Renee Ravich’s Keynote

KEYNOTE SPEECH FOR INR CONFERENCE–EDITED
JUNE 2, 2019

According to Wikipedia, the part of Jerusalem called the City of David showed first signs of settlement in the 4th millennium BCE, in the shape of encampments of nomadic shepherds. During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times.

The Jewish Virtual Library says in 1546, an earthquake devastated the region and damaged the Temple Mount and the surrounding area. Sultan Suleyman 1st ordered the rubble of homes adjacent to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount to be cleared for a prayer site for the Jews. The area was unknown to the Jewish people of that time. Suleyman issued a firman (decree) that Jews had the right to pray there for all times. This decree remained in force and was honored by his successors for more than 400 years.

Fast forward to 1941. Jerusalem has changed hands a number of times. Many Jewish settlers had populated around the area, cleared the swamps, and built kibbutzim. The popularity of visiting and praying at the Wall by the settlers and visitors led the British-appointed chief rabbis to issue regulations for proper behavior at the Wall, which included the separation of men and women. However, the British did not permit the erection of a mechitzah

The U.N. Partition Plan of 1947 had Jerusalem in the middle of an Arab State and administered by the U. N. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, West Jerusalem was among the areas captured by Israeli forces. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it into Jerusalem, together with additional surrounding territory. The reunification of Jerusalem gave Israel control of the historic city and Jews access to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount for prayer. Thus we celebrate Yom Yerushalim today, the 52nd anniversary of the reunification.

The people who helped mold the state of Israel from the very early years were great leaders, from Zionists like Henrietta Szold who brought modern medical facilities to Jerusalem through the group now known as Hadassah, to Golda Meir, who immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, becoming a kibbutznik and later Prime Minister of Israel. Let’s not forget the nameless female members of the Haganah and the Palmach who fought for the establishment of Israel. These were leaders who had a vision, listened to others, took into consideration all people and opinions, no matter their personal stance. Each one had key leadership traits. We, as Sisterhood and Women’s League leaders should aspire to the same qualities.

In 1994, I finally got my chance to travel to Israel with our extended family. How many of you, on your first trip to Jerusalem, stood above the city watching the sun dance on the stones of the buildings? It is breathtaking and golden. Walking around the city, taking in the sights of the new and old buildings and smelling the falafel, (OK, and eating the falafel!) shopping on Ben Yehuda or in the Cartel is not the same as home- but it feels like home.

There are challenges for Conservative, Reform and secular Jews in Israel. When Suleyman spoke of Jews having a place to pray it was for all Jews. For centuries, Jews from throughout the world made their way to the Kotel for the pilgrimage holidays. Jews of all sects and schools of thought continued to live in the area. Today, though, the Orthodox leaders control most things religious in Israel such as weddings and funerals, and have even proclaimed there be a mehitzah at the Western Wall.

Yet there are many Conservative Jewish Institutions in Israel. There’s the Schechter Institutes, the Conservative Yeshiva, Masorti congregations, and Tali schools. These institutions get very little if any funds and support from the state.

This is where our voices and leadership are needed. As part of the Conservative movement, we need to continue to support Schechter Institutes through Torah Fund. Our sisterhoods must continue to make a yearly donation to support Masorti Days of Study. If the opportunity arises, try to join your synagogue mission to Israel. We need to do what we can to ensure Israel is for all people.

Women’s League members have voted for several resolutions related to Israel. From one resolution simply titled Israel in 1952, encouraging that the National Women’s League pledge every possible aid to assure the success of the United Jewish Appeal, the Bond Drive and related assistance to the young State; Agunah/Pre-Nuptial Agreement; Equitable education opportunities regardless of religious affiliation or socio-economic status; Gender Equality in Public Secular Spaces in Israel; three resolutions on Jerusalem itself; to the 2016 support of the Mandelblit Plan for egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall, WL has addressed some timely topics in the resolutions. It’s up to us, the leadership, to act upon those resolutions by educating our members, advocating for policies, and contacting our legislators where appropriate.

