Voices of WRJ: Vayeria

Vayeira, (Genesis 18:1–22:24) There is a lot to unpack in this portion.

We are familiar with it. We read the Akeidah (Genesis 22:1), the binding of Isaac, on the High Holy Days every year. Organizations have created entire social justice campaigns around that single word uttered over and over by Abraham. “Hineini—here I am.” As the Women of Reform Judaism, one could argue that not only have social justice campaigns been created around hineini, but the philosophy of the organization is one of responding “Here I am!” when someone calls out to us.

“Abraham, Abraham!” He replied: “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:11)

Hineini. Here I am. I am present, and I am ready to work. Here we are as the Women of Reform Judaism. We respond “hineini” collectively and individually all the time.

When we are called to support the immigrant and fight for DACA, we respond, “here I am!” and gather in the rotunda of the US Capitol and allow ourselves to be arrested because that brings attention to the situation.

When we see a movement to retract basic civil rights and the rights of women, we shout, “here I am!” and work to ensure that reproductive health and rights are sustained across North America.

When we see women being disproportionately impacted by job loss, lost wages, and overwhelming responsibility during a pandemic, we respond, “here I am!” And we continue to fund the Reform Pay Equity Initiative to educate our leaders and members on how we can make a difference if we close the gender wage gap.

When we see voters being disenfranchised and felons not given back their right to vote, we respond, “here I am!” We work with the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism to make changes to the laws and regain their ability to vote. We work in a non-partisan way to register voters and make sure everyone receives their mail-in ballot or can get to the polls on Election Day.

When we are called to help people who lost their homes in a natural disaster, we respond, “here I am!” and send money and supplies to shelters, to synagogues, and other support organizations. We coordinate efforts on the ground to help those who have lost everything. We open our camps to shelter those who have lost their homes. We open our checkbooks and roll up our sleeves to help as many people as we can.

When we see that our Movement needs the next generation of leaders, we respond, “here I am!” and fund Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion students through YES fund donations and scholarships.

Is there more work to be done? Yes. We need to respond “hineini” to the cries of Jews of color and mixed-race Jews to feel at home in our Movement. This is a place where WRJ can respond, “here WE are!” but we are not there yet. Far too often, harkening back to our Torah portion (Genesis 18:1), we are not always shouting from the tent’s doorway to invite in the stranger and those we don’t know…and welcome them to be a part of our community.

There are a dozen more social justice initiatives in which WRJ women are involved as leaders and committee members. Civil rights, the environment, interfaith outreach, Israel, religious freedom, and working to ensure our Movement thrives for generations to come. It is when we respond, “Here I am!” to the call for help that the women of WRJ stand tall and raise our voices to make a difference in the world.

Rachel Roth is a member of the Women of Temple Chai, Long Grove, Illinois. She sits on the WRJ North American Board and as an ex-officio member of the URJ North American Board. She serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the American Conference of Cantors.