Resources

WRJ Central District Resources

Speaker’s Bureau

How can we assist your sisterhood’s programming? Speakers can help with board orientations, leadership development, YES Fund events, installations and more. Speakers’ costs are paid for by the district and are a benefit of your district dues. District Speakers Bureau requests are scheduled based on availability, and it is recommended that all requests be submitted at least three months in advance. A district affiliate is eligible to get a district speaker once every two years.
Contact Rachel Silverland, Columbus, OH (RachelAdland@gmail.com) for all speaker requests.

Advocacy/Jewish Family Concerns

– Looking to take action? WRJ Central District is here to help. WRJ has a robust advocacy and social action agenda, and our District Chair is extremely knowledgeable about Reform Movement initiatives in these areas. Local sisterhoods benefit from help adding social action through education and advocacy to all programming.
Contact Hillary Handwerger, Ann Arbor, MI (hillaryh@ix.netcom.com), for programming assistance in advocacy, social action, creating caring community and sacred aging.

YES Fund

How we support your passions throughout the world. Our YES Co-Chairs are knowledgeable about the YES Fund and can provide ideas for sisterhoods to support and educate their members about WRJ’s primary philanthropic effort. Contributions to this fund from sisterhoods help to ensure the future of the Reform Movement for our children and grandchildren. Information on what the money raised by the YES Fund supports and how individual sisterhoods can raise money for the YES Fund, including holding a YES Fund event, is available through this department.
Contact Susan Kaplan, West Bloomfield, MI (kaplanmom1972@gmail.com) or Carol Friedman, Akron, OH, (csandybeach1@att.net) for programming assistance or information on the YES Fund.

Affiliate Development

We’d love to have you join us! Is your women’s group interested in affiliating with WRJ? Our Affiliates Chair will work with you and our district to help you engage and connect with WRJ.
Contact Karen Sim, West Chester, OH (karensim@fuse.net) for information or assistance in joining WRJ.

Central District Facebook Page, Website and Isha L’Isha bulletin

How can we help you market your sisterhood? Our Central District facebook page can help you market and promote your local sisterhood events and area days, and our website contains a wealth of information on Central District and WRJ, including upcoming events. Our quarterly Isha L’Isha bulletin will keep you up to date on events in our district, and articles can be sent to our Bulletin Editor.

Website:wrjcentral.org
Contact Hillary Handwerger, Ann Arbor, MI (hillaryh@ix.netcom.com)

    • for information on our website, or to promote information for your local sisterhood events on facebook.

Facebook: WRJ Central District
Facebook“Like” and “Follow” us!!
Isha L’Isha Bulletin:
Our quarterly newsletter waiting on stories and news from you, our members. Be sure to share this newsletter with your boards and members.
Past issues can be found at wrjcentral.org/news/isha-lisha/
Contact Marcia Persin, Commerce Twp, MI (ishawrjcentral@gmail.com) to send articles for our quarterly bulletin.

Central District also has a blog, Sharing the Best to share and find information about sucessful programs and projects from local sisterhoods. Enter your information and images easily with the blog interface.

And then there are our Area Directors

Area Directors – We are here for you! The Area Director is the liaison between local sisterhoods and Central District. These women are terrific resources to sisterhoods, planning area days and facilitating on-going communications between sisterhood presidents and our District.