In case you missed it, I referred to all of us as the leadership. What traits did the trailblazers who facilitated the creation of Israel have that we can emulate and aspire to as Women’s League and Community leaders?

1. ATTITUDE: Good leaders stay positive and do not waiver
2. TENACITY: Nothing is ever accomplished with just one letter, one telephone call or one request.
3. ORIGINALITY: People like to sense that with you they are breaking new ground
4. WILLINGNESS TO ADMIT MISTAKES: If you are error-free, you are probably effort-free
5. FLEXIBILITY: Things change, and we have to change appropriately
6. COMMUNICATION SKILLS: clearly communicate the vision, goals, and path
7. MOTIVIATION SKILLS: keep their teams going through both good and bad times and protect their teams
8. INTEGRITY: Maintain absolute uprightness and honesty (in a positive way)
9. KNOWLEDGE: Keep on top of relevant activities and topics
10. COMMITMENT: When a group decision is made, follow through 100%
11. SENSE OF OBLIGATION: Put duty before self
12. TEAM PLAYER: Think “we” not “I”

Does one person have all these attributes? Of course not. That is why we cannot do this alone. We need our teams, which is where our volunteers come in.

In 1918, 100 women volunteers, many the wives of prominent rabbis and scholars affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary, set forth a mission to QUOTE “perpetuate traditional Judaism in their homes, synagogues and communities, a task for American Jewish women.” ENDQUOTE When asked at the 1918 United Synagogue convention to summarize the essence of her organization, Mathilde Schechter, founder, replied, “We stand for everything Jewish and American.” Calling themselves the Women’s Religious Union of the United Synagogue, now Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, the early leaders began to disseminate their message through the publication of educational materials written in English, whose purpose was to guide young women through the painful process of acculturation and Americanization. The group provided Student House, the first dorm at JTS.

For over 100 years, our sisterhood volunteers have cooked, baked, educated, sponsored, purchased, and supported their synagogues in thousands of ways. That’s the good news.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the volunteer rate decreased between 2014 and 2015 by .4 percentage points, from 25.3% to 24.9%. However, the number of hours served by volunteers nation-wide remained stable at about 7.7 billion hours served per year– translating to almost $183 billion dollars. That means fewer people are completing the same tasks as before. I’m sure the numbers in Canada are similar.

Where do we find those elusive people who are willing to volunteer?

First, we need to understand why people volunteer. Mostly it’s because they believe in the mission of the organization and share our passion for what we are doing. We need to clearly communicate that information. If part of your sisterhood’s mission is to program educational opportunities for the women in your synagogue, promote your events in that way. If it’s to provide Camp scholarships for the children, every piece of publicity about your fundraisers should mention that.

When asking someone to volunteer, mention the benefits of doing so. That can include building community, friendships, support system, a sense of purpose, even Tikkun Olam.

What’s the best way to acquire a new volunteer? ASK! Face-to-face or by phone. Make that personal connection. A request in a bulletin or a blanket announcement at a meeting allows people to dismiss immediately or think “she’s not talking to me”. Think about your experiences. How did you get involved in your sisterhood? I was a paper member of my sisterhood who received a solicitation letter in the mail for the Torah Fund campaign. I made a benefactor donation to Torah Fund in honor of my mother-in-law, Elaine, a former International Torah Fund chair. A week later I received a phone call from the sisterhood president to thank me. At the end of our conversation she asked me to be the next Torah Fund chair. OK, a little fast, but obviously Torah Fund is important to me so I took the position. I am now here as a Women’s League Conference Consultant. In another example, I recently heard a story where a woman new to sisterhood was asked to take on a task which didn’t appeal to her. The person asking was smart enough not to let her go and mentioned another position which was in her skill set and of interest. That woman became an International President of Women’s League. For each of us, it all began with the ask.

