offer back-to-back Rosh Hashanah morning services, the shofar service, coming towards the end, is not presented with the beauty and poignancy it deserves.  As one cantor complains, at the end of the first morning service, as we are preparing for the sounding of the shofar, the executive director is standing at the back of the sanctuary, pointing at her watch.

The shofar deserves better, as do we.

As I will write about next week, the shofar service is more than sounding the shofar.  It features three themes, much like a classical sonata, which invite study and contemplation, if only there were the time.  Our new machzor allows the time because we have altered the shofar service in a dramatic way.

Our service takes the three themes of the shofar service and presents them in three different parts of the service, towards the beginning, in the middle, and close to the end.  The theme of God’s sovereignty appears near the “coronation of God” at the beginning of the service.  The theme of God’s remembering appears near the Torah reading where we read that God remembers Sarah.  And the theme of God’s redeeming the world comes near the end of our morning prayer, when we are contemplating renewal and improvement.

When we first announced this three-part presentation of the shofar service there was a great deal of resistance from colleagues.  First of all, they argued it was not traditional.  Our response was, ever since Reform Judaism took the musaf service away, that argument has lost its luster.  Second, some folks felt if people heard the shofar near the beginning, they would not stay for latter parts of the service (re: the sermon).  Our response: “Write better sermons!”

Over all, once piloting of Rosh Hashanah began in various congregations, people have been surprised and delighted by the change.

Next week I will explore in more depth the spiritual opportunities offered by a slower, more intentional reflection on the three themes of the shofar service.

Rabbi Edwin Goldberg has served as the senior rabbi of Temple Judea in Coral Gables since 1996. In July he will begin serving as the senior rabbi of Temple Sholom of Chicago. He is the coordinating editor of the forthcoming CCAR Machzor and is the author of five books. His newest book is, Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom on Making Room for What Matters Most.

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Title Galilee Diary: Independence Day I

By Rabbi Marc Rosenstein, 4/24/2013

• 
  

And the Lord said to Moses, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take heed to offer to me in its due season.'”
    –Numbers 28:1-2

When I spent a semester in Haifa in 1962 on NFTY’s EIE exchange program, Independence Day left a very strong impression on me. In the evening, the main street of the Hadar business district was filled with circles of people of all ages dancing the Horah, and a happy, carnival atmosphere prevailed. The next day we went to a military parade with air force flyovers. Over the years, the evening celebration has morphed into something a bit more formal and commercial. Municipalities throughout the country vie with each other to snag the most popular stars (at huge cost to the taxpayers) to perform on open stages. Our own local county government has avoided this by mounting an elaborate – yet modest – pageant involving local performers, dance troupes, etc. And of course, fireworks displays.

The military parades were discontinued years ago. There are, instead, open houses at various army bases – the air force and tank corps are especially popular. The parks are packed (unless it rains, like it did this year), less with nature hikers than with picnickers: Somehow, the ultimate symbolic observance of Yom Ha’atzma’ut has become the activity of grilling meat – generally on small portable barbecues, which, due to their poor design, require extensive fanning of the coals with a folded newspaper or piece of cardboard (hence, the slang for what one does on Yom Ha’atzma’ut: nafnaf, which means “fanning”). It might be possible to explain this custom as symbolic of the messianic restoration, when according to tradition the Temple will be rebuilt and animal sacrifices resumed. Could the pall of smoke hovering over our nature reserves on this day be a reminder of the smoke rising from the altar in Jerusalem? It seems to me that many of the people who find this prospect distasteful are the very same people who stand in line in the supermarket to stock up on steaks and kabobs to grill on Yom Ha’atzma’ut. In any case, that explanation seems a bit far-fetched, and we are left with no clear answer. Meanwhile, Israeli Arabs, many of whom harbor ambivalence (at least) toward Zionism, face a dilemma: Since they have the day off from work and school, is it OK to go out to a park and have a barbecue – or is that like an American Jew putting up a Christmas tree; is the celebration fraught with ideological meaning, or is it just a pleasant way to spend a spring day?

