Women of Reform Judaism
633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6778
212.650.4050, Toll Free:866.975.5924
Fax:212.650.4059 Email:wrj@urj.org
WRJ Website:www.wrj.org
WRJ Mission Statement
Women of Reform Judaism, an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, is the collective voice and presence of women in congregational life. Stronger together,we enhance the quality and ideals of contemporary Jewish living to ensure the future of progressive Judaism in North America, Israel, and around the world.
An Overview
Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) is the voice, presence, and arena of action for Reform Jewish women in the synagogue and in the larger community, both nationally and internationally, and is the women’s affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the central body of Reform Judaism in North America. WRJ is the founder of both NFTY (the North American Federation of Temple Youth) and JBI International (formerly Jewish Braille Institute). WRJ is the women’s affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), the central body of liberal Judaism outside of North America. WRJ also works on behalf of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), serving as the women’s fundraising agency.
WRJ is a federation of independent women’s groups, numbering approximately 500 in North America and around the world, with a cumulative membership of nearly 60,000 women, organized into eight districts. WRJ is also affiliated with women’s groups in Reform/Progressive Jewish communities throughout the world, including Panama, the Netherlands, Antilles, Guatemala, Argentina, United Kingdom, Union of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, India, Brazil, and Israel.
WRJ was established in 1913 to provide a mechanism through which the women of Reform Judaism would have a national identity and visibility. As the organization of women in a congregation, Sisterhoods have been successful in strengthening their congregations and their communities, and in ensuring the development and growth of Reform Judaism. Ninety-six years after being founded, WRJ continues to serve as a wellspring of Jewish values, ideals, and support for the Reform Movement worldwide.
Women of Reform Judaism provides a wide variety of valuable services to its affiliated Sisterhoods, including:
• local programming, organization, and leadership development for Sisterhoods;
• a complimentary copy of all new materials published by WRJ;
• information and assistance concerning basic Sisterhood matters, including membership campaign strategies, leadership development, programming, educational and study materials, bylaws, public relations, fundraising, and committee structures, as well as one-on-one guidance in solving problems;
• education and action on critical issues and community service;
• complimentary materials for Sisterhood mailings;
• a network for the exchange of ideas and activities through written communication, the Internet, district events, Assemblies, the WRJ Leadership Conference and other meetings;
• representing Reform Jewish women in the larger Jewish and general communities – both nationally and internationally – on boards, committees, and commissions of the institutions of Reform Judaism, as well as in coalition and umbrella groups in the Jewish, secular, and interreligious communities;
• a website, www.wrj.org, with up-to-date information about Sisterhood, a way to purchase YES Fund materials, and more;
• an Internet discussion group for Sisterhood Presidents, enabling them to share ideas with other Sisterhood Presidents throughout North America;
• a Speakers Bureau that provides Sisterhoods with a speaker from the leadership of WRJ every two years and from the district every year; and
• the opportunity for each woman to actively support the institutions of Reform Judaism through WRJ projects.
WRJ Board Members from WRJ Midwest District
Term to expire in 2011
Sherri Feuer, Temple Israel, Minneapolis, MN
Sally Frank, Temple B'nai Jeshurun, Des Moines, IA
Helen Gold, Temple Beth-El, Munster, IN
Diane Kaplan, Temple Israel, Minneapolis, MN
Susan Pittelman, WRJ Secretary, Congregation Shalom, Milwaukee, WI
Sue Stein, Mt. Zion Temple, St. Paul, MN
Lynne Turry, Temple Chai, Long Grove, IL
Term to expire in 2013
Karen Yellen Dillon, North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe, IL
Marcy Frost, WRJ Midwest District First Vice President, Temple Israel, Minneapolis, MN
Marlen Frost, Temple Israel, Omaha, NE
Marla Goldberg, WRJ Midwest District President, Temple Beth Israel, Skokie, IL