Central – Ellen Half,
Columbus, OH (ebhalf@yahoo.com)		 Congregation Beth Tikvah, Worthington, Ohio
Temple Israel, Marion, Ohio
Temple Beth Shalom, New Albany, Ohio
Temple Israel, Columbus, Ohio
Eastern Michigan – Wendy Kohlenberg,
West Bloomfield, MI (wendyksisterhood@gmail.com)		 Temple Beth El, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Temple Emanu-El, Oak Park, Michigan
Congregation Shir Tikvah, Troy, Michigan
Temple Shomer Emunim, Sylvania, Ohio (Toledo, Ohio)
Northeast Ohio – Robin Rosen-Sharp,
Aurora, OH (rrsdvm2@aol.com)		 Temple Israel, Akron, Ohio
Temple Israel, Canton, Ohio
Temple Beth Shalom, Hudson, Ohio
Congregation Rodef Sholom, Youngstown, Ohio
Northern Ohio – Marilyn Goldfein,
Shaker Heights, OH (marilyn.goldfein@gmail.com)		 Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, Beachwood, Ohio
Oheb Shalom Temple, Sandusky, Ohio
The Temple – Tifereth Israel, Beachwood, Ohio
Temple Emanu El, Orange Village, Ohio
South – Susan Glazer,
Louisville, KY (susan30855@yahoo.com)		 Temple Adath Israel, Lexington, Kentucky
Temple Beth El, Knoxville, Tennessee
B’nai Sholom Congregation, Huntington, West Virginia
Temple Shalom, Louisville, Kentucky
The Temple– Congregation Adath Israel Brith Shalom, Louisville, Kentucky
Southwest – Suzanne Voos,
Cincinnati, OH (slv82849@aol.com)		 Rockdale Temple Cincinnati, Ohio
Temple Sholom Cincinnati, Ohio
The Valley Temple Cincinnati, Ohio
Isaac M. Wise Temple Cincinnati, Ohio
West – Beth Lande,
Carmel, IN (bethlande@gmail.com) and
Sharon Karp, Indianapolis, IN (skarp@iu.edu)		 Temple Beth El, Muncie, Indiana
Temple B’nai Israel, Kokomo, Indiana
Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, Indianapolis, Indiana
Temple Israel, W. Lafayette, Indiana
United Hebrew Congregation, Terre Haute, Indiana
Congregation Beth Shalom, Carmel, Indiana
Western Michigan – Susan Singer,
White Lake, MI (susanlsinger@gmail.com)		 Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Temple Kol Ami, West Bloomfield, Michigan
Shaarey Zedek Congregation, East Lansing, Michigan
Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, Michigan
Special – Sheilah Abramson Miles,
Louisville, KY (sheilah@pipeline.com)

For additional information, contact:
Pamela Feldman-Hill: communications@wrjcentral.org

WRJ Central District also provides you powerpoint presentations and more resources that can be used as educational tools or programs. Be sure to check out our Educational Presentation page.

WRJ Resources

As an affiliate of WRJ, we have access to many resources from both WRJ Central District and from WRJ. WRJ Central District has three chairs under each department. Click here to learn more about Central District’s organization.

  • Development & Special Projects
    • YES Fund / World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ)
    • Advocacy/Jewish Concerns
    • Affiliate Development
  • Marketing & Communications
    • Website Manager
    • Awards
    • Speakers Bureau

A vice-president, with chairs that specialize in the areas covered, leads each district department. In addition to the vice-presidents, WRJ also has professional staff.

    • The WRJ website, provides a great deal of information describing Women of Reform Judaism, its history, the leadership, advocacy, awards, events, and philanthropy. There is also a section on Jewish Life where you can learn about the holidays, find food and recipes, and torah study. And there is the WRJ Shopping area. This is a great resource to learn about WRJ overall, and what we do.
    • Yammer, is an online platform where women discuss issues important to them. WRJ Board Members, sisterhood presidents and leaders are invited to sign into Yammer. With Yammer, you can not only search for resources, but also connect with one another to ask questions and share ideas. As your sisterhood elects new leadership, be sure to update our leadership forms so the new leadership can access this and other WRJ tools.
    • The WRJ Consultant Program was created to provide WRJ-affiliated sisterhoods with access to WRJ leaders who are knowledgeable in topics that our affiliates often find challenging. Learn more about this program at wrj.org/what-we-do/leadership-development/consultant-program#sthash.jsXbS424.dpuf
    • In 2007, WRJ released the publication of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary. The book has received accolades worldwide and is but one example of what women, working together, can achieve. WRJ Central District is a proud supporter of the commentary and encourages sisterhoods to use it for study and as a tool for educating congregations about sisterhood.
    • WRJ has gone Social! Visit WRJ on Facebook at www.facebook.com/womenofreformjudaism, on the new WRJ Blog at http://blogs.rj.org/wrj/,and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/womenofreformjudaism.