For the Zionist Orthodox, Yom Ha’atzma’ut is a religious holiday, and the observance of the day includes festive prayers in the synagogue, with the recitation of the Hallel Psalms that were reserved, before 1948, for biblical holidays and Chanukah. The State of Israel is, for this segment of the population, indeed the first stage of the messianic redemption, and hence has theological significance which demands liturgical recognition. It is a popular day for holding bar mitzvah celebrations, because it is one of the rare holidays when the Torah is read in a festive service, yet the restrictions of Shabbat and Yom Tov do not apply, so one can drive, barbecue, etc.

The main way to tell the difference between a Zionist Orthodox community and a non-Zionist one (what we usually call Charedi, or Ultra-Orthodox), is by looking at the liturgy for the morning of Yom Ha’atzma’ut: In the non-Zionist synagogue, the service is the regular weekday liturgy with no additions – because for this population, Yom Ha’atzma’ut is not a holiday; if anything, it is a day of sadness, as it symbolizes the secular attempt to force redemption – which only pushes it farther away.

It seems to me that the state is a gift to be celebrated. But as sometimes happens, the manufacturer forgot to pack the user manual, so we are left to trial and error. We should be grateful for the gift; sooner or later we’ll figure out how to operate it.

Galilee Diary: Independence Day I

Galilee Diary: In the Memory Bunker

Personal Journey: On Vacation and On Duty

The Juxtaposition of Extremes

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Title Galilee Diary: Independence Day I

By Rabbi Marc Rosenstein, 4/24/2013

• 
  

And the Lord said to Moses, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take heed to offer to me in its due season.'”
    –Numbers 28:1-2

When I spent a semester in Haifa in 1962 on NFTY’s EIE exchange program, Independence Day left a very strong impression on me. In the evening, the main street of the Hadar business district was filled with circles of people of all ages dancing the Horah, and a happy, carnival atmosphere prevailed. The next day we went to a military parade with air force flyovers. Over the years, the evening celebration has morphed into something a bit more formal and commercial. Municipalities throughout the country vie with each other to snag the most popular stars (at huge cost to the taxpayers) to perform on open stages. Our own local county government has avoided this by mounting an elaborate – yet modest – pageant involving local performers, dance troupes, etc. And of course, fireworks displays.

The military parades were discontinued years ago. There are, instead, open houses at various army bases – the air force and tank corps are especially popular. The parks are packed (unless it rains, like it did this year), less with nature hikers than with picnickers: Somehow, the ultimate symbolic observance of Yom Ha’atzma’ut has become the activity of grilling meat – generally on small portable barbecues, which, due to their poor design, require extensive fanning of the coals with a folded newspaper or piece of cardboard (hence, the slang for what one does on Yom Ha’atzma’ut: nafnaf, which means “fanning”). It might be possible to explain this custom as symbolic of the messianic restoration, when according to tradition the Temple will be rebuilt and animal sacrifices resumed. Could the pall of smoke hovering over our nature reserves on this day be a reminder of the smoke rising from the altar in Jerusalem? It seems to me that many of the people who find this prospect distasteful are the very same people who stand in line in the supermarket to stock up on steaks and kabobs to grill on Yom Ha’atzma’ut. In any case, that explanation seems a bit far-fetched, and we are left with no clear answer. Meanwhile, Israeli Arabs, many of whom harbor ambivalence (at least) toward Zionism, face a dilemma: Since they have the day off from work and school, is it OK to go out to a park and have a barbecue – or is that like an American Jew putting up a Christmas tree; is the celebration fraught with ideological meaning, or is it just a pleasant way to spend a spring day?

For the Zionist Orthodox, Yom Ha’atzma’ut is a religious holiday, and the observance of the day includes festive prayers in the synagogue, with the recitation of the Hallel Psalms that were reserved, before 1948, for biblical holidays and Chanukah. The State of Israel is, for this segment of the population, indeed the first stage of the messianic redemption, and hence has theological significance which demands liturgical recognition. It is a popular day for holding bar mitzvah celebrations, because it is one of the rare holidays when the Torah is read in a festive service, yet the restrictions of Shabbat and Yom Tov do not apply, so one can drive, barbecue, etc.

