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.
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Website: wrjcentral.org
- Development & Special Projects
- YES Fund / World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ)
- Advocacy/Jewish Concerns
- Affiliate Development
- Marketing & Communications
- Website Manager
- Awards
- Speakers Bureau
- 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.
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
“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 |
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| 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) |
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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 |
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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 – Sheilah Abramson Miles, Louisville, KY (sheilah@pipeline.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 – Cindy Bolokofsky, Rochester, MI (bolokofskyc@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 |
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.
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.
