Our Social Justice
By Sharon Sobel , 6/06/2019
The outstanding success of last month’s inaugural Women of Reform Social Justice Conference (SJC) can be measured in myriad ways: the intriguing workshops, elegant Shabbat services, networking with friends, YES fundraising, and engaging plenaries. Appropriately, and in keeping with the theme of tikkun olam, the attendees were not given program books and a dozen flyers at registration but were asked to upload all conference materials to an app. Throughout SJC and continuing through the Religious Action Center’s Consultation on Conscience that followed, we received reminders about places to go... Read More
By Andrea Stillman, 4/01/2019
This blog is adapted from a women’s empowerment event focused on the gender wage gap at Temple Rodef Shalom in Vienna, Virginia. 2019 – Next year we will celebrate the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Today, women are graduating from college and earning advanced degrees at a higher rate than males. We have women role models in prestigious jobs including a significant increase of women in Congress. And since 2016, women in the military have served in combat. Yet, the Equal Rights Amendment that was introduced by Alice Paul in 1923 and... Read More
By Alyson Malinger, 3/07/2019
As our mission statement says, Women of Reform Judaism is dedicated to creating caring communities, nurturing congregations, and cultivating personal and spiritual growth. We achieve these goals by using our collective voice to speak up and advocate for change. I was given the immense honor of representing WRJ in the U.S. Capitol last week as we celebrated the 9th annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD). JDAD is an opportunity for professionals and lay leaders from Jewish organizations and diverse communities from around the United States to come to Capitol Hill and advocate with,... Read More
By Ally Karpel, 1/31/2019
The #10YearChallenge gained widespread traction on social media this month. This catchy Facebook trend calls for users to post posting two side by side photos of themselves — one from 2009 and another from 2019 — to show how much they’ve changed in the last decade. My newsfeed has been flooded with friends, teachers, and acquaintances alike who were eager to participate in this silly, yet somehow intriguing, online craze. The enthusiasm around the trend encouraged me to reflect on what else has changed over the past decade of my life. Ten years ago, I was preparing for my Bat Mitzvah,... Read More
By Karen Goldberg, 1/23/2019
In this past week's Torah portion, Parashat Beshellach, we read about the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites' escape from slavery, and the miraculous parting of the Sea of Reeds. We chant the Song of the Sea - the song of triumph and joy Moses, Miriam, and all the Israelites sing as they begin their march toward the Promised Land. As we know, there will be controversies along the way, as the Israelites struggle to become a nation. But for this moment in time, they celebrate their new freedom with great hope for their future. As I marched through the streets of downtown Walnut Creek this... Read More
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