Jane Taves

Photo of Jane Taves

Jane Taves is the WRJ Vice President of Engagement. She is an active member of Temple Beth El in Madison, Wisconsin, where she serves on the sisterhood Executive Board and the congregation Executive Committee.

Jane has been a member of the WRJ North American Board since 2013. She also serves as a trustee on the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) North American Board and is a member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) Executive Board. She has a passion for WRJ, the Reform Movement, and Global Jewry.

Jane is retired from a career in healthcare software at Epic Systems, where she was one of the founding members. Over the years at Epic, her roles included software development, project implementation, and sales.

Along with her volunteer work, Jane greatly enjoys theater, opera, and worldwide travel. She has one adult daughter and one grand dog.

Wilkenfeld WRJ Leaders in Jerusalem
Experiencing Israel

Connecting with Women from Around the World

Jane Taves
In a classroom in Jerusalem, 15 remarkable women came together. They had traveled from around the world: from Australia, Argentina, Poland, Hungary, the UK, and Israel. Joined by four WRJ leaders from North America, and our educator from Israel, this was the WRJ Wilkenfeld International Women’s Leadership Seminar 2023. 
This Week's Torah Portion
Vayishlach

Parashat Vayishlach 

Jane Taves
How many family rifts have we witnessed in our lives, over far less serious wrongs than those suffered by Esau, and how often are the family members unable to find this forgiveness? And in our larger world, how many conflicts are we witnessing between nations, political beliefs, religions, and even streams of Judaism? Forgiveness and reconciliation are in short supply right now. What can we learn from the decisions that Esau makes in this parashah?
Wilkenfeld Seminar 2018
Purim

Let Us Be Like Esther and Elena

Jane Taves
Micaela Sheinhait
In June 2018, twenty-three women converged in Jerusalem for WRJ's Wilkenfeld International Women's Leadership Seminar. One of the women was Elena Izmailova of Ukraine. Last month, these women reached out to Elena who lives in Odesa to check in on her. This story is what the term sisterhood is all about. Read more about Elena here. 
This Week's Torah Portion
Mishpatim

Parashah Mishpatim

Jane Taves

And just like that, this week’s parashah is “Mishpatim.” It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating Simchat Torah, beginning the cycle of reading the Torah again. And here we are, well into the book of Exodus.