Programming Idea of the Week

 

 

Grace Schessler, Vice President of WLCJ, and Karen Seltzer, Program Activity Chair, have collected these programs which can be adapted for use by many Sisterhoods.

March 2, 2021
If These Knishes Could Talk… The Story of the New York Accent

Want to have a free and fun night with your Sisterhood? Plan a movie night via Zoom! Free through this YouTube link, https://www.youtube.com/knishes, or available for just a few dollars on Amazon, your Zoom host can click to “Share Screen,” “Share Audio” and “Optimize Video” and you’ll be at the movies with your friends!

This comical documentary explores the history of the New York accent, what it is, how it evolved, and the love/hate relationship New Yorkers have with it. It showcases writer Pete Hamill, director Penny Marshall, attorney Alan Dershowitz and screenwriter James McBride. It also follows why New Yorkers eat chawclate (chocolate) and drink cawfee (coffee), and how the accent became the vibrant soundtrack of the city.

Be sure to make this a B.Y.O.P… Bring Your Own Popcorn and allow time after the movie (which is 53 minutes) for discussion and schmoozing.

Other movies to consider:

1. Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream (https://www.amazon.com/Streits)
2. The Jewish American Journey (https://www.amazon.com/Journey)
3. In Search of Israeli Cuisine (https://www.amazon.com/Israeli)
4. New York Cantors (https://www.amazon.com/Cantors)

 

February 26, 2021
Go Where You Haven’t Gone Before!

Would you like to tour secret and hidden places in Israel? Contact Itamar Ben David, a young, friendly and enthusiastic guide who knows all the most interesting places to take you to! Itamar is a VIP tour guide in Israel and due to the Covid19 pandemic, he started to guide live, interactive tours via Zoom! With over 14 years of experience guiding thousands of happy travelers all over Israel, he’d be more than happy to share his knowledge and passion with you! Check out his website: www.itamarbendavid.com. 

Suggested Virtual Tour: Jerusalem’s Temple Mount

Amazing virtual tour of the holiest place on earth…The Temple Mount! You will hear all about the traditions at the bridge between Heaven and Earth and learn about the cradle of monotheism. After a short “flight” from your homes to Israel, you will take the highway from Ben Gurion airport directly to Jerusalem. You will learn about the Old City and focus on the Temple Mount/Mount Moriah, the cradle of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You will virtually walk and explore the plaza, admire the buildings, and learn about the different traditions that make this place so important to billions of believers.

Another Suggested Virtual Tour: Jewish Heritage Tour to the Galilee

From the ancient synagogues of Tiberias and Meron to the ones in Tzfat, from Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon to Ha-Ari, you will cover the history of the Jews in the Galilee after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and all the way to the glorious days of Kabbalah. You will also see how the spiritual development affected modern Israel! 

For up to 50 participants, the fee is $220 for a one-hour presentation plus time for Q&A. For 50-99 participants it is $300. This is the perfect program to consider partnering with another Sisterhood or your synagogue’s Men’s Club to halve your expenses!

 

February 19, 2021
Now is the time to plan for Spring!
How Does Your Garden Grow?

Home gardening has boomed during the coronavirus pandemic. Stories of lockdown-driven home gardening leading to sales booms have been reported in garden stores around the country from Oregon to Minnesota to Ohio to Florida. Home gardening has offered a safe outdoor pastime while growing food for your own table.

However, there’s a learning curve to outdoor gardening. Without proper knowledge, visions of a fresh garden salad can become wilted leaves and inedible vegetables. What is soil pH? Blossom end rot? Powdery mildew? Spider mites?

Spring will be here before you know it and along with it will come planting season. Many members may be interested in a Zoom gardening class. There are a number of resources that should be available to Sisterhoods.