The main way to tell the difference between a Zionist Orthodox community and a non-Zionist one (what we usually call Charedi, or Ultra-Orthodox), is by looking at the liturgy for the morning of Yom Ha’atzma’ut: In the non-Zionist synagogue, the service is the regular weekday liturgy with no additions – because for this population, Yom Ha’atzma’ut is not a holiday; if anything, it is a day of sadness, as it symbolizes the secular attempt to force redemption – which only pushes it farther away.

It seems to me that the state is a gift to be celebrated. But as sometimes happens, the manufacturer forgot to pack the user manual, so we are left to trial and error. We should be grateful for the gift; sooner or later we’ll figure out how to operate it.

Galilee Diary: Independence Day I

Galilee Diary: In the Memory Bunker

Personal Journey: On Vacation and On Duty

The Juxtaposition of Extremes

By Rabbi Jon Adland

I remember this as if it were yesterday. The year was 1966 and the season was spring.  My father secretly arranged to pick up his children, the four of us, at three different schools, and take us to Washington Hebrew Congregation’s closing Sisterhood luncheon. Though I wasn’t totally in the loop, what I understood was that my mother—Marilyn Friend Adland—was going to be installed as president of WHC’s Sisterhood. Though I didn’t know it then, but I do now, WHC’s Sisterhood was one of the first in our Reform Jewish movement and my mom was going to be the president of this Sisterhood. My father, unbeknownst to my mother, was bringing us to witness this moment and, obviously, it left a lasting impression on me even if I had very little idea what Sisterhood was or what my mom was doing.

It didn’t take long to figure out that this was something special. My mother was now on the synagogue’s board of directors, she was getting lots of phone calls, there was always a pile of papers by the phone in the kitchen that belonged to her, and she was going to sit on the bimah at some future time. She took her position seriously. I was so proud of my mom, but her role in Sisterhood didn’t end there as she went on to leadership in District 7 (I think it was called), and the National Federation of Temple Sisterhood’s Board. As an NFTS Board member living in DC, she was asked to be a part of the initial organization to be called the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights in 1973. This position left a lasting impression on me as for 25 years I have served my local and the national Planned Parenthood loyally. I should add that she served a second term as WHC’s Sisterhood president and many years on the WHC board. We even attended the 1971 Biennial in LA together.  I was a youth delegate and she was attending the NFTS convention.

When I arrived at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, OH, in the fall of 1977, I learned that the dorm was called the Sisterhood Dorm and though I didn’t reside there, I always took great pride in knowing that the building was connected to my mom in some way. NFTS supported the students in a number of ways including scholarships that so many of us received.

When the organization’s name changed to Women of Reform Judaism in 1993, it also reflected the next generation of Reform Jewish women who worked to support their congregations, religious schools, and a number of Tikkun Olam projects around the globe. This Sisterhood belongs to my wife Sandy who served as president of the Temple Adath Israel, Lexington, KY, Sisterhood, and for many years held numerous positions on the district board including her current office as 1^st Vice President of Central District. A little over two years ago, Sandy was elected to serve on the WRJ Board.  Such pride I had in her and only wished my mother had been alive to see this changing of the guard. And now, in another year and a half, Sandy will assume the presidency of Central District.

No matter which congregation I have served, Sisterhood/WRJ has been there to support my rabbinate and is intimately involved in my life. The WRJ women are our pillar of strength and a source of our spirituality. Every Sisterhood Shabbat I have witnessed, every program they have created and worked on, everything the Women of Reform Judaism does helps make the world a better place and Reform Judaism a better movement. The women don’t put on white gloves and pour coffee or tea or hold monthly luncheons like they use to; some do, but the Women of Reform Judaism today serve to strengthen our movement, our camps, our religious schools, and our Reform Jewish lives. Their work makes my rabbinate better.

