Mid-Atlantic Candle:

Giving Light to All

Women of Reform Judaism Mid-Atlantic District Newsletter –Winter 2008

from the president’s desk

What an assembly! More than 600 sisterhood women from the United States (including
Hawaii), Canada and South Africa gathered in San Diego, CA in December to learn, to
bond, to educate, to communicate, and, most of all, to celebrate. And what a
celebration it was! We, the Women of Reform
Judaism, were front and center, and they, the
leaders of the Union for Reform Judaism, came to
our gatherings to thank us, to praise us, and to
pay tribute to our unique accomplishment, to the
power and majesty of women’s voices and
women’s insights, our gift to ourselves and our
legacy to future generations.
After 14 years of talking, planning,
gathering scholars, writing, editing, and raising the
funds to do all of this, The Torah: A Women’s
Commentary is a reality, published and
presented as the centerpiece of the assembly.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director, Religious Action
Center of Reform Judaism, said it all: “The glass
mechitza has been permanently broken.” Rabbi
David Ellenson, president, Hebrew Union College-
Jewish Institute of Religion, beamed as he spoke of our commentary and those who
wrote and edited it, and Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president, Union for Reform Judaism,
admitted how wrong he had been in1995 in his original assessment of what we were
undertaking. Our scholars, rabbis, educators, contributors - all women – spoke about
the passion and dedication they had brought to the task and about their joy, and they
read some of the poetry from the “Voices” sections. Women cried and then they
danced in the aisles, and Danny Maseng, composer, actor and singer, offered a
celebratory concert. Delegates from URJ and WRJ lined up and waited over an hour to
purchase their copies and have them autographed.
Our district dinner was attended by more than 40 of the approximately 60 women
who came as delegates from the Mid-Atlantic. The yellow ribbons we added to our
badges identified our district, and red hearts signified first-timers. An exuberant YES
Fund luncheon more than doubled what had ever before been raised at such an event:
an incredible $195,000 for Circle of Service and in commitments to silver, gold, pearl
and diamond Lifelines. Gary Rosenthal, assembly artist-in-residence and a resident of
our district, helped participants create a hands-on glass project proceeds from which
also benefited the Yes Fund.
Workshops covered a multitude of topics from “nuts and bolts” to leadership and
membership management and strategies, from social justice to spirituality, from
innovative programming to music and book clubs – and everything in between. New
WRJ resolutions were ably introduced, presented and shepherded to passage by our
own Mildred Amer, chair, Resolutions Committee, WRJ board member, and past
president, Washington Hebrew Sisterhood..
We celebrated the installation of Katie Roeper as a new WRJ vice president and
Connie Getzov, Joanne Goldsmith and Judy Silver Weisberg as new members of the
WRJ board. We wished our own Helene Waranch, immediate past president, WRJ, a
mazal tov on being named North American chair of the World Union for Progressive
Judaism.
I have barely skimmed the surface of all that happened in San Diego, but I wanted to
provide the flavor for those of you who were unable to be there. Now is the time to think
about adding funding in your sisterhood budgets to defray or help defray the costs for
your members to attend our district interims and conventions as well as the next WRJ
assembly. Plan now.

Toronto, Canada
2009

Laia S. Katz, president

A special thank you

We owe our sincere thanks to our members who have made special contributions to
help ease the constraints of a very tight budget. In doing so they have allowed us to
provide services we might otherwise have had to omit and pay for expenses we had
not anticipated. We are all in your debt.

First our directory was printed thanks to the generosity of Sue and Gil Sailer, who
underwrote all the costs of its publication and provided a huge gift to us. Sue is our
corresponding secretary

For our district dinner at the assembly in San Diego, each attendee paid $55. The
actual cost of the meal was $70, and the districts were asked to pick up the $15
difference per person. And then our District Angel stepped forward. She has chosen
to remain anonymous in her funding of one third of the differential. And then many of
you who attended also took out your checkbooks, paying the difference in part, in
whole, or beyond.

Bottom line: Instead of tapping our treasury for more than $600 for which we had
not planned, the net expense to us was $171.

THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR GENEROSITY

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 Reflections from a First-time WRJ Assembly Attendee:

“Why I Thought I Won the Jack-pot”

Freda Goldberg, president, Bet Aviv Sisterhood

As president of Bet Aviv Sisterhood in Columbia, MD, I attended my first Biennial

Assembly of WRJ in San Diego, CA. I was a little concerned. Would I understand
how WRJ works? Would I fit in?

I walked in the door and soon all my concerns disappeared. I was welcomed with
open arms. Registration was easy and the women had smiles on their faces. They
answered all my questions, even though I'm sure 20 people before me had asked
the same questions. I had been in leadership positions before but I never
experienced anything like this. I was overwhelmed by all the women who attended
with the same purpose--to learn about our Jewishness and how we can make a
difference in this world.