• A large, local garden center should have a horticulturist on staff. They may already be doing Zoom programs for customers. Their staff will know about growing conditions in your area and will be able to guide your members as to what to plant. They may do this for free or low cost as a way of attracting new customers.
• Contact a garden club. There are many clubs with members that have lead lectures in the past in both vegetable and flower gardening. They should be easy to locate on Facebook or with an Internet search.
• Your state should have gardening information through either the Department of Agriculture or Health. They may be able to provide speakers directly or refer you to an authority.
• Check with any public gardens, arboretums, historic sites, etc. for speaker availability. Many have teaching staff who would be able to do a Zoom program.

Greatgardenspeakers.com has a wide variety of topics. Their experienced speakers come from virtually every state. Contact information is on the site.

Gardening provides exercise, an outdoor experience, and the pride of growing your own food. Let’s help our members have a great harvest this year.

 

 

February 12, 2021

Passover Programming Ideas

With Passover beginning this year on March 27, many of us are thinking about what our Sisterhood can do virtually to recognize, celebrate and honor the traditions of the holiday. Below you will find several ideas that ascend from the very simple to the more complex. As always, feel free to contact me to further discuss any of these concepts!

1. Adult Coloring has become all the rage and has helped millions to relax and relieve stress. Inexpensive Pesach-themed coloring pages are available to download and share online. Via Zoom, plan a BYOCP (Bring Your Own Colored Pencils) night and create a beautiful design to display at your Seder. Since this is an easy craft to start and stop and start again, you don’t have to complete it in one evening. In fact, you can use this coloring craft during the hectic holiday times to enjoy a mess-free “YOU TIME.” For inspiration: Click Here (Free or very inexpensive)
2. Build a Matzah Pyramid! Arrange a Drive-Thru Matzah Collection. As the cars drop off the matzah boxes, organize the boxes (preferably 5 pounders) into a triangle. It only takes two or three socially distanced volunteers to accept and arrange the display. Remember to take some pictures to share with your members and to put in your synagogue’s bulletin! Coordinate a donation to a local food pantry as the culmination of your Sisterhood’s efforts.
3. With so many wine glasses floating around a Seder table, it would be smart and fun to create a way to designate each guest’s glass. Create Wine Glass Charms! Click Here to order inexpensive silver wine glass ring assemble packets with materials to create 4-6 wine glass charms by filling a snack size baggie with the rings, themed charms, and colorful beads such as these: Click Here. Encourage your participants to BYOG (Bring Your Own Glass), preferably filled with wine, to sip and demonstrate her creations! (You will need to approximate your number of participants and order your supplies accordingly. Make sure to charge enough to cover your expenses and to make a little extra!) Note: If you prefer to keep it simple, order ONE style of Jewish themed charm and encourage your participants to differentiate the rings with the colorful beads.
4. Plan a Cooking Demonstration (or Cook Along). Select four Sisterhood members to present their recipes. You can assign an appetizer, main dish, side dish, and dessert to them. Alternatively, you can make this a “Just Desserts” demonstration. Make sure to send all your Zoom viewers the recipes (if they’re just watching) or the recipes and ingredient lists if they’re cooking/baking along.  As an add on to this, you can create a recipe exchange within your Sisterhood group.

February 5, 2021

Mah Jongg Madness Continues in Quarantine

Whether your Sisterhood would like to plan an afternoon (or evening) of play or perhaps a fundraising tournament, not even a pandemic can keep us from enjoying Mah Jongg! Using the online option www.realmahjongg.com you can bring your members B’Yachad, together, for some distracting fun.

All your members will need is a desktop, iPad, iPhone, or android device and her own card to play.

For a tournament, play at rotating tables using tournament scoring to win prizes (Amazon eCards are super easy to send). You can also sell raffle tickets prior to the event day for chances to win additional prizes while raising even more funds.

Things you’ll need to do:

•    Set cost to register. A fair tournament entrance is often $20-$25.
•    Set pricing for raffle tickets. 4 for $10 and 10 for $20 gives the incentive to buy more.
•    Set raffle ticket prize amounts.
•    Make sure to collect the email address for each registrant in order to be able to send prizes.