When talking to a prospective volunteer always be friendly and positive. Talk about the fun you have and the good work Sisterhood does. If you know what the interests of your prospect are, try to address those. Does she enjoy attending and participating in services? Maybe you can ask her to participate in Sisterhood Shabbat. Is she an avid reader? Invite her to join your Sisterhood book club. Does she enjoy knitting or crocheting? Does she have friends who do as well? Help her form a craft group to make scarves or hats for people in need. Or just offer her a ride to an event. Maybe she’ll accompany you to help set up for that event if she doesn’t have to walk in alone.

Do you have a working relationship with your synagogue board and staff? Do you receive the names of new members who might be a good fit for sisterhood? Do you collaborate with other synagogue groups on events? An example might be Men’s Club catering for Sisterhood Shabbat and Sisterhood assisting with World Wide Wrap. In anticipation of your question, yes, I’ve actually seen Men’s Club members cooking for a Sisterhood event.

When asking, be specific about expectations. You will be more successful in motivating women to volunteer if you ask them to do one identified task. Help them picture the job in detail rather than expecting them to vaguely understand. Every job is important, from stuffing envelopes to chairing the Gala committee. List those tasks to be fulfilled and ask someone to do one of them. This is especially helpful when asking a new person to join in the fun of sisterhood.

In this International Northeast Region there are over 2000 members in the 16 sisterhoods. There are even more women who are members of the synagogues but not sisterhood. That’s a lot of women who can be asked. What if someone asks you why they should help? Here’s an example. Instead of a formal D’var Torah at a board meeting, a sisterhood president asked everyone to state in one sentence why they are involved. Most only needed one word- friendship, community, support, fun, service. This is what we need to impart when inviting women to participate. What other answers can you give to the prospective volunteer? Express the vision, mission and goals of sisterhood. Talk about the good that sisterhood does for the synagogue and community, such as the educationally and socially focused women’s seder that you hold every year, the hamentaschen you bake for mishloah manot baskets, the New Year’s message fundraiser that goes towards the youth groups activities, the shelter where your members go once a month to serve dinner. You get the idea.

Once we are fortunate enough to get people to participate, how do we train our new volunteers to become future leaders? Women’s League has several programs that can help. How many of you in this room have been to a Leadership Institute? It is two days of personal learning and growth that gives participants the confidence they might be seeking. Encourage your members to attend and put aside some money in the budget to help them go. The next one is July 28-29 in New York City. Distance workshops are one-hour conference or ZOOM calls that cover topics as varied as Finances, Membership, Torah Fund, Leadership and even Volunteerism. The next one is “Sisterhood 101” on Tuesday, June 18, at 8:30 p.m., Eastern time. Sign up at wlcj.org. web site. All the scripts are available after the workshop through the Women’s League web site under download member materials. Remember that Consulting Services can provide a trainer that can lead workshops tailored to your Sisterhood leadership or other needs. Keep in mind International Convention in Schaumberg, IL, July 12-15, 2020.

Women’s League has many programs for our members to participate in individually for personal education. You can join WL Reads, the on-line book club. Read the book, make comments, and have a group discussion with the author. The next book is The Last Watchman of Old Cairo, by Michael David Lukas.

Zoom in to many of the educational initiatives of Women’s League. Personal Conversations broaches topics such as Family Violence and Creating a Caring Community. Study with the Scholars gives us the opportunity for conversations with people like Rabbi Sherre Hirsch and Dr. Pamela Nadell. The latest educational initiative is Mishnah Berekhot, an 18- month program where one gets to study Mishnah with rabbis from around the world. A benefit of belonging to Women’s League, you can join in these programs from the comfort of your home, in your pj’s with a cup of tea. Or how about this? Invite a group of women to the synagogue or a home, fire up your laptop, and “attend” one of these Women’s League video or audio events. Instant program!

Our Jewish leaders of the past each had a vision for their community. Think about your vision for your Sisterhood and Synagogue. With your fellow leaders and future leaders, create a mission and goals and begin working on them. Neil Diamond has a great line in a song- “we’re headed for the future and the future is now”. Don’t wait.