Voices of WRJ: Sh'mot

by Sandy Adland Parashat Sh’mot, meaning “names,” centers around four major themes: the fertility of Israel, the oppression of the Israelites, God’s intervention, and most notably, the prominent role of women in saving the nation. In this chapter of our people’s narrative, five women are highlighted. Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives, defy Pharaoh by intentionally disobeying his order to kill the newborn sons of the Israelite women, knowing it is the wrong thing to do. They tell Pharaoh that the women are strong enough to birth their own young without assistance, suggesting they were not always present to know whether the newborns were boys or girls, thus avoiding the inevitable task. Pharaoh accepts this explanation, which later makes him look foolish. Then there is Moses’ mother Yocheved, who defies Pharaoh by sending her infant son in a basket down the Nile River, and the basket is discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter (the fourth woman). Rightfully suspecting that Moses is an Israelite baby boy who was being spared the death sentence decreed by her father, she takes him under her wing. And then there is Moses’ sister Miriam, who volunteers to find her baby brother a nursemaid, surreptitiously arranging for that person to be none other than Moses’ own mother. There’s so much to say about the women in this story. In a word, they have chutzpah! They’re bold, free-thinking, defiant, courageous, creative, conniving (in a healthy way), collaborative across cultural, intergenerational and religious lines, and tenacious in their deliberations. I wholeheartedly believe that “it takes a village," and in this case, a village of strong, dedicated, and committed women to overcome adversity and to stand together for the preservation of a people. I liken WRJ to the heroines in Sh’mot. We’re bold in our vision. We collaborate in our work. We strive to do what is right. For over 100 years WRJ has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Reform Movement, to support Israel, our synagogues, our clergy, our youth programs, and our Jewish camps, to act globally, and to raise our collective voice in the name of justice for all. We have actualized all of this in ways too numerous to list here. We continue to be at the forefront of tikkun olam (repairing the world) initiatives at home and abroad. The WRJ Or Ami "Light of Our People" Awards highlight the powerful ways, in the form of outstanding programming, that we as an organization make a difference in the world. As Reform and progressive Jewish women, we stand in solidarity with the Women of the Wall, demanding equality at the Kotel, without violence, intolerance and discrimination. It is a fact that the WRJ Resolutions and Statements written by our organization, Board of Directors, and/or Executive Committee support a vast array of social justice issues. At the recent WRJ Assembly 2015, three resolutions were passed. They addressed distracted driving, pay equity, and paid family and medical leave. Of course, the crowning jewel of WRJ is the WRJ YES (Youth, Education, and Special Projects) Fund. Through individual donations and those of affiliated sisterhoods and our districts, WRJ strengthens our Reform movement and ensures the future of Reform Judaism. On a personal level, WRJ has helped me to be a stronger and better leader in my own sisterhood, as a district president, and in the community at large. Like Shiphrah and Puah, Yocheved, Pharaoh’s daughter, and Miriam, may we, the Women of Reform Judaism, stand together with courage, vision, a healthy dose of defiance, and holy chutzpah, to strengthen and sustain our people throughout the generations to come. Sandy Adland is a WRJ Board member, WRJ Central District President, and a Temple Israel member in Canton, OH.