For more information, Helene Urbaitel, of Congregation Beth Shalom Sisterhood in Atlanta, GA, has graciously agreed to be available to answer questions via email at helene@bethshalom.net.

 

January 28 2021

January 22, 2021

It is Possible to Fundraise Virtually!

As you may know, Headline Entertainment has been successfully booking virtual/zoom shows throughout the pandemic. Although we now see light at the end of the tunnel, we still have months to go before we can see in person live shows. Headline Entertainment is offering special pricing for bigger name talent during the pandemic from The Tonight Show, to America’s Got Talent, and more – most of whom are on their website, www.headlineentertainment.us.

If you’d like to learn more about booking a Comedy Show Fundraiser, call Johnny Lampert (845-639-0620) and he will walk you through the simple steps and secure something great for you while also helping everyone stay connected with one another! 
Remember, laughter is good for the soul!

 

January 15, 2021

From Baghdad to Calcutta

Tel Aviv Street Art Tour will take you through the most visible and famous graffiti in town, as well as some of the most hidden pieces of street art, and it will uncover their stories for you.

Graffiti in Israel was boosted in the early 2000s largely due to the British artist Banksy, one of the world’s most famous street art artists, who visited Israel and the Palestinian Authorities, causing a stir in the local scene. Some pieces of Tel Aviv street art are well-executed artworks representing the artistic flair of the city while others have a political or social criticism and can serve as a crash course to Israeli society. Explore Tel Aviv’s urban art and, through it, explore provoking, moving, fascinating pieces of history, politics, and culture of Israel itself. 

Contact LET for more information at shalom@let.travel

January 8, 2021

Tel Aviv Street Art Tour will take you through the most visible and famous graffiti in town, as well as some of the most hidden pieces of street art, and it will uncover their stories for you.

Graffiti in Israel was boosted in the early 2000s largely due to the British artist Banksy, one of the world’s most famous street art artists, who visited Israel and the Palestinian Authorities, causing a stir in the local scene. Some pieces of Tel Aviv street art are well-executed artworks representing the artistic flair of the city while others have a political or social criticism and can serve as a crash course to Israeli society. Explore Tel Aviv’s urban art and, through it, explore provoking, moving, fascinating pieces of history, politics, and culture of Israel itself. 

Contact LET for more information at shalom@let.travel

January 1, 2021

Then and Now: 100 Years Ago. A look at the amazing similarities between our world 100 years ago and today.

December 1, 2020

 

 November 25, 2020

Meet Me at the Met

Photo by Tomas Eidsvold

Your Sisterhood or Region may find a virtual tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City a fascinating program. Whether distance or the coronavirus makes a Zoom visit the most appropriate, The Met offers a number of engaging online discussions led by a Museum guide.

Current offered tours include:

Museum Highlights: Discover works of art that highlight the diversity and breadth of the Museum’s collection, which spans more than 5,000 years.

American Art: Explore The American Wing, including Native American art, through paintings, sculpture, and historic interiors, ranging from the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century.

Art of the Ancient World: Contains art created across cultures in the ancient world, from China, Egypt, Greece and Rome, to the Americas.

The Met Cloisters: View highlights of The Met Cloisters, the only American museum dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, home of the famous Unicorn Tapestries.

Modern and Contemporary Art: A wide range of art created across the world in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries will be showcased.

Special Exhibition About Time: Fashion and Duration The Costume Institute’s 2020 exhibition traces a century and a half of fashion—from 1870 to the present—on the occasion of The Met’s 150th anniversary.

A 60-minute online tour has a maximum 40 people per reservation. Tours are available Monday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm. Limited appointments are available on weekends.

There is a $300 flat fee per adult group. However, discounts are granted on a case by case basis. The administration recommended contacting them directly to discuss your group. Payment is due one week in advance.

Grace Schessler
International VP WLCJ and Program Chair
gschessler@wlcj.org

 

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Bingo

www.myfreebingocards.com is a website through which you can play BINGO virtually. The fundraising aspect of the program depends on how much you choose to charge your participants. My Sisterhood chose to do 3 cards for $10. Here are the basic steps to follow:   Determine about how many cards you will need, based on how many you’re giving for each person’s fee and the anticipated number of players. The program allows you to send the links to the cards by either entering the participants’ email addresses or by copying and pasting the links into individual emails. Encourage your players to print out their cards at home and to use candies, coins, or buttons as markers. Don’t let them write on the cards as you will be playing multiple games with the same cards. Set up a Zoom call and send that information along with the links.  It is a good idea for you to keep track of who received which cards. They are numbered. The program has 100 calling sequences. Use a different sequence for each game played. If you have your players muted, have them unmute to call BINGO. Ask winners to give you the number of the card. You type it in and you’ll see their actual card pop up on your screen.  The caller needs two devices: one for the game and one for Zoom. You could use one but it is difficult to swipe back and forth. Keep track of the winners. We sent electronic gift cards through Amazon so you don’t have to mail prizes. Caller should print out the fun bingo calls to keep it entertaining.   I know it sounds like a lot to keep track of but the website’s YouTube videos are really helpful and organization is key!   Grace Schessler International VP WLCJ and Program Chair gschessler@wlcj.org

 

 

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

New Year Greeting Card

 Your Sisterhood may want to do something to help raise funds for programming and for your synagogue. Here is a New Year Greeting Card fundraiser held annually by my Sisterhood in Las Vegas.

We send out a solicitation card to the whole congregation. [To view a copy of the card, click here]. It is printed on card stock and as you can see, will be cut in two after it is printed. I have shown both sides, so you can see how to do it. We send this out in late summer so that people have plenty of time to answer.

Sometimes it is necessary to call people, who have participated in the past or those you think may wish to be included in your card, with a friendly reminder.

Involvement is strong and we have raised thousands of dollars, even after printing and mailing expenses!

Also available for you to view is the format we used for our card. It is a tri-fold layout. [To view a copy of the trifold card, click here]. When you see it on the computer, the middle section, when folded, is actually the front of the card. You can attach your mailing label directly on the card there. The left side is on the inside when folded and the right side is the back when folded.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me: memarkfas@cox.net
Kim Memar
WLCJ Programming Committee Member

 

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Bob Alper: The World’s only practicing clergyman doing stand-up comedy… intentionally!

 

Bob’s unique background (he’s an ordained rabbi who served congregations for fourteen years and holds a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary) prepared him well for a twenty-seven year comedy career with wonderfully unique material presented in a way that’s intelligent, sophisticated, and 100% clean. Bob performs all across North America and England, at corporate events, theaters, non-profits, conventions, private parties, churches, and, naturally, synagogues.

“The Spirituality of Laughter” Has been adapted to a Zoom format. It’s a Jewish look at the Holiness of Humor. This program is part informal sermon (with plenty of laughs) exploring how Judaism values the spiritual, psychological, and physiological benefits of laughter, followed by 30 minutes of pure stand-up comedy! Rabbi Alper has other Zoom formatted programs available as well.

To find out more, check out www.bobalper.com or
contact Rabbi Alper at 802-362-5151 or email info@bobalper.com

 

OCTOBER 19, 2020

About the Exhibit:

Judith Leiber: Master Craftsman tells the story of a fearless woman ahead of her time. This exhibition honors the Holocaust survivor-turned-mega-designer’s life, work and legacy and will feature photographs of Leiber alongside a comprehensive selection of Judith Leiber’s bags, belts, pillboxes and glasses, from collectors in Florida as well as from The Leiber Collection.

The contact person is Nancy Doyle Cohen, Museum Manager of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. Her contact information is:
Office 786-972-3164
Cell 305-332-7791
nancohen@fiu.edu

The tour takes about an hour, which includes time for your sisterhood president/leader to make announcements plus have a few minutes of “socializing.” 

