Sisterhood Speaks – March 2017

A Word from Sisterhood

Carole Lebental, Sisterhood President

The Cambridge Dictionary defines “sisterhood” as a feeling of shared interests and support among women. The same dictionary defines “brotherhood” as a feeling of shared interests and support among men “and generally among all humans”.

One of the core tenets of the Jewish religion is welcoming the stranger. That phrase is repeated 36 times in the Torah. I feel pride in knowing that HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) which was formed in 1881 to resettle Jews fleeing pogroms in Europe, has helped to resettle 4,000 refugees in the last year. One half of them were Muslims. We Jews know what it is like to be singled out for persecution, and to be stereotyped as having the most undesirable characteristics of the feared few. Individuals who are victims are often branded as perpetrators and have every door of escape slammed shut.

Our synagogue and clergy continue to actively support social justice. Our Sisterhood is a member of the WRJ (Women of Reform Judaism). Social justice is one of the components of the WRJ program. Unlike the dictionary’s distinction between “sisterhood” and “brotherhood”, we women do support all humans.

Many thanks to Jan and Jerry Simon who provided the perfect site for our Circle of Service luncheon, and to the committee chaired by Julie Jonas and Mimi Borden, who organized and provided the luncheon. The featured speaker was Lily Kowalski, a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion who is a recipient of a YES Fund scholarship.

Thanks, also, to our program chairman, Ellie Zamos, who arranged the “Adventures in the Land of Swing” program in February, and to Linda Herman, Marilyn Ortner, and their committee who chair the hamantaschen sales which began in February and will continue through March 12th. These events support the work Sisterhood does to support our TBE community.