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By Paul Reichenbach In May of 1969 I received a phone call (no email, text, Facebook or Twitter… how did we function?) from Doris Locke (of blessed memory) representing the Temple Israel (Boston) youth committee and sisterhood. I was a 17 year old high school junior who had become an actively engaged temple youth group member. I did not have a Bar Mitzvah (the tradition in my Classical Reform congregation) but was a Confirmand along with 120 other kids in my class. I had spent the previous eight summers worshipping Native American deities at a boys' summer camp on Long Lake in Maine. I never had the opportunity to have an "immersive" Jewish experience in a camp or any other setting. While I had the good fortune to come from a comfortable family, Doris, on behalf of the Sisterhood, offered me a scholarship to attend a two week leadership institute at the UAHC Kutz Camp in Warwick , NY. She told me that I had been recommended to attend by our Rabbis and that I would be the congregation's delegate at this event for teens from across North America. My ego having been adequately stoked, I accepted the scholarship award and looked forward to not spending two weeks behind the counter of the dry cleaner in Waban Square. Choosing to go would mean that I would need to give up my tickets for a concert scheduled in August on Yasgur's farm in Bethel NY. (I wonder what ever happened at that event?) The night before the camp session, my parents took me to see "Midnight Cowboy", very daring given that it was "X" rated. (Barely an "R" by today's standards.) Feeling very grown up, the following morning I flew from Boston to Newark, took the 55 cent bus to Port Authority and then the $2.80 Maplewood Transit to the Kutz Camp in Warwick. I can't imagine why I remember these details but perhaps the significance of these two weeks provides some rational explanation. I had finally arrived at the place that would change the arc of my life forever. While, unlike our lucky children who have the privilege of enjoying multiple summers at a URJ camp joyfully exploring and experiencing their Judaism, I had but two weeks with 200 likeminded teens from every corner of the continent. I had discovered a magical, utopian "sanctuary" where being yourself, living intentionally and understanding that your contribution truly mattered was evident daily. I concluded those two weeks at camp with confidence in myself, proud of Reform Judaism, intensely connected to my peers and inspired to figure out how to make the connection from camp to congregation.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to two cases, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp v. Sebelius. These cases, to be heard as one case by the Court, symbolize a new frontier in the realm of free exercise of religion and personal health choices. These cases were born out of Department of Health and Human Services rule regarding contraception coverage under the new health care law. It is hard not to associate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with some level of controversy. Whether it was over the premise of the bill itself, the Medicaid expansion, implementation and the website, this bill has caused spirited debate over the role of the government in the lives of the citizens it is formed to protect.

Parashat Miketz is one of the great dream stories in the Torah. Joseph, falsely imprisoned, goes from prisoner to a position of power in Pharaoh’s court because of his ability to interpret dreams. In interpreting dreams, Joseph was connecting the reality of what was to his vision of what could be. I imagine that Carrie O. Simon might have dreamed of all that the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS, now WRJ) could become when it first began in 1913. In that way, we are the Josephs of our day as we interpret the dreams of just what WRJ might be like in the next one hundred years.

Joellyn Wallen Zollman In 1947, The Temple sisterhood in Augusta, Georgia earned a spot in the "Bright Ideas" section of the NFTS national newsletter, Topics and Trends, for organizing a "gift mart featuring distinctive Jewish gifts for all occasions with profit from sales reverting to the sisterhood treasury." The “Bright Ideas” section of Topics and Trends featured innovative, successful ideas from sisterhoods across the country that the editors felt other sisterhoods might also be able to use. In this case, the editors had hit upon a winner. The "bright idea" of a gift mart featuring Judaica, the sale of which benefitted the congregation, caught on quickly in post-war North American Judaism, so that one year later, in 1948, the task of organizing and promoting sisterhood gift shops was made part of the national agenda of NFTS. Over the next decade, synagogue gift shops became "a sisterhood institution" in Reform congregations.  

This week’s torah portion, Vayeishev, is filled with life lessons. We not only read the story of Joseph, but also the story of Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law. Tamar’s tragedy is evident. She has lost her husband, and she has no offspring to give her life purpose and to secure her status as a widow.  Judah and Tamar are in-laws who have reached a crisis point in their relationship. At first, Judah supports Tamar’s right to marry into her husband’s extended family. However, when Onan also dies, Judah blames Tamar. Judah’s abiding sense of loss and resentment block his reconciliation with Tamar. Thus, Tamar finds it difficult to move on.

Schools are intended to be laboratories of opportunity. We pursue educations so that we can follow our dreams, have interesting careers, open our minds to new ideas, make friends, and try new things. But imagine if this was not the case.

By Becky Markowitz I was sitting on the bimah looking out at my two sons, family, friends and supportive congregants. This was the Shabbat I was installed as the President of my congregation. Excited and a little scared about the road ahead, I felt confident I could handle the challenge. I stood before the ark and spoke to the congregation. I felt I could serve the congregation and encourage others to do the same. Armed with a positive attitude, clear goals, and drive I knew anything is possible! My leadership journey began at a youth group weekend where my dedication and passion as a Jewish leader ignited. The weekend was inspirational, thought provoking and fun. The kids were friendly and welcoming, the services were meaningful and the music was awesome. Debbie Friedman was the song leader! I realized that faith was important to me and I wanted Judaism to be a part of my life.

The right to vote is at the very foundation of democracy. Casting a vote is not only lifting your voice; it is also a claim to a stake in the social and political life of the nation. Today, we recognize that voting is a right to which all Americans have access. It is not a privilege.

This was not always the case: Since America’s founding, the right to vote has expanded from white, male property owners in the original 13 states to all white men, to all men, to all women, to Native Americans and others. There are many more watershed moments in the history of voting rights, but it is important to take a moment and reflect on the fact that for the first seven years of its existence, the women of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods could not vote. They could be powerful advocates on a broad range of social justice topics, but they themselves could not fully participate in our political process.

How many times have you heard the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same?” As we age, we experience its veracity more and more. So it is with an oft neglected tale in this week’s Torah portion Vayishlach; the silent story of Dinah.