March 31 Message

“Differences were meant not to divide but to enrich.” – J. H. Oldham

Shabbat Shalom!

Though we are all involved in our sisterhoods and synagogues, and that we are all conservative Jewish women…we are all unique! We each have different opinions on a variety of topics…from how to make chicken soup, matzo balls and brisket to serious topics that are our core values…yet with our differences, we each bring a different point of view and different perspectives..which is what makes us kinder, stronger and diverse.

It is what brings us together through WLCJ, ….women educating one another…women sharing opinions in a respectful way.

This past week I had the opportunity to attend the AIPAC conference in Washington, DC. As a first timer, I had no expectations. However, what I did come away with was an amazing understanding of how important it is to embrace our differences, how important it is to listen to everyone and how important it is to share our experiences. The attendees ran the spectrum of Jews and non-Jews, Jews from a variety of organizations, and people from the far left to the far right and everything in between, yet their passion was the same..seeing the State of Israel flourish, grow and have our support.

There are two reasons that I wanted to share this experience with all of you. One was that we had the opportunity to hear from the new US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. She was passionate, direct and ready to let the world know that it is time to let the world know that Israel needs to be treated more fairly and with respect. As I sat and listened to Nikki Haley speak, I was quite proud that WLCJ has three NGO’s (Non-governmental observers) at the UN, representing our members. From time to time, they share some information that is typically shared in our “This Week @ Women’s League”, which goes to our leadership and each region, which is then shared in our region Shabbat emails.

The other reason that I wanted to share this quote with each of you is because we have been working on several existing resolutions from years past, and updating them. Our resolution team has been working hard, crafting the verbiage very carefully so that the end result is that our resolutions that are now truly global…and now it is time for each of you to take the opportunity to voice your opinions. If you go on the website there is a way for you to read the newest resolution and to leave a comment. I encourage each of you to take the time, to get involved and to voice your opinion in a respectful way. Right after Passover, we will be holding a session for us all to come together to discuss the resolution and to listen to one another very carefully, and then to vote.

Please mark your calendars for April 24th to join in the conversation. And, as you take a break from the cleaning, shopping and cooking…I encourage each of you to register for convention…we will be celebrating our heritage, our history. If you have not joined us at a convention in awhile..this is the one to come to! This is the time to reconnect to those that you once knew, this is the time to recall all the fun times that you had at a convention, meeting new friends and reconnecting with others.

Wishing each of you a sweet and peaceful Shabbat,
Carol