As I walked into the plenary and learning sessions, people were kind. Throughout
the remaining days, I would learn the secret. When we would see some of the
people that we met, and say hello, they would share things about themselves
and their sisterhoods. We laughed, learned and cried together. Attending various
workshops over the next few days, I was not only impressed by the organization,
but by the expert content of the sessions. I took copious notes, but really
appreciated the information that the speakers handed out for us to take home. I
remember saying to myself how wonderful it felt to know that others cared as
much as I cared.

The YES Fund Luncheon was amazing, and I began a Lifeline in memory of my
mother and father. When they announced the total pledged that day- $194,000,
chills went through my body. We met several people who had benefited from the
Yes Fund and even though I was there for the first time, I felt that I had made a
contribution to their success with my new contribution.

The Shabbat evening and morning services with five thousand Jews praying
together were amazing. I can’t even explain the emotions as I danced around with
the youth who benefited from the Yes Fund. My children would have been so
proud.

Two things happened that were special. First my friend of 36 years and a past
president of Bet Aviv Sisterhood, Judy Silver Weisberg, became a member of
the Board of WRJ. We all are so happy for her and we know will make a great
addition to the board. Then, at the membership awards I had the privilege of sitting
on the dais to receive the award for the team effort of our sisterhood of achieving a
64% increase in our membership.

As the assembly wound down I started to feel sad. However, even though I
physically had to leave my new friends I know that our friendship will continue. I
now know the secret of WRJ. Sisterhood is family and we will always have each
other to depend on and learn from. It was time to return to Maryland and tell my
Sisterhood what I learned. It is still amazing and overwhelming.

I was a part of WRJ and I loved every minute of it. WRJ is the place to be and that
is why I feel that I won the Jack-Pot.

SISTERHOOD IS FAMILY
We continue our series on the many ways in which sisterhood
becomes family. In this piece we see our sisters acting as
some of the first care managers for a congregant. If you have
a story to share about how sisterhood has made a difference in
both good times and in times of personal need, as the care
recipient or caregiver, please contact Laura Govoni-Sibarium,
chair, Caring Community Committee at lgovsib@comcast.net or 301
588-4435.

Helping Maria
I received a call from a friend and past Sisterhood president, Shirley Henschel,
about a congregant she had been visiting under the auspices of the member-to-
member group at Temple Sinai, Washington, DC. As a former sisterhood president
myself, I was pleased to work with Shirley. Maria, the then 86 year old holocaust
survivor, had been put in an assisted living facility- apparently against her will- on
release from a hospital to which she had been taken after a fall.

When I accompanied Shirley to visit Maria, we found her curled up in despair, but
with enough spunk to refuse food and snap at the attendants. When she told us that
all she wanted was to go home to her condo just a block or so away, we said we
would help. With Maria’s permission, we scouted out her condo, straightening up
the disarray in which it had been left, and stocking her refrigerator with some
staples. We also discarded the rug on which Maria had tripped, initiating her
original trip to hospital.

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We returned to Maria with some warm clothes. While I stayed with her in her
room, Shirley went to the administrator to see exactly what Maria had signed.
Apparently she had never signed any agreement with the facility although she had
been paying her bills while there. Shirley and I borrowed a wheelchair and
wheeled Maria with some of her belongings down the few blocks to her home.
She entered her apartment and smiled with happiness-“This is like heaven.”

Shirley returned the wheelchair, picked up the rest of Maria’s belongings, and most
challenging of all, was able to get the administrator to release Maria’s medications.
We now became morally responsible for Maria’s well being. This mainly
involved my being there as a friend: I visited several times a week, took her
walking when she was able and up to it. We were lucky that Maria was very alert
mentally but, like many older people, very distrustful. She was not happy with any
cleaning help we arranged. Shirley contacted social services and arranged for a
case worker to be assigned to Maria. I enjoyed helping, visiting and having tea
with Maria. I tried to involve her in a senior luncheon program so she could meet
contemporaries in a social setting, but Maria did not like “old people”.

Soon Shirley asked Jo Russo, a future sisterhood president and near neighbor of
Maria’s to become involved. Jo is young and enthusiastic and had teenagers still at
home. She was very hospitable to Maria, cooked meals for her and became
another friend. Maria was happier at home and happy to have friends. She did
however become possessive of our time. I had set a two hour limit on our visits
(time allowed for neighborhood parking). She resented my leaving and she also
gave Jo a hard time when she tried to leave to take care of her family.

This continued for about 18 months, with Maria’s physical condition deteriorating
but she was still mentally alert. When my first grandchild was born, I left for
California for a couple of weeks. Maria had at this point a caretaker four hours a
day to ensure she would eat and take her multiple pills on time. She was having a
lot of pain and her health was declining. When I told her doctor I would be
leaving town for a while, he felt it was time for her to return to the hospital. I saw
her settled in and flew out the next day. When I returned, Maria was still in the
hospital but in terrible pain. She had convinced a surgeon to operate on her
deteriorating bones and although “the operation was successful,” within a week of
my return, she died.