Sisterhood didn’t begin in our family with my mother. Casually she once remarked to me that her mother—Sylvia Weiler Friend of Lincoln, NE—had been that congregation’s Sisterhood president once too. My two sisters are active in Sisterhood and I hope that someday my daughter will be part of the WRJ that is yet to come. NFTS/WRJ/Sisterhood is a part of who I am and, I truly believe, that without the Sisterhood presence in my home, I may not have become what I am today. From Sylvia to Marilyn to Sandy, the Women of Reform Judaism enriched and enriches my life today.

Rabbi Jon Adland currently serves Temple Israel of Canton, OH.  He currently serves as one of three Reform Rabbis on the Clergy Advisory Board to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and lovingly and spiritually has supported his wife Sandy on her WRJ journey.  

By Rabbi Jon Adland

I remember this as if it were yesterday. The year was 1966 and the season was spring.  My father secretly arranged to pick up his children, the four of us, at three different schools, and take us to Washington Hebrew Congregation’s closing Sisterhood luncheon. Though I wasn’t totally in the loop, what I understood was that my mother—Marilyn Friend Adland—was going to be installed as president of WHC’s Sisterhood. Though I didn’t know it then, but I do now, WHC’s Sisterhood was one of the first in our Reform Jewish movement and my mom was going to be the president of this Sisterhood. My father, unbeknownst to my mother, was bringing us to witness this moment and, obviously, it left a lasting impression on me even if I had very little idea what Sisterhood was or what my mom was doing.

It didn’t take long to figure out that this was something special. My mother was now on the synagogue’s board of directors, she was getting lots of phone calls, there was always a pile of papers by the phone in the kitchen that belonged to her, and she was going to sit on the bimah at some future time. She took her position seriously. I was so proud of my mom, but her role in Sisterhood didn’t end there as she went on to leadership in District 7 (I think it was called), and the National Federation of Temple Sisterhood’s Board. As an NFTS Board member living in DC, she was asked to be a part of the initial organization to be called the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights in 1973. This position left a lasting impression on me as for 25 years I have served my local and the national Planned Parenthood loyally. I should add that she served a second term as WHC’s Sisterhood president and many years on the WHC board. We even attended the 1971 Biennial in LA together.  I was a youth delegate and she was attending the NFTS convention.

When I arrived at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, OH, in the fall of 1977, I learned that the dorm was called the Sisterhood Dorm and though I didn’t reside there, I always took great pride in knowing that the building was connected to my mom in some way. NFTS supported the students in a number of ways including scholarships that so many of us received.

When the organization’s name changed to Women of Reform Judaism in 1993, it also reflected the next generation of Reform Jewish women who worked to support their congregations, religious schools, and a number of Tikkun Olam projects around the globe. This Sisterhood belongs to my wife Sandy who served as president of the Temple Adath Israel, Lexington, KY, Sisterhood, and for many years held numerous positions on the district board including her current office as 1^st Vice President of Central District. A little over two years ago, Sandy was elected to serve on the WRJ Board.  Such pride I had in her and only wished my mother had been alive to see this changing of the guard. And now, in another year and a half, Sandy will assume the presidency of Central District.

No matter which congregation I have served, Sisterhood/WRJ has been there to support my rabbinate and is intimately involved in my life. The WRJ women are our pillar of strength and a source of our spirituality. Every Sisterhood Shabbat I have witnessed, every program they have created and worked on, everything the Women of Reform Judaism does helps make the world a better place and Reform Judaism a better movement. The women don’t put on white gloves and pour coffee or tea or hold monthly luncheons like they use to; some do, but the Women of Reform Judaism today serve to strengthen our movement, our camps, our religious schools, and our Reform Jewish lives. Their work makes my rabbinate better.

Sisterhood didn’t begin in our family with my mother. Casually she once remarked to me that her mother—Sylvia Weiler Friend of Lincoln, NE—had been that congregation’s Sisterhood president once too. My two sisters are active in Sisterhood and I hope that someday my daughter will be part of the WRJ that is yet to come. NFTS/WRJ/Sisterhood is a part of who I am and, I truly believe, that without the Sisterhood presence in my home, I may not have become what I am today. From Sylvia to Marilyn to Sandy, the Women of Reform Judaism enriched and enriches my life today.

