Blog

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer: A Previvor’s Perspective

by Jane Herman With Halloween candy lining the aisles in my local drugstore just as kids are starting back to school and Christmas tinsel and lights not far behind, it should come as no surprise that pink yogurt lids have already made their annual debut in my grocery store’s dairy section, and pink pens are on sale at Staples. Whoa…not so fast! If you rush from today straight into October, you’ll miss National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) Week, which bridges Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. HBOC Week was created in July 2010 when Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20), who herself has been personally affected by HBOC syndrome, introduced House Resolution 1522, designating the last week in September as HBOC Week and the last Wednesday of the month as National Previvor Day.

Contemporary Reflection on Parashat Noach

By Carol Ochs In every generation, Jews have understood the significance of the Torah in their lives. We have studied, written, and taught about the meaning of Torah and its relevance to contemporary circumstances. With the publication of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary in 2007, the teachings of women scholars and Jewish professionals on the significance of Torah in their lives is now available in a scholarly compendium. The “Contemporary Reflections” section in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, “enable us to hear women’s voices that reckon with divine revelation… each essay shows the significance of Torah as a record of God’s revelation to Israel: it is a repository of Jewish memory, however incomplete, from which we, as individuals and as members of contemporary Jewish communities, can attempt to hear and understand the voice of God.” (Ellen Umansky, “Women and Contemporary Reflection,” The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, page ix) Today’s Ten Minutes of Torah is excerpted from The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, pages 55-56.

The Hyde Amendment at 37: An Unhappy Birthday

Sarah Greenberg

Thirty-seven years ago today, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting federal dollars from funding abortion, mostly through Medicaid. The law as it stands contains exceptions for cases of rape, incest and life endangerment of the mother. It was passed in response to the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973), which legalized abortion in the United States.

The Hyde Amendment is not permanently on the books – it is attached to appropriations bills (a “must-pass” bill) as a “rider” that affects the funding for the Department of Health and Human Services. Since 1976 when it was first passed, it has had damaging effects as the women who receive their health coverage through Medicaid, Medicare and military women serving at home and abroad are often unable to access safe, legal and affordable abortions. In Harris v. McRae (1980), the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutionality of the Hyde Amendment, and decided that states that participated in Medicaid were not obliged to contribute funds for abortions deemed medically necessary for which reimbursement from the federal government was blocked under Hyde.

Voices of WRJ: Bereshit

“Turn it, and turn it, for everything is in it.” This much-quoted phrase from Pirkei Avot teaches us that if we would only turn to Torah, study and reflect on it—we could grow in wisdom, knowledge and personal development. This teaching also refers to the fact that our Torah is written on a scroll that rolls and actually does require us to constantly turn the wooden “aytz chayim” of the Torah in order to access another verse or chapter. And finally, we learn that year after year, we turn our beloved Torah scroll back to the beginning and start reading it again!

Hachnasat Orchim - Welcoming the Stranger

By Katie Roeper I can still remember sitting in the Rabbi’s office; my voice shaking as I asked if I could attend Religious School with my children. My husband and I had finally decided to raise our children Jewish after years of quiet debate. Up until this point, our interfaith family’s religious practices had been defined by lighting the menorah, just after plugging in the Christmas tree. The Rabbi glanced over to my husband and then looked at me and smiled softly, “No, I’m sorry, parents cannot attend Religious School but I am happy to suggest a few books that might help you to feel more comfortable with your decision.” The first day of Religious School was not easy for any of us. Our son, 8, and daughter, 5½, had no idea what to expect but the thought of spending three hours in a building, 20 minutes from home, where they did not know a soul, was daunting. “We will be right downstairs the entire time,” I had said, in an attempt to allay their fears. My husband planned to attend a Brotherhood meeting and I had been invited to an opening brunch for Sisterhood.

Voices of WRJ: Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkot

by Patti Grossman This week is Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkot, and our Torah portion is Exod. 33:12-34:26. The parashah deals with Moses’ persistence in seeking God’s leadership and support for the people, who have abandoned their trust in God.

The Difference of 23 Cents: Gender-Based Wage Discrimination Continues

Sarah Greenberg

Yesterday, the US Census Bureau released new data on the wage gap between men and women in the United States from 2012. American women are on average, making 77 cents to every dollar a man makes, unchanged from last year. This figure has not budged over the past decade.

The numbers are frustrating on their own. But this inequity goes beyond the numbers and has real and serious affect on women and families and basic costs of living: food, housing, education, and retirement. Reform Jews in North America have been active on the issue of women’s economic justice for more than thirty years, but there is still so much more work to be done.

Selections from The Torah: A Women's Commentary: Sukkot 2001

By Julie Pelc Adler In every generation, Jews have understood the significance of the Torah in their lives. We have studied, written, and taught about the meaning of Torah and its relevance to contemporary circumstances. With the publication of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary in 2007, the teachings of women scholars and Jewish professionals on the significance of Torah in their lives is now available in a scholarly compendium. One of the unique additions in this commentary is the Voices section: “In addition to the more traditional modes of interpretation, this Commentary includes poetry, an innovative mode of expanding and extending the Torah text. In the Voices section at the conclusion of each parashah, we have collected poetry, along with selected prose pieces, to invite you to consider how issues and themes in each Torah portion reflect and illuminate women’s lives and experiences.” (Sue Levi Elwell, “The Poetry of Torah and the Torah of Poetry,” The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, page x.) Today’s Ten Minutes of Torah is excerpted from The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, Voices on Parashat R’eih, page 1140. Based on Deuteronomy 16:13-15.

Lifting Our Voices and Urging the Senate End Workplace Discrimination for the LGBT Community on September 17th

Sarah Greenberg

For many years, Women of Reform Judaism, alongside the Reform Movement, has been dedicated to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals enjoy the rights they deserve as people and as citizens. These rights include but surely are not limited to equal access to civil marriage and all the related federal protections, protection from sexual orientation and gender identity-based, bullying and hate crimes, and at this crucial juncture, employment discrimination.

Voices of WRJ: Yom Kippur

We are in the midst of the High Holy Days-the days of awe, the days of repentance. Kol Nidre is upon us! As each of us sit in our seats with our respective congregations throughout North America and beyond, we will read our beautiful liturgy, we will listen to the haunting melody of Kol Nidre and we will have an opportunity to reflect and repent for our transgressions of the past year. So I begin my Shabbat message to all of my dear friends at WRJ, and I want to sincerely apologize if I have in any way hurt you and truly ask for your forgiveness.