Ricki Oleon

I have recently returned from the WRJ Pacific District convention in Portland, OR. It was rejuvenating to be among women who strive to repair the world in so many compassionate ways. So much of what we do when we come together is to focus or reignite our commitments towards social justice as we recently did at this convention.

Where do you find your “Jewishness” during the summer?  Is it during travel, visiting museums, finding special exhibits, film festivals or?????  This summer I was fortunate enough to explore, enrich and appreciate, my “Jewishness” at many different places. Friday Night Services on a Transatlantic cruise….I was at sea on my 1^st cruise with my husband, Glenn, as we were celebrating our significant birthdays (divisible by 5, but in big numbers) and an anniversary. Curious as to what our options might be (if any) for Shabbat services we discovered that a service with great wine and very tasty challah was in the ship’s daily announcement. A timid, more than a minyan-sized group showed up. No one seemed confident to lead the services, so in the awkwardness of the silence, we shifted into our own synagogue and camp experiences to lead the group, amused that it was the Reform Jews taking charge of the rituals. It led to new friends who returned the next Friday with a few more friends. We were not all the Jews on the cruise, but it was an interesting portal to meeting some new friends.