WRJ Voices: Lech L'cha

by Nicole Villalpando Adonai said to Abram, “Go forth from your house, to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you: I will make your name great, and it shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2)  Oh, if only God said to future Sisterhood leadership: “Go forth from your house, to the temple boardrooms that I will show you. I will make Sisterhood respected, and it shall be a blessing.” Sometimes, it’s hard for women in our temples to hear the call to serve our sisterhoods. Sometimes, it’s as if they are running the other way, trying to get out of stepping up and taking the title of sisterhood president or vice president. And sometimes, the reason is, that while they love their congregation and even the women in their sisterhood, they cannot see the future land of a sisterhood that is so much better than the barren desert of sisterhood that the organization has become. Our sisterhoods become stale. Often, we are like Abram and Sarai. We are stuck in the wasteland of running the ordinary day-to-day business of the sisterhood. We have not embraced its potential. We have not dreamed of bigger and better things that our sisterhood could be come. Or, perhaps we are afraid to do the work of reimagining our sisterhoods. We are stuck in the minute details instead of seeing the big picture. We fear that we might anger some of our longstanding volunteers. We fear that change will not work. It is easier to just stay as we are. Yet, we have to go forth. Every few years, our sisterhoods need a swift kick in the tuchas, to shake off the cobwebs and open up the possibilities for fresh ideas. Like Abram and Sarai, we have to “go forth,” because we can’t stay in this wasteland. We have to figure out who we are, what our values are, what our goals should be, what traditions we treasure and what traditions we are holding onto for tradition’s sake. We have to figure out how to go from Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah. We have to figure out how we can become the sisterhood women that create a new vision for our sisterhood, one that will bring more women into our tents. We have to find our future. Consider:

1. Doing a survey of all the women in your congregation to see what they value in your sisterhood, what programs they find stale, what programs they would like to attend.
2. Tapping the brainpower of a few select women, both sisterhood women and non-sisterhood women. Using the survey, determine what your future goals should be and the road map to get your sisterhood there.
3. Shedding all the baggage of expectations. Must the fundraiser always be the same latke dinner of the past? Must you always fund a program just because the temple expects it or could you decide what you want to fund? Must meetings always be at noon on a Tuesday or can you try evening meetings or weekend meetings? Do you even need to meet at all or should you just do programs, service to your temple and social action? Take apart all of the “because we’ve always done it this way” and the “because we have to” and figure out what you want to do and what is for the good of your organization.
4. Finding the fun again. If you’re not having fun, why are you doing it? And if you’re not having fun, who wants to roll up their sleeves and not have fun beside you? No one.
5. Inviting a WRJ or district representative to visit your sisterhood. She can be a great resource to help you brainstorm new directions. She also can be an impartial observer who can give you a different perspective on your sisterhood as well as advice on next steps to take.
6. Find inspiration at Fried Leadership Conference March 3-5, 2017 in Charleston, S.C. Even if you’ve been to a thousand conferences, you’ll leave inspired with fresh ideas. And if you’ve never been, you’ll leave inspired with fresh ideas.

Whatever you do, go forth, to the land that you create; a land that is filled with the milk and honey of ideas and enjoyed by more women in your tent. Nicole Villalpando is a member of the WRJ Executive Committee and a past president of the Southwest District. She is a member of Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood in Austin, Texas, and lives with a husband, two teenagers, two cats, a crazy dog and a chinchilla.