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.

Voices of WRJ: Parashat Korach

fredi Bleeker Franks

In this week’s parashah, Korach, Moses’s cousin, and his followers lead a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God punishes the rebels by burying them and their families alive. The people blame Moses and Aaron for bringing death to the rebels. Once again, God brings a plague on the people and so the chief of each tribe deposits his staff inside the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s staff brings forth sprouts, produces blossoms, and bears almonds. The Kohanim and Levites are established and assigned the responsibility of managing the donations to the Sanctuary. This is the third time that I have delved into the story of Korach and this time, I found different meaning about how to handle conflicts and reach a consensus that works for all.

Voices of WRJ

Social Media Inspires New Passover Traditions

fredi Bleeker Franks

Passover! The word strikes terror in the hearts of many. What will I eat? What–no bread? And how will I get through the (boring) Seder? I love Passover. For one thing, my house is the cleanest it gets all year. Silver gets polished, tablecloths ironed, and the refrigerator and stove are scrubbed. For another, I pull out all of the old family recipes–chicken soup, brisket, and charoses. The house smells wonderful!

Voices of WRJ: Parashat Korach

fredi Bleeker Franks

In preparation for this week’s message, I re-read Parashat Korach (Numbers16:1−18:32). As I read, I was reminded of the preparation for my adult Bat Mitzvah, which occurred on this same parashah. How interesting that the verses in Korach which caught my attention almost 15 years ago are not the same ones which resonate with me today.

Voices of WRJ

Challah Recipe Creates Holiday Memories

fredi Bleeker Franks

As I was leaving the JCC one night following a meeting where we discussed, among other things, reaching out to new populations, I received a text message from my son.

WRJ: Working to Make the World a Little More Fair

fredi Bleeker Franks

This week’s Torah portion, Pinchas (Numbers 25:10 – 30:1), picks up where last week’s portion, Balak, leaves off. In last week’s portion, Pinchas followed an Israelite “notable” and a Midianite woman into their tent and murdered them.  In the beginning of this week’s portion, named for Pinchas, we learn that he was rewarded with hereditary priesthood. Pinchas’s story presents an interesting dilemma for modern readers to wrestle with. Yet it didn’t shout at me “write about this!” so I read on. The parashah continues with the taking of a census of every male over twenty. The purpose of the census was to divide the land which the Israelites were going to enter. It is in this parashah that we learn of Zelophehad’s five daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Micah, and Tirzah, who challenged the patriarchal system and gained their rightful share of the land as their father’s inheritance. These were smart women – they knew that their request was outside of the norm, and that Moses would have to ask God for the answer to their petition. They believed in the fairness of God’s laws, and had faith that the answer would be favorable.