Seeing Sisterhood in Action

Even though I have been home since the evening of April 7, I am still energized from my experiences at the first Rabbi Marla J. Feldman Social Justice Conference (SJC)! This conference was an amazing experience; the spirituality, the sisterhood, and the learning all contributed to an incredible four days, the culmination of which was going to Capitol Hill on Monday morning to lobby our senators and representatives. This experience has inspired me to become more involved in both WRJ and social justice.

Preparation for attending the SJC began a few weeks before the conference actually began. We were sent information regarding the three issues that were identified by WRJ as the causes we were to learn about and lobby for:  reproductive rights, Israel, and democracy. There was a Zoom session which introduced us to lobbying ahead of the conference. I had never before thought that lobbying is in our Jewish heritage! Abraham lobbied G-d regarding how many “good people” had to be found in Sodom and Gomorrah in order for G-d not to destroy the cities. Moses lobbied Pharoah to “Let My People Go.” I had never thought of these stories from the Bible as lobbying! The Zoom also taught us that a good lobbyist is prepared, professional, polite, and persuasive. We were taught the format for a lobbying session and also sent “talking points” regarding each of the three issues. I am in awe of those who planned and prepared the attendees for the conference. I truly felt knowledgeable and prepared when I arrived in D.C.!

When I arrived at the hotel on Friday afternoon, I checked in to the conference, received a lovely WRJ tote bag full of swag, saw the many exhibitor booths to visit, and attended choir rehearsal for those of us who had volunteered to sing in the Shabbat Choir (we also had two Zoom choir rehearsals before SJC – again, great preparation!). I attended a WRJ first-timer meet ‘n greet for first timers like me, where we played a fun icebreaker bingo game that helped us to meet new friends who had similar interests as our own. We then gathered in the large room, where Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch, CEO of WRJ, and the co-chairs of SJC welcomed us all to SJC and overviewed what we should expect over the next few days. This was followed by a lovely Shabbat dinner and then Kabbalat Shabbat services.  

Spirituality is very important to me. The spirituality that I experienced and FELT during this conference still gives me goosebumps whenever I think of it! There were 200+ women singing and praying together Friday night and Saturday morning. And when almost all of these women spontaneously got up from their seats and held hands and danced to “Miriam’s Song” – all I can say is WOW! It was so powerful! It gave me an incredible feeling of sisterhood and belonging! I saw a photo of myself that the photographer took while I was dancing – I have the most joyful grin on my face! I was incredibly happy! I also truly enjoyed singing Birkat HaMazon together after every meal.  

In addition to the sisterhood that I felt during Shabbat Services, being surrounded by other women all weekend – praying together, learning together, socializing together, and eating together – truly embodied “sisterhood.” There was a photo backdrop with all kinds of props so we could take pictures with our sisters, whether we knew them before the conference or we were now new friends. Writing our lobbying speeches together late Sunday afternoon with others from our state, and then with others from our Congressional district, also promoted a sense of sisterhood. I felt connected to everyone with whom I spoke. I also experienced sisterhood late on Friday and Saturday evenings, during the  designated social time. Some people played board games, others Mahj Jongg and canasta. There were also crochet and knitting circles. We were asked in advance to complete a social action project of donating winter hats.  Some women knitted hats, some crocheted, some purchased, and  over 100 hats were donated to those in need in DC!

The learning opportunities were numerous! There were 23 unique workshops offered starting Saturday after lunch and most of the day on Sunday. Out of these 23, each attendee had to choose four to attend. So many amazing choices! I have since learned that there were 100 speakers including the workshop leaders and the keynote speakers. I thought all of the presenters I heard were fabulous and engaging. We found our agenda and workshop choices on the Whova app, which we were instructed to download to our phones before the conference began. I was skeptical about not having a paper agenda, but was very glad that all the information we needed was at our fingertips without the destruction of any trees! Having the workshop choices in advance allowed us to build our own schedule on the Whova App, giving careful consideration to the six different choices for each workshop session. The keynote speaker Saturday spoke about gender equality (or should I say inequality) in the workforce. The sessions which I chose to attend were a Discussion on Global Jewry, How to Have Respectful Dialogue During Times of Difference, and The State of Reproductive Rights. We also heard, as the large group, several YES (Youth, Education, Special Projects) Fund grantees speak of their work on a panel. We learned what our donations to the YES Fund have accomplished in the past 10 years, and how our donations are helping the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) work through the courts to fight religious extremism in Israel. On Sunday, my chosen workshops included “Active Hope: Navigating the Climate Crisis.” I learned a lot about the awful effects of global warming; including some information which I had been unaware of, such as the increased temperature is causing more mosquito-borne diseases, especially in places such as Uganda – where the inhabitants are suffering more, even though they did not contribute to the warming!  We learned what we can do to take action now, which was very important and empowering! Another session I attended included several presentations about successful social justice programs initiated by WRJ members. It was wonderful hearing so many success stories.

Sunday before dinner, we had a large group presentation about our lobbying meetings that would be happening on Monday. In particular, we needed to lobby for the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore Federal level protections. Judaism teaches that the health of the mother – both physical and psychological – comes first, and that the fetus is not considered a living human until it draws its first breath. Also, for Democracy – to lobby for the right to vote for every eligible person. In the Talmud, it is written that a ruler is not to be selected without consulting ALL of the people! As it related to Israel, WRJ wants a commitment to a strong, democratic Israel, with a two-state solution, security funding for Israel, and the immediate return of the hostages and a ceasefire. We then went to different smaller rooms by our state, to plan our lobbying speeches. The conference included attendees from 25 states, Israel, Canada, and Australia!

Sunday dinner was a formal affair and included theWomen’s Empowerment Award winners, who were each honored for their work alongside the Dr. Jane Evans “Pursuit of Justice Award” winner, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy. Dinner was amazing as were all of the people there!  

Monday morning we had breakfast together (as usual) before being sent off to the buses for the Hill. Before leaving breakfast , the choir was invited to the stage to lead a song which we had introduced during Shabbat, “I Have a Voice” by Elena Arian. The lyrics of the chorus are: “I have a voice, my voice is powerful, my voice can change the world.” Everyone stood up, clapped, and sang. It was so powerful and awesome!  Like I said at the beginning of this article, this was inspiring, powerful, and spiritual – quite the send-off to our day of lobbying!

When we arrived at the Hill, we went to our pre-arranged appointments with some of the staff of our senators and representatives. Unfortunately, the entire staff of our Senator from Illinois is off-campus on Mondays, but we still went to the outside of her office and made a short video of our group which introduced us as the Women of Reform Judaism from Illinois and the issues that we were lobbying for that day. After we returned home, our team leader sent the video and a letter of our talking points to our Senator. We did get to meet with our Representative’s Senior Policy Advisor, which went very well, as our representative aligns with much of our mission. The gentleman with whom we met is Israeli, which was a great coincidence!  We had a fabulous lobbying visit with him, and a great conversation; it was a very satisfying culmination of this wonderful conference.

I am so happy that I am becoming more involved in WRJ. This was a fantastic learning experience, and I have already volunteered to help with the Heartland Convention next March!