Doreen Bornfreund

WHY WL? – From International Northeast Region

This past weekend at my synagogue our women celebrated Beth David Women Shabbat — women leading and participating in every part of the Shabbat prayer service, from our woman synagogue President, who led us in Pesukei, to our female ShinShinim, leading us in Adon Olom. Our Affiliate President stood on the bimah to welcome everyone.

As an International Vice President representing Women’s League, I read a message from Julia Loeb, our International Women’s League President. Yasher Koach to all who participated. It was wonderful to see all these women on the bimah and around the aron hakodesh.

At Beth David Women, we still have one more important event to celebrate: the installation of the 2025-2027 Executive and Board of Directors is on June 17. Twelve members of the board and two past presidents will be installed. The thing is, they are mostly the same women as in the last term, and the term before that, with a few changes due to health and relocation. All these volunteers are maintaining their roles in order to keep our Affiliate viable. We will not consider abandoning our mission to support our synagogue and its members. It is vastly important to us that our members have access to the means to educate themselves Judaically and that the funds are available to enable them and the synagogue to carry on. Our Judaica Shop is now our main fundraising opportunity.

So let’s celebrate! Celebrate ourselves – you and I, and our cohorts – the women of our individual Sisterhoods/Affiliates. The marvelous women who volunteer countless hours to engage, enrich and empower themselves and their “sisters.” They (we) are who and what makes Women’s League what it is – the organization that calls to us, as Conservative/Masorti women to belong and carry on.

Doreen Bornfreund
International Vice President, Membership Chair, WLCJ – Beth David Women – Toronto, ON, Canada