Michelle Rosen

Michelle Rosen headshot
WRJ Board Member
Women of Reform Judaism


Michelle Rosen is a WRJ Board member and is the Co-Chair of Film, Fiction & Fine Wine. She serves as the VP of Social Advocacy for the Northeast District and is the President of the Sisterhood of B'nai Israel. She is the community liaison for the Middlebury and Southbury (CT) Equity and Inclusion Council and is one of the founders of an intergenerational chorus called ‘COSMIC’ (Communities of Southbury And Middlebury Intergenerational Chorus). Michelle is also the mother of two wonderful daughters.

This Week's Torah Portion
Social Justice

Parashat Pinchas

Michelle Rosen
As we read this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Pinchas, we are reminded that women have always needed to assert themselves to be treated equally. The five daughters in this parashah decided to stand up for their beliefs, challenge tradition, and suggest the creation of a more impartial law. It is extremely important to note that only a few women are named in the Torah, and each of these five sisters had a name. They are Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. We should also mention that in the Bible, these five daughters appear on three different occasions (Numbers 27 and 36 and Joshua 17). Each time they are together, it denotes not only their importance but likewise the importance of ‘sisterhood.’
This Week's Torah Portion
Chayei Sarah

Parashah Chayei Sarah

Michelle Rosen
Parashah Chayei Sarah resonated with me in ways I never thought could be possible from a biblical story. I truly wondered how a story thousands of years old could relate to my life today, and how it would resonate.  The parashah name, which when translated actually means the ‘Life of Sarah’, is quite ironic because this parashah is not really about Sarah’s life but about her death, or is it?