Blog

After attending WRJ's Southeast District Convention, I know this (WRJ) is where I'm supposed to be. The Havdalah services, reflective conversations, and meaningful connections reminded me so much of my time on Birthright. However, this time, I was able to contribute to this Jewish space more self-assured and confident. The transition I experienced from Birthright has been solidified through my professional and leadership development cultivated during my time working for WRJ. Meeting a fraction of the women in person who together form WRJ made my roots in the organization feel that much stronger. Here is the story of how I got here.

Parashat Tsav is a challenging portion to find meaning in since it talks in detail about offerings or sacrifices to be carried out by the priests in the Mishkan (the portable tabernacle built in the final chapters of Exodus). There are several kinds of offerings, done for various reasons and also done with differing rituals. I want to focus on the reparation offering (asham), which is also sometimes called the “guilt offering.”

It's hard to put my finger on just one moment or reason that made me want to move to Israel. Maybe it’s the delicious fresh and diverse cuisine, the laid-back problem-solving culture, or the proximity to all sorts of nature within only an hour’s drive–but even more so, it’s the passionate Reform Movement leaders and teachers who inspire me to be a part of this community. I am so fortunate to continue my studies toward the rabbinate at HUC in Jerusalem and know that this would not have been possible without WRJ’s YES Fund.

Any day now, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will issue a ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al, a case that asks the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to order the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its 20-year-old approval of mifepristone (one of two medications commonly used in medication abortion)--a major decision that could pull the drug off the market nationwide.

WRJ and the Women's Rabbinic Network are leaders in the fight for pay equity. As an organization, we are conducting training on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and implicit bias, sexual harassment (WRJ says STOP), and equitable hiring practices. In addition, WRJ will continue mobilizing advocacy for legislative interventions for pay equity.

We know in our own lives the importance of leadership, collaboration, and structure, and what occurs when these essentials fall apart. There is distrust, crisis, and failure to communicate from the top down. Dealing with multiple changes and insecurity is exceedingly difficult, especially in new circumstances with little stability or predictability for the future. Self-government is a new concept that creates uncertainty, insecurity, and vulnerability. Leadership is a challenge. Responsibility suffers. Yet, Parashat Ki Tisa is a story of evolution.

For six years, I’ve been lucky to be one of the representatives from WRJ to the United Nations (UN). One could attend a UN session two or three times a day if one had the time and inclination! There are so many meetings and much to learn. Our practice has been to choose the sessions most relevant to WRJ and divide them among us.  

Parashat T’tzaveh is not terribly well-known and is filled with details about which most people have little interest. It is a portion that requires a lot of slow, careful reading, which ultimately leads to some fascinating and fulfilling insights. But one must read carefully to find those insights and see their connection to our lives as Reform Jews.