Finding Leadership in Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Social Justice

My WRJ Leadership journey can be summed up by the three pillars of WRJ: sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice.

Sisterhood:

My Jewish journey began when I said “yes” to membership in the Temple Beth El Sisterhood in South Bend, Indiana. My husband and I joined the small Reform temple a couple of years after we arrived in South Bend. We had agreed to raise our children in the Jewish religion and our first son was approaching school age, so we became members. When a sisterhood member called me to ask if I could help with clean-up after an upcoming bar mitzvah ceremony, I said sure, without thinking about the consequences. I had not anticipated that, over the next 25+ years, I would receive a Jewish education alongside my sons! TBE Sisterhood welcomed me from the start, and I am grateful for the experiences we have shared and all I have learned during these years.

After living a Jewish life and creating a Jewish home for about eight years, I converted to Judaism in 2006. I had been an active member of sisterhood since that first volunteer opportunity, so it may not be surprising that I agreed to take on the sisterhood president role two years after my conversion. For the two years that I led TBE Sisterhood, I continued to deepen my understanding of what sisterhood means to a congregation and was formally introduced to Women of Reform Judaism. WRJ was presented as a resource and an inspiration to the work we do in our local women's group, so I then attended my first WRJ leadership conference and District convention. Once I completed my term as president, I wondered what I could do to continue learning about Judaism and giving back to the community. My Rabbi suggested that I apply to the WRJ Board of Directors. I personally thought this would be a stretch at the time, but a close friend agreed to nominate me. I thought it would be enlightening. I was right!

Spirituality:

This section of my journey includes experiences in leadership training, spiritual expression, and challenges addressed while leading, all under the heading of spirituality because taking this path has truly deepened my spiritual identity as a Reform Jew. WRJ Board service has been an amazing adventure in learning. Shortly after my installation onto the WRJ North American Board of Directors in 2013, I discovered that this automatically made me a member of the Executive Committee of my district. For the next two terms, I held the position of Vice President of Development, an area I had little experience in when I accepted the position. By the end of those four years, I had gained an immense understanding of the many ways the districts help support their affiliated women's groups while empowering the voices of Reform Jewish women throughout North America and across the globe. Everything we do is rooted in the Torah's concept of tikkun olam, our personal responsibility to address the wrongs in our world. One way we work for progressive change is through our philanthropy. In WRJ, philanthropy is spelled "YES" for Youth, Education and Special Projects, and every year our funds provide support for programs and projects that promise to make our world a better place. Throughout my service on both the North American Board and the Midwest, now Heartland, District Board, I have also acquired an extensive amount of leadership training through the many workshops and programs presented at conferences, conventions, board meetings, trainings led by the inspiring women, both staff and volunteer members, who make up WRJ leadership.  

My spiritual growth has been profound throughout my WRJ journey. I had always enjoyed the weekend of services in South Bend, the calming influence of Friday night, and the joyful inspiration of Saturday morning Torah reading. Being a small congregation, we only had a student cantor visit one weekend every other month. Then, I attended my first district retreat at OSRUI (Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute), the URJ camp in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; 50+ women sung the familiar songs of Friday night and Saturday services, guided by a young song leader, inspiring D'Var Torah by District Leaders, prayers chosen by our ritual chair and read by new friends from across our district. The emotional power of it all had me coming back to events whenever I could. Going to larger WRJ services at conferences, meetings, and conventions took the impact of my first retreat experience to a power of 10! Eventually, I found myself writing my own D'Var Torah for my sisterhood Shabbats and then for district events as well.  

In the fall of 2020, I was installed as President of WRJ’s Midwest District. While the COVID-19 pandemic tried to limit human interaction, we at WRJ made the pivot to virtual programming on Zoom! My installation and convention were abbreviated yet meaningful and was attended by almost double the usual number since there were no fees to attend and could be watched from home. My term as District President continued to be unusual when I was asked, along with then-Central District President Liz McOsker, to oversee the consolidation of the Midwest and Central Districts. Liz and I worked closely together, with dozens of other WRJ leaders, to create the new Heartland District, doubling the geographic area and expanding the number of affiliated women's groups to nearly 50. Our work didn't stop with the consolidation. As Immediate Past Presidents, Liz and I are co-chairs on several committees together. A special surprise along my WRJ leadership journey has been the many friendships I have made with intelligent, dedicated, fun women who share my Jewish values and interests.

Social Justice:

WRJ has a long history of speaking out on social justice issues that especially affect women and children. Our resolutions and statements date back to the founding in 1913, and we are often the first to tackle social justice issues in public policies. At this moment, social justice work has become essential to my own wellbeing. WRJ provides me with many opportunities to learn and act in these difficult times. In 2017, as a Board member, I worked on a resolution condemning child marriage laws in the US. After my term as District President, I was invited to co-chair the 2024 Resolutions committee with Leslie Brier. Our committee published two resolutions, one on reaffirming our commitment to reproductive health and rights post-Dobbs, and the other on preventing gun violence against women. All of the WRJ resolutions have both education (what is the issue and why is it important to us) and action (what can we do about it) components and are available on the WRJ website. In 2025, I joined Liz McOsker as co-chair of the Education to Action (E2A) committee and our members are currently working with WRJ VP of Social Justice Michelle Sheinkopf, and WRJ Social Justice Manager Rena Crawford on programs-in-a-box for the WRJ Day of Action, April 12, 2026. These resources will be available on the Day of Action page of the WRJ website for women's groups and individual members to use when planning their programs for this day of advocacy work throughout our membership.  

Other WRJ leadership and social justice resources I have taken advantage of include the Just For This podcast series by WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch; the Social Justice Conferences held in Washington, D.C. (2 held so far); the Fried Women's Conferences (our flagship gathering), District Conventions, and many Zoom programs on everything including Israeli history and culture, Jewish Food, self-care topics, leadership challenges, and entertainment! I also went on a WRJ Civil Rights Journey bus tour to Georgia and Alabama, and a WRJ mission trip to Israel to visit with some of the recipients of WRJ YES Fund for the work they do to insure an egalitarian and democratic Israel.

I have certainly come a long way on my Jewish journey since I said “yes” to my local sisterhood as a "new Jew" and stepped into the world of WRJ opportunities. I am truly grateful for the knowledge, friendships, experiences, fun, and the chance to make a difference. I have found WRJ to be a great place to grow and give back.