Midwest District Blog Posts

We Are, We Are, We Are, WRJ

Shari Carruthers
Lillian Burkenheim Silver
In October 2022, 88 of us traveled from across North America to Atlanta to join other sisters on the WRJ Civil Rights Journey. Armed with articles, movies, books, and memories about the fight for racial equality in the 1950s and 1960s, we visited historical landmarks in Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham. We found what we knew intellectually was no match for walking in the footsteps of those who were there and have continued to advocate and advance racial equality. As we kick off WRJ’s end-of-year campaign, we reflect on the impact of this trip and the work still to be done.

Parashat Bo

Marilyn Price
How many times have all of us convinced someone, or tried to convince them, they have to continue to GO even when they don’t want to - because it is the right thing to do? Finish the course, take the next step, and don’t fall back even if you want to. Chances are this conversation is not with God but comes from the learning, the education that has been planted within us.

Parashat Vayishlach 

Jane Taves
How many family rifts have we witnessed in our lives, over far less serious wrongs than those suffered by Esau, and how often are the family members unable to find this forgiveness? And in our larger world, how many conflicts are we witnessing between nations, political beliefs, religions, and even streams of Judaism? Forgiveness and reconciliation are in short supply right now. What can we learn from the decisions that Esau makes in this parashah?