WRJ/Beth Israel Sisterhood

Sisterhood Leadership

Susan Berniker – President
Ellen Zellinger – Vice President & Membership Co-Chair
Shoshanna Lansberg – Immediate Past President & Religious Programming
Michael Richman – Corresponding Secretary
Rita Effros – Recording Secretary
Rachel Segal – Treasurer
Vacant Vacant – Parliamentarian
Rose Marshall – Communications
Ellen Bick – Emerita
Kathleen Doctor – Emerita
Melissa Himmelman – Fundraising Co-chair
Michelle Shari Kruss – Fundraising  Co-chair
Bonnie Barg – Gift Shop
Rhonda Daniels – Membership Co-Chair
Karen Stavis – Programming   Co-chair
Nadine Block – Programming Co-chair
Debbie Braymer – Volunteer Coordinator
Virginia Gitter – College Outreach Co-chair
Leslie Berman – College Outreach Co-chair
Judy Stone – Gift Shop Treasurer

Cantor Ida Rae Cahana – Clergy Liaison

Current open positions include Community Seder and Rosh Hashanah Reception Chairs.

President’s Message | February 2023

Shalom,

As we head into the ninth month of this program year, I’m grateful that the coronavirus hasn’t upset our plans to date. Both the CBI calendar and the sisterhood calendar are chock-full of activities.

At this time of year, I explain to my Sunday School students the teaching of our sages that “When Adar is near, joy is here.” I can’t think of a better way to experience delight than by attending all the upcoming synagogue and Sisterhood events in March.

I hope to see you Schpielin’ In the Rain for Purim, or at convention, or…

Wishing you a deep sense of joy—simcha—as the coming days grow lighter and longer.

Susan Berniker, President, 2022-2024

D’Var Torah, January 12
Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1-6:1)
Nadine Block

This is a very well-known section of the Torah, as we tell this story every year on Pesach. In this parshah, the new king of Egypt, threatened by the growing numbers of Israelites, forces them into slavery and orders newborn males to be killed; the Pharoah’s daughter discovers Moses in a basket in the Nile and raises him; Moses flees from Egypt, but is then summoned by God to free the Israelites from Egypt; and finally a reluctant Moses assembles the elders of the Israelites, tells them what God instructed him, and then confronts Pharoah.

I was struck by the coinciding of this Torah portion with our celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend.

Moses was a reluctant leader. He essentially says to God, “are you sure I’m the guy for this job?” He points out to God that he has a speech impediment, he worries he will not be able to convince the Israelites to unite behind him, and he implores God to find someone else. I think many of us can relate to how Moses felt. It is frightening to step forward for weighty tasks with such consequences. But his moral compass was powerful, compelling him to correct wrong in the face of risk.

Moses was also a witness. He saw firsthand the suffering of the Israelites and decided that something had to be done. One commentary on this parshah said “we have to get proximate to the injustices we are trying to correct”. Dr. King Jr. and other civil rights leaders spoke loudly and repeatedly about the injustices and compelled society to not only see what was happening around them but to take action. Dr. King Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

This Torah portion is a good reminder to all of us, especially as we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, of what is at the heart of reform Judaism – the articulation of social injustices and the mitzvot of acting to address those injustices.