fredi Bleeker Franks

Photo of woman with blond hair and wearing a white shirt and an orange sweater
Women of Reform Judaism

fredi Bleeker Franks serves as the Chair of RAC-TX. She belongs to Congregation Emanu El in Houston, TX where she volunteers on the congregation’s Social Justice Core Team and is the congregation’s Education VP. She is the e-news coordinator for WRJ Today, and was a long-time board member of the Women of Reform Judaism. She is currently a member of the Committee on Social Action and the URJ North American Board. In addition to those volunteer activities, fredi is a volunteer/docent at the Holocaust Museum Houston. She lives in Houston with her husband Paul and their pandemic puppy Tillman.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams
Voices of WRJ

Parashat Vayeishev

fredi Bleeker Franks
 December 16, 2022
Over the years, I have heard so many stories of women who had big dreams for themselves, their families, and yes, even their women’s groups, but had let them go because they were told to be realistic and get their heads out of the clouds. They were told that their dreams would never come true. During those conversations, I encouraged those women to revisit their dreams. I told them that, as with our friend Joseph, dreams could be connections with God and our most authentic selves, and we owe it to ourselves to try to make them come true.
Sukkot

Parashat Chol HaMo-eid Sukkot

fredi Bleeker Franks
 October 14, 2022
I love the rituals and prayers of Shabbat – the Shabbat candles, the smell of challah baking that permeates my house, closing my eyes and imagining the words of the Shema swirling around me like a giant tallit. Why does the Hashkiveinu appeal to me so much? On Sunday night, after Erev Rosh Hashana services, I took my glass of wine outside and looked up at the stars, determined to find an answer to my question. As I gazed at that beautiful blanket of stars, I understood why that prayer is so meaningful to me. 
This Week's Torah Portion
Va-eira

Parashah Va-eira

fredi Bleeker Franks
 December 31, 2021
I remember reading this story over and over when I was young. I remember it, of course, as the centerpiece of our family seder, when I would ask my mother “Why didn’t they just run away when they had the chance?” My mother had no answers for me. She just sighed and said that maybe someday I would understand. She told me that sometimes people lost all hope and that they were blind to the possibilities around them. As I get older and wiser, I think I am beginning to understand.
Torah scroll
Voices of WRJ

Parashah D'varim

fredi Bleeker Franks
 July 16, 2021

 

Try to imagine Moses as he stands with the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan looking into the Promised Land; the land he will not be allowed to enter.