
LUNAR Collective Fellows meeting in Los Angeles, CA (Photo from The LUNAR Collective)
By definition, an honor roll is a list of the names of people who are celebrated for something they have done, such as doing very well in a sport or in school. For example, if you study hard, you can make your school’s honor roll.
Honor roll in WRJ world has a broader, more encompassing meaning. We celebrate your sisterhood or women's group when they earn a place on the WRJ YES Fund Honor Roll.
How, you ask? WRJ YES Fund Honor Roll recognizes sisterhoods and women's groups who have gone above and beyond in their YES Fund donations. All donations made by members of a sisterhood or women’s group are credited to the group’s honor roll status.
Three levels of honor—Chai Honor, Special Merit, and Honor—have been established. Roll of Honor is recognized at $5 per member, the Special Merit Honor Level at $10 per member, and the Chai Honor Level is reached at $18 per member.
Contributions to the YES Fund support WRJ’s philanthropic endeavors to nurture the leaders of today and tomorrow in the Jewish community, reaching people at a local, national, and global level. In 2024-25, with $300,500 in grant allocations, WRJ provided 28 grants to Jewish organizations around the world, including:
- Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) scholarships to rabbinic, cantorial and education professional students in the United States and Israel.
- Jewish Plays Project - MULTITUDES, an initiative to ensure increased collaboration with playwrights who reflect the diversity of the Jewish community.
- Leo Baeck Education Center - Arab-Jewish summer camp which brings together Arab and Jewish families for week-long programming that promotes cross-cultural understanding and friendship.
WRJ remains dedicated to the future of the Reform Jewish Movement by supporting camp programs, teen leadership development, and egalitarian and emergency funding to Israel.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) also continues to be a foremost priority for WRJ. This year, WRJ funded nine organizations in North America, including renewing grants for The LUNAR Collective and Jewtina y Co. for their new initiatives supporting an Asian Jewish Community Fellowship and the formation of a Latina Rabbinic Council, respectively.
In addition to YES Fund donations, WRJ is excited to share our newly designed Uniongrams and classic Goldengrams qualify as YES Fund contributions and count toward honor roll. These branded notecards are available for purchase by placing an order by phone at 212-650-4050 or sending an email to info@wrj.org.
Your support of the YES Fund as individuals and as members of sisterhoods and women’s groups is vital to WRJ’s continued philanthropy throughout the Reform Jewish Movement and beyond.
If your sisterhood or women’s group is looking to achieve Honor Roll, we hope you will consider a donation, or host a virtual, in-person, or hybrid event/fundraiser to meet one of the above Honor Roll levels. Doing so not only increases the engagement of your sisterhood members, but also reinforces the cultivation of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice, all core to WRJ’s mission.
Honor roll status reports will be sent this February to your sisterhood so you can track your progress. Honor roll is evaluated on a fiscal year basis, meaning you have until June 30, 2025, to make our list! Looking to learn about the ways to host a YES Fund fundraiser and event? Please reach out to WRJ YES Fund North American Chair Deb Lelchuk at deblelchuk@gmail.com. If you have general questions about the YES Fund, reach out to Rachel Gebeloff, WRJ Philanthropy Manager at rgebeloff@wrj.org.
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