From this experience, although emotionally draining, I learned much about the
value of human companionship: we do need other people. Even though Maria had
always been independent, we three sisterhood members became very important to
her and she became very important to us to us.

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Barbara Knopf, past president
Temple Sinai Sisterhood, Washington, DC

Making Strides on the Development of the Mid-Atlantic District Website

Thanks to the diligent efforts of Rochelle Kramer, Temple Emanuel, Winston-

Salem, NC, the Mid-Atlantic District is “going digital.” Rochelle, who has agreed
to chair the Website Project, is a past sisterhood president and district officer. As
reference librarian at the Carpenter Library, Wake Forest University School of
Medicine Winston-Salem, NC, Rochelle knows first-hand the importance of
effective communication and developing the right message.

She began by polling the other districts that currently run websites — asking
questions such as how did you decide on content and layout, who is your primary
audience, and who designed your site? Rochelle didn’t just focus on getting the
site up and running, she also asked questions to better understand how other
district sites are being used. She questioned districts about site traffic, content
management and annual maintenance fees. The information that Rochelle has
learned will help the Mid-Atlantic District in developing a successful strategy for
its site.

The other factor that will be critical in determining priorities for the site is
feedback from sisterhood presidents and district board members. This will be done
in two formats: through a brainstorming session at the Interim, April 11-13 in
Raleigh, and through a district-wide survey. Together, these will provide the
information needed to determine website content and functionality.

Even with all of Rochelle’s hard work, there was still a critical missing piece – the
designer/web developer. Well, it was missing until an angel stepped forward at the
district board meeting in January. President Freda Goldberg, Bet Aviv Sisterhood,
Columbia, MD, suggested that perhaps her son might help. Freda called her son,
Allen, who just happens to develop websites for College and Long-Distance
Training Curriculums, and he said “YES!” Allen Goldberg, Tampa, Florida will
be working with Rochelle and Katie Roeper over the summer and fall to develop
the site with a scheduled launch of spring ’09 at the District Convention.

Thanks to Freda for sharing her kind-hearted son, to Allen for generously agreeing
to contribute his time and talents and to Rochelle for managing the process with an
editor’s edge. Because of these generous gifts, WRJ Mid-Atlantic District will be
on-line in ‘09.

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 SAVE THE DATE:

Come on, y’all we’re goin’ south

Mid-Atlantic Interim Board Meeting

Reaching Out
Embracing Change–Changing Lives

Temple Beth Or Sisterhood

Raleigh, North Carolina is the place to be

April 11-13, 2008

at the Hampton Inn

Highlights:

• Leadership training that will include new models:

Co-, tri-, and no presidents
• Lunch speaker on the Raleigh Museum Jewish art
scene
• Model Lilith salon
• Focus on changing faces of Jews and Judaism.
Examine our personal responses, family responses,
sisterhood responses and our outreach to our
congregations, religious schools and youth groups
• Book discussion on Rashi’s Daughters: Book I:
Joheved by Maggie Anton
• Guest speaker and resource: WRJ Vice President
SUSAN C. BASS, Houston, TX

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How about a Parliamentary Puzzler?

1. _______ is used to obtain information about meeting procedure.

a) Parliamentary Inquiry
b) Point of Information
c) Point of Order

2. Previous Question means _______.

a) call for the assembly to return to the agenda
b) if adopted by a two-thirds vote, debate ends and a vote is immediately taken
c) a request for the secretary to read the motion aloud

3. Other than the Articles of Incorporation, the highest body of rules in an

organization are _______.
a) Robert's Rules of Order
b) bylaws
c) standing rules

4. A quorum is _______ .
a) the largest number that can be expected to attend a meeting, except in bad
weather
b) a majority of the members present
c) the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be
transacted

5. A main motion _______ .

a) brings business before the assembly
b) cannot be amended
c) is the highest ranking motion

From the Editor:

Change is good. Thank you all for being so agreeable about an electronic newsletter.
We understand the value of saving postage and paper costs. We also can feel good

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about saving our environment. Consider the benefit of being able to reduce the
amount of time from receipt of information to publication. It may even help all of
you to be better organized--- file the newsletter in an e-mail folder marked WRJ-
Mid-Atlantic (your choice) and voila- you have easy retrieval for any information
you may want. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy some of our new features, including our
Parliamentarian’s quiz. What a great warm-up activity for a board meeting. Please
share the newsletter with your sisterhoods. As always, I appreciate any
suggestions for improving the newsletter. Please feel free to e-mail me at
judy.silver11@verizon.

Calendar Addendum
Please make the following changes to
our district 2008 calendar, which you
will find on the outside back cover of
our District Directory 2007-2008.

Delete: March 1-2 MAC Regional

Board Meeting, Richmond, VA

Add: April 11-13 MAC Regional

Spring Board Meeting, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 14 WRJ Mid-Atlantic Board

Meeting, Beth El Hebrew
Congregation, Alexandria, VA