Women of Reform Judaism/Sisterhood

Annual Report, 2005-06

Beth-El's Sisterhood has been re-building in significant ways. Membership increased to 151, after hovering at 110 for a number of years. WRJ's Second Night Seder served a record number of more than 200 people. Our treasury is strong. WRJ is donating $8,000 for scholarships to Greene Family Camp and $10,000 to the Religious School . 

Significant portions of these funds are profits from the Sisterhood Judaica Shop, which is expertly managed by Edythe Cohen. Edythe has turned the shop from a money loser into a moneymaker that provides a wide array Jewish gifts and ritual items otherwise unavailable in this corner of the Diaspora. The Judaica Shop is truly a public service. We encourage you to shop there for wedding presents, bar & bat Mitzvah and Housewarming gifts, and birthdays.

Brainstorming for Sisterhood's past year began last May with a board luncheon at my house to which every past-president was invited. Ten former presidents attended - and their interest in the Sisterhood's continuity was a blessing.  Ideas abounded. One past president, Sandy Hollander, remarked how comfortable it was to meet in a private home. She offered to organize a Progressive Dinner in her neighborhood, a gated community certain to attract people because of its inaccessibility to the public. Her idea evolved into a "Progressive Nosh" for paid-up members on a Sunday afternoon in September.  The camaraderie sparked by the "Nosh" was contagious. 

At that initial brainstorming session, a hot topic was the feeling that our temple had become unfriendly toward newcomers. Longtime members were dismayed to hear that Beth-El was perceived as cliquish and cold. Simply airing this concern was a way to begin changing it.  Nametags for board members and others were considered part of the solution. With our push and oomph, the Temple Board ordered attractive nametags (that attach with strong magnets) for officers, trustees, and employees. Brotherhood bought into the idea, requesting enough nametags to bring the temple's total order to 100, enough for a price break from the manufacturer. WRJ ordered nametags for officers, committee chairs, and Judaica Shop volunteers. Without Sisterhood's push every step of the way (including finding the manufacturer and handling the purchase order), this would never have happened. Some past presidents have requested nametags. We hope this idea will spread. The prime movers behind the "be friendly" movement are Eileen House, Corrine Jacobson, and Jenny Solomon.  

As another way to spread warmth and friendliness, the board and past presidents voted unanimously to extend complimentary WRJ membership to new members at Beth-El.  To join, they need only fill out a WRJ membership form and check off activities for which they wish to volunteer. This keeps us alert and friendly toward new members who are happy to find an entry point into Beth-El activities. We gained 10 WRJ members from among the Temple 's new-member roster.

For this year's donor brunch, we appointed a newcomer, Roberta Gerrick, and a veteran, Trudie Oshman, as co-chairs. The newcomer insisted that we "think outside the box." Among the innovations was a small silent auction, with 40 items. The auction, chaired by Cindy Simon, fueled publicity and brought in enough money to pay the caterer.  For the first time, the donor featured an outside speaker ( Los Angeles writer/editor Ruth Ellenson who promoted her award-winning book The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt.)

We are learning that WRJ can sponsor anything - so long as there are two or three members willing to coordinate the activity and see it through. We can successfully sponsor a big event - such as the Shabbat Shuvah reception dedicating the Torah mantles - or a small, intimate gathering like a Rosh Chodesh  (new month) potluck discussion that draws a dozen women. 

Other programs on the past year's calendar included:

• The Mitzvah of Mah-Jongg. It had been years since the Jewish community had a Mah-Jongg tournament. Other sisterhoods through out the region have had success with tournaments. With Jane Oderberg, Sonya Stein, and Marla Sturman in charge, we gave it a try. The first tournament, in August, unexpectedly turned into a profitable event. For the second tournament, the crowd was smaller because it was Superbowl Sunday. Nonetheless, the turnout was ample, and we awarded additional monetary prizes. The tournament goals were to promote a community feeling at Beth-El, to fill a community need, and to increase traffic in the Judaica Shop. We were more than successful.
• "More than the Birds 'n' the Bees." Our biggest challenge is demonstrating that WRJ is for parents with young children. Our pitch to young parents was through a Sunday brunch and panel discussion advertised as "more than the Birds 'n' the Bees." It featured experts in the field from among our membership - Edie Yentis, Vivien Benjamin, Jackie Bzostek, and Laurie James. The panelists enjoyed getting acquainted with one another on a professional level. Those who attended were comfortable asking candid questions and receiving candid answers. They asked for a Birds ''n' Bees Part II for next year.
• Political Moments with the Sisterhood. Barbara Radnofsky, a Jewish attorney from Houston running for the U.S. Senate, spoke at a wine-and-cheese gathering in Marcia Kurtz's living room. We spearheaded the event and co-sponsored it with Hadassah and the Ladies Auxiliary of Ahavath Sholom. Attendance totaled 55 enthusiastic people. In March, the Jewish women's groups were among the sponsors of TCU's Women's Resource Center 's annual dinner, which also had a political theme. We are trying to arrange a gathering with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison or a representative from her office.

Special thanks to Rabbi Mecklenburger, Religious School Director Ilana Knust, and art teachers Gloria Sepp and Evelyn Siegel for their energetic support of the Sisterhood's various programs throughout the past year.

National web site

Women of Reform Judaism - WRJ / NFTS - Jewish Womens Group & Sisterhoods

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