Shari Carruthers

P2P is a well-studied concept. We know it works! Studies show that the funds raised from P2P are usually double that of traditional fundraising. The easier you make it for people to fundraise, the more they’ll do it. Sometimes people just need a reason to say yes. We encourage you to share your areas of interest so we can support you in this endeavor. We hope this article can help you to brainstorm expanding fundraising efforts, whether on behalf of your women’s group or individual accomplishments.

As I enter the High Holy Days, it is a time each year for self-reflection. What are the good deeds I’ve done this year? Have I been a good person to those around me? What lessons have I learned from my mistakes? Whom have I hurt with my words or actions?  Have I kept my personal commitments as a Jew to my friends, family, and community? Have I lived “Jewishly” according to God’s commandments?

This D’var Torah focuses on legacy and inheritance. Women’s roles are in procreation and supporting their husbands and family. We weren’t part of inheritance decision making. Having a male child was essential in passing on the family’s assets consisting of land, animals, and any other valuables to the next generation. G*d appeared to Abraham through three emissaries saying “Rest assured that I will return to you in this time next year, and your wife, Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah and Abraham are old and this feels like a joke at first for Sarah considering her age. At this point, Abraham has a son, Ishmael, by the slave girl, Hagar. From this reading, it’s important to G*d for Abraham’s descendants to be by Sarah as well. It’s not until later in the Torah that daughters are even considered to receive an inheritance from their fathers.

This Mother’s Day will be even more significant to me this year. My mother, Maxine Rogo, was the parent who impacted my Jewish journey to WRJ. She drove me to religious school and insisted I study for my Bat Mitzvah. She dragged me to the temple kitchen to