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In 2022, WRJ launched “WRJ says STOP: An Initiative against Sexual Harassment and Assault.” The initiative’s goal was two-fold: (1) to help our sacred communities and congregations be proactive in reducing and even preventing the scourges of power dynamic

This piece includes details about abortion and loss of life.

 

Life is Sacred: Our Pathway to Parenthood and Community Care

When my husband, Bruce, and I married, our vows reflected a dream: to share the journey of parenthood. We embraced the hope and joy that

“If a person sits in their home and says to themselves,
‘What have the affairs of society to do with me?... Why
Should I trouble myself with the people’s voices of
protest? Let my soul dwell in peace!‘ - If one does this,
they overthrow the world.”
(Midrash Tanhuma

This week’s Torah portion is Toldot. Toldot tells the story of Rebecca and Isaac, and their twin sons, Esau and Jacob. The opening words of the parasha are profound — Rebecca is having a difficult twin pregnancy, and we get this fulsome description of her

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

Being on a gap year program and living in Israel for a year has given me a different perspective on Jewish practice. As the heart of Jewish life, Israel is a place where Jewish identity is expressed in deeply diverse and sometimes conflicting ways.

On the 754th day since October 7, 2023, I walked into the plaza of Hostage Square, the heart of community organizing and public support for families of those held hostage in Gaza. The place where so many gathered for over two years in prayer and protest. 
 

I

 “People called her ‘Jeannette Miriam.’ She was a spitfire. She was a proto-feminist, an attractive, sociable, smart woman in leadership positions before women got the vote. What a role model then and now.” — Hollace Ava Weiner 

The Atlantic District is unique

השיבנו יי ונשובה
חדיש ימינו כקדם

“Bring us back, God, and we will return to You.
Renew our days as they once were.”  (Lamentations 5:21)

I’m on my way to the 39th World Zionist Congress, where I’m honored to represent Women of Reform Judaism, the Reform Movement