Rabbi Jon Adland currently serves Temple Israel of Canton, OH.  He currently serves as one of three Reform Rabbis on the Clergy Advisory Board to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and lovingly and spiritually has supported his wife Sandy on her WRJ journey.  

By Rabbi Jon Adland

I remember this as if it were yesterday. The year was 1966 and the season was spring.  My father secretly arranged to pick up his children, the four of us, at three different schools, and take us to Washington Hebrew Congregation’s closing Sisterhood luncheon. Though I wasn’t totally in the loop, what I understood was that my mother—Marilyn Friend Adland—was going to be installed as president of WHC’s Sisterhood. Though I didn’t know it then, but I do now, WHC’s Sisterhood was one of the first in our Reform Jewish movement and my mom was going to be the president of this Sisterhood. My father, unbeknownst to my mother, was bringing us to witness this moment and, obviously, it left a lasting impression on me even if I had very little idea what Sisterhood was or what my mom was doing.

It didn’t take long to figure out that this was something special. My mother was now on the synagogue’s board of directors, she was getting lots of phone calls, there was always a pile of papers by the phone in the kitchen that belonged to her, and she was going to sit on the bimah at some future time. She took her position seriously. I was so proud of my mom, but her role in Sisterhood didn’t end there as she went on to leadership in District 7 (I think it was called), and the National Federation of Temple Sisterhood’s Board. As an NFTS Board member living in DC, she was asked to be a part of the initial organization to be called the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights in 1973. This position left a lasting impression on me as for 25 years I have served my local and the national Planned Parenthood loyally. I should add that she served a second term as WHC’s Sisterhood president and many years on the WHC board. We even attended the 1971 Biennial in LA together.  I was a youth delegate and she was attending the NFTS convention.

When I arrived at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, OH, in the fall of 1977, I learned that the dorm was called the Sisterhood Dorm and though I didn’t reside there, I always took great pride in knowing that the building was connected to my mom in some way. NFTS supported the students in a number of ways including scholarships that so many of us received.

When the organization’s name changed to Women of Reform Judaism in 1993, it also reflected the next generation of Reform Jewish women who worked to support their congregations, religious schools, and a number of Tikkun Olam projects around the globe. This Sisterhood belongs to my wife Sandy who served as president of the Temple Adath Israel, Lexington, KY, Sisterhood, and for many years held numerous positions on the district board including her current office as 1^st Vice President of Central District. A little over two years ago, Sandy was elected to serve on the WRJ Board.  Such pride I had in her and only wished my mother had been alive to see this changing of the guard. And now, in another year and a half, Sandy will assume the presidency of Central District.

No matter which congregation I have served, Sisterhood/WRJ has been there to support my rabbinate and is intimately involved in my life. The WRJ women are our pillar of strength and a source of our spirituality. Every Sisterhood Shabbat I have witnessed, every program they have created and worked on, everything the Women of Reform Judaism does helps make the world a better place and Reform Judaism a better movement. The women don’t put on white gloves and pour coffee or tea or hold monthly luncheons like they use to; some do, but the Women of Reform Judaism today serve to strengthen our movement, our camps, our religious schools, and our Reform Jewish lives. Their work makes my rabbinate better.

Sisterhood didn’t begin in our family with my mother. Casually she once remarked to me that her mother—Sylvia Weiler Friend of Lincoln, NE—had been that congregation’s Sisterhood president once too. My two sisters are active in Sisterhood and I hope that someday my daughter will be part of the WRJ that is yet to come. NFTS/WRJ/Sisterhood is a part of who I am and, I truly believe, that without the Sisterhood presence in my home, I may not have become what I am today. From Sylvia to Marilyn to Sandy, the Women of Reform Judaism enriched and enriches my life today.

Rabbi Jon Adland currently serves Temple Israel of Canton, OH.  He currently serves as one of three Reform Rabbis on the Clergy Advisory Board to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and lovingly and spiritually has supported his wife Sandy on her WRJ journey.  

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