They give a brief overview about the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, followed by a two minute video explaining how the purses are created. Then, the museum curator shares her desktop and takes sisterhood members through the exhibit, providing commentary and information about the Leibers. There is also time for questions from your members at the end.

If anyone in your sisterhood has a Judith Leiber bag they would be welcome to share their bag and tell when and where they got it.  

There is not a set fee for the tour. Organizations have sent donations from $180 to as much as $500.  

This exhibit could be a “gift” given to your sisterhood rather than a paid up membership brunch, luncheon or dinner.  

It is also an excellent program to do as a joint program with other Sisterhoods in your “neighborhood” whether that is locally or by zoom.

 

OCTOBER 13, 2020

Wonderful “get to know my sisters better” program. 

1. Set a date for this casual get together
2. Advertise it as a “Have your favorite drink in hand and get to know your sisters a little better.”
3. Tell each member to come to the meeting with 2 truths and a lie about themselves.
4. Go around the room (zoom) and have each member tell their three “facts.”
5. After each member tells their “facts” have everyone raise their hand on which “fact” they believe to be false. 
6. The member tells the false fact and discussion usually follows. 
7. Everyone gets a turn and you will definitely learn things about each other that you never knew before. 
8. Encourage some seemingly far fetched and funny “facts.”

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
Let’s go to the Movies: Join a Film discussion with (your Sisterhood name here)

With movie theaters closed or attendance restricted, choose a film for online viewing and schedule a discussion date. You can click on the attachments below for a selected list of Jewish themed films available online (of course, you can choose your own) and questions for the discussion facilitator. The facilitator can look up films on Wikipedia for synopses and information. A co-leader may be needed to help with discussion. Don’t forget your microwave popcorn!

This program can be held once a month or any frequency that suits your Sisterhood members.

1. Choose a film and discussion date.
2. Send information to your membership a month before the program to allow time for members to view the film.
3. Ask for pre-registration in order to receive Zoom link.
4. Send reminder out one week before discussion.
5. Two days before discussion, send out Zoom link.
6. Explain to attendees that everyone is muted. To speak, they need to use the “Raise Your Hand” feature.
7. Co-leader can unmute those who raise their hands so there is one speaker at a time.
8. Expect a lively discussion!

Jewish Films Available on Streaming Services

Questions for Leading a Film Discussion

 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
The Mob Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada

You can have your guests view the online tour by themselves and give them a couple of days to get it done. Then you can all meet via zoom with an Educator from the Mob Museum for Q & A. Your guests view the current online tour at www.themobmuseum.org. You will need to email or call to set up the Zoom day and time for the Educator to meet with your guests. Plus, if people have other Mob-related or Las Vegas questions that are not featured in the Museum, they can still have those questions answered.

Contact info: Rodney Arnett, Jr., Sales Manager
702.724.8622
rarnett@themobmuseum.org

PS: Their AV/IT team is working on creating a fun virtual tour that multiple people can join.

 

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

 

Volunteer to Present: Homemade with (insert Sisterhood name here) 

The nicest part of this program is that everyone gets to spend about an hour together cooking, learning and schmoozing!

This program can be held once, once a week, once a month, or a few times a year around holiday time.

 

1. First, ask for volunteers who would like to cook a favorite recipe in her own kitchen.
2. Decide on the day of the week and the time you will hold the class.
3. About one week before, send out the list of ingredients and materials you will need.
4. Give the option of buying the ingredients and cooking along OR just watching.
5. This will be done on Zoom so everyone but the cook will be muted.
6. There should also be one other Sisterhood leader on the Zoom call to watch for questions written in the chat or if hands are raised.
7. The cook should welcome everyone into her kitchen and also give some info about the recipe they are cooking.
8. Teach how to cook the recipe, step by step.