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 each Sisterhood’s programing needs. If you have any questions, please contact Grace at gschessler@wlcj.org or Karen at kseltzer@wlcj